Once a forgotten land, Ba Na Hills atop the Chua Mountain in the central city of Da Nang has been transformed to a renowned tourist destination after Sun Group arrived to wake up its tourism potential.
From a far off the tourist track to world’s top tourism symbol
“I regret not choosing Ba Na for the first days of exploring Vietnam, but it’s true that we should save the best for last to experience. Sun World Ba Na Hills is a wonderful place, not only for its huge financial investment but also for its energy and brilliant ideas”.
Nafis Abdullah – Editor from Malaysian Astro Arena TV Channel
Via Editor and MC Nafis Abdullah’s six-episode tour to Vietnam broadcast on Astro Arena TV Channel, Malaysian television audiences could explore and experience the most exclusive activities and destinations in Vietnam. Sun World Ba Na Hills was chosen as the final destination for the series.
Nafis’s comments on the complex described how the site has been appealing to visitors from far and wide.
Not until the Sun Group came and awake the Chua mountain’s tourism potential with its impressive cable car infrastructure on March 25, 2009, did Ba Na Hills become a vibrant place all year round. Earlier, Ba Na welcomed only 30,000 – 40,000 tourists each year and there was even no restaurant in the area.
Various tourism activities are on offer every year and even every month, adding charm to the complex. Not only is Ba Na Hills a favoured destination for domestic visitors but it has risen to stardom and gained a foothold in the world’s tourism map.
The Sun World Ba Na Hills was named by the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism as a leading tourism site in Vietnam for four times, bring a new lease of life to the local tourism sector.
In 2009-2018, the number of tourist arrivals to Da Nang city surged by 463% while those to Ba Na Hills increased over 160-fold. Particularly when the Golden Bridge opened to visitors in 2018, the city welcomed 8.6 million tourist arrivals, more than 60% of whom visited Ba Na Hills.
Furthermore, the tourism site also claimed the “Asia’s Leading Theme Park” title at the World Travel Awards (WTA) Asia and Oceania 2023 for the 4th consecutive year. It was honoured as a World Iconic Tourist Attraction in 2020 and 2021 by the WTA, while the Golden Bridge won the 2021 WTA in the category of “World’s Leading Iconic Tourist Bridge”.
A constantly new Ba Na
At a ceremony to mark the 10th anniversary of the Sun World Ba Na Hills tourism site in 2018, Deputy Secretary of the municipal Party Committee and Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Le Trung Chinh (now Deputy Secretary of the municipal Party Committee and Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee) said:
Ba Na Hill is a vivid illustration for the role of the private sector in the development of the local tourism sector and the economy as a whole. We do expect that together with Sun World Ba Na Hills, Da Nang will have more attractive destinations to lengthen visitors’ stay.
Coming up to his expectation, the Sun World Ba Na Hills has unceasingly renewed its activities, helping to bring back tourists.
From the first cable car route, the “fairyland” has added new elements to its high profile, including charming four-season flower gardens, European-style architectural castles, vibrant shows, a culinary world and various fascinating day and night time experiences.
The Golden Bridge has become a global phenomenon and a top desired travel destination since its opening in 2018. The bridge, which looks like a stripe of yellow-coloured silk held up by two giant hands resembling those of a god, has hit the headlines of international media, and until now is a magnet for millions of foreign visitors.
Over the past four years, despite damaging impacts by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Sun Group has poured more investment in its first tourism site with an array of architectural works and high-end tourism offerings launched such as Time Gate, Moon Castle, Eclipse Square and Sun Waterfall.
Visitors have been dazzled with the tourism site’s year-round festivals, mini-shows as well as a poetic and colourful world at night.
The Sun World Ba Na Hills will turn 15 years old this year and it is working to bring more amazing experiences to its visitors, comprising a beer factory with its own beer brand – Sun Kraft Beer, a French bread factory, and top-notch shows.
There comes a saying “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”. Looking back at the journey of the Sun Group’s first tourism complex, it can be seen that its glorious 15-year journey is just the beginning to realise its aspiration to make Da Nang city a tourist destination that should not be missed in the global tourism map, and Vietnam’s tourism on par with tourism powers across the five continents./.
On the occasion of the 15th anniversary of its first cable car (September 25, 2009 – 2024), the Sun World Ba Na Hills rolls out a stimulus tourism programme, called “Proud of Vietnam Tourism”, with discounts of up to 40% on offer for visitors nationwide from April to the end of September. Tickets to Ba Na Hills now only costs 550,000 VND (22.1 USD) for an adult and 450,000 VND for a child on weekdays, while the fares are 600,000 VND and 500,000 VND on weekends.
Purchasing a combo of cable car and lunch buffet, visitors pay 900,000 VND for each adult and 650,000 for a child on weekdays, and 950,000 VND and 700,000 VND on weekends.
This is the biggest discounts that the Sun World Ba Na Hills has offered so far./.
