Bach Ma National Park — an Abandoned French Hill Station at 1,450m

Bach Ma National Park sits on the southern edge of Hue, about 40km from the city along Highway 1A towards Da Nang. The summit reaches 1,450m, yet the sea is only about 10km away as the crow flies — and that short distance is exactly what gives the mountain its own weather.

Why there is a town on a mountaintop

In the early 1930s the French went looking for a hill retreat near Hue and settled on Bach Ma. By 1942, everything from the 1,200m contour to the summit had become a complete settlement: nearly 139 villas, a market, a post office, shops, and a 19km motor road climbing up from the highway.

The villas were mostly two storeys, built in stone or timber, with spiral stairs, wide verandas and large windows facing the summit. That is architecture made for a damp, cloudy climate.

War and then decades of abandonment erased nearly all of it. What remains is mostly foundations, doorsteps and a few sections of wall standing among the trees — visible, but do not expect to find an intact villa. A handful of buildings have been repaired and now serve as guest accommodation.

Three main sights at the top

Vọng Hải Đài — an octagonal pavilion at the highest point, built by the French. On a clear day you can see the Cầu Hai lagoon, Lăng Cô bay and the coastline below all at once. On a cloudy day you see cloud, and at Bach Ma cloud is more common than clarity.

Đỗ Quyên waterfall drops about 300m, deep in the forest. Reaching the base means nearly 700 steep steps, and climbing back up is the hard part. If you are unsure of your fitness, the view from the top of the falls is enough.

Ngũ Hồ, the Five Lakes — a chain of five pools linked by a stream, clear and cold. The walk is far gentler than Đỗ Quyên and suits anyone with children.

Getting up

The road to the summit runs 19km, steep with tight bends. The park runs a shuttle service to the top, and that is how most people go. Entry is around 60,000₫, with the shuttle charged separately.

Motorbikes can make it, but not advisable unless you are used to mountain roads — the climb is long, and once mist comes down the surface turns slippery and visibility drops to a few dozen metres.

When to come and what to bring

The summit is cool all year and far more humid than the plain below. Hue’s wet season, September to December, leaves the paths slippery and the falls powerful but the walking poor.

• March to August is the easiest window.
• Bring a light jacket even in midsummer.
• Shoes with grip — the rock and steps carry moss and are slipperier than they look.
• Leeches are present in the damp forest sections, especially after rain.
• Phone signal is patchy; download maps before you go up.

Fitting it into a Hue trip

Bach Ma sits between Hue and Da Nang, so it combines easily:

• Lăng Cô is directly below on the southern side.
• The Hai Van Pass comes immediately after Lăng Cô.
• Towards Hue there is the Imperial City and Thien Mu Pagoda.

Give Bach Ma a whole day. Squeezing another stop into the same day means cutting the walking short.

Eating around Lang Co and Cau Hai

At the foot of the mountain, the Lăng Cô – Cầu Hai area is known for blood cockles from the Cầu Hai lagoon, oysters, rabbitfish and bánh canh cá lóc. At the summit there is only the park’s own canteen, simple and limited — eat before you go up.