Monkey Mountain Place guide

Monkey Mountain, known as Nui Son Tra in Vietnamese, juts out into the sea like a giant pair of Mickey Mouse ears. The Son Tra peninsula is crowned by a mountain that the American soldiers named “Monkey Mountain” for the mischievous primates that hang out in the jungle cliffs. 

With an elevation of 850m, the peak overlooks Da Nang city to the south and Hai Van Pass to the north, prized as a radar communications base during the war. Go for the charming drive journeying along the winding coastal road leading to the peak. 

Previously a closed military area, Monkey Mountain was virtually untouched except for the port Cang Tien Sa. Today, however, it is home to famous Da Nang sights such as the Lady Buddha statue and Ling Ung Monastery. 

Lady Buddha: This 67m-high statue is Vietnam’s largest Goddess of Mercy monument dominating the coastal skyline no unlike Rio de Janeiro’s Christ the Redeemer. On a clear day, you can see her silhouette from coastal Hoi An, although 40km (25 miles) away. 

The 17-story, 70-meter statue stands on Son Tra Peninsula on the grounds of Linh Ung Pagoda, one of the area’s most significant destinations for Buddhists. On a clear day, views from here are stunning. 

Other attractions: Do a day trip of Monkey Mountain, incorporating seafood lunch and a swim in one of the secluded coves below. You can also stop off at Bai Tien, a small fishing port town littered with crumbling French military remains such as pillboxes, a lighthouse, and a small graveyard. The latter is the final resting point for many French soldiers defeated by the Vietnamese during their short-lived occupation of Da Nang during the first Indochine war. 

Get there: 

• Monkey Mountain sits at the northern end of China Beach and is an easy drive on the coastal road. The best way to go is by car and driver, or a motorbike for serious riders.
  
• It possible to drive up to the peak to see the American radar domes still used by the Vietnamese military and for a great view of the bay. 
  
  
• If you’re on a scooter, do a clockwise loop of the peninsula to avoid the steepest inclines.
  
  
• The whole trip should take no more than a couple of hours, but it’s well worth making a day of it.
  
  
• Address: 574D Ong Ich Khiem, Son Tra
  
  
• Admission: Free