Located at an altitude of 700m above sea level, Ban Co (Chess Board) peak is an interesting stop on visitors' journey to explore Son Tra Peninsula, Tho Quang Ward, Son Tra District, Da Nang as well as really an ideal place to admire the city’s stunning panoramic views.

A tourist admires the statue of De Thich deity on the Ban Co Peak

To reach the peak, visitors have to go through a long, winding road, surrounded by green trees and mountains. This is said to be the most beautiful and safest road on the Son Tra Peninsula. In particular, once you reach the Ban Co Peak, you will easily get a panoramic view of the city from above, including the sparkling Tien Sa Sea under the sun, offshore fishing boats, numerous high-rises and bridges spanning the Han River. Most notably, visitors see a statue of an old man sitting by a chess board carved on the surface of a large rock.

Legend has it that there were two deities sitting and playing chess on the Son Tra Mountain for many consecutive days but they were still inconclusive. Then one day, one of them lost the game because of being distracted by fairies who flew down the beach to take a bath. Out of control, he kicked the chess board into the sea and came back to Heaven. Therefore, local people had carved a large chess board on the rock and built the statue of a deity named De Thich who sits alone in front of the chess board, thinking carefully about his next moves. The name of the mountain peak ‘Ban Co’ also came from that legend, and the beach where the fairies took a bath was named Tien Sa.

Charming, cool scenery, wide viewing angle, and not too far from the city help Ban Co peak become an ideal cloud hunting spot for many young tourists when coming to Da Nang. If you come here early in the morning or late afternoon, you have the opportunity to ‘walk’ on the ‘sea of clouds’ and feel the chill of the mountains and forests most clearly.

Besides, to keep tourists on their toes, the city’s tourism industry has invested in upgrading the path to ‘Ban Co’ peak, and developing a number of lookout huts and stops.

Reporting by HUYNG LE - Translating by A.THU