The Son Tra Peninsula is a protected area located 12 km to the north of Da Nang train station. The Peninsula has a mountain, pristine forest, beaches, a huge statue of Lady Buddha protecting the city from bad weather, a 19th Century church, a couple of very expensive resort, fantastic views of Da Nang city and some rare plants and animals including the elusive Red Shanked Douc. What the Peninsula doesn’t have is proper roads and facilities like shops. If you go you need to drive yourself around on a motorbike and bring your own food and water, either that or visit only the parts of the Peninsula close to where the road ends.
About the Son Tra Peninsula
The forest and mountain is the main attraction of the Son Tra Peninsula. It’s a rare thing to have a jungle so close to a large town such as Da Nang and for those people which the inclination to attempt the journey a trip along the 40 km track around the Son Tra Peninsula is one of the best adventures in South Asia available to independent travellers with a limited budget. Anyone with a the ability to drive a scooter can do this trip although you might get yourself into difficulties if you aren’t competence driving a motorbike or have a reasonable level of fitness and the ability to use a map or a mobile phone to find your way.
Red Shanked Douc on the Son Tra PeninsulaThere are some man made attractions to see the most popular of which is newly constructed statue of the the Lady Buddha, known by Vietnamese people as the Goddess of Mercy (Quan Am). This 69 metre tall statue is located at the entrance of the Son Tra Linh Ung Pagoda complex. It’s free to visit and open from sunrise to sunset every day of the day. The Pagoda was built in the 18th Century although the statue was built much more recently having been completed in 2010 (the build took 6 years). Linh Ung Pagoda is well worth visiting for its gate, its pagoda, its sculptures in the garden and the views across bay back towards the city of Da Nang.
Travel to the Son Tra Peninsula
From Da Nang city take either the Hoang Sa Road to the Son Tra Linh Ung Pagoda or alternatively start your journey around the Peninsula by taking the Yet Kieu Road towards the Tien Sa Resort. Either way you can join the track which loops around the Peninsula. You can travel by taxi to the Son Tra Linh Ung Pagoda but from there you need to travel by motorbike.
Da Nang is on Vietnam’s Reunification Railway Line which runs from Saigon to Hanoi. The journey by train from Saigon to Da Nang takes between 16 and 19 hours depending upon which train you take. From Hanoi the journey by train to Da Nang takes between 15 and 17.5 hours. We recommend booking a sleeper berth and travelling overnight or breaking up the journey with a stop on route.