Ba Na Hills in Da Nang: Exactly What to Know Before You Visit

Let me say that you could probably fill up your phone’s entire storage taking pictures of Ba Na Hills in Da Nang. It is one of the most visually striking, large-scale places that I’ve ever seen. It’s like someone let their imagination run wild, combining French, Greek, and Medieval architecture, and then plopped it all on top of a mountain in Vietnam, sparing no expense.

I visited on what was a clear and sunny day (on the ground level). But the cable car ride was so long (one of the world’s longest), and so high, that we went up, through, and above a layer of clouds. So if you’re after some shots of the Golden Bridge, keep that in mind — clear on the ground doesn’t necessarily mean clear on top of Ba Na Hills.

I purchased my Ba Na Hills ticket via Klook, and that’s what I suggest doing. You’ll receive a QR code directly in the app, and this way, you’ll be able to skip any potential ticket booth queues and head straight inside.

I spent over 6 hours at Ba Na Hills recently, doing over 13,000 steps. I visited during the week, on a Friday, and got there at about 8:30 AM. I had no issue getting up to the Golden Bridge (very little cable car queue), but there were already a ton of people up there. By 10 AM, it was packed. Here’s a video I filmed at 9:20 AM, and it was a sunny day behind this big cloud.

The Mercure Danang French Village (see on Agoda / Booking) is the only hotel on top of Ba Na Hills. This would be an interesting place to stay for one night, and you get early access to the Golden Bridge before the general admission crowds arrive — and they’re fierce selfie-takers.

Random fact: Ba Na Hills was originally a French resort area built in 1919 that fell into ruin before being recreated by Sun Group (hence the French-theme village on the mountain’s peak) and turned into Vietnam’s first Sun World.

Don’t forget my other Da Nang articles, including where to stay, when to visit, and more things to do.

Sun World Ba Na Hills Visitor Info

Location	Google Maps (entrance)
Hours*	Park open from 7 AM to 10 PM daily
Cost	• 950.000 VND (Adults)(Cable car ticket) • 750.000 VND (Children/Seniors) • 1.250.000 VND (Adults)(Cable + Buffet) • 950.000 VND (Children/Seniors)
Get tickets	Buy tickets on Klook
Private tours	See Ba Na Hills private tours
How much time	I spent 6 hours here and felt that was enough
When to visit	Clear blue skies (if possible) and not too hot
Official website	Sun World Ba Na Hills
Social media	FB Page Sun World Ba Na Hills
Accessibility**	Stroller-friendly, borderline wheelchair-friendly
Other notes	ATMs on top, clean park, plenty of bathrooms

**I saw plenty of families with young kids and strollers. There are ramps, escalators, and elevators in certain areas of Ba Na Hills. But I did see a lot of areas that were accessible by stairs only. I’m 50/50 on calling this “wheelchair accessible.” But you could definitely visit the Golden Bridge.

Ba Na Hills Travel Tips (Tickets, Getting Around, Cable Cars)

I’m going to share exactly what you need to know about visiting Ba Na Hills. Each bullet point below has what I consider helpful info, tips, and suggestions on visiting. If you have any questions, ask me in my Da Nang, Hoi An, and Hue travel planning group.

Ba Na Hills tickets:

• The basic ticket includes access to the full park, with cable car rides up and down the mountain. Certain activities (alpine coaster, wax museum, rock climbing) inside the park cost extra: 70.000 VND or 100.000 VND. You can pay for these at their respective locations.

• There are numerous free activities with the basic ticket: 3D, 4D, and 5D theaters/shows, bumper cars, carousel swings, and a lot more. But for adults, Ba Na Hills is mainly a visual experience, in my opinion. It’s visually striking everywhere you look, but limited in the number of rideable attractions — I grew up near Six Flags Great Adventure, once home to the tallest roller coaster in the world, Kingda Ka.

• Good for families with kids: There is a lot more to keep kids occupied and entertained than adults. The indoor Fantasy Park has a lot of activities, games, and rides for kids.

• I would skip the lunch buffet combo ticket. There are tons of places to eat on top of Ba Na Hills — tons. Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai, Italian, Western, sushi, fried chicken, a beer garden, food stalls, etc. There are bars and several coffee shops. Highlands Coffee, Starbucks, and others.

• There is no ticket to visit only the Golden Bridge. The Golden Bridge is one of the lower stops on the cable car ride. You could visit only here, then take the cable car back down, but you still need to pay full price.

• If you stay at the Mercure French Village Hotel (see on Agoda / Booking), you get early access to the Golden Bridge before the general admission crowd arrives.

Navigating the theme park

• There is a lot to see! Castles, gardens, pagodas. Take a map from the entrance (or from inside the cable cars, next to the barf bags — not joking). Be sure to choose the correct language (they have different language maps). The maps have a lot of helpful information on restaurants, attractions, and activities.

• Ba Na Hills is spread across three different levels and multiple zones, with only cable cars and the funicular to get between them. The funiculars are free with the basic ticket.

• GetYourGuide and Klook have private Ba Na Hills tours. I saw multiple groups of people with tour guides. A tour is not necessary to enjoy the park, but a guide could really help you navigate because the park is very big. Much bigger than I anticipated.

The cable cars

• First: If you have a serious fear of heights, you might have an issue visiting Ba Na Hills. The cable car ride is the only way up and down the mountain. There are access roads for staff and builders, as there is a lot of ongoing construction. But the cable car is very high up and bouncy at times.

I filmed this video at the beginning of the cable car ride from the entrance up to the Golden Bridge. It continued for about 12 more minutes after.

• There are seven different cable car routes on the current map. They don’t all go to the very top. The ride from the Ba Na Hill’s entrance to the Golden Bridge is about 15 minutes. Other rides are shorter, and the ride down from the top is about 20 to 25 minutes.

• There are digital display screens around the park that show which cable car lines are open or closed. In the morning, fewer are operational. As the day goes on, they open up more lines.

• A final heads up: Tons and tons of people will be taking selfies and group photos everywhere. Parts of Ba Na Hills can be very crowded, and unfortunately, not everyone knows how to be respectful in large public spaces. I was able to get all of the photos and videos I wanted by being patient.

Getting to Ba Na Hills from Da Nang or Hoi An

The easiest way to get to Ba Na Hills from either Da Nang or Hoi An is to join a tour that includes pick up and drop off. You have small-group, large-group, and private-tour options. You can see some options here.

If you want to explore Ba Na Hills yourself, you can book a Grab taxi both ways. It’s a very popular attraction, so you won’t have any issue ordering another taxi when you’re done. You could also arrange with your initial driver to wait for you while you’re inside Ba Na Hills. Some of my readers have negotiated this with their initial Grab drivers.

The trip from the My Khe Beach area of Da Nang (about 45 minutes) will cost around 300.000 VND to 400.000 VND each way, depending on vehicle size. From Hoi An (over 1 hour), the cost will be about 450.000 VND to 600.000 VND each way. GrabCar rates vary depending on vehicle size, time of day, and how busy the app is.

The Grab drivers will drop you off in the parking area, a bit away from the main entrance to Sun World. There is a free shuttle bus to take you there.

If you have your own scooter, there’s a free scooter parking lot at Ba Na Hills. I rode my scooter to Ba Na Hills recently, and it’s a nice, easy ride.