It says a lot about the newly built Golden Bridge in Da Nang, that international tourists are travelling from far and wide to witness this perfect blend of ground-breaking architecture and resplendent nature. What was designed to be a small part of the Sun World Ba Na Hills Theme Park, just outside of Da Nang, has exploded in popularity, inspired by viral videos of the gorgeous bridge and the ultimate Instagram-friendly pictures that it creates. As soon as they arrive, visitors to Vietnam are asking how to get to the Golden Bridge, and put it high up on their list of priorities in the country.

The Golden Bridge is a 150-metre curved walkway hovering over the top of the descending mountains in the Ba Na Hills. The bridge is coated in gold and has two large, faux-stone hands that seemingly support it from underneath, pulling it out of the adjacent hills and cradling it before a magnificent, cloud-flecked view. Da Nang’s Golden Bridge may not be the most cultural or spiritual things to do in Vietnam, but it has quickly become of the coolest. This guide will help you get from many of Vietnam’s major hubs to the Golden Bridge in a variety of ways.

How to get to the Golden Bridge from Da Nang

The first hurdle, once in Da Nang, is to get to the Ba Na Hills that lie just outside it. You can expect about a 1-hour journey to get to the Golden Bridge from Da Nang city centre, requiring a drive, a cable car and a walk. Here’s a little step-by-step guide on how to get from Da Nang to the Golden Bridge.

Step 1 – Get to the Ba Na Foothills

Once you’re ready to head out, there are a number of options for getting to the bottom of the Ba Na Hills from Da Nang. There are several cable car stations that service the enormous area of the Ba Na Hills; the one you need to aim for is the Hoi An Station, which takes you directly to the Golden Bridge. The following options all cover the 25km between Da Nang and the Ba Na Hills, and should get you there in under an hour.

Option 1 – Shuttle Bus

The shuttle bus from Da Nang to the Ba Na Hills runs in the morning and returns to Da Nang in the afternoon, giving you about six hours to explore the Golden Bridge and the other wonders of the Ba Na Hills between drop-off and pick-up at your hotel. These options are great for solo travellers or couples, as the price per person works out at less than a taxi.

Option 2 – Taxi

All of the taxis in Da Nang are now legally set at the same price per kilometre (though actual application of this is not total). Taxis are the most convenient option as this is a personalised service and can go at any time, but the price increase reflects that. By comparison, motorbike taxis remain unregulated, meaning that some bargaining must happen and quite a bit of trust must be placed before jumping on the back.

Of the most reliable companies, Mai Linh, Dichungtaxi and Vinasun Taxi are among the best. You will see many of these on the streets of Da Nang, so either flag one down or request your hotel reception to arrange one on your behalf. Getting from Da Nang to the Golden Bridge is much more of a breeze this way, with a slightly quicker travel time but a heavily increased price. Expect to pay 300,000 – 350,000 VND ($13 – $15 USD) each way from the city centre in a normal 4-seater taxi, or around 400,000 – 450,000 VND ($17.25 – $19.50 USD) for a 6-seater SUV. Taxis will wait for you at the bottom of the hill and return you to your hotel afterwards if you can negotiate a higher price for them to do so. Minibuses can be booked for bigger groups, but bookings must be made prior to the date of travel and costs can vary more.

Option 3 – Private Car or Self-Drive

For the most freedom on your way from Da Nang to the Golden Bridge, you can contact one of Da Nang’s many car rental companies and arrive at the Ba Na foothills in style. Alternatively, if you feel like travelling the Vietnamese way, you can rent a motorbike within the city for as little as 1000,000 VND ($5 USD) per day and take the scenic drive yourself. Motorbike rental companies like Da Nang Bikes and Hidden Land Travel abound in Da Nang because of the popularity of taking a hog along the Hai Van Pass, so options are plentiful and great deals can certainly be found.

Option 4 – Join a tour

The comfort and convenience of an organised daytrip to the Ba Na Hills from Da Nang makes this option a great one for families. These sorts of tours cover everything involved in the return trip to the Golden Bridge from Da Nang, including transport from your hotel to the Ba Na Hills, entrance fee, lunch and a guided tour of some of the Ba Na Hills’ most sought-after attractions, before the return to your hotel in the afternoon.  The tour will cost about ($50 to $70) with added extras around Da Nang varying between different tour options. 

Step 2 – Board the Cable Car 

Once arrived at the bottom of the Ba Na Hills, proceed through the entrance to purchase a ticket for the park. Tickets are 700,000 VND ($30 USD) for an adult and 550,000 VND ($23.50 USD) for a child between 1m and 1.3m in height. Children taller than these specifications are charged the same as adults and children shorter cost nothing to enter. Walk through to the Hoi An Station, where the longest cable car in the world awaits.

Queue for the pod and step in when it arrives. The cable car ride from Da Nang to the Golden Bridge is about 17 minutes and arrives at the ‘Marseilles Station’. Along the way, its passes above gorgeous verdant scenery and provides excellent views down below to Da Nang’s My Khe Beach and the urban expanse of the city. Also along the way, it shatters many of the previously held Guinness World Records for cable cars, such as the greatest elevation change from floor to top and the greatest distance between two cable pylons.

Step 3 – Head out onto the Bridge

From the circlular arrival room of the Marseilles Station, you can exit directly onto the Golden Bridge and begin your walk along its 150 metres of wooden walkways, flanked by lavender and coated from the bottom and the handrails in a royal gold. After getting your pictures of the fabulous bridge, its magnificent hands and the uncompromised view of Da Nang with its beach and mountains from high above, you can take in the rest of the Ba Na Hills at your leisure. There are a multitude of activities for you to enjoy before you take a cable car back from any of the stations to the entrance of the park, and onwards to Da Nang via your return transport.

How to get to the Golden Bridge from Hoi An

Da Nang and its southern neighbour of Hoi An are very well connected and a drive between the two only takes about half an hour. This means that getting from Hoi An to the Golden Bridge is only a slightly longer journey than going from Da Nang. The drive will take about 70 minutes if going by car and slightly longer by motorbike. From the bottom of the Ba Na Hills, take the cable car up to reach the Golden Bridge. Here are some of the options if coming from Hoi An:

Option 1 – Shuttle Bus

Fewer shuttle buses operate this route, but you will still be able to find a great deal at the travel agents around Hoi An. The increased distances mean that the shuttle bus will not only follow a different schedule, but will cost a little more. Expect around 150,000 to 200,000 VND ($6.50 to $8.50 USD) per person for a return trip from Hoi An to the Ba Na Hills.

Option 2 – Taxi

The same reliable travel companies of Mai Linh, Dichungtaxi and Vinasun Taxi all operate from Hoi An as well as Da Nang. Prices are a little more expensive to reflect the extra mileage required in getting from the Ancient Town to the Ba Na Hills. Expect prices of about 375,000 to 420,000 VND ($16 to $18.25 USD) for a regular 4-seater that you can book through your hotel or by waving one down outside the pedestrianised Ancient Town.

Option 3 – Private Car or Self-Drive

As in Da Nang, many car rental companies in Hoi An sell the services of their experienced drivers. Of these, Travelocity is one of the more trusted ones, while thrill-seekers looking to incorporate the beautiful coastal road connecting Hoi An and Da Nang can do so on a self-driven motorbike. 

Option 4 – Join a Tour

For an all-inclusive and stress-free day trip from Hoi An to the Ba Na Hills, the premier option would be a guided tour. These are one-day tours that cover all transportation, entrance fees and meals, with a English language tour of all of the theme park’s attractions, including the Golden Bridge. The tour will cost about 1,050,000 VND ($45 USD) per person. 

How to get to the Golden Bridge from Hue

Though they were segregated for thousands of years by the Truong Son mountains between them, modern engineering has now meant that crossing between Hue and Da Nang is an immensely popular thing to do and one of the top unmissable Vietnam experiences. This is entirely because of the beauty of the Hai Van Pass, a 21km road snaking through the mountains that livens up immensely any trip from Hue to the Golden Bridge in Da Nang.

Option 1: Self-Drive

Many Vietnam group tours feature the stunning drive of the Hai Van Pass in their itineraries, but taking the road under your own power is another experience altogether. This is one of the best ways to get to the Golden Bridge, as at least half an hour of the drive will be over the Hai Van Pass. Even before this, the road from Hue is flanked by many moments of beauty, created by lagoon-side roads and views of Bach Ma National Park and the Truong Son mountains.

Given the beauty of the Hai Van Pass and the destinations that it leads to. On the way, a stop-off at the Golden Bridge is actively encouraged and helps to justify the 450,000 VND ($19.50 USD) price tag. Of course, there are various other sites between Hue and Hoi An, such as Bach Ma National Park, Tra Son Peninsula and the Marble Mountains, to make the trip worthwhile.

Option 2: Private Car

A professional and personal driver is another way to see both the beauty of the Hai Van Pass and the Golden Bridge. Car Rental companies provide the service for around 1,150,000 VND ($50 USD), meaning that you can sit back and enjoy the plethora of soaring mountains, hidden beaches, gushing waterfalls and the never-ending ocean on the way from Hue to the Golden Bridge.

Option 3: Train

At just 3.5 hours, a train trip between Hue and Da Nang is a perfectly viable option to visit Vietnam’s Golden Bridge. The Reunification Express runs five services daily for about $17 and all of which will cut across the beautiful Hai Van Pass, still affording you those fantastic views of Mother Nature at her best.

How to get to the Golden Bridge from Hanoi

Almost 800km separate Hanoi from Da Nang, meaning that anything other than a flight would be a fairly arduous journey. Flights between the two cities occur very frequently, which means that getting from Hanoi to the Golden Bridge can certainly be easier than Vietnam’s geography would suggest.

Option 1: Flight

Easily the most convenient and cheapest option to visit the Golden Bridge from Hanoi, flying via any of the budget airlines can see you land in Da Nang just one hour after leaving the capital. Jetstar and VietJet provide many daily services from Hanoi for as little as 700,000 VND ($30 USD), while flights on Vietnam Airlines can set you back about 1,250,000 VND ($55 USD). Of course, prices vary a lot with flights so check them regularly, but they usually remain surprisingly low, meaning that you are never far from Vietnam’s Golden Bridge, anywhere in the country. A taxi from Da Nang airport will complete the journey in about half an hour.

Option 2: Sleeper Train

The Reunification Express service connects the entire country with a reasonably reliable network of trains. With a much longer travel time of around 16 hours, and a higher cost of about $62 for a soft bed in a 4-bed cabin, there aren’t many reasons to choose the train from Hanoi to the Golden Bridge over a flight, but some people enjoy the experience, not matter how long or pricey.

How to get to the Golden Bridge from Ho Chi Minh City

Ho Chi Minh City is further away from Vietnam’s Golden Bridge than Hanoi, but the two are still well-connected, such is the impressive state of Vietnam’s cross-country transportation system. True thrill-seekers can take a bike up from Ho Chi Minh City to the Golden Bridge, but with an itinerary plan of a couple of weeks, you would be forgiven for wanting to get there with a bit less of the effort, time and money requirements.

Option 1: Flight

Again, a no-brainer when it comes to going to the Golden Bridge from Ho Chi Minh City is via plane. Costs are not much different than from Hanoi despite the extra 800km of flying, and prices can easily be found for as cheap as 1000,000 VND ($45 USD) to Da Nang for budget airlines and about double for Vietnam Airlines, the national carrier. The journey takes about 1 hour and 20 minutes to Da Nang airport, from where a 30-minute taxi ride will take you straight to the base of the Ba Na Hills.

Option 2: Sleeper Train

The Reunification Express from the capital of the south takes about 17.5 hours and covers about 950km to Da Nang Railway Station. From here, the 25km journey via taxi to the bottom of the Ba Na Hills will take the overall cost to about 1,850,000 VND ($80 USD).

Source: incredibleasiajourneys.com