Up in the Truong Son Mountains of Da Nang, lies Vietnam’s hidden playground – The Ba Na Hills. This place is not just a hill station but also a popular resort complex packed with endless activities. What started off as a small French resort is today a fascinating entertainment world. In addition to the stunning scenery and French style historic buildings this place also has a unique architectural wonder. It’s an interesting mix of the new and old. This one-of-a-kind place is great to spend a day with young and old as everyone can find their kind of fun under one roof. Unlike other parts of Vietnam, the weather here is very cool and pleasant throughout the year. No wonder Ba Na Hills has earned a top spot on everyone’s getaway list.
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Best Ways To Explore Vietnam’s Hidden Playground: Ba Na Hills
What to do in Ba Na hills? There are enough activities for one to easily spend an entire day at Ba Na Hills Vietnam. Below is an overview of some of the most popular attractions.
Ride The Ba Na Hills Cable Car
Riding the world’s longest cable car is the only way up to the hills. There are three lines which take tourists to the top but the most popular of them all is the Toc Tien–L’Indochine line which holds multiple Guinness World Records. The cable cars, similar to the ones in the Swiss Alps, were opened in the year 2013 to feed the famous mountain top Sun World resort. The ride takes about 18 minutes to reach the top. The spectacular views of Danang, the surrounding forests and the beautiful Toc Tien waterfalls make the cable car rides completely worth it.
Take Awesome Pics At The Legendary Golden Bridge
Golden Hand Bridge, a unique architecture wonder, where the walkway is lifted by giant hands has inspired many people worldwide. Since its opening in June 2018, the bridge is a global phenomenon and has become the most sought after attraction in Ba Na Hills. A walk through the 150-meter-long bridge at an elevation of 1,500 meters feels like walking between the clouds. As of today the Golden bridge is the most eye-catching man-made beauty in Vietnam. It is also a great place to catch a beautiful sunrise/sunset and to take some breathtaking pictures for your Instagram feeds.
Walk Around A Medieval French Village
Head to the French Village which is a European style medieval town. The Gothic architecture, its cobblestone paths, tall churches and quaint cottages makes you feel like you are in France. It is hard to believe that this is Vietnam as the shops, eateries, gothic hotels and restaurants, square with fountain and cathedrals are all duplicated well as mini Europe. Ba Na Hills in Vietnam was initially built by French colonists as a leisure destination for French tourists. This explains why a village on top of the hill in Vietnam looks so much like a Medieval French village. Walk the French village, enjoying some street art and French music playing in the background while here.
Spend A Fun Filled Day At The Fantasy Park
Fantasy Park is an excellent entertainment destination not just for kids but for people of all ages. One can easily spend an entire day at this 3-story amusement park. There are over 90 arcade games to keep everyone busy. Level one takes you through a mirror maze and bumper cars rides. Level two has 3D, 4D and 5D cinemas and level three offers a 3D, 360-degree mega-cinema. The highlight of the place is the 29-meter drop-and-twist tower and Ba Na hills roller coaster ride which is recommended only for the ones who love thrilling games. There are many other activities which can be experienced between 8:00am to 4:30pm.
Take In The Nature At Flower Garden
A collection of 12 small beautiful gardens form the base of this flower garden. Love garden, grape garden, spring garden, memory garden, Holy garden, mystery garden, Eden garden, legendary garden, heaven garden are names of few of them. Each of these gardens showcases a different layout with magnificent flowers. If you are a nature lover you just cannot miss this heavenly place as the flower garden is deemed to be the most beautiful garden in Vietnam.
Go Wine Tasting At Debay Wine Cellar
Go wine tasting at the Debay Wine Cellar which was built by the French in 1923. It was built deep into the mountain so that wine could naturally be stored. Temperatures between 14°C – 18°C is the ideal temperature to store the wine and Ba Na Hills being a cool place was a perfect choice. Vintage wine buckets and miniature wine cellars are displayed at the end of the cellar. You can learn how wine is produced and taste some too. After you are done with the tasting, purchase some bottles to take back home for family or friends. If you are visiting Ba Na Hills in the month of May, don’t forget to attend the annual wine festival.
Visit The Giant White Buddha Statue
One of the top things to see in Ba Na Hills is to visit the Giant White Buddha Statue. The 27 meters tall white Buddha is located in holy terrain at a height of 1500 meters. This statue, which is an icon of Linh Ung Pagoda, is so big that it can be seen from far. The massive statue just beside the flower garden sits serenely on a five-meter wide circular base which looks like a lotus. You can also visit the huge lady Buddha statue which was built 14 years before the Golden Hand Bridge. Fantastic views from above and the calmness of this place is unmatchable.
Meet Celebrities At The Wax Museum
Sun world Ba Na Hills Wax Museum has human-like wax statues of famous personalities on display. Get real close to popular celebrities like Obama, the British Queen, Lady Gaga, Marylin Monroe, Taylor Swift, Messi, Michael Jordan and many others. Step by step process of creating these lifelike figures can also be learnt here. This is your best chance to get close to your idols and don’t forget to take a few selfies with them. The wax museum looks creepy but is a very interesting place to visit.
Suggested Reads: How To Travel To Vietnam On A Budget
With our complete list of things to do in Ba Na Hills, your next getaway destination is literally in the palm of your hands. So go ahead and plan a holiday according to the events and festivals in the hills: Flower festival in February and March, Carnivals between April to September, Beer festival from April to August, Wine festival in May, Halloween festival in October and winter festival during Christmas time. Pick what suits you the best to have memorable and wonderful experiences in Ba Na Hills.
FAQ’s About Ba Na Hills, Vietnam
Bana hills was founded in 1919 by a French captain named Debay. He was looking for a suitable site to build a resort to be used as a leisure destination for French tourists. That’s when he stumbled upon Ba Na hills which had perfect weather and environment for a resort. Since then, the colonial government has been investing heavily to make it a top holiday destination.
Sun Group, founded by four Vietnamese in 2007 is the owner of Ba Na Hills. They are one of the largest real estate developers in Vietnam who deal with holiday resorts, attraction parks and luxury real estate.
6-7 hours is enough to fully discover Ba Na Hills, however spending a full day here will help to explore all this place has to offer without any hurry.
