The Golden Hands bridge features two gigantic concrete hands holding up the walkway. It's one of the most popular things to do in Da Nang, Vietnam.
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Are you wondering if a trip to Ba Na Hills is worth it? Read on to learn about all there is to see and do at this magical place.

The Wonderful Surprise and Delight of Ba Na Hills

During our weeks in Da Nang, Vietnam, I knew I wanted to see the “Golden Hand Bridge” at Ba Na Hills. I had seen fantastic photos of it and it was right near the top of my Bucket List for Vietnam. But oh my goodness, it turned out to be so much more than I expected!

About 45 minutes from Da Nang, up in the Trường Sơn mountains, is a fantasyland park called Sun World Ba Na Hills. It used to be a resort for the wealthy French who controlled Vietnam from the late 1800s until 1954 when it was part of French Indochina. Now it’s a full theme park, reminiscent of what I imagine Euro Disney must be like.

The park has several separate areas on different levels, all connected by cable cars across the mountains. Everywhere you look, there are castles, European Villages, fanciful gardens galore, beautiful (and sometimes funny) statues, shrines and verandas with gorgeous mountain views. There’re even rides and a roller coaster! Follow along for a visual journey.

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The Ba Na Hills Cable Cars

Your visit starts with a long cable car ride up the mountains to the first landing.

The Ba Na Hills cable system is something of a technological marvel and has set several Guinness Book records for the longest cable car system.

The Cable car station picks up passengers to make the journey to the theme park on the mountain.
More magnificent lush mountain views from the cable car
A Sun World cable car suspended on a wire passes our car as it heads back down the mountain.

The Golden Hand Bridge

The Giant stone hands hold up the Golden Hand Bridge at Ba Na Hills in Vietnam.

The first landing on the cable car features the most famous attraction of the theme park, the Golden Hand Bridge.

Opened in 2018, the 492′ golden walking platform is held up by two gigantic concrete hands. I couldn’t believe how big they were!

The left hand holding up the Golden Hand Bridge
The left hand
The right hand holding up the Golden Hand Bridge
The right hand
The right hand holding up the Golden Hand Bridge, as seen from the Cable Car approaching the landing where the bridge is.
As seen from the cable car
A Giant thumb made up of gray and white concrete.
A giant thumb!
The Golden hand bridge features two gigantic stone hands holding up the walkway. It's one of the most popular things to do in Da Nang.
The Golden Hand Bridge, Ba Na Hills, Vietnam

Because we got up there when the park opened, we were able to take photos without a ton of people on the bridge. Later in the day, it was PACKED! We were also lucky to have clear sunny weather that day. More on when to go in the FAQs below!

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The Gardens

The entire property is covered in beautifully landscaped themed gardens. Some were whimsical in nature, others were stunning in the beauty. I heard there is even a hedge maze there. Every one was dripping in bright colors. The first photo depicts a giant garden shaped like a peacock.

A giant peacock laid out in this garden with red and green flowers depicting his feathers. A giant blue head with a white eye ring is on the left side of the image.
Bright colored purple and yellow johnny-jump up flowers fill a garden space.
A friendly green gremlin with really long arms extended over his head stands along the sidewalk in the garden at Ba Na Hills Theme Park.
Purple, pink, and blue hydrangeas fill a garden at Ba Na Hills theme park

The Castles

Due to the European influence of the original resort, Ba Na Hills has many fanciful castles and other structures on the property. Several of the castles have attractions inside. We even watched a couple of experience movies inside one of them.

Bright pink castle perched on top of a hill at Ba Na Hills
A blue glass pyramid with strings of lights and flags coming off the top
Castle spires with colorful banners hanging down the walls at Ba Na Hills.
European Castle and the curved cobblestone walkway leading up to it is lined with wrought iron railings.
Gray Castle with gold-toned conical domes is visible in the distance at Ba Na Hills.
Blue Ceiling of walkway painted with fanciful plants, stars and other celestial beings.
Blue, green, red and white Mosaic tiles line the pillars and floor of this curved walk way.

The Sculptures

Besides the giant concrete hands holding up the Golden Bridge, Ba Na Hills is also home to so many creative sculptures. Some were in gardens, some were holding up whole buildings like the strong man below. It was like every time I turned around, I was surprised and delighted by another sculpture.

Enormous sculpture of man carved out of granite, holding up a pink castle building on his back. His large bulging arm muscles communicate his strength. At Ba Na Hills, Vietnam.
A giant stone hand sculpture pointing a finger at visitors to Ba Na Hills.
A row of 5 Delightful cat sculptures line the sidewalk and gardens at Ba Na Hills.
A yellow grasshopper sculpture looks towards a pink grasshopper sculpture, in a colorful flower bed at Ba Na Hills
Rows of tall white sculpture shapes create shadows on the pavement that look like rows of overlapping dark gray circles. At Ba Na Hills
Golden mythical statues of women figures line the staircase at Ba Na Hills theme park.

The Statues

Once you get done admiring all the sculptures, then turn your attention to the hundreds of white marble statues that cover the property. Many of them celebrate women (which I loved) and were intricately and exquisitely carved.

Kari stands in front of a white marble statue on a pedestal
A white marble statue of a woman with braided hair cradles two delicate birds in her arms. At Ba Na Hills
A white marble statue of a woman holding a long scarf above her head as it cascades down her back.
White marble statue of a woman, pointing at her head to show that her super power and strength is in her brain smarts.
Bill and Kari posing in front of a statue

The European Villages

The largest part of the Sun World theme park is the European Villages, featuring shops, restaurants, live music, turrets and steeples, all reminiscent of the villages we saw in Germany, Austria and Italy. So much fun to wander through and feel like we were several continents away from Vietnam!

Crowds wander through the square at the European Village at Ba Na Hills
Colorful flowers in pots line the cobblestone square at the European Village at Ba Na Hills.
Colorful umbrellas and flags fly above sidewalk cafes in the European Village at Ba Na Hills.
Turrets and Steeples resemble a German village
A quieter building lined street in the European Village at Ba Na Hills. The only thing that looks out of place is the Palm tree!

Other Fun Things to Experience at Ba Na Hills

Besides all the amazing areas that we visited during our day at Ba Na Hills, there still is so much more to see and do that we ran out of time. First, there’s Fantasy Park with a roller coaster, video arcade, mirror maze, rides, immersive movies and tons of other activities.

There’s a Wax Museum where you can pose for pictures with famous people like Taylor Swift and other celebrities. Or take a break from the crowds and get in touch with your spiritual self at the Giant Buddha, the monastery grounds, the Catholic chapel or the Holy Mother Shrine.

Did I mention that are tons of restaurants to eat at, a wine cellar and a tea house? There are even several hotel choices if you want to stay the night at Ba Na Hills!

Seriously, you could easily spend several days there without running out of Things to Do. I can’t wait to go back someday!

How to Get to Ba Na Hills

Now that I’ve enticed you with all these amazing photos, how do you get there?

These guided tour options each offers different experiences, different price points and different group sizes:

Or you could hire a private driver like we did to bring you from your hotel to the park. Ours brought us to the park early in the morning and waited until we were ready to leave in his nice air-conditioned car. We bought our tickets at the gate, rode up the cable car and self-guided our way through the park just by wandering around. For hours, tickets and prices, check out the Sun World website.

But if we had taken a guided tour, I’ll bet we would have found even more treasures that we missed on our own. Next time we are in Da Nang, we’ll for sure take a guided tour to Ba Na Hills such as the ones above.

When’s the best time to go to Ba Na Hills?

For sure you want to go on a clear day, even better if the sun is shining. I’ve seen recommendations that January to August is the best time as this is Spring and Summer. We went at the end of March when we were staying in Da Nang. I’ve also seen Facebook posts from November and December complaining that it’s so cloudy and misty, that the visibility is terrible.

I highly recommend going early in the morning to beat the crowds. By the time we left, the tour buses had arrived and it was becoming quite crowded with mobs of people. Plus it’s cooler in the morning before the sun heats everything up.

Conclusion: Is Ba Na Hills worth it?

Definitely. I went in just wanting to see the Golden Hand Bridge, but I discovered that there was so much more to the park than I ever expected. It was like “surprise and delight” around every corner.

Ba Na Hills offers such a wide range of activities to do and see, that everyone will find something fun and interesting to them. We ran out of time to do the Amusement park or the wax museum or the winery, so for sure we’ll go back next time we’re in the area.

More Info on Da Nang and Vietnam

Below are links to some more Vietnam posts, and a list of those I’m still writing. Feel free to subscribe using the form above to get our newsletter sharing new content and travel inspiration.

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