August 24, 2026

Ba Na Hills is Bananas WoW, in the best way!! Let me try and explain. There is no way you imaging a place like this, when you think about travel toVietnam! A resort atop a Mountain, high in the clouds/fog, far above the city limits of Da Nang. Accessible only by cable cars, on  stretches so long, it's in the Guinness World Records. Built to look like a French Medieval Village complete with Versailles style fountains and the Louvre pyramid and a Golden Bridge suspended by Giant Hands hanging off the side and carved Mount Rushmore like sculptures into the supporting rock faces. It's an Instagram wonder!

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Built by SunGroup,  an amusement and entertainment park brand in Vietnam.  Marketed by SunWorld, they have several parks but Ba Na Hills, is their crown jewel. I totally enjoyed our 24 hours there, especially since the heat disapated as we climbed into the clouds and we were blessed with a beautiful clear day there. I even had to wear my pashmina cape that night as we walked the Bridge at sunset and enjoyed the sights, after all the crowds were gone for the night.

You start the check in process for the hotel down at the base of the mountain at a special cable car entry. Then take a 25 cable ride up to French Village with your luggage to a hotel lobby for a room assignment. Then we were dispersed to our hotel rooms which can be in quite a variety of locations - we were across from the main hotel building on a second floor room that overlooked the Cathedral. After dropping our stuff off we went exploring and found some lunch in a huge German style Beer Hall!

We explored some more, took a brief break and regrouped to head to Golden Bridge which requires another cable car ride to a different peak for sunset.

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MARBLE HILLS, DA NANG, VIETNAM

By Pat Patrick • August 23, 2026
Just about a half hour outside downtown Da Nang are Marble Hills .These five stone hills produce a huge amount of various colored marble that have been made into all kinds of statues, furniture, jewelry and knick knacks. Inside the cavernous spaces of the Hills, lots of temples and shrines have developed. Before getting to the base of the Hills, our driver asked us if we wanted to stop at a Marble Shop, bearing the wares of this marble. The place was huge - with soo many choices! And guess what their prices all have an option to ship to the USA! or I figure any where else in the world! A sales person escorted us through out the spaces. No heavy stones for me despite how pretty!

DA NANG, VIETNAM

By Pat Patrick • August 23, 2026
On our fourth port day in Nha Trang , Bosco, Terri and I took a quick 50 minute flight north to Da Nang, Vietnam to do some deeper exploring inland. Downtown Da Nang spans the Hans River, that opens out to the Da Nang Bay and the East Vietnam Sea. Today, Da Nang is one of the quickest growing cities in Vietnam, known for it's youth (median age is just 35) and dynamic environment.

NHA TRANG, VIETNAM

By Pat Patrick • August 23, 2026
Nha Trang was our first port in Vietnam , back on the 12th of August. My first impression, was OMG it's HOT here! I have been saying that a lot in Southeast Asia, but it was over 100 degrees that first afternoon. NhaTrang does not get many cruise ship visitors, because they have no docking facilites, we had to tender into a resort marina, about 15km, North of the City. It is however, a popular beach town, and was bustling with tons of Russian visitors. The beaches and cheap prices are probably the biggest appeal, besides the fact that Vietnam is also a communist country. There are flags and communist markings all around.