Ba Na Hills sits on a mountain west of Da Nang, about an hour from the city. It was a French hill station in the colonial period, abandoned, and redeveloped from the 2000s into a resort and entertainment complex at the top of a very long cable car. The Golden Bridge, held up by two enormous stone hands, is the image that made it famous.
The cable car
The cable car is the main piece of infrastructure and, for a lot of visitors, the best part of the visit. It climbs more than a kilometre of vertical height over forested mountainside, and the ride takes a substantial part of the journey time. Several lines run at different points; the one you take depends on which station the operator uses.
The cabins are enclosed and the ride is long. Anyone uncomfortable with heights should know that in advance.
Up the mountain from Da Nang: Da Nang · Golden Bridge, Ba Na Hills. (Enable JavaScript for the interactive map.)
The Golden Bridge
A curved pedestrian walkway held up by two giant weathered stone hands, standing out from the mountainside with the valley below. It is short, it is busy, and it was designed to be photographed.
The experience depends almost entirely on two things: cloud and crowds. On a clear morning the bridge appears to float above the valley. In cloud you see the hands and the walkway and very little else. Arriving at opening is the single most useful thing you can do.
What else is up there
A full French village reconstruction — streets, a square, a church facade, hotels and restaurants — built in European style at the summit. A large indoor games and amusement area. Gardens, a wine cellar, a pagoda complex and a large seated Buddha. Shows and parades at set times.
It is a theme park, and it does not pretend otherwise. Visitors who arrive expecting a mountain beauty spot are the ones who find it strange; visitors who arrive expecting a theme park with an extraordinary cable car generally do not.
Tickets and what they cover
Entry is a single ticket that includes the cable car and access to most of the attractions at the top, with some activities and the food charged separately. Buy it online in advance or at the base station. Children are priced by height rather than age, which is worth knowing if you are travelling with a tall child.
Transport from Da Nang is separate: a hired car, a Grab, or a bus included in a packaged tour. A car with a driver waiting is the straightforward version, since the base station is not somewhere you want to be looking for a ride at the end of the day.
Timing the day
Go early. The first cable cars run before the coach groups arrive, the bridge is at its emptiest in the first hour, and the cloud tends to build through the day. Going up in the afternoon on a clear day is the second-best option; going up in the middle of the day in cloud is the worst.
Allow a full day from Da Nang: an hour each way on the road, a long cable car at each end, and three to five hours at the top depending on how much of the park you use.
Weather
The summit is noticeably cooler than the coast and has its own weather. A warm layer is worth carrying even in the hot months, and a rain layer in the wet ones. Check a mountain forecast rather than Da Nang's before committing to the day.
Getting there from Da Nang
The base station is about an hour west of the city. The options are a car with a driver for the day, a Grab each way, or a seat on a packaged tour bus that includes the ticket. A car waiting at the base saves you looking for a ride at the end of the day.
Shuttle buses also run from Da Nang on a fixed schedule; check the last return time before you commit to it, because the site empties quickly once the afternoon shows finish.
Is it worth it
It divides people sharply, and the division is predictable. If you want authenticity, a quiet mountain or a historical site, this is the wrong day out. If you are travelling with children, or you want the cable car and the photograph and are relaxed about the rest, it is likely to be a good day.
The cable car and the view from the bridge on a clear morning are genuinely remarkable. The French village is a film set. Both of those things are true at once, and knowing that before you buy the ticket is most of the battle.
With children
Of the day trips around Da Nang, this is the one built for children — the cable car, the indoor games area, the shows and the parades. If the rest of the itinerary is temples and old towns, it is the obvious day to break that up.
Practical notes
Wear comfortable shoes; there is more walking and more staircase than the photographs suggest. Food at the top is plentiful and priced accordingly. The site is busy at weekends and during Vietnamese holiday periods, when the queues for the cable car are the constraint on the day.
FAQ
What is the Ba Na Hills cable car like?
The cable car is the main piece of infrastructure and, for a lot of visitors, the best part of the visit. It climbs more than a kilometre of vertical height over forested mountainside, and the ride takes a substantial part of the journey time. Several lines run at different points; the one you take depends on which station the operator uses.
What exactly is the Golden Bridge?
A curved pedestrian walkway held up by two giant weathered stone hands, standing out from the mountainside with the valley below. It is short, it is busy, and it was designed to be photographed.
What else is at the top of Ba Na Hills?
A full French village reconstruction — streets, a square, a church facade, hotels and restaurants — built in European style at the summit. A large indoor games and amusement area. Gardens, a wine cellar, a pagoda complex and a large seated Buddha. Shows and parades at set times.
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