Ba Na Hills in Da Nang has become quite a popular destination theme park. Ok, it might be a bit of a cheesy destination, but it boasts one of the world’s longest cable car rides, the iconic Golden Bridge, and a French Village theme park. What’s not to like?
Ba Na Hills is located on on Mount Trường Sơn, about 20 kilometres west of the city centre. While the French were responsible for the original development in the area, these days it is owned by the Sun World Group.
Given that there is a Mercure hotel within the park you can stay overnight, and make it a two-day visit, I opted for a single day visit, but if you want to see the park with fewer people around, perhaps staying the night would be a good option.
A brief history
So, back to the beginning. Originally it was built as a resort in the hills where it was possible to escape the heat of Da Nang. A French captain, with the support of the colonial government, created the resort in 1919, and it originally consisted of over 200 villas. The area was subsequently abandoned after the French defeat at Dien Bien Phu in 1954,
Vietnamese property giant Sun World began a redevelopment of the area in 2009. They transformed into the rather popular tourist destination that it is today.
The French Village is said to have been inspired by the hometown of Pigneau de Behaine, the first foreigner to visit the area.
Arrival at Ba Na Hills
On arrival to Ba Na Hills you get a sense of how big a tourist operation this is. The car park is huge. This is the points where you can buy your entrance tickets. There are also a range of shops and dining areas here.
The landing area is pretty large, and there are quite a few things to do, even at this level. All in all, it means it’s quite a walk (and going up a few escalators) to get to the cable cars.
Cable Cars
To visit Ba Na Hills, and in particular, to the Golden Bridge you really need to take the cable car. There does not seem to be any real alternatives to this.
In some respects, the cable cars are an experience in themselves. There are a number of cable cars at Ba Na Hills, and among them there are some world records. It has the world’s longest single-cable cable car (at over 5 kilometres in length), it has the longest span between stations, and it has the longest single cable.
As the park is built on two different levels, there is more than one cable car. In order to get to the Golden Bridge, you need to take the cable car from Hoi Ann station. That’s the name of the cable car station, not the town. Anyway, that will take you up to Marseille Station and the Golden Bridge.
On the other hand, if you want to go to the French Village first, you need to leave from Toc Tien station.
As with many cable cars, it affords great views of the area that you pass over. In the case of Ba Na Hills, you pass over quite lush vegetation.
The first ride is bit over 15 minutes, and toward the end the iconic Golden Bridge comes into view. The hands are a bit of a giveaway that you are looking at said bridge.
Once you have made your way to the first stop, you will find yourself near the Golden Bridge. Other attractions in this area include a wine cellar, Linh Ung Pagoda, and Le Jardin D’Amour Gardens.
Golden Bridge
The first stop of the cable car finds you at the Instagram sensation that is the Golden Bridge. I would go as far as saying that it may be the primary reason many people visit Ban Na Hills.
Debay Wine Cellar
The Debay wine cellar is one of the original parts of the area. The wine cellar was originally built in 1923 as an area to store wines for the original resort. Built into the hill, it is roughly 100 metres long and maintains a temperature of 18-20 degrees. There is an extra charge to explore the cellar.
It is a self-guided tour, and starts off entering the cellar door on the side of the hill.
From there, it is a walk through the tunnel looking at the various places where wine could be stored in the cellar. Fortunately, the tunnels are not that small, being maybe 2 metres high and wide enough to comfortably walk through.
Finally, you reach a bar at the end of the cellar. Here, you can try out the various wines.
Le Jardin D’Amour Gardens
Le Jardin D’Amour Gardens are a set of 9 different gardens within Ba Na Hills. Each of the gardens is inspired by a different tale. The gardens include the Suoi Mo garden, Secret Garden, Eden Garden, Thought Garden, Memory Garden, Lovers Garden, Mythology Garden, Sacred Garden and The Vineyard.
Each of the gardens shows a different architecture and style. Here are a couple of examples.
The Lovers Garden is located in the heart of the gardens.
One of the signicant features of the Garden of Eden is a giant peacock. The wings of the peacock are made up of various coloured flowers.
Ba Na Linh Ung Pagoda
Linh Ung Pagoda is found in a rather tranquil location within Ba Na Hills.
Ba Na Hills French Village
After clearing the Golden Bridge, it was time to take another cable car ride up to French Village. To get there, another cable car ride is required, this time from Bordeux Station. (If you go back to Marseille Station, you will go back down to the entrance. Fine if you want to leave, but not so helpful to get to the French Village)
This is where most of the action takes place. It’s worth keeping in mind that this is not some historic old-fashioned village. It is a recent recreation as a European-themed amusement park. Having said that, some of the architecture and design of the buildings looks quite authentic,
Given the buildings look French and the weather is cool and refreshing compared to Da Nang, with a bit of imagination, I guess you could feel like you are in Europe.
Of all the buildings, I was drawn most to the St Denis Cathedral. It is apparently a miniature version of the Basilica of Saint-Denis in France. Fake it may have been, but it looks to be a be a good reproduction of French Gothic architecture.
The attention to detail continues within the church
Summing Up
At the end of the day Ba Na Hills is designed as a theme park, so you aren’t going to get any immersive Vietnamese cultural experience. But, then, it doesn’t try to be any of that. It does what it does, and it does it well.
There is quite a lot to do here as well, so it could easily be a full days activity. Indeed, for me it was. And even then, I didn’t get to everything.
