(This is part of my Vietnam story series. For travel itinerary & tips, check my Hai Van Pass Travel Guide.)
Hai Van Pass is a pretty well-known route for a bike trip that gained international popularity after Top Gear shot an episode covering the exact same route, due to which it also is known as the Top Gear Tour in Vietnam. Starting in Hoi-An/Da Nang and ending in Hue (or vice-versa) and covering a distance of roughly 170 KM, this scenic route can be covered by renting a one-way two wheeler from either end. Since there are multiple tourist spots in between and you have to cross a mountain pass as well, this usually takes 8 hours excluding Marble Mountain, and the recommended timing is 9 AM-5 PM. If you include Marble Mountain, the recommended starting time from Hoi An is 7 AM.
The Tale of Late Start and the Lovely Distraction
My hostel arranged a two-wheeler for me at a good rate from Motorvina, one of the top rated bike rental companies in Vietnam. This also includes the delivery of your luggage at your destination so that you don’t have to carry your backpack during the bike trip, and carry only the essentials in a day-pack. Even after the recommendation of starting at 7, me being me, I finally got done with breakfast at 8.30 and leisurely started towards Marble Mountains, situated in between Da Nang and Hoi An. I was enjoying the road until I reached Marble Mountains and reality hit me hard.
The place was pretty, but there was a long queue to the entrance. I patiently waited since I didn’t want to miss one of the most famous caves in Vietnam. After about 20 minutes or so, I was inside the cave structure, which blew my mind. I wanted to take only a quick tour of the caves inside; however, I didn’t want to miss out on anything, and took quite longer than expected. It is a series of caves and multiple temples and statues inside, lit with different colored lights, making it a really fascinating cave structure.
By the time I reached the top, I saw a pretty solo traveler who was taking pictures all by herself. I couldn’t resist the urge to go talk to her. We started talking and finished the rest of the caves together. She was a student from England with interesting travel stories. After finishing the Marble Mountains, I should have been on my way since I already started the tour quite late; but when she asked if I want to accompany her to the beach, I couldn’t say no, and I knew that my rest of the bike trip is going to be quite interesting. We spent quite some fun time on the beach, but after an hour or so, we had to say goodbye since it was already past 12 and I covered only 15 KM of my 170 KM journey. It was, however, a lovely distraction and we promised to remain in touch.
The Tale of the Amazing Hai Van Pass
I am neither a biker nor a big fan of bike trips, but this trip was of a whole new level. I promised myself to stop as less as possible since I was quite late; however, some places were just too beautiful to pass. After crossing Da Nang, I saw some unique fishing techniques used by some locals and stopped for a while. After an hour or so, I reached the starting of the Hai Van pass and immediately realized why it is one of the must-do in Vietnam. The road I was driving on was on top of the mountain and there was a beautiful crescent shaped beach couple of hundred meters below. The bird’s eye view was breathtaking. All other bikers who were passing through the road were stopping there to take pictures. I took a small break, had some snacks, and enjoyed the view from the top of Hai Van Pass.
I resumed after about 20 minutes or so, and found another viewpoint a few kilometers ahead. It wasn’t as beautiful as the first one, but the view of the city in the distance was quite amazing. I kept driving and aimed to reach Lang Co Bay before it was dark, which I did at 5 PM but should have reached by 2 PM had I stayed on time. I saw a couple of kids playing football, and I joined them for a few minutes, before it started becoming dark and reality hit me, once again.
Lang Co Bay is exactly the middle point of the Hai Van Pass tour, and I had 80 more km to go. I skipped the Rainbow Waterfall and started driving promising myself not to stop anywhere. But of course I did, when I came across a beautiful tunnel and a beautiful village at the end of it – a view I have seen earlier only in movies. It was quite dark by then and I couldn’t take good pictures of the same, but the view is still etched in my memory.
The Tale of the Final Destination
I usually find it difficult to drive in the dark, but the roads of Vietnam are amazing and you can drive in peace, so I kept driving without much difficulty. I finally reached Hue by 7.30, and since the deadline for bike drop was 8.30, I took the chance to take a round of what looked like the city center. There was an amazing walking pathway along the Perfume River, right behind a museum and an art gallery, and local food were being sold at small little restaurants along the walkway. I saw a very unique combination of a sweet dish with 15-20 ingredients, and went for it. Till date I still have no idea what it was, but I sat down on a riverside table and had the amazing bowl that looked like an ice cream but tasted something like falooda.
Once done, I went to the bike dropping point, took my luggage from them and walked towards my homestay that was quite nearby. Once I reached, I understood why the homestay is so highly rated. I have rarely met such a hospitable lady. She gave me hot water to freshen up even though it was quite late. She also suggested me to go to the walking street cum Hue Night Market if I wasn’t too tired, which I was, but that didn’t matter since I heard a lot about this market. After freshening up, I walked towards the same, and felt I was in a different world altogether.
There were street performances, dances, games and other activities going on. Groups of people were dancing together without knowing each other, drinking and having fun – all out on the streets! I quickly had some noodle soup since I didn’t have lunch and was quite hungry, and started roaming afterwards.
To my surprise, I met a couple of guys from my hostel in Da Nang. We greeted each other, and they asked me to join in a card game over beer. They already spent a couple of days in Hue, so I asked them for special suggestions as well, which they did, but that is a story for another day. After an hour or so, I returned to me homestay and fell asleep in no time, thus ending my 12 hours of the Hai Van Pass tour.
How Much Did I Spend?
Here’s the rough estimate for the day (excl. shopping):
Stay 100,000 VND
Commute 450,000 VND (Bike+Petrol)
Sightseeing 0 VND
Food & Drinks 100,000 VND
Total 650,000 VND/ Rs.2000
(For a mesmerizing experience in Hue, the old capital of Vietnam and my sneaky visit to an abandoned yet beautiful monument, check the next story. For planning your own trip, check my Vietnam Travel Guide.)