To accommodate holidaymakers and to avoid commuting on the steep, 19-kilometre-long (12 mi) road to the next major town, there was a post office, a market, and a hospital.

After independence from the French, Bạch Mã was soon forgotten and the villas abandoned; today they are in total ruin and only a few stone walls remain.

At an elevation of 1250 meters above sea level, the national park is a popular summer retreat for the Vietnamese, who come to feel the relief of the cooler temperatures of Bạch Mã.

Its position, at the biogeographical border between northern and southern Vietnam, combined with its variety of habitats, ranging from the coast to high mountains, means the park is rich in biodiversity.

The mammals of the park are not well known, though historically it held important species such as the Asian elephant, white-cheeked gibbon and red-shanked douc langur.