Ba Na Hills, Da Nang's tourism magnet

In the first quarter of this year the central city was served by 27 international flight routes and nine domestic services. There were 56 flights a week on the Thailand-Da Nang sector.

Da Nang City.

Thailand has surpassed Japan as the city's third largest source of foreign tourists, said Huynh Huong Lan, deputy director of the Da Nang Tourism Promotion Centre.

Da Nang saw a new high in tourist arrival numbers in the first quarter. A total of 1.8 million visitors came, up 16.4 per cent year-on-year, including 876,500 foreign tourists, up 31.2 percent.

The increase in tourist numbers as well as the duration of visitors' stay is clear proof of the tourism sector's growth. The average length of stay was 2.6 days for domestic tourists and 2.85 days for foreigners, according to a survey by the Danang Institute for Socio-Economic Development.

Ba Na Hills.

"Ten years ago Da Nang was an unfamiliar name even to Vietnamese, but now almost all foreign tourists want to visit Da Nang to check in at Ba Na Hills and visit the Golden Bridge. Ba Na Hills has played an important role in making Da Nang a top tourism destination," said Nguyen Ngoc Ly, CEO of Palm Vietnam Travel.

Huynh Huong Lan, also staff of the Danang Institute for Socio-Economic Development, said: "The jump in the number of Thai visitors to Da Nang is thanks to the attraction of the Golden Bridge in Ba Na Hills. There are many 5-days-4 nights tours on offer to visit this bridge and stay at the Mercure Danang French Village Bana Hills for one night and the remaining nights at 3- and 4-star hotels in Da Nang.

Golden Bridge in Ba Na Hills.

Tran Thi Minh Duc, head of inbound at Vietrantour, said every single Vietnamese and Asian tourist who books Vietrantour’s tours of Da Nang wants to visit Ba Na Hills to see the Golden Bridge.

"Not so long ago Da Nang was not a famous travel destination, but since Ba Na Hills came into operation, the city has become the tourism capital of central Vietnam. Recently an English billionaire changed his travel plans just to visit the Golden Bridge."

Sun World complex.

"Previously tours of Danang would usually be for three days and two nights, but tourists now more readily opt for four days and three nights to spend a day discovering Ba Na Hills," Duc added.

It is clear that Da Nang’s achievements and growth come from its otherworldly beauty, but the main driver has been the effort of private enterprises, including the Sun Group, to change the city's tourism landscape.