A traveller's reflection: Vietnam 2019 - 02 Ba Na Hills and Lang Co Lagoon...

"A great storm is like a sunny day to a person of great faith. A gentle wind is like a great storm to a person of great fear..." - Matshona Dhliwayo

(Holding on tight to our raincoats at the Golden Bridge)

Day 02: Ba Na Hills and Lang Co Lagoon
02 November 2019

(Starters for the heavy breakfast)

We had heavy breakfast in the hotel café before our road trip to Ba Na Hills located 90 minutes’ drive from Da Nang’s city centre. It was raining quite heavily when we arrived at the foot of Ba Na Hills.

(The Sun World is still in Halloween mood)

(Riding the cable car to the top)

We had to walk quite a distance to the Cable Car Station and passed through beautiful landscaped gardens with East Asia-themed decorations. The bright yellow bricks are iconic to the houses that are found in Hoi An Ancient Town. There are also straw houses and even a section which represents a bamboo forest.

(Beautiful landscape and ambiance)

(Passing canals and bridges to the Cable Car Station)

The Monsoon rain is here. We came prepared with our rain coats, the rest in the group bought theirs at the souvenir shops. Without rain-coats or umbrellas, they will be soaked to the skin because of the non-stop heavy showers. The ride in the cable cars was exciting though the view of the surrounding was quite limited because of the heavy rain. At the start of the ride we could view the beautiful Toc Tien Waterfall before we ascended, literally, into the clouds.

(The cable car ticket to the top)

(A long queue but fast moving)

Ba Na Hills is one of the newest attractions in Vietnam. It is a mountaintop resort complex that looks like a medieval castle, but inside these stone walls are beautiful gardens, modern accommodations, world class restaurants and a Fantasy Park full of exciting rides.

(We were ready in our rain coats)

(The sky is clearing up for a little while)

The most popular attraction of Ba Na Hills is The Golden Bridge. This incredible 150-metre-long walking bridge is 1,400 m above sea level. The gigantic hands, which appear to be emerging from the forested hillside, proudly hold a golden walkway that offers awe-inspiring views of the mountain landscape during clear day. It was raining and very windy when we walked across The Golden Bridge but it was fun to take pictures of us in our flapping rain-coats in the rain.

(Misty and raining heavily on the Golden Bridge)

(Trying to hold our rain coats in the strong wind)

(A blurry glimpse of the golden hands)

We passed the Paradise Garden which has mosaic designs floor and stone sculptures of human hands, ears and legs and visited the Le Jardin d’Amour, translates to The Love Garden. It is a famous flower garden with nine different themes. Each garden has a different style of architecture and a unique story. It is a picturesque location filled with bright and colourful flowers.

(Visiting the many gardens of Ba Na Hills)

(Strange statues along the route)

(The Jardin Garden with colurful flowers)

(A photo spot for visitors)

While others were engrossed with picture taking, we entered the Maze Garden through the Secret Garden and for a while got lost in the labyrinth of the maze until we retraced our route back to the entrance.

(Looking for the way out of the maze)

(An old windmill in the flower garden)

(Another one of the gardens)

Later we visited the 100-year-old Debay Wine Cellar next to the Grape Garden. Old Debay Wine Cellar was a peculiar hallmark constructed by French colonialists that involved a deep tunnel through Ba Na Mountain in 1923. The wine cellar runs 100 m deep and is always kept at an ideal temperature between 16’ and 20’ C.

(Exploring the old cellar)

(A dinner party in the cellar)

We rode the cable car again, ascending to an elevation of 1,500 m high to the Magic Village, French Village and finally the Fantasy Park. We strolled in the rain trying to catch glimpses of the Magic Village and the French Village through thick mist and rain. The cobblestone streets and European-style buildings are remarkably well-built.

(Too foggy for a photo shot)

(Silhouette of the French Village, in heavy rain)

In the Fantasy Park, like any other amusement park there are plenty of rides and things to do to while away our time. One could visit the Wax Museum for a fee to see wax figures of politicians and celebrities from all over the world.

(Having fun at the Dinosaur Park)

(A headless man)

(The Wax Museum)

By 2:00 pm we rode the cable car and descended to the foot of Ba Na Hills. From there we drove to Lang Co Lagoon via the Hai Van Tunnel, which opened in 2005. It is 6.2 km and is the longest tunnel in Southeast Asia. It is a toll road and motorbikes are not allowed to drive through.

Lang Co is a small town on the other side of the Hai Van Pass. It is an enormous seawater lagoon that's stocked with shellfish farms growing mussels, oysters and clams. And it has miles and miles of coast. The town itself is rather unattractive but people visit Lang Co to have seafood meals at one of the many restaurants perched on the lagoon.

(The lagoon at Lang Co)

(A lone boat by the sandy shore)

We had a sumptuous seafood lunch at the Lagoon Café and later wade the shallow water to the beautiful rafts for photo opportunity of the beautiful and tranquil view of the lagoon.

(A seafood floating restaurant at the lagoon)

(Wading the shallow water to the round wooden raft)

On the way back to Da Nang, we took a different route via the scenic Hai Van Pass. We had to cross the bridge south of Lang Co and then stopped for a train to pass. A short distance away there was an accident involving a large container. We were lucky that our van managed to pass through. The Hai Van Pass is one of the most scenic routes in Vietnam, snaking its way through the coast and up the mountains. It reaches up to 500 m in altitude, making it the highest pass in Vietnam. The meandering road leads to some American outlook ruins from the war and the views of the surrounding landscape was amazingly breath-taking from the top.

(Crossing the bridge to the Hai Van Pass route)

(Waiting for train crossing on the way to the pass)

As it was already late, we stopped at a petrol station on the way to Da Nang to perform our prayers in the van. When we arrived in town we drove direct to Han Market to shop for souvenirs. Han Market is Da Nang’s largest market with an endless array of goods from food and spices to clothing and trinkets and you must have some bargaining skills to get the right pricing.

Later we had our dinner at Brunei Simpur Restaurant. The restaurant is popular with Malaysian and Singaporeans and serves halal Brunei and Malay cuisine.