Than Tai Hot Springs: The Family Day Out at Half the Ba Na Price
Thần Tài is a hot-spring park about 30km south-west of the city, with an onsen tower, mineral bathing pools, a water park and a dinosaur-themed area, and it starts at around 450,000₫ (~$18) for an adult. Mud baths cost another 250,000–300,000₫ on top. Guided day tours with transfers run $40–60. The honest framing is comparative: this is the family alternative to Ba Na Hills at roughly half the ticket price, and it is a great deal more likely to still be fun with a six-year-old at 15:00. It needs a full day and a decent forecast, because most of it is outdoors — which is exactly where Mikazuki beats it in the rain.
Than Tai, priced against the alternatives
The base ticket is the entry; the mud baths are the upsell and they are a substantial one. Here is what the day costs, and what the same money buys at the other two big family tickets in the region.
| What | Price | What you get | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Than Tai park entry | from about 450,000₫ (~$18) | The onsen tower, mineral bathing pools, the water park and the dinosaur park. A full day's worth of things to do outdoors. | WORTH IT |
| Mud bath, added | +250,000–300,000₫ (~$10–12) | The signature treatment and the thing people book this park for. It roughly doubles a child's ticket cost, so decide before you arrive rather than at the counter. | DEPENDS |
| Guided day tour with transfers | $40–60 | Hotel pickup, the 30km each way, entry and usually lunch. Solves the only genuine problem, which is getting a family of four out there and back. | WORTH IT |
| Mikazuki, for comparison | 350,000₫ adult weekday | Indoors under a dome with the onsen included, 10km away instead of 30. Better in the rain, better with toddlers, smaller day out. | WORTH IT |
| Ba Na Hills, for comparison | 950,000₫ adult | More than twice the price, 35km west, and fogged in with no refund for much of September to February. Better cable car, worse odds. | DEPENDS |
Prices checked August 2026. Child pricing varies by height, as it does everywhere in Vietnam — check the band at the gate. Most of Than Tai is open-air, so treat the forecast as part of the decision.
Hot mineral water, a water park, and dinosaurs
It is a genuine geothermal site that has been built out into a full-day resort park, which means the bathing is real and the surroundings are unashamedly a theme park.
The core is the hot mineral water: an onsen-style bathing tower with pools at graded temperatures, open-air mineral pools set into landscaped grounds, and the mud baths that most people come for, which cost 250,000–300,000₫ on top of entry. Around it sit a water park with slides and pools, and a dinosaur park that exists purely for children and works exactly as well as you would expect.
The case for it over Ba Na Hills is straightforward and it is mostly about children. Ba Na costs 950,000₫, involves two cable cars and a lot of queueing, and delivers its best moments in a 45-minute window at 08:00. Than Tai costs roughly half, involves getting wet, and does not have a bad hour. If your day out has to survive contact with a tired seven-year-old, this is the safer bet.
The case against: it is 30km south-west, inland and away from everything else you are likely to be doing, and most of it is outdoors. On a wet October day the mineral pools are still warm but the water park is miserable, and the indoor dome at Mikazuki — 10km away and 350,000₫ — is the better call. Couples without children should also think twice: a city massage runs 250,000–450,000₫ an hour and is five minutes from your hotel.
Bring: swimwear, flip-flops, a change of clothes, and cash for the mud baths and food. Allow a full day, and go on a weekday if you can — this park fills up with domestic visitors at weekends and through the June to August school holidays.
Is Than Tai worth it for you?
Than Tai, practically
Tickets and day tours, against a 450,000₫ gate
The gate starts at about 450,000₫ for an adult, with mud baths charged separately at 250,000–300,000₫. Judge everything below against those two numbers. The genuine value in a packaged day here is the transfer — this is 30km inland, in the opposite direction from the coast, and getting a family out and back is the awkward part.
Than Tai Hot Springs FAQ
How much is Than Tai Hot Springs?
From about 450,000₫ (~$18) for an adult entry, with child pricing banded by height as it is everywhere in Vietnam. Mud baths are a separate 250,000–300,000₫ on top. Guided day tours that include the 30km transfer each way and entry run $40–60.
Is Than Tai Hot Springs worth it?
For a family with a full day and a decent forecast, yes — it is roughly half the price of Ba Na Hills and a much easier day with children. For a couple, or on a wet day, no: a city massage is 250,000–450,000₫ an hour and Mikazuki's indoor dome is 10km away instead of 30.
How far is Than Tai from Da Nang?
About 30km south-west, inland at Hoa Phu — the opposite direction from the beach, the Marble Mountains and Hoi An. That distance is the main reason to book a tour with transfers rather than improvise it, especially with children in tow.
Are the mud baths at Than Tai worth it?
They are the signature treatment and the thing most people book the park for, but at 250,000–300,000₫ they can more than double a child's ticket. Decide before you arrive rather than at the counter — the mineral bathing and the onsen tower are included in the base ticket and are worthwhile on their own.
Than Tai or Ba Na Hills?
Than Tai if you have children, want a relaxed day and are watching the money: it is about half the 950,000₫ Ba Na ticket. Ba Na if you want the cable car and the Golden Bridge and the mountain forecast is clear. Ba Na fogs in with no refund from September to February, which is a real risk that Than Tai does not have.
Than Tai or Mikazuki?
Mikazuki when it is raining or the children are small — indoors under a dome, 10km out, 350,000₫ on a weekday with the onsen included. Than Tai when the weather is good and you want a bigger day: real geothermal water, mud baths and outdoor parks, 30km out, from 450,000₫.
What should you bring to Than Tai?
Swimwear, flip-flops, a change of clothes and cash. Card acceptance for the extras is not something to rely on, and the mud baths and food are both paid on site. Go on a weekday if you can — weekends and the June to August school holidays fill it with domestic visitors.