Riding to Ba Na Hills and the Golden Bridge by Motorbike

How the trip works: ride to the base, cable car up

You ride roughly 25 km west from central Da Nang to the Ba Na Hills station at the foot of the mountain. Park your bike in the paid lot at the base, buy a cable-car ticket, and ride the gondola up to the Golden Bridge and the resort area. Bikes are never ridden up the mountain.

The Golden Bridge, French Village, and gardens all sit high on the mountain, reachable only by the cable-car system — one of the longest and highest in the world. Your motorbike's job is simply to get you to the base station and back.

At the base there's a large supervised parking area. Keep your ticket, store your helmets in the under-seat compartment or with the rental's lock, and take valuables with you. Cable-car and entry tickets are bought on site; the round trip up and down plus exploring the top usually fills three to four hours.

The route from Da Nang to the base

From central Da Nang, head west toward the airport and pick up the main road out through Hoa Vang district. It's roughly 25 km of mostly flat, straightforward riding on wider roads, with the final stretch gently climbing toward the mountain base. Allow around 45 minutes each way at a relaxed pace.

This is an out-and-back inland route, not a scenic coastal loop. The roads are wider and faster than the city centre, with stretches where local traffic moves quickly, so stay predictable, signal early, and keep left for slower two-wheelers.

Use offline maps and set the destination to the Ba Na Hills cable-car station rather than the resort itself, so navigation points you to the base. Set off in the morning to beat the heat and the midday tour-bus crowds, and check the forecast — the inland west catches heavy rain in the wet season.

Which bike suits the long ride out

Because it's a 50 km round trip with some climbing, a peppy automatic scooter (110–125cc) or a bigger semi-automatic is the comfortable choice. A licence-free electric scooter can work, but plan carefully for range — the distance plus elevation may push a single charge, so confirm the real-world range first.

For a relaxed all-day trip with two people, a responsive automatic handles the distance and the gentle climb to the base without strain. If you and a passenger plan to share, a slightly larger bike keeps the ride smooth.

An electric scooter rated 4 kW or under is the licence-free option that any nationality can ride legally, but the 50 km round trip plus hills is near the edge of typical range. If you go electric, pick a model with proven range for this route and ask us about charging — Kai, our concierge, can match you to a bike that won't leave you stranded.

Licence and IDP rules for this ride

A petrol scooter over 50cc needs a motorbike licence plus a valid 1968 Vienna Convention IDP — category A1 for bikes up to 125cc. An electric scooter rated 4 kW or under needs no licence and no IDP, so it's legal for every nationality on this route.

Vietnam recognises only the 1968 Vienna Convention IDP. A 1949 Geneva Convention permit is not valid for a petrol motorbike over 50cc. Permits from the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, China, Singapore, Spain, and Ireland are the 1949 type and are not recognised here.

If your licence isn't recognised, the honest answer is simple: take a licence-free electric, not a petrol bike. We'll never tell you a petrol scooter over 50cc is fine to ride without the right paperwork. Kai runs a free 90-second legal check before you book, so you ride the bike you're actually allowed to ride.

Fines, helmets, and staying safe

Helmets are mandatory and the drink-drive limit is effectively zero. Under Decree 168/2024, riding without a Vietnam-recognised licence is fined VND 2–4 million for a bike up to 125cc, plus a 7-day impound. The person who hands an unlicensed rider the bike faces a separate VND 8–10 million fine.

Wear your helmet for the full ride — both rider and passenger. The drink-drive limit is effectively 0.0 BAC, so don't ride after any alcohol; penalties under Decree 168 are large.

On insurance, be clear-eyed about the three layers. Compulsory CTPL protects a person you injure, not you, and can be refused for an unlicensed at-fault rider. A rental Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) is a contractual cap on what you'd owe, not insurance. Your own travel-medical policy — for example Genki Traveler, which can cover riding up to ~125cc including a licence-free electric — is what protects you, but riding illegally without a recognised licence can void it.

Frequently asked questions