Ok, well I wouldn’t go as far as saying Sun World in Vietnam is like Disney World, but it is a giant castle in the middle of the mountains, only accessible by cable cars.
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Location and Transportation
Sun World is located in Ba Na Hills, just outside of Da Nang. It is about a 45-minute motorbike ride from Da Nang to the entrance of Sun World. This makes it a good place to spend the morning or the afternoon and then head back to Da Nang to chill at the beach. Most travelers will visit Sun World on a tour group or on shared transportation buses. These will usually arrive at the park by 9 am and leave in the afternoon.
The benefits of using a tour group are having a guide explain things around the park, not having to queue for a ticket, a buffet lunch, and transportation to and from the park.
Downside is having to stick to the schedule and you’re arriving with a bunch of other tour groups making the park much more crowded.
Being able to drive yourself to the park is a much better option. This will allow you to come and go as you please. You’ll also be able to arrive before the park gets too crowded and stay later for sunset. You’ll also be able to get much better photos since there won’t be as much overcrowding.
I drove myself on a motorbike that I rented from my hotel, and find the road to be easy to navigate once you left the city of Da Nang.
What to Expect at Sun World
Ticket prices are 750,000 VND for adults and 600,000 VND for children. Which is about $25 – $32 USD. Quite a hefty price tag in Asia. The ticket only includes entrance to the park and for the cable cars. If you wish to go to special areas, like the wax museum, you will have to pay extra.
There are two main cable car routes. The first one leaves from the ticket office and will stop about 3/4 of the way to the top at Marseille Station. This is where you will be able to walk around the gardens, visit temples, and see the popular Golden Hands Bridge.
The first route takes about 20 minutes to reach the gardens. The next route will only take about 5 minutes to reach the main fantasy park.
Le Jardin D’Amour
Once exiting the cable car in Marseille Station, you will be greeted by amazing views of the mountains. The station connects directly to The Golden Hands Bridge.
Since the Golden Hands Bridge is a fairly new attraction to the park, and has gone viral on social media, you can imagine that it will get VERY crowded.
My advice is to go early in the morning and be one of the first people on the cable cars when the park opens. Ideally, this will allow you to get some good pictures, and you won’t be shoulder to shoulder with other tourists. You might even be lucky enough to get a whole cable car to yourself to take in the incredible scenery! I arrived at Sun World so early that I was talking the cable car up with employees just starting their day.
After taking selfies on the bridge, and dodging through many wedding photo shoots. You can make your way to the gardens. This is a massive area to explore and the grounds are very well kept.
There are temples and pagodas as well as a 27 meters tall Buddha. Spending a few hours here can be very peaceful.
Fantasy Park
The first thing to remember before entering the Fantasy Park, is that this park is geared towards Asian tourists. Non-Asian tourists will have a love/hate relationship with the park.
That being said, be prepared for tons of photo opps. Asian tourists love taking pictures of themselves.
With this in mind, the park does a good job of replicating a French village. You might even forget you’re in Vietnam!
Throughout the park, there are plenty of food options including high end restaurants, snacks stalls, and cafes. Some people come to Sun World just to indulge in the fine dining.
During the day, there are a number of performances by the actors at Sun World. Mainly some dance numbers and music. Most of them are from the Ukraine. Some of them wear carnival costumes and walk around on stilts near the fountain.
And last, but not least, don’t forget to check out the massive indoor arcade and outdoor alpine coaster.
The arcade is fun for the whole family. There are three levels each with a different theme. In the center is a drop tower ride. You will also find the wax museum and a foot massage area here.
Once you’ve wandered around the park and eaten to your heart’s content. It’s time to head back down to the cable cars and go back to Da Nang.
Final Thoughts on Sun World
Would I recommend going to Sun World? Eh, probably not. I didn’t think that it was worth all the hype for the price tag. Yes, the gardens were very nice, and seeing the Golden Hands Bridge was cool, but is it going to make or break your Vietnam trip? No.
While I was walking around I had the odd sensation of feeling like I didn’t really belong. All the visitors were Asian and all the people working were non-Asian. It was like bringing Europe to Asia without leaving Asia. The diversity of employees as entertainers was lacking. They were definitely going for the tall, blonde, European look for their entertainers. Something about this just made me feel weird and I didn’t really enjoy being inside the Fantasy Park.
Another thing that was lacking was the attractions. Everything was just built for the photo ops. There are very few rides, there are no rollercoasters, and the only thing to really do is eat and go to the arcade.
What are your thoughts on Sun World? Have you been there and felt the same way? Or did you feel the opposite?
