It borders Huế to the north, Đà Nẵng to the northeast, Kon Tum to the southwest, Quảng Ngãi to the southeast, Sekong of Laos to the west and the South China Sea to the east.

Quảng Nam is known for being a tourist destination in the Hội An cultural site, alongside an export and manufacturing hub within central Vietnam.

[4] Quảng Nam was once the political and near the geographic centre of Champa and the province was gifted in 1307 in exchange for a marriage to a Vietnamese or Dai Viet princess.

[4] For some time both the most powerful city-state and the busiest Cham port (at Hội An) were located in what is now Quảng Nam.

[5] As the site contained several mountain passes, it has historically been a center for conflict between ruling powers and dynastic struggles.

The site was the scene of heavy inter-dynastic fighting between the Trịnh–Nguyễn War and the point in which the Nguyen dynasty had escaped following their expulsion from their strongholds in the north.

The province of Quang Nam has historically served as a trade site and was a major port region in Southeast Asia for trading high-grade silk, fabrics, paper, porcelain, areca nuts, pepper, Chinese medicines, elephant tusks, beeswax, mother-of-pearl and lacquer.

[4] The Dutch brought Vietnamese slaves they captured from Nguyễn lord territories in Quảng Nam province to their colony in Taiwan.

Notably Alexandre de Rhodes who had written the alphabet, and also where a military alliance with France was signed between Nguyen dynasty monarchs fleeing the Tay Son Rebellion.

[9] Industrial GDP has been the main driving force of Quảng Nam's economy in the first decade of the century.

A smaller industrial zone is located in Tam Kỳ with factories producing electrical equipment, garments, and processed wood.

Both Tam Kỳ and Chu Lai Economic Zone are located along this road, while Hội An is around 10 km east of it.

[11] National Road 14 runs from Huế through the west of Quảng Nam to Đắk Glei district in Kon Tum province in the Central Highlands.

The province has two UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the ancient town of Hội An and the Mỹ Sơn temple complex.