The French village inspired theme park of Ba Na Hills, is well worth a visit, and in this article, we cover the best options from our own personal experience on how to get from Da Nang to Ba Na Hills.
Follow any social media channels about Vietnam and you will soon come across pictures of the spectacular Golden Bridge with two sets of gigantic hands holding up its spans. It’s one of the most photographed sights of Vietnam and instantly recognisable.
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The Golden Bridge is situated within the Sun World Theme Park on top of Ba Na Hills. If you want to visit this bridge, you will need to pay to enter Ba Na Hills theme park and then take a cable car from the base to the top which takes around 30 minutes. This is the only way you can visit the bridge.
Once you arrive at Ba Na Hills Sun World theme park most attractions are free including the Golden Bridge.
How to get to Ba Na Hills from Da Nang
Getting from Da Nang to Ba Na Hills is not difficult if you know how but it can be tricky for a first time visitor especially if you don’t speak the local language.
Information about getting to Ba Na Hills from Da Nang can seem confusing and as a result many visitors don’t take the opportunity to visit as they are unsure about what the park is like or if it is only for kids.
We felt the same before we went but ended up loving the experience and encourage others visiting Da Nang or Hoi An to allocate 1 or 2 days visiting Ba Na Hills.
Da Nang to Ba Na Hills can be reached a couple of ways. Either do it yourself and take a taxi or rideshare such as Grab to one of the cable car entry points at the base of Ba Na Hills. Grab in Vietnam is like Uber, and you order a Grab car by downloading the “Grab” app on your smartphone.
Alternatively pre book a guided day trip from Da Nang to Ba Na Hills.
Click here for all-inclusive tours to Ba Na Hills from Da Nang
How long does it take from Da Nang to Ba Na Hills?
The drive from Da Nang to Ba Na Hills takes approximately 60 minutes depending on traffic. Expect to pay around 300,000 to 400,000 VND for a grab or Taxi depending on the day etc.
If you are staying in Hoi An and travelling from there it is the same process and takes slightly longer, approximately 90 minutes depending on traffic.
Once you arrive you then need to buy cable car tickets to get to the top where the theme park is located. There is no way to get to Ba Na Hills theme park by car. This includes if you are staying at the hotel.
How much does it cost to visit Ba Na Hills
When you arrive at the cable car station you will need to pay an entry fee of 900,000 VND per adult and 750,000 VND per child (from 1m – 1.4m in height). The fee includes the cable car ride up and back and most attractions within the park. Food and beverage are of course extra as is the fair style kid’s games of chance/skill.
If you are arranging the visit independently the taxi driver should ask if you are staying overnight. This is so the driver knows which cable car to drop you off at. The hotel cable car for guests staying overnight is separate from the day visitor cable cars. They all arrive at the same Ba Na Hills and take the same amount of time but just in slightly different parts of the park.
How long do I need to see everything?
Ba Na Hills is essentially a large theme park with many rides, attractions, live shows, and plenty of dining options. It is quite large and caters to all ages. It can be covered in one day as the cable cars operate from 08:00 to 22:00 (correct at the time of publication)
The theme park is continually adding more attractions so you will have plenty to see during a day visit and should have enough time to cover most of the major attractions.
One thing to note is that It is extremely popular with Vietnamese tourists, so during peak holidays or weekends it can get quite crowded with long wait times. If you have the time available, it is possible to stay overnight and more about this is covered below.
If you book a prepaid tour, they normally depart early and have you back in Da Nang or Hoi An around sunset. The benefit of the tour as opposed to doing it yourself is that you won’t have to figure out everything yourself and potentially waste time as the tour operators can provide you with park information and handle the transport up and down.
Do we recommend a tour or do it yourself?
If you are comfortable travelling Vietnam and familiar with how things work, then it is certainly possible to do it all yourself. However, although some employees speak English it certainly not spoken by most staff at Ba Na Hills, or the cable car entry points and you will find yourself reaching for your translate app when trying to ask direction or asking specific questions.
When you are ready to leave you may find no taxi or grab so take that into account and be prepared to wait if you have not previously pre booked transport.
Click here to pre-book transport from Da Nang to Ba Na Hills
Can I stay at Ba Na Hills?
Yes, Ba Na Hills has a range of accommodation options spread across different building all owned and operated by the Accor brand Mercure Danang French Village located within the theme park.
If you are staying at the hotel, you still need to take the cable car to the top. However the cable car fee for hotel guests is reduced to 630,000VND per adult.
The hotel cable car arrives next to the hotel reception building and as you arrive you will be escorted to the check-in area.
Click here to book accommodation at Ba Na Hills
Tips for staying at the Mercure Danang French Village
One of the advantages of staying at the hotel is that it gives you time to explore the park in the morning before the daily crowds arrive. This is particularly important for anyone wanting to catch that magic photo shoot at the Golden Bridge (the hand bridge).
The Golden bridge although located within the park is accessible by a dedicated cable car which has early operating hours each morning at the following times.
- 6:00 am to 6:05 am
- 6:30 am to 6:35 am
- 7:00 am to 7:05 am
The golden bridge is a top attraction and gets very crowded during the day. The option to visit early in the morning is only available to guests staying at the hotel and you get the chance to capture that perfect photo as the sun rises and without the huge crowds.
The other benefit is visiting the nightly light show which runs twice nightly at 7:00pm and 9:00pm without having to worry about missing the last cable car back down the mountain.
Last words on How to get from Da Nang to Ba Na Hills
Ba Na Hills is a unique experience, and you can be mistaken for thinking you are in a French Village in the heart of France. Although it is a theme park it has plenty of attractions and a place worth visiting where you can easily spend a full day. Given its location on top of the mountain the weather is noticeably cooler making it a welcome change to the heat of Da Nang.
