Vietnam

Hải Vân Pass

Early wake up, quick Vietnamese coffee and Banh Mi for breakfast. Then we hopped on the back of motorbikes and headed north towards Hue on back roads passing rice fields and water buffalos. Our first stop was in Da Nang to visit the spectacular caves of Marble Mountains.

Then we cruised down Da Nang beach and made our way to Hải Vân Pass, a coastal mountain pass separating the northern and central parts of Vietnam. It was made famous when the guys from Top Gear rode it as part of the Vietnam episode.

We chose to ride as pillions so we can both enjoy the scenery along the way, but I couldn’t resist riding the twisty roads, so we did a quick switch, Beth hopped on the back of my bike and off we rode. Our drivers/guides were really nice and took us to some nice viewpoints. We also had decided it was time for rain coats, as the drizzle and the sight of clouds indicated wet roads ahead.

It was dark, misty and wet on the highest point of the pass, almost as if it was night time. We made our way to Lang Co Bay, where we stopped at a local Oyster farmer’s eatery. We shared a delicious meal with our drivers. Then I hopped on the back again, as I didn’t fancy the concentration required for the upcoming wet ride.

We carried on on back roads towards Hue skirting around a beautiful lagoon and through some rice fields to An Bang village, where the locals started to build grandiose mausoleums for their loved ones and sometimes even for themselves. The area is about 250 hectares and to call these tombs extravagant doesn’t do it justice. We stopped for a quick break at one of the biggest tombs. Our driver gave us a bit of a history lesson about the area. Apparently during and after the Vietnam War locals from the area emigrated to the US and Europe then started sending money back for their families and thats how the building began. The costs are astronomical even by western standards let alone local. The tomb where we stopped, built for a couple – still living happily, in their 80s – estimated to have cost around $250.000.

I rode the rest of the way to Hue on mostly dry roads only to get soaked once more on the final stretch 🤣

Despite the weather it was an unforgettable day out. Another highlight.