Is Ba Na Hills SunWorld Right for You?

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Ba Na Hills SunWorld is a mountaintop amusement park in Vietnam, famous for its breathtaking Golden Bridge held by giant stone hands. With a mix of French-inspired architecture, lush gardens, and thrilling attractions, it offers a unique blend of culture and adventure. Visitors can ride the world’s longest non-stop cable car, explore a fairytale-like village, and enjoy panoramic views of Da Nang.

Are you planning a trip to Da Nang or Hoi An and wondering whether Ba Na Hills SunWorld (commonly referred to as Ba Na Hills) is worth a visit?

If you check online reviews, you’ll see some negative ones. The most common complaints? The cost and the crowds. But despite that, the park holds a solid 4.0 rating on TripAdvisor (with 7,000 reviews) and a 4.5 rating on Google Reviews (with over 47,000 reviews).

Steve and I spent three days at the park in January 2025. Our first visit was with a tour and the second was an independent overnight trip.

Steve and I had an amazing time at Ba Na Hills. If you have the time, don’t mind the expense, and enjoy fun (even touristy) experiences, we definitely recommend it!

All money is in U.S. dollars unless otherwise stated.

What We Did

• Took in the Golden Bridge from every possible angle
• Rode the alpine coasters and spinning flowers
• Spent some time in Fantasy Park, watching kids have a blast on the rides and people lose their money at the game booths. We also checked out the somewhat corny Back to Jurassic attraction, complete with animated dinosaurs.
• Spent over an hour exploring the Spiritual Zone
• Wandered through the Garden of Love (Le Jardin D’Amour)
• Checked out the quirky offerings at the Pop Mart store
• Had a good laugh at the hilariously bad wax figures in the wax museum. We knew they were questionable, but for $4 each, we had to see them for ourselves.
• Enjoyed the free beer samples at the Ba Na Brew House
• Spent hours wandering, soaking in the beauty and whimsy, and capturing it all in photos.

There were three things (that I know of) that we didn’t do:

Live Shows

There are performances throughout the day, but we only managed to hear them. As for the shows in front of St. Denis Church? Forget about getting a good view unless you’re in the front of the crowd.

Debay Wine Cellar

If you’re into wine, history, or both, don’t miss the 100-year-old Debay Wine Cellar. Built by the French during their occupation of Vietnam, it offers a guided tour and a glass of wine.

SunCraft Brewery Tour

There is a Sun KraftBeer brewery in the park. Not only can you get free 8-ounce samples (more on that below), but apparently, you can tour the brewery, too. When I tried to find details on their website, none of the links were working. Maybe you’ll have better luck.

What We Ate (and Drank)

Lunch Buffet at the Four Seasons Restaurant

We opted for the lunch buffet as part of our tour. We paid $17 per person, but if you buy the cable car and lunch combo ticket, it will only cost you $12.

The restaurant covers three floors and offers over 90 dishes. You’ll find both Asian and Western options, though the focus is definitely on Asian cuisine. As this video shows, there’s no shortage of choices.

We made the mistake of eating around noon. Even with plenty of empty tables on our floor, the buffet lines were packed. Lunch runs from 10:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., so if you want to avoid the crowds, go early or late.

Getting to the Four Seasons is easy. Just head to the Louvre cable station and take the escalators down several levels. There are plenty of signs to guide you.

Lunch at La Crique

We skipped the Four Seasons on our second visit, aiming to keep our meal lighter. Ironically, we still ended up at another buffet, this time at La Crique. It’s in the hotel’s main building (one of seven on the property) and much smaller than the Four Seasons. The total for two was $30.

Dinner at L’Etable

We had burgers and drinks at L’Etable (near Hotel De Marseille) for $35 (for two). The food was good, but the wait was long. The cooks in the open kitchen and the waitstaff were busy, and the restaurant was less than half full. Despite that, it took a while to get our food, and flagging down our waitress for more drinks was a challenge.

Buffet Breakfast at La Crique

Our overnight stay included breakfast, served buffet-style at La Crique. There were plenty of options, and the food was pretty good.

Doners for lunch

We grabbed doners for lunch from a stand in front of the Beer Plaza Restaurant for $12 (for two). They were the worst doners we’ve ever had, way too heavy on the veggies and seriously lacking in meat. They did come with a tasty soft drink though.

A great hot dog

At some point while walking through the park, I got a craving for a hot dog—and what a hot dog it was. Bigger and plumper than your standard dog. With a little mustard on it, I was in hog heaven.

I don’t remember exactly where I got it, just that it was somewhere in the Land of the Sun.

One hot dog and two bottles of water were $6.

Free beer

During our tour, we each got two beer tickets for the Ba Na Brew House. Since Steve doesn’t drink, that meant more for me. I used two tickets, enjoyed some lager, and held onto the other two for our next visit.

It’s a good thing I did. No one was handing out tickets that day.

What It Cost

Group Tour

The tour cost $166 for both of us and included transportation, entry tickets, and the buffet lunch. The lunch was optional.

Overnight Stay (Booked Independently)

There’s only one hotel on the mountain: the Mercure Da Nang French Village Ba Na Hills Hotel. It’s pricey by Vietnam standards. We paid $130 for a basic room in an uninspiring building.

Our total cost for two days and one night was $378. It breaks down like this:

Hotel room $130
Food $89 (two lunches, one dinner, water; breakfast was included in the room cost)
Admission $53 (discounted for overnight guests)
Transportation $82*
Wax museum, alpine coasters, porter tips $24

*Our transportation costs were high because we booked late, and it was Tet (the Vietnamese Lunar New Year), so our options were limited. We had a private driver both ways, but you can get shuttle tickets for a fraction of this on sites like Klook.

Independent Day Trip (Estimated Costs, Per Person)

Round-trip shuttle from Da Nang less than $10 (From Klook – see it here)
Or round-trip shuttle from Hoi An less than $15 (From Klook – see it here)
Cable car ticket (includes park entry) $37
Food – ??? You can eat affordably at food stalls or get a cable car and lunch buffet ticket for an extra $12
Optional Extras:
Wax museum $4
Wine cellar tour + a glass of wine starts at $4, with premium wines for $8 and top-tier wines for $12
Alpine coaster $3 for the first ride, with discounts for multiple rides

You could easily spend a full day at Ba Na Hills and experience almost everything for under $70. Compared to most theme parks, that’s a bargain!

Who Should Skip Ba Na Hills?

Ba Na Hills isn’t for everyone.

If theme parks aren’t your thing, you might want to skip it. If you just want to see the Golden Bridge, you can do that and head out, just know that you’ll still have to pay the full admission price.

If you’re prone to motion sickness or not a fan of cable cars, this might not be a good fit. The only way up the mountain is by cable car, and even if you’re only going to the Golden Bridge, expect to spend 10 to 15 minutes on it each way. We did notice sickness bags in the cabins, though we didn’t see anyone actually use them.

Conclusion

And there you have it. If you’re looking for something different to do in Vietnam, Ba Na Hills might be just the ticket. Even if your main purpose is to see the Golden Bridge, I bet you’ll find at least a few other attractions worth your time.

For a deep dive into all that Ba Na Hills has to offer, check out “Love Kitsch? You’ll Love Ba Na Hills SunWorld.”

Have you been to Ba Na Hills? If so, Steve and I would love to hear your thoughts. Drop a comment below.

Ba Na Hills FAQ

Where is Ba Na Hills?
Ba Na Hills is 23 km or 14 miles west of Da Nang, about a 25-40 minute drive. From Hoi An, it’s 45 km or 27 miles northwest, and takes 45 minutes to an hour to get there.

How can I get to Ba Na Hills?
You can drive, take a shuttle bus, book a tour, use Grab, or hire a driver. Shuttle buses are affordable ($10-$15 round trip) while hiring a driver is pricier due to the distance.

What does it cost to enter the park?
Cable car only
Adults: 950,000 VND or $37
Children & seniors (70+): 750,000 VND or $29

Cable car and buffet lunch
Adults: 1,250,000 VND or $49
Children and seniors: 950,000 VND or $37

What’s included with admission?
Access to the entire park, including the Golden Bridge, plus unlimited cable car rides. The wax museum, wine cellar, and alpine coasters require small extra fees.

How long should I spend at Ba Na Hills?
At least a full day. We had about four hours to explore during our tour, which wasn’t enough. We spent two full days on our second visit and still wanted more time.

When is the best time to visit?
March to September is best for drier weather. Other months may have rain and clouds. We were there in January and had some clouds and some clear skies.

Anything else I should know?
A silver WOW Pass gives you priority on cable cars. Higher-tier passes offer priority on rides and attractions, and other perks.

Here’s the 2025 Ba Na Hills price list.

Happy traveling,
Linda

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