Đà Nẵng is already famous for its beaches, which are considered among the most beautiful in the world by travelers. However, Đà Nẵng is also known for the Son Tra Peninsula, where the Chessboard Peak is said to have been the site of a legendary match between two skilled celestial chess players. This legend has made the place popular and attracts curious tourists who want to test their skills in solving the chess puzzle. Let’s explore this tourist destination in Đà Nẵng with Cường, who will guide you through the Chessboard Peak.
1. Where is this place located?
The Chessboard Peak is located on the Son Tra Peninsula, about 15km west of the city center. The road to the Chessboard Peak is steep, not flat. However, what you experience on the way and when you reach the top is completely worth the time, effort, and challenges you face.
Legend of the Chessboard Peak
According to ancient legends, due to the beautiful scenery, two skilled celestial beings chose the peak of the Son Tra peninsula as their “chessboard.” Both of them were skilled at chess, so the game lasted from one day to another, from one month to another.
One day, some celestial nymphs flew down from the sky to a beach near the Son Tra island to swim and have fun. This distracted one of the celestial beings, causing him to make a wrong move in the game and ultimately lose.
The winner rode a cloud back to the sky. The loser, unwilling to accept defeat, sat down to contemplate and find a winning move. However, he still couldn’t find a solution.
Based on this legend, the peak of the Son Tra peninsula was named “Dinh Ban Co” by the locals. Additionally, a chessboard and a celestial being were built on this peak to commemorate the legendary story.
2. How to get there? (directions)
Route to Dinh Ban Co Peak
To reach the summit of Ban Co Peak, there are 2 routes. One starts from the side of Thuan Phuoc Bridge, goes along Yết Kiêu Street and turns towards the People’s Navy Military Base of Zone 3. Then, continue straight up to the summit. This route is considered easier to walk than the other route but not as beautiful.
The other route to the summit of Ban Co Peak is on the side of Hoang Sa coastal road. You move up to Linh Ung Pagoda and then follow the path straight to the summit. This route may be more challenging but offers a more romantic scenery and many famous attractions along the way.
Depending on your preferences and physical condition, you can choose different routes. However, based on experience, if possible, you should ascend Ban Co Peak via this route and descend via the other route. This way, you can experience both routes to the summit of Son Tra Peninsula.
The journey to conquer Ban Co Peak
The journey to conquer Ban Co Peak below will start from the coastal route. The purpose is to combine visiting many other places and saving time. The suitable time to start is around early afternoon.
On the way to Ban Co Peak, you will pass through beautiful beaches such as: Tien Sa Beach, But Beach, Obama Beach, Nom Beach. You can stop here to swim or take photos for check-in. In addition, going up a bit, you will reach Linh Ung Pagoda – one of the famous sacred pagodas in Da Nang. You can visit and offer incense for prayers.
Leaving Linh Ung Pagoda, going up a bit, you will encounter a wonderful resting spot. Just run along the road to the top of Ban Co, wherever there are the most people gathered is the spot. This resting spot has grassy areas to relax, eat and drink comfortably. The special thing is the view towards the sea is truly amazing.
After resting, continue running straight to Ban Co Peak to catch the sunset. From the top of Ban Co Peak, you will see the entire beautiful scenery of Da Nang city by the sea. Sitting high, breathing fresh air and admiring the cityscape, the vast sea below will be wonderful moments.
Moreover, Ban Co Peak is also a check-in point to create excellent virtual living photos. Capture those memorable moments with your companions to keep as memories!
3. How to get there?
+ MOTORBIKE: This is still the means of transportation I recommend you choose. With the distance quite close and the road as I have introduced above is very spacious and beautiful, motorbike is still a reasonable means of transportation. When you ride a motorbike to Son Tra Peninsula, the beautiful scenery along the way you can film and take pictures or stop anywhere you feel like checking in everything.
The roads to places like: Dinh Ban Co, Thousand-Year-Old Tree… are quite steep and difficult to travel. You can only go with new and powerful gear bikes. It’s best to let the guys drive for safety, everyone.
+ CAR: For older people or families with many young children, a car is still a suitable choice. The price to go to Son Tra Peninsula for a 4-seater car is about 250k and a 7-seater car is 350k round trip. The limitation when traveling by car is that you cannot admire the surrounding scenery and only stop at the predetermined point. And cars will rarely take you to places like: Thousand-Year-Old Tree and Dinh Ban Co…
4. What’s there?
Here you will get the entire beautiful scenery of Da Nang in your sight, you can see all of Da Nang at an altitude of over 700m. The images of tall skyscrapers, boats swaying on the sea, Han River Bridge… all the beautiful scenery you can admire.
Looking down from here, the sea of Da Nang will become more peaceful, the waves will be gentler and winding along the mountains blending with the green of the forests and the white fluffy clouds creating the most romantic painting.
Early in the morning, when the sun is about to rise behind the mountain, while the city is still peaceful, this is the most beautiful time. Nature on the peninsula becomes more romantic with the bright sunlight on the other side of the mountain. Đỉnh Bàn Cờ is known as the “chessboard” in the heart of the lower realm, because when you come here, you not only admire the beautiful scenery but also have the opportunity to sit at a chess table with a fairy grandfather, immerse yourself in moments of silence, contemplate the final chess move to engrave your name in the legend of the “chess king” or simply take a photo with the fairy grandfather as a memory. If you miss the sunrise moment here, you can also admire the sunset on Đỉnh Bàn Cờ, watching the sun turn red like a chicken egg yolk. These are definitely moments that photographers hunt for.
Moreover, the higher you go, the cooler and more pleasant the air becomes, with a bit of sun, a bit of wind, so when hiking to Đỉnh Bàn Cờ, you will feel the most peaceful, relaxed, and comfortable. Đỉnh Bàn Cờ has a small cafe, a few grilling stalls offering rabbit, duck, and goose meat at very affordable prices for you to experience the beautiful scenery while enjoying the food.
5. What about dining?
The food service on Son Tra Peninsula is quite delicious and affordable, you can enjoy famous dishes such as grilled dishes, stir-fried dishes, or tasty salt-roasted seafood like fresh fish such as carp, barramundi, snakehead fish, mackerel, stingray, lobster, prawn, mantis shrimp, slipper lobster, squid, octopus, red snail, trumpet shell, cuttlefish, crab, and seasonal seafood.
On Son Tra Peninsula, wild vegetables often grow around the mountainside, quite diverse with over ten types such as ferns, wild betel leaf, water spinach, cress, wild betel leaf, ginseng, wild tamarind… These wild vegetables are also used as essential seasonings for steamed dishes, sour soups… Or enjoy the specialty coconut wine here.
6. Things to note when visiting and having fun here
- Wear neat and comfortable clothes to ensure safe movement.
- Move at a moderate speed, stay calm, and choose a reliable driver as your companion.
- If renting a vehicle, choose a manual transmission instead of an automatic one, as the road to Ban Co Peak is quite steep.
- Leave Ban Co Peak before dark to ensure safety.
- Visit Ban Co Peak on clear sunny days. Avoid going on rainy days as the road can be slippery and dangerous.
- Keep the contact number of the vehicle rental owner or hotel owner to seek help in case of any unforeseen situations.
7. Other tourist destinations near Ban Co Peak
To facilitate travel when exploring Son Tra Peninsula and save time, you should refer to the map and travel itinerary for Son Tra Peninsula below:
If you are backpacking on Son Tra Peninsula, you should follow the following itinerary: Travel on Yet Kieu Street – visit Son Tra Peninsula – climb Ban Co Peak – visit Vong Canh House to admire the mountains and sea at Son Tra and Hai Van Pass – visit the heliport. Then travel along the road to see the thousand-year-old Ficus tree – Hai Dang Peak – Linh Ung Pagoda – Dong Dinh Museum. Finally, visit beautiful beaches in Son Tra such as But Beach, Rang Beach, Da Beach… to relax, swim, and admire Da Nang from a distance.
Linh Ung But Temple
This is the first stop if you follow the Hoang Sa coastal road. This is probably the largest and most famous pagoda in the central region. Linh Ung Pagoda is located on Bai But in Son Tra Peninsula, famous for the statue of Bodhisattva Quan Am with a height of 67m, equivalent to a 30-story building. Formed on the back of a mountain, Linh Ung Pagoda is very beautiful, attracting thousands of tourists daily to visit and pray for luck. Standing on Linh Ung Pagoda, you can also admire the beautiful My Khe Beach and the city of Da Nang. You can also try the feeling of coming here in the late afternoon when the sun is weak to take some beautiful photos.
Thousand-year-old banyan tree
Known as the “ancient village” of the mountains and forests. According to legend, the banyan tree is where the fairies often choose to play whenever they descend to earth, which is why this banyan tree has a rare beauty. This is considered one of the most attractive spots on the Son Tra Peninsula. Moving further from Linh Ung Pagoda about 5km, you will reach the thousand-year-old Banyan Tree. In reality, no one knows its true age. The base of the Banyan Tree is as big as 10 people joining hands and just the roots alone would require several people to hug them all. So, you can imagine it is very old. The path to the thousand-year-old Banyan Tree is steep and difficult to walk. Here, everyone has the opportunity to rest and admire it, and must be amazed by its grandeur and size. It is a destination worth experiencing, so don’t miss it.
Ngọn Hải Đăng – Mắt thần Đông Dương
Lower than Ban Co Peak and very easy to reach. The Hai Dang Summit, also known as the Eye of God in Da Nang, is actually Observation Post 29 for observing the sea area and airplanes. This is an observation post to ensure safety for the sea area under the sovereignty of Vietnam. From here, you can take all kinds of selfies and enjoy the panoramic view of Da Nang from another beautiful angle. Note that you must ask for permission to enter the Observation Post, do not sneak in on your own as you may be fined.
Obama Rock Beach – Black Rock Beach
Why has the name Black Rock changed to OBAMA Rock? It’s because OBAMA once set foot in this place and because OBAMA has a stone-colored skin, the people of Da Nang renamed it to OBAMA Rock. Now, this place has become a hot tourist destination due to its new name. OBAMA Rock has many black stone blocks growing closely together, creating a beautiful rocky cliff. When you come here, you can swim, party, and camp by the beach.
Bai But
Bãi Bụt is a beach located on the way to Linh Ung Pagoda. It resembles a crescent-shaped bathing beach called a beautiful sea strait, and Bai But has become attractive to both Vietnamese and international tourists when visiting Da Nang. At Bai But, you can rent a hut and freely organize singing and dining by the clear blue sea. In addition, you can participate in various beach tourism activities here, such as beach games, natural coral diving, surfing, and paragliding…
Bãi Rạng
When stepping foot on Bai Rang – Son Tra Peninsula, I was very surprised and rarely found a place in Da Nang where the beach water is so clear and cool. When I arrived at Bai Rang, I felt healthier and extremely relaxed. At Bai Rang, there is also a snorkeling service, but compared to Cu Lao Cham tourism, the coral here is not as beautiful. On weekends or holidays, people from Da Nang often come here to enjoy the scenery, eat, organize parties with family and friends.
Price list for restaurant services at Bai Rang:
Rent a seat to relax and enjoy the beach, swim, freshwater shower, including swimwear, lunch break: 50k/person.
Rent a hut for party, with the option to rent a barbecue… Prices range around 50k/person.
Renting a canoe with beach swimming, snorkeling is also very cheap, around 500k/2 people sharing, 800k/2 people if going alone.
Bai Bac – 5-star InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort
This is the most luxurious resort in Vietnam, ranking among the top resorts in Asia. It is affirmed as a 5-star resort chosen by SunGroup Corporation, located in Bai Bac and built an internationally prestigious tourist area named InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula.
This is an extremely luxurious place where the entrance fee for sightseeing and taking pictures can reach up to 700k VND, including just a seat and a drink to enjoy the view. Just by mentioning this, you can already understand how beautiful it is.
