Sun World @ Ba Na Hills

Sun World at Ba Na Hills - aside from Danang's white sandy beaches and coastal vibes, Sun World is a must visit for theme park lovers. It is one of the best themed parks I have been and let me tell you why...

Sun World is a themed park built on top of Ba Na Hills. The park is high above the clouds horizon which makes you feel like you are playing in a heavenly kingdom. Its design is integrated with nature and going up Sun World itself via the single rope cable car is an attraction on its own. Did you know that the cable car here is the LONGEST in the world and deemed as the most impressive cable car rides in the world. Let me show you below. 

Firstly, let's break down some key tips before going up to Sun World. After much research coupled with my own personal experience, this will save you some time and hopefully gives you a great experience up there. 

1. Weather - Please check the weather forecast to ensure it is sunny before going. As mentioned, the park is on top of a hill so expect some slopes and inclination while exploring the park. Some areas have cobblestones or stairs which will be more difficult and slippery to navigate while raining. Besides, you will miss all the chances to get good views of the scenery and opportunity for good pictures. Also, majority of the attractions are outdoor. For those going during winter, it is a different vibe where fog is prevalent. You get the winter feel but your pictures will be just foggy and probably your memory of the place too. Haha! We went up in January and it was perfect on that day. It was sunny with blue skies and the weather is still cool. 
   
   
2. Arrive early - The park opens at 8AM. Arriving before 9AM will be ideal especially if you want a good shot of the Golden Bridge without all the tourists heads. Tourist buses and the shuttle bus from Danang generally arrives at 9AM and that will suddenly over-crowd the Golden Bridge. We hired a private car to Sun World by leaving at 7:15AM from Danang hotel and we reached in less than an hour even though the driver was driving just 55km/hour. 
   
   
3. Online tickets - Get your tickets online if possible to avoid queues. Your time is precious on this day to get the most of Sun World. We got ours from Klook. 
   
   
4. Outfit - Sun World can get really hot even though we went during January. Equip yourself with sun block, sun glasses, hats and umbrellas. Wear layered for possible change of temperature. After all, you can "come down" and "go up" again to change your outfit.  
   
   
5. Food & Drinks - Food is not permitted. However, there doesn't seem to have checks at the gates. Bring plenty of water to hydrate. Food in Sun World is generally more expensive so be prepared with $ if you are dining there. If you are parched, Sun World's ticket gives you 2 cold beers per person where you can claim from the Brew House. 
   
   
6. Transportation Pick Up - The cable car ride per way takes about 20 minutes. Remember to allocate at least 30-40 minutes to make your way down from Sun World to meet your driver or bus. It is not easy to find your way down due to multiple paths with lack of signage. It also depends on where you are at the top. If you are somewhere in Land of the Moon, you have to wait for the slow tram and walk some distance to the nearest cable car. Not to mention there are 4 cable car routes. Tip is to ask the staff with a map. They are stationed at keys areas to guide you. We met our driver on time although it felt like Amazing Race connecting the path towards the exit. 
   
   
7. How long to spend in the park - Sun World is a large park and you may not cover everything in a day. Although we spent about 8 hours there, we didn't get to cover every areas as we spent time leisurely enjoying the rides, pictures and shop. Try to cover the attractions that interest you first. For me, it's the Golden Bridge as timing is crucial for that one. Once that was completed, I have a leisurely stroll in the park and go to whenever the path brought me. 

Short Introduction

Now, let's begin our journey ...

Main Entrance of Sun World Bana Hills

 

Pathway to the cable car. Tickets will be checked at the cable car entrance. 

Going up and up! 

The scenery got more dramatic the higher we went. If you are a single traveler, you can get the whole cable car to yourself. Yes, it was that nice unlike some places where they forced you to share the car with others. For those with fear of heights, don't worry it is only 1,487 meters high with your life held by a single cable car rope. You can DIY to resolve your own problems as air sickness bag is provided. They even put calming music for you to enjoy the ride. 

Oh we reached the top. I see the hands! 

Golden Gate bridge (Giant hands bridge). This is the top attraction in Ba Na hills. 

If you follow the tips above, you should get these amazing views!
The sun was so bright that we could not see some of the pictures we were taking. So we just clicked our phones non stop hoping we get a good shot. 

As we left the Golden Gate bridge around 9:30AM, the throng of tourists flocking the bridge became unbearable. So we left by taking another cable car ride to the French Village. 

The ambience became more tranquil at the entrance of the French Village. Angels, Gargoyles and more sceneries. 

We entered into the heart of the French Village where the atmosphere became more lively. There were shops, restaurants and even a hotel here. 

We watched 2 live performances in front of the cathedral which was lively and entertaining - The skating performance and the French Cabaret or can-can dance. 

Finally I found the Brew House to get my ice cold beers. I am parched from all the walking. You will need to walk towards the end of the French village to reach the Brew House. 

After a quick refreshment, we came to a small outdoor park. We took the Swing du Fantasie and the slow-mo carousel. 

Next, we entered into the Spiritual Zone. 

I was attracted by the beautiful deco with smoke coming out from the stairs giving a mystical feel. Little did we know that climbing these small stairs led to a bigger revelation at the top. 

Here, you get the best bird's eye view of the entire park "floating" above the clouds. Magical sights. 

There's a tea shop if you fancy. 

Coming down, we entered back into the "city center". 

Suddenly, Pop Mart in a shape of a castle appeared. 

It was crowded inside but I must say that this is the most comprehensive pop mart I have visited. I have been to several Pop Marts just to browse but can never find a Labubu. Here, you can find all the collections. You even get to buy the full set. Folks were going crazy and grabbing the blind boxes as if they were free. Mind you, one box costs more than US$10 and you don't even know what is inside. I was looking at the Labubu Yoga collection when a girl just snapped up the full set which costs more than $100. They kept saying it's worth it - it's worth it here. So I got easily influenced and grabbed 2 Labubu blind boxes. OMG! 

Even if you don't fancy Pop Mart, you can enjoy window shopping here but beware of the crazy crowd.  

The cute yoga series which I got a blind box. Guess which one I got?

Excuse me, who buy these? They are so depressing and kind of ugly...

All the cute plushies are not for sale :(

This "Pop Ma" (Grand Ma) was holding up the queue at the counter. Video calling her grand kids on which Labubu to buy. I bumped into her later seeing her leaving Pop Mart with a big bag full of goodies. Lucky grand kids. 

All these while we have just covered Land of the Sun. Time check, we had about 1.5 hours left to 4:30PM. Time flies when you are having fun! 

We made a bee line to catch the tram to Land of the Moon. We ran to catch two 4D shows at the 4D Theater and The Flying Eyes theatre. The 4D movie was cool showing an animation of a family in a high paced chase to catch a witch. Meanwhile The Flying Eyes theatre let us explore the different continents of the world. It was memorable that the theatre became really hot as we flew above the desert grounds. IMO, the video resolution of the Flying Eyes theatre can be upgraded. Each show lasted about 15 minutes and there was not much queue. 

 I was nervously watching the time as we waited for the slow-mo tram to bring us out from Land of the Moon. After asking the staff on the fastest route down, we did an Amazing Race sprint to catch the closest cable car to meet our driver. The cable car ride down was different as the clouds were heavier now. We were enveloped by the white clouds and cannot see anything but whiteness. We kept asking ourselves, is this what heaven feels like when we die? 

We left at 4:30PM skipping the tour bus crowd again and head back to Danang. 
We were really thankful for today's amazing weather and had a wonderful time at Sun World, Ba Na Hills.