Vietnam: Part 4: A Journey from Hue to Hoi An on The Haivan Pass

After spending a couple of days in Hue we were heading further south to Hoi An. As the TV show "Top Gear" had inspired our own tour of Vietnam we had decided to drive along the Haivan Pass - as passengers - in a nice air conditioned car, driven by our Vietnamese guide for the day, who was called Tuan. In all, it takes about three hours to make the journey from Danang to Hue by road. We arranged the transfer through The Moonlight Hotel in Hue, and the price was very reasonable. According to more than one guidebook we read, the drive from Hue to Hoi An and Danang is the most scenic in all of Vietnam. When braving the steep winding roads of this paved mountain pass, we knew we would have a chance to discover peace, quiet and some history along the way...

After leaving the city of Hue at 11am in the morning, we were soon driving up into the hills and began to see more of rural Vietnam. Tuan told us to take a 5 minute photo-stop and look out over the sprawling green paddy fields and the coastline below.

Whilst driving in the car, we got chatting to Tuan about his life in Vietnam. He took us down to a deserted fishing village where we stopped again for a short time to take some photographs and soak up the atmosphere. Compared to the vibrancy and the fast pace of life in cities like Hanoi and Hue, the sense of peace and tranquility here was imense and overwhelming. All we could hear was the distant crowing of a cockrell and the waves gently lapping at the shore.

After that we were driving southwards on our way up the The Hải Vân Pass, a mountain road on National Route 1A in Vietnam. The pass is renowned for its scenic beauty but it is infamous for its difficulty too. With sudden curves and blind corners, it is likened to an arrogant but beautiful girl challenging many drivers' skills. TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson of Top Gear, drove along it during the show's 2008 Vietnam Special, calling the road "a deserted ribbon of perfection—one of the best coast roads in the world." A poem by Nguyễn Phúc Chu describes Hải Vân as "the most dangerous mountain in Vietnam" Visibility on the pass is often reduced by the eponymous mists that rise from the sea. Along with the road's winding route, this posed a serious challenge for drivers before the construction of the Hải Vân Tunnel. The Hải Vân Pass has also been of major strategic importance in this history of Vietnam, and for a long time represented a major barrier to any land army that attempted to move between the northern and central regions of the country.

Between Hue and our next stop - Lang Co, we crested many more small hills, each with its own new and unique vista just beyond. There were so many that we had to restrain ourselves from wanting to stop and take pictures of every one.

Lang Co sits at the tip of a long peninsula which separates a shallow lagoon from the sea. The village consists of one and two story houses, with an old church poking up in the middle. The swimming at the beach here is reportedly very good when the weather is warm (from April to July). In any case, there's more than enough here to justify a stop for lunch or even a whole day's outing. As it was a Vietnamese national holiday when we visited, many people were eating, relaxing and celebrating with their families in the main resort restaurant. We stopped for a cold drink and went to have a look at the beach - which has beautiful white sands and clear water. Many children and adults were enjoying a swim on their extra day off from work.

We left Lang Co feeling very refreshed and after driving through several very nerve racking hair-pin curves for close to an hour, we finally reached the crest of the Hai Van Pass. Here, if the weather affords it (which it often doesn't as Hai Van literally means "Sea Clouds"), there are views to both the North and the South of the country. The pass forms an obvious boundary between North and South Vietnam, and if proof were needed, you need look no further than the fortifications built by the French and then later used by the South Vietnamese and the Americans. You will of course want to stop here if you make this trip, There are plenty of stalls selling food, drink and tourist souvenirs. Tuan took us to one of his friends who runs a little cafe and we had a pleasant half an hour admiring the amazing views whilst having a cool drink.

The most impressive thing about the journey is the sense of isolation you feel as you move further along the pass. There is a strange delight about the desolate conditions, a seemingly unbroken asphalt road that cuts through a mass of forest. Below you, the green trees contrast with the breaking waves in the blue sea. And herein lies the beauty of Hai Van - connected to nature and its lack of population but for the traveller on its road.

Lining the peak of the mountain is the immense abyss dotted with the light and dark green colours of the trees. The scene is capped off with fanciful clouds flying across the sky. The area is a perfect place to have a cup of coffee and contemplate life, looking over Hai Van as if from the heavens. Takling the 21km of road that stretches over the Hai Van mountain pass may sound like a challenging journey by car, but after having done it with an experienced driver and guide, it is certainly trip that was well worth taking.

Having our own driver and guide was great. We learned a lot from Tuan about Vietnamese Life, a little about it's history and some interesting facts about the effects of politics and tourism. He also knew all the best places to stop for drinks, food and pictures and took us to places where the locals went, and shopkeepers didn't hassle us.