Ba Vi National Park

Ba Vi is a three-summited mountain rising to about 1,296 metres out of the flat country west of Hanoi, forested and protected as a national park since 1991. On its slopes are the remains of a French hill station built from the 1930s - a church, a sanatorium, villas and an officers' building, abandoned after 1945 and left to the forest, now roofless with roots through the walls, which is the park's most photographed feature. Higher up are temples on two of the peaks, one to Ho Chi Minh and one to Tan Vien Son Thanh, the mountain god who is one of the four immortals of Vietnamese belief.

What you actually see

• A ruined French hill station - abandoned after 1945 and overgrown.
• A three-peaked mountain - about 1,296 metres at its highest.
• Temples on the summits - including one to the mountain god.
• Forest protected since 1991 - as a national park.

When to go

October to April; the mountain is in cloud a great deal. A full day.

Honest expectations

Cloud hides the views most days. The ruins are unstable and fenced in places. Weekends bring crowds from Hanoi and wedding photographers. The road up is steep and the stairs to the summits are long.

Nearby

Son Tay citadel is east; Duong Lam village is close to it.