The British newspaper was surprised by the beauty of a European village in the high mountains of Vie
A reporter from the British Express newspaper takes a trip to one of Vietnam's most famous destinations, which offers locals beautiful European scenery.
When thinking about what tourists often see on a trip to Vietnam, it is easy to imagine sights like the beautiful limestone islands of Ha Long Bay or the millions of motorbikes whizzing by in Ho Chi Minh City center. One thing that many people certainly don't imagine is that on a recent trip, there was a tourist area designed like a French village, located high in the mountains in Vietnam.
That's exactly Ba Na Hills. Located in the mountains about a 45-minute drive from Da Nang, Ba Na Hills is a resort that aims to recreate the feeling of a trip to France. First appearing in 1919, Ba Na was a resort location built for the benefit of French colonialists wanting to escape the high heat and humidity, with 240 luxury villas built for French officials.
However, the August Revolution made Vietnam an independent country, Ba Na was abandoned, most of the ruins were destroyed in the war that followed. Today, things are completely different, it's all obvious as soon as you set foot in the parking lot.Although tourists can go by road to the resort, the main way to travel is by the world's longest straight cable car, taking about 20 minutes to go to an altitude of 5,800m. The views of the tree-covered mountains on the way up are impressive, if a bit scary, but they cannot compete with what awaits visitors at the top.
When arriving at Ba Na Hills, the first thing visitors see is the Golden Bridge, a 150m long bridge supported by two giant hands, made from fiberglass designed to look like mountain rocks. First opened in 2018, the bridge attracts many tourists from around the world, so be sure to leave plenty of time to walk across the bridge for the best views.
Hop on a much shorter cable car and you quickly reach the main attraction: the French village. The main part of the "village" is a square with a large fountain and busts of famous French figures, again made from fiberglassThe entire village is not exactly like reality in France, sometimes you feel more like you are on a Paramount movie set than Pays de la Loire (the coastal area in western France).
However, everything you can imagine finding in a French village is present. A Catholic church complete with confession room, a quaint chain of restaurants serving wine stored in cellars deep in the mountains, even some vintage French cars covered in flowersWhile the village is the main attraction, there is also a full-sized golf course, a giant underground amusement park, a wax museum of famous figures and a 27m tall Buddha statue in the heart garden. sacred. Admittedly, this place is extremely attractive to tourists because the experience here is hard to forget. With a cable car fee of 850,000 VND (£27) for adults and 700,000 VND (£22), this is incredible value.