Ba Na

Today we are off to Ba Na, a french village in the Ba Na Hills. Built by the french during their occupation to relieve them of the heat of vietnam as it is situated at 1487 metres.

Interesting drive up with Quang providing some rather novel answers to our questions. Graeme asked about a large dam with a very large dam wall, asking what it was for. Quang's reply was, 'just a lake'.

We asked why there were concrete stairs built up the cuttings along the roadway which were all concreted, to which h replied 'so that people can plant trees at the top"

Both answers were crap. The dam is a major dam which Graeme later saw a doco about on tv, and the stairs were actual a water runoff from the concreted drain at the top of the cuttings. the stairs slow the water down as it runs off.........

We also noticed that the driver, Hero, who could speak little english, kept hitting Quang in the side of the leg whenever we asked something. Quang was always on his phone and didnt seem interested in our questions.

After a somewhat pathetic tour of the basics of Ba Na, 2 cable car rides, and a short cable train, Quang took us to lunch and ate lunch with us, not talking once. After lunch he walked us to our hotel and then left telling us he would meet us at the base of the hotel cable car in the morning, not at the hotel front desk??? Still no sign of my $20us refund......

day will begin with departure for Ba Na. Ba Na is 1487 meters above sea level and known as
the second Da Lat or Sapa of Viet Nam. Here, you can feel 4 seasons within a day; not many places can
make this claim making it a must see on the tourist circuit. Upon arrival, you may be greeted by monkeys
and beautiful panoramic views. Enjoy the stunning views of the the beautiful landscape while taking a
ride to the top of Ba Na mountain in one of the longest cable cars in the world, then hop on the Hiking
train to continue travelling in comfort. The Hiking Train transport tourists to several popular destinations
including Linh Ung pagoda, Le Jardin garden and an ancient villa complex. We will visit Linh Ung
pagoda, Tinh Tam garden, Nghinh Phong peak, Vong Nguyet hill, etc. We will then have lunch and
go on a trail to the peak where you can view the sights of Da Nang city and the surrounding mountains.
The night will finish with dinner and overnight in Ba

While the cable car ride was interesting, the whole Ba Na Hills theme park was a little weird. Hotel was very average, and the food was well below expected. Certainly NOT a 4 star hotel. The only good thing was a coffee and cake in one of the shops.Read more