How to get to Ba Na Hills in Vietnam and everything you need to plan your visit

Find out everything you need to know about one of Vietnam’s most famous attractions, Ba Na Hills, including how to get to Ba Na Hills, the best time to visit and how the ticketing and entry process works.

Ba Na Hills SunWorld has become one of the top tourist attractions in Vietnam thanks to its instagrammable Golden Hands Bridge and the recreation of a French Village in the Ba Na Mountains. Plus the cable car to the top of the mountain is the longest single track cable car in the world at 6.2km long!!

There’s no doubt that SunWorld Ba Na Hills is a pretty extravagant, odd and interesting place to experience, it feels strange to see somewhere so uniquely European (ish) in the heart of Vietnam. But it also feels very much like a facade when you find it’s all made of plastic and the historic cobbled streets and facades are really less than 10 years old!

And yet the bizarre uniqueness of this attraction, its unique location in the hills and of course the photo opportunities means so many people are eager to visit.

We visited Ba Na Hills during our stay in Da Nang and I will say that it was a bit confusing figuring out how to get there, the best time to go, what there is to do there and which cable car to take up the mountain (there are three!!)

In this guide I’m going to share how to get to Ba Na Hills and you’ll be pleased to know that it’s surprisingly easy!

a large stone hand holdin gup a gold bridge at the top of a mountain, the mountainside below can be seen with a building and a long cable car track leading down. The entire image is golden orange with sunrise light — The Golden Bridge, Ba Na Hills, Da Nang VIetnam

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something. While clicking these links won't cost you anything, they will help me to keep this site up and running! Check out the full disclosure policy for more details. Thank you so much!

Where is Ba Na Hills?

SunWorld Ba Na Hills is located in Central Vietnam, in the mountains around 45 minutes inland from Da Nang and 1 hour from Hoi An.

When is the best time to visit Ba Na Hills?

Two stone hands holding up a golden walkway with a decorative path and flowers winding down the hillside below it — Golden Hands Bridge

There are two parts to this question, the first is the best time of year to visit, the second is the best time of day to visit.

If you’re wondering about the best time of year to visit Ba Na Hills, the seasons there are the same as Da Nang and Hoi An on the coast.

June through August/September are the hottest months, with little-to-no rain but these months can be unbearably hot, especially inland and away from the sea breeze.

The rainy season in central Vietnam is generally October-January and I would avoid visiting during this time.

February through April is good weather, less rain, a cooler breeze and generally sunny/cloudy days where temperatures hover around or just below 30C.

We visited in February and the weather was perfect. In fact it was a cloudy day at sea level but as we ascended up to Ba Na Hills in the cable car, we actually rose above the clouds and the top of the mountain was glorious sunshine for our whole visit. It was also a fair bit cooler up the mountain at this time of year so be prepared with extra layers.

An aerial view from a cable car looking town a green, tree covered hillside, the cable and other cable cars are disappearing into the layer of clouds below — The longest single track cable car in the world which carries you up to Ba Na Hills Sunworld

To address the second half of this question, what is the best time of day to visit Ba Na Hills? This depends on whether you choose to stay overnight at the park's Hotel.

We chose to stay overnight at the Mercure Da Nang Ba Na Hills which is the only hotel within the park complex itself. We chose to do this because it's the only way you can experience the park after hours. The park closes usually at 5pm and opens at 7am or 8am depending on the season.

The cable cars down to the base of the mountain literally stop running at these times so no one else can come up and you're “stuck” at the top of the mountain.

The last cable car up to Ba Na Hills runs at around 4.30pm so our hotel advised us to allow plenty of time for that. We arrived at around 3.30pm and by the time we got to the top at 4pm, the park was starting to empty as people left for the last cable car. This meant we had the park to ourselves for the whole evening, there are restaurants and bars and facilities at the hotel but the facilities and the park are enjoyed only by hotel guests.

Similarly in the morning, despite opening at 7am, many people arrive on tour buses around 10am or come later from Hoi An or Da Nang, this meant that the park was incredibly quiet until around 10am despite the fact that it was open for 3 hours before that!

We loved our stay at Ba Na Hills for this reason I think: having the park to ourselves for the evening and in the morning. By midday the next day we were ready to leave because the crowds and the heat were unbearable.

This is not to suggest that you HAVE to stay overnight to have a good experience (although if you're thinking about it, we did really enjoy it and definitely would recommend it). But this is more to say that if you want to see the park when it's quieter, rent a scooter or take a Grab taxi early in the morning for when it opens at 7am, or stay right up until 5pm when the last cable car leaves.

Of course if you're a photographer and want to photograph the Golden Bridge at Ba Na Hills or any of the other temples, French Village streets or attractions then staying overnight might be the best option for you as the Mercure hotel offers cable cars to hotel guests only at sunrise (time varies but usually between 5.30-6.30am - check with the hotel when you check in) to reach the Golden Hands Bridge, so you can see it before day visitors arrive from the bottom of the mountain.

How to get to Ba Na Hills from Da Nang

Getting to Ba Na Hills by taxi

By far the easiest method of getting to SunWorld Ba Na Hills from Danang is by Grab Taxi.

This is also a great option if there are 2 or more of you because the price is so cheap, it works out better if there's 2+ people sharing a taxi rather than each buying individual bus tickets.

We took a Grab from Da Nang which cost us 500,000 VND (£16) split between the two of us. Plus we were staying overnight so it was easier with our bags.

Select “Ba Na Hills SunWorld” as your destination as this is the main entrance to the park.

Looking down on a car park and building complex surrounded by green hills from a cable car — The car park and cable car station entry area at the base of the hills

Getting to Ba Na Hills by bus

If you're on a budget or a solo traveller or if you're travelling as part of a big group, there are plenty of bus transfers and tour options.

Before realising how cheap a Grab was for the two of us, we were going to use this day transfer option from GetYourGuide.

This does not include your entry ticket to Ba Na Hills which you can buy at the park entrance but does maximise your time there with good transfer times.

Getting to Ba Na Hills by scooter

Another option if you're comfortable with renting a scooter while you're in Vietnam is to drive yourself there.

Many travelers and expats hire a scooter during their stay as it's a cheap, easy way to get around everywhere.

This is also the best option if you decide to visit Ba Na Hills for the day and want to beat the crowds by arriving early. With your own scooter you can decide when to arrive and not be beholden to bus times or taxi availability.

How to get to Ba Na Hills from Hoi An

If you want to know how to get to Ba Na Hills from Hoi An then you'll be pleased to know it's just as straightforward and has the same options as above.

Just be aware that it's a slightly further drive from Hoi An to Da Nang so taxi prices will be higher and the journey time a bit longer.

Hoi An is a popular tour hub so you’ll also find plenty of tour and transfer options from Hoi An to Ba Na Hills such as these ones:

Hoi An to Ba Na Hills shuttle transfer.

Shuttle transfer option with Ba Na Hills ticket included

This one has the option to include the Ba Na Ticket with the shuttle bus and also an optional buffet lunch.

A large stone hand with palm up, holding a golden bridge on a hillside with a couple of people walking over the bridge — Golden Bridge at sunrise

How much are tickets to Ba Na Hills SunWorld

a cobbled square of a theme park with turreted buildings around it and a fountain in the center with a sign that reads "Sunworld" — SunWorld Ba Na Hills main square

Tickets to visit SunWorld Ba Na Hills don't come cheap at 900,000 VND for adults (£28.31/ $35.46 USD) / 750,000 VND for children (£23.60/ $29.55 USD)

However this does also include your return ticket cable car ride from the car park at the base of the mountain to the park at the top - the longest single track cable car in the world!

How to buy Ba Na Hills tickets

There are 3 ways to buy tickets

On the entrance gate at the kiosk (most people do this)
On their website in advance (we found the site super glitchy so decided not to do this)
Via a third party travel provider such as GetYourGuide or Viator

Which cable car do you use to ride up to Ba Na Hills?

It was initially quite confusing when we planned our trip as there are 3 cable cars from the car park to the top of the mountain and then one more additional cable car at the top which connects the main park with the Golden Hands Bridge and gardens area.

There are the three cable car stations you'll find at the car park. The one you should take to ride up is either Suoi Mo station or Hoi An station

Hoi An station – this one will bring you out closest to Golden Bridge but the queues were pretty insane getting off this cable car to see the bridge

Suoi Mo - this one takes you straight into the French Village of Ba Na Hills where a second much shorter cable car from the Louvre Station will connect you to the Golden Hands Bridge

Toc Tien Waterfall Station - only take this one if you’re staying at the Mercure Ba Na Hills hotel in the French village

You can ride any car back down.

Can you stay overnight at Ba Na Hills and how much does it cost?

There is one hotel in Ba Na Hills SunWorld called the Mercure Da Nang Ba Na Hills.

The rate to stay here is more expensive than your standard budget hotel in Da Nang or other cities in Vietnam, however at £88 for a night (for our visit) it really wasn't a bad price!

Guests at the hotel also get 30% off Ba Na Hills tickets when they arrive at the cable car station at the base of the hills.

Only hotel guests use the cable car at Toc Tien station to ascend. You can come down on this one if you're a day visitor but most other visitors use the other two cable car stations.

Summary: How to get to Ba Na Hills

There’s no doubt that a visit to Ba Na Hills is a unique thing to do in Vietnam.

I will say that I’m glad we were able to stay overnight and see the park without the crowds during our evening and the following morning.

Even up the mountain where it was cooler, the heat during the midday was extremely hot and again, if you can arrive at the park early to avoid the crowds and the heat then I would do so!