Ba Na Hills (Sun World Ba Na Hills or Ba Na Hills Mountain Resort) is a far-reaching reputable hill station sitting atop mountains, not far from Da Nang downtown. Not just cool weather all year round, fresh environment, and awe-inspiring landscapes which convinced the colonists to leisure at it, this attraction has more than that. Now, it’s famous for its huge entertainment complex reached by the world-recorded cable cars, including the longest. Visitors often spend at least a half of day here to sightsee, take photos, participate in fun activities, and enjoy outdoor celebrations.
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Ba Na Hills Introduction
In general, Ba Na Hills includes 3 zones: the foot of the mountain, the Flower Gardens, and the French village in order of altitude. The first zone is the base of cable car stations, parking, ticket counters, a huge three-arched gate, and services followed by. Formerly visitors could walk to see a 700-meter-tall waterfall but now, the beauty is seen from the cabin only.
After around 15 minutes, travelers can land in the Flower Gardens or the French Village, depending on different cable cars. If the ride stops in the gardens, the world-famous Golden Bridge is the closest ever. Walk further, colorful landscaped gardens and a giant Buddha are awesome to see. In other cases, the French village leads visitors to explore the Ba Na hills. It houses a stained-glass church, paved streets lined by tall medieval-styled buildings, a theme park, temples, restaurants, hotels, coffee shops, and souvenir stores.
Ba Na Hills Elevation and Location
The foot of Ba Na Hills is 25km west of the Dragon Bridge in Da Nang Center and 45km northwest of the Japanese Bridge in Hoi An. If getting a car or taxi, it takes travelers over one hour from Hoi An and only 45 minutes from the other. After arriving, travelers will purchase a cable car ride to the hills, at an elevation of 1,500 meters. Thanks to being in Da Nang’s highest peak, its weather is always cooler than the plains below.
Name of Ba Na Hills: Ways to Explain
The most popular way to explain the name of the Ba Na Hills is related to the discovery of history by the French. When the colonists came to the area, they saw many wild banana trees living by the streams, so they called it like today. Historians believe that this is a fun story, and give some hypotheses. The first is from K’tu hill tribe agriculture. Which, the group of people divided the mountain into three “Na” (upper, middle, and lower) and shortly called “three Na or Ba Na” as a whole. The next hypothesis is linked to the Cham people who built a temple for the Ponagar goddess here. When arriving, the Vietnamese spelled the name wrong, and it became Ba Na up to date.
Opening Hours of Ba Na Hills
Ba Na Hills opens daily from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. (at the moment, 8 am to 9 pm). However, visitors often just stay in this attraction until around 5 p.m. because, after that time, cable cars to get down the mountain may not be operated frequently anymore. The last tickets are sold before 5 too, so in common, only travelers sleeping over in its hotel reach up later than 5. While in the cabin to return to the city, you can see them on the opposite ride.
Ba Na Hills Cable Car
Ba Na Hills entertainment complex is around the top of the mountains, and to get there, visitors will experience a cable car ride. In good weather, it takes about 15 minutes. The first lines were built in 2009 and now, they have three other siblings. The most recently constructed one holds four world records, including the longest and the largest elevation between terminals. The scenery seen from the cabin is stunning, and pretty as a picture. Wooded undulating mountains, white-water falls, huge outcrops, and clouds are the main outstanding things to see. Don’t forget that the Ba Na Hills entrance fee covers these impressive engineering works.
Ba Na Hills Weather and The Best Time to Visit
Ba Na Hills Weather
One day in Ba Na Hills features “four seasons” weather: spring in the morning, summer-like in midday, autumn in the afternoon, and winter at night. Generally, the temperature in this hill station is always around 20 and decreases after it’s dark or in the rainy season. Plenty of travelers love to stay overnight here, for that reason. For further information, read our article about Ba Na Hills weather at centralvietnamguide.com/ba-na-hills-weather.
The Best Time to Visit Ba Na Hills
The finest months to visit Ba Na Hills are from March to September. During it, there are many sunny hours and rainfall is low, which is ideal to sightsee around and join outdoor activities. Because of being the best, visitors will face crowds and long queues if traveling in this period. April and May are peak months. For more pleasant weather, should arrive in the early morning or late afternoon.
For first-timers, the morning is better because there are many interests around the mountain to explore. If you are a repeater, the afternoon may be your choice to see new things, see the sunset, and wander around the French village at night. If staying overnight in Ba Na Hills, you may be the first walker in any attraction there, for example, Golden Bridge.
Wet months are from October to December in Da Nang. During it, Ba Na Hills weather features high humidity, dense midst, and lots of rain. So, the scenery is often hidden away in clouds in low elevations but is blocked in higher ones. Performances of dancers are held indoors or canceled due to the decreasing number of tourists. High humidity causes escalator breakdown and makes the steps always wet, so be careful when visiting this time.
In typhoons, the cable car is closed to ensure visitor safety, so check the news or weather forecast carefully. The best time to make your trip is sunny days and in the ticket counters, the cashiers will show the weather at the time to you before any purchase.
Activities in Ba Na Hills (What to Do in Ba Na Hills)
Ba Na Hills Fantasy Park – Ba Na Hills Theme Park
This is Vietnam’s largest underground or indoor amusement park. Walking downstairs from the Morin cable car station, travelers can find the main entrance. It provides 100 fun games and short 3 to 5-dimensional movies, just to ensure that all family members can stay entertained during the visit. All are arranged on 3 floors, designed with inspiration from two novels: Journey to the Center of the Earth and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. Almost all of the things to play and watch here are free, but some require an extra fee and minimal height. Staff will let you know what should and shouldn’t do before starting an entertainment. Coffee shops, souvenir stores, and restrooms are available around. See details in centralvietnamguide.com/da-nang-amusement-park.
Ba Na Hills Roller Coaster
This is the highest roller coaster in the country, in case of location. The track can be seen from the cabin of cable car line 2 and line 5. Its entrance is next to the Fantasy Underground theme park, downstairs from French Village Square. Two people are allowed to sit in the same car but if would like to enjoy riding with only you, tell the staff to let him know. The minimum height and weight of the visitors are regulated, shown clearly with other regulations on the board at the entrance. Should put small or valuable items in the bag, instead of bringing them with you on the ride.
Outdoor Celebrations and Festivals in French Village
Numerous outdoor celebrations and performances are occurring around the French village. Every day in the tourist season, the carnival is held in Central Square, with the involvement of plentiful dancers and singers in vibrant music. Visitors can watch when the procession moves and take photos of the well-dressed figures at the end. A small tipping is required, put it in the box nearby.
Not only one time in the morning, but it’s possible to expect a couple of others in later hours too. Should ask the staff near you about when outdoor performances are held, because their reschedule may be changed between days. Recently, in different seasons, Ba Na Hills French Village has also been the host of big shows and exciting festivals for free, for example, beer festivals, flower festivals, and international food festivals. Thus, travelers get many opportunities to see, taste, and photograph all year round.
Ba Na Hills Flower Festival
Golden Bridge area is the host of the Ba Na Hills Flower Festival several times during the year. Depending on when it’s held, the kind of flowers will be different, to adapt to the season, weather, and theme. During this celebration of multiple colors, travelers have the chance to see a variety of flower varieties, both from Vietnam and the outside. No matter which time, its duration is at least a few weeks, giving a long enough time to allow travelers to attend. The best-known festival is dedicated to tulips that are imported directly from the Netherlands. Millions of individuals in 50 species are planted around the gardens (in French villages too), making it mesmerizing. Lots of Vietnamese and foreign tourists repeat their visit to Ba Na Hills just to admire this beauty. Performances of live music bands and European dancers are accompanied by blooming flowers.
Vietnam’s First Furnicular
This rail transport allows tourists to get the quickest reach from the arrival station of the #1 cable car line to the Flower Gardens, only 1,5 mins. Inaugurated in 2014, 80 passengers can sit and stand in it at the same time. The balcony is available, and highly- recommended to those who like to see pretty landscapes in the surroundings. In the high seasons, long lines of queues often occur and travelers have to wait for around 30 minutes for their turn to experience. Like anywhere in the resort, the staff try their best to make the waiting time of the travelers the shortest. Because of is the first funicular in Vietnam, Swiss engineers are responsible for constructing it at all stages.
