The Lady Buddha, and the peninsula she stands on

Da Nang has a 67-metre statue on the mountain above it, visible from every beach in the city, and it costs nothing to visit. The Lady Buddha is also the excuse to drive the Son Tra peninsula, which is the better half of the trip.

What is the statue?

The Lady Buddha is a 67-metre figure of Quan Am, the bodhisattva of compassion, standing in the grounds of the Linh Ung pagoda on the Son Tra peninsula. She faces the sea, which is the point: fishermen and their families come here before going out.

Lady Buddha is the tallest statue of her kind in Vietnam, standing on a lotus base at the edge of the pagoda terrace. From below, the figure is visible across most of Da Nang.

The pagoda around her was finished in 2010 and is active rather than ornamental. Monks live on site and services run daily.

What does it cost to visit?

Nothing. The pagoda, the grounds and the car park are free, which makes this the cheapest major sight on the central coast and a useful contrast with Ba Na Hills an hour inland.

Donation boxes stand inside the halls, and nobody is watching to see whether you use them.

A Grab from the city centre runs 100,000 to 150,000 dong each way, and drivers will wait for an agreed fee rather than leaving you to find a ride on the hill.

What should you wear?

Cover shoulders and knees. This is a working temple, the dress code applies at the main hall rather than at the gate, and a scarf or a light shirt in the bag solves the problem without changing your plans.

Shoes come off at the threshold of the halls and stay on in the grounds. The etiquette guide covers the rest, including which direction to walk around a shrine.

Nobody will stop you photographing the statue. Photographing people at prayer is a different matter, and the answer is not to.

What else is on the peninsula?

Son Tra is a forested headland with a road around it, viewpoints over the city and the bay, and a population of monkeys including the endangered red-shanked douc langur. Early morning and late afternoon are when the langurs are visible from the road.

The macaques near the viewpoints are habituated and will take food from a hand or an open bag. Feeding them is how that gets worse, and the national parks guide covers the wider principle.

The road is paved, steep in sections and closed to some rental scooters by the hire shops themselves. Ask before taking an underpowered bike up.

When is the light right on Son Tra?

Late afternoon into sunset, when the light falls on the city and the bay, and the road is cool enough to enjoy. The terrace faces west over the water, which is what makes the hour work.

Early morning is quieter and better for wildlife, with mist on the forest and no coaches. The middle of the day is the worst choice: white marble, no shade, and heat coming off the terrace.

Weekend evenings bring Vietnamese families in numbers, which is pleasant rather than crowded.

How does it fit a Da Nang day?

Two hours covers the pagoda and a stop at one viewpoint, and half a day covers the peninsula road properly. Most visitors do the short version at the end of a beach day.

Pair it with the Marble Mountains only if you have transport for both, since they sit at opposite ends of the city. The Da Nang things to do page sets out the half-day combinations that work.

The beach below the peninsula is quieter than My Khe and rarely has anybody on it, which the beaches guide covers.

Is the statue worth the ride out?

For an hour and a sunset, yes, and the price helps. The statue is impressive from below and the view from the terrace takes in the whole of the bay.

Anybody expecting an ancient site will find a temple finished in 2010. The history on this coast is at My Son and in the Cham museum in the city.

What Son Tra offers instead is the best road and the best view within twenty minutes of a Vietnamese beach city, which is a fair trade.