Going to Ba Na and the Golden Bridge: how to choose the right time to avoid crowds

Ba Na is about 25–30 km west of downtown Da Nang, roughly a 45-minute to one-hour drive. The cable car ride to the summit is a long route with a large elevation gain, and it's also the part most people find most worth the money.

Golden Bridge — the pedestrian bridge held up by two giant stone hands — is something almost everyone visits when they go up there. The only issue is that it's always crowded. The bridge itself isn't long, but the number of people stopping to take photos is huge.

Timing tip: tour groups usually arrive and gather around 9–11 in the morning. If you take the very first cable car of the day and head straight up to the Golden Bridge first, you can get about an hour ahead of that crowd. Early afternoon is also quieter than late morning.

A few practical things:

• Bring a jacket. At elevations above 1,400 m, the temperature is usually about 10 degrees lower than down in the city, and it also tends to be windy and misty. • Fog is normal there. Some days when you get to the top it's completely white — you can't see anything — and no one's going to refund you for that. Check the forecast beforehand, and don't go right after a heavy rain. The ticket already includes the cable car and most of the games/rides in Fantasy Park, but food and drinks up there are charged separately and cost more than down in the city. Wear flat shoes. The road in the French village area is stone-paved, steep and slippery when wet.

If you only have one day in Da Nang, Ba Na Hills will take up nearly the whole day. But if you're staying longer, this is a place worth dedicating an entire half-day to, rather than squeezing it in alongside other plans.