Monkey Mountain Da Nang is better known to the locals as Son Tra Peninsula. In fact, it was the American soldiers that gave this mountain the name, Monkey, when they were there during the Vietnam War. Monkey Mountain rises high above the Son Tra Peninsula, within the Son Tra District.

If you want to visit Monkey Mountain Da Nang, you must make a thirty-five minute drive to get there.  The drive is worthwhile though, because once you arrive, you will be just far enough from the hustle and bustle of the city to finally relax and let your worries slip away.

There is a helicopter pad at the top of this mountain, and it is an excellent lookout point, especially if you want to see some of the nearby beaches from a different vantage point.  The beaches you will see the best include Bai Bac, Tien Sa, Bai Nam, and Bai But.

You can choose to either hike or drive to the top of Monkey Mountain Da Nang but be prepared for a journey with either option.  The hike can take hours, and the winding incline on the roads mean that you must have a powerful vehicle to get you to the top.  Do your best to get up there though, because besides the beaches, you will be rewarded with gorgeous views of Cham Island, Hi Van Mountain, Da Nang City, and the Son Tra Peninsula.

If you choose to do a little hiking on the trails of Monkey Mountain, you will have the opportunity to see many different types of animals.  The ones you will see the most include long-tailed macaques, rhesus macaques, red-shanked douc langurs, and pygmy slow loris.  Don’t worry, you will have four hours from the time you begin your hike at Bai Bac Beach until you reach the summit, and that is plenty of time to see these animals, multiple times.

At the top of Monkey Mountain Da Nang, you will find the Linh Ung Pagoda.  This pagoda was constructed during the 18^th century and there is a lotus shaped platform with a sixty-seven-meter statue on top.  The statue is of the Goddess of Mercy.  This is considered the tallest statue of deity within the entire area of Southeast Asia. This statue is now an icon of this city and you can see it from many different parts of Da Nang.

There are seventeen different levels within this structure and as you are wandering around, you will want to try to find all twenty-one of the miniature Buddha sculptures.

There is no entrance fee for the Linh Ung Pagoda, so you can easily fit it into your budget.  However, it is important to note that this area is busier than usual during special occasions.  Therefore, you may want to plan your trip around the common pilgrimages, so you do not need to weave around people to see the best parts of this pagoda.

Of course, once you reach the top of Monkey Mountain Da Nang, you must realize that you need to go back down to the bottom.  That steep incline on the way up creates a massive decline on the way down.  If you hiked, you may be pleasantly surprised at how fast you can return down to the bottom of the mountain.  However, if you drove, you may be questioning whether or not you will make it to the bottom in one piece.  The reason for this is that the road will now have sharp descents, hairpin turns, and barely enough space to keep you from going over the edge.  Add in the fact that you will be flying all the way to the bottom, despite having your breaks on the entire way, and there is no way you will see any more animals until you arrive safely at the bottom.

Thousands of people make the descent every year, so the chances you arrive at the bottom safely are excellent.  Just take your time and understand that these things always have a way of working out in the end.

If you are worried about traveling to the top of Monkey Mountain Da Nang on your own, you can always take one of the many tours that go there.  This will allow you to see the beauty of the statue and the pagoda, without the worry about how you will reach the summit.  The best part is that you will learn so much about other attractions as you make your way to Monkey Mountain.

The best time to visit Monkey Mountain Da Nang is in the middle of the week, because there is hardly anyone else there during that time.  It is then that you can easily explore and discover more sights that you thought possible.  We recommend making the time to see the eight-hundred-year-old banyan tree, which stands twenty-five meters high.  The roots of this tree grow up from the top before finally finding their way back to the ground, so it is quite the sight to see.

You will definitely not be disappointed with the time that you spend on Monkey Mountain Da Nang, unless of course, you only spend a few minutes there!