Day 7 Monday 30th March, A busy day at Ba Na Hills

We were up early this morning as our guide and driver for the day were meeting us at 7 am.  Of the sixteen of us, ten had decided to do the optional excursion to Ba Na Hills. We had a very comfortable drive to the mountains which took quite a while as the roads were busy with morning traffic. We weren’t sure what to expect but the whole day was both surprising and enjoyable. Originally in the 1800’s the French who occupied Vietnam at the time thought the weather in Da Nang and Hoi An was too hot during the summer and built a castle, summer houses and wine cellars etc up in the mountains to make the most of the cooler climate. The castle and buildings had fallen into disrepair and from about 2008 onwards a Vietnamese owned company, Sun World bought the site from the government and started to develop a huge tourist attraction. It seems quite incredible what has been constructed there. The area attracts from 10,000 to 20,000 people a day and employs a huge staff to run all the attractions. Some of the engineering feats had to be seen to be believed! On arrival we took a very long cable car to the top of the mountain. The view over the jungle, including various waterfalls was quite spectacular. We visited The Golden Bridge, the new wonder of the world, the huge carved Buda, Le Jardin D’amour gardens (which I loved), walked to the Linh Ung Pagoda on the highest part of the mountain, saw various monuments, statues, man-made water-falls, a French Village, shops etc. etc. There still a lot of construction going on with more theme rides, amusements and hotel accommodation being built. The only thing that remained from the years when the French were here, was a wonderful wine cellar that had been built into the side of the mountain. We walked through this immense cellar and were then given a glass on wine which we all appreciated, although Rob noted that the wine was from S.E. Australia! Our ticket included a delicious buffet lunch which was quite overwhelming. We could have also availed ourselves to the various theme park rides but decided we didn’t need to. We did go on what was described as a 5-D ride. This ride made you feel like you were flying all over the world, visiting all the major cities and countries. We rode on a funicular to visit the French Village. Here we had a voucher for a beer at the Beer House and here we saw a 18+ show while some enjoyed the beer. It was a wonderful and surprising day. The “Kingdom” that is being created in the mountains is already a major tourist attraction for the area which is good for the economy even if it’s not what we’d normally visit. The engineering feats and construction being completed here are amazing. It’s probably Vietnam’s Disneyland!















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