Vietnam - Hoi An to Hue & Back - Five Days with Hue Rider Motorcycle Tours

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June 11th 2013

Published: June 16th 2013

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Simunique

Marble Mountain

A pagoda on top of Marble Mountain.

Monday morning I'm up early, repacking my suitcase and tossing enough clothes for four nights away into my backpack. I'm getting rather good at this - If I wear my trousers for several days, and handwash a few small items each day, I need to pack less. The toiletry bag goes in the suitcase, I'm only taking what I need from it. My iPad, leads/adaptor for it and the camera, runners on my feet, camera around my body, an extra litre of water and I'm ready to go, and I still have space...

I've checked out of the guesthouse, of course, but I'm leaving my suitcase here as I'll be back on Friday night. Today, I'm leaving Hoi An and heading via the Ho Ch Minh Trail north to Hue, on a two day motorcycle trip with Hue Rider Motorcycle Tours. This is a private trip, just Hieu and his motorcycle and me as pillion passenger, and is costing me $130. Pickup time is 9.00am, and he's right on time. The bike we're doing this trip on is a 125cc Honda and it has a built-in back rest for me to use. My backpack is wrapped in plastic and strapped

The Lift Shaft

Marble Mountain eyesore.

to the back, and we're ready to hit the road.

We head north towards Danang, first stop being the Marble Mountains. All of the five mountains which make up the Marble Mountains have cave entrances and numerous tunnels, and it is possible to climb the 156 steps to the summit of Thuy Son, the only peak open to visitors. An ugly concrete shaft containing two lifts has been constructed to carry visitors to the top. This is a real eyesore which I must confess to using. It's not free, it cost me 15,000 dong (.75c) each way, for the privilege of getting to the summit, and down again, in ten seconds flat. Certainly beats tackling all those steps in the heat!

The area is famous for marble sculpture making and stone-cutting crafts. Direct rock extraction from the mountains was banned recently. Marble is now being transported from quarries in Quang Nam province.

We did a quick stop at China Beach, which could have been the Gold Coast before all the hype and high rises, and then passed through Danang and onto the Ho Chi Minh Trail. During the Vietnam War (1965-1975), the Truong Son Strategic Supply Route

China Beach

These are basket boats. The one in the foreground is made of rattan.

ensured that war material and manpower could flow north/south between different embattled sections of Vietnam. Dubbed the 'Ho Chi Minh Trail' by the Americans, after the Viet Minh leader, this trade route through neighboring Laos and Cambodia was key to the communist force's victory in the Vietnam War.

American troops attempted to control the flow of material along the Ho Chi Minh Trail, but were unsuccessful. Rather than being a single unified route, the Ho Chi Minh Trail was an interwoven series of paths, even including sections where goods and manpower travelled by air or water.

The road we followed wasn't the exact route, of course, though we did pass within four kilometres of the Vietnam/Laos border. The scenery was spectacular, the road in good condition, and we arrived at the guesthouse in Prao town, where we were staying the night, around 2.30pm.

It rained during the night and I woke to overcast skies. This will be a welcome change from yesterday's blistering heat. Hieu and I breakfasted together at the guesthouse and were back on the road at 8.00am. It was invigorating being on the bike in this weather. The clouds hugged the mountain tops and

China Beach

Could be in Bali, except for the flag.

there was hardly any other traffic. Hieu handled the bike well and never took any risks. I felt totally safe riding with him.

There had obviously been more rain in the mountains then what fell in Prao town, and this became evident when we reached a stretch of roadworks. According to Hieu these roadworks had been in progress for over four years. In the wet season the Ho Chi Minh trail is removed from their tour list as the state of the road over this stretch is too dangerous.

The road had been completely ripped up for about 10klm. Piles of gravel, heavy machinery and equipment was everywhere, with a noticeable lack of manpower! It looked like very little progress had been made in the past four years. Overnight the road had turned into a quagmire and Hieu had his work cut out for him. Several times I volunteered to get off the bike and walk as it seemed the sensible option. My runners were muddied again but I preferred to walk than to be sitting on a bike that was sliding in mud.

I think we were both very pleased to find the bitumen again and

The Ho Chi Minh Trail

Sign along the road.

eventually rode into Hue mid afternoon. Hieu dropped me at my hotel, the Hue Nino, located down an alleyway, not far from the river. I had a very nice room with everything I needed including in-room wifi and breakfast for $19 a night. I have enjoyed my two days on the motorbike so much I asked Hieu if he is able to give me a city tour the next day (Wednesday). After all, Hue to Hieu's home town and there's no better guide than a local. He was free and more than pleased to have more work. We agreed on $20 for however long it takes, and Hieu headed home with a wave.

I waited in the alleyway for Hieu to pick me up on Wednesday morning, and once again he was right on time. We headed out of the city, then turned off the main road and followed narrow lanes and roads through the countryside until we reached the commune of Thuy Thanh. The main attraction here was a small covered wooden bridge, a smaller replica of the Japanese Bridge in Hoi An. Thanh Toan bridge was constructed in 1776 and is now heritage listed. A busy local

Ho Chi Minh Trail

Beautiful scenery.

market was in progress, and I got some curious looks from locals as I wandered around.

Next stop was Thuy Xuan Village, famous for making cinnamon and sandalwood incense and conical hats. I watched a lady expertly rolling out a paste of spices and sawdust around the thinnest of sticks then drop them one after another into a basket on her lap. She was making incense. I had a go at it myself, and made all of two sticks, then I succumbed to pressure and purchased some incense to bring home, all of $4 for six packets.

Then it was time to head into the hills to see Bunker Hill, a gun fortification built by the Americans during the Vietnam War. From this vantage point, soldiers could see for miles in every direction and monitor the traffic on the Perfume River below. There was no one else there, and Hieu stayed with the bike as I walked up to the bunkers alone. It was very peaceful and there were great views in both directions along the river.

Next on the list of 'must visit places' was the Tu Duc Tomb which served as a second Imperial City

River Bridge

Leads to a minority village on the opposite side of the river. Foot and motorcycle traffic only.

where Emperor Tu Duc went for 'working vacations', during his reign from 1847 to 1883. His contemplative nature and poetic spirit is reflected in the landscape. The tomb is a vast, sprawling complex set around a lake, with wooden pavilions and temples dedicated to his 104 wives and favoured courtesans. The courtesans' quarters are in ruins, with only outlines and crumbling walls left amid waves of overgrown grass and silence, but other areas are very well-preserved.

Last of all we did a quick visit to Thien Mu Pagoda which is a historic temple set on the banks of the Perfume River. Its pagoda has seven stories and is the tallest in Vietnam. After leaving here Hieu dropped me outside The Citadel, leaving me to explore on my own as this complex is quiet vast. I stood outside the ticket office and couldn't summon up any enthusiasm to go inside, so decided to give the whole complex a big miss. I walked back to my hotel and had a nap instead.

Thursday morning I was waiting for Hieu again at the top of the alleyway from the hotel as I am going on another day trip with him, this

Minority Village

Interesting village building.

time to the DMZ and the Vinh Moc Tunnels north of Hue. So, another day on the bike to look forward to.

We stopped at a war cemetery on the way. There were lots of them lining the highway, the white graves perfectly lined up, the final resting place of many Vietnamese soldiers. Next stop was DMZ.

Vietnam's Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), is the area around the former border between North and South Vietnam. Historically it was a narrow band of terrain extending from the Laos border to the coast, 5klm on either side of the Ben Hai River. The area saw heavy fighting during the war, and ruins of old American military bases still exist there.

Hien Luong Bridge crossed the Ben Hai River at this point, dividing North and South Vietnam. This line of demarkation separated thousands of families during the war, many people not seeing each other for almost 20 years.

Next stop was the Vinh Moc Tunnels. But first a history lesson.....I found them fascinating - the work, the adversity faced and the sheer determination of the people who dug them is an inspiration.

The American forces believed the villagers of Vinh

Ho Chi Minh Trail

Moc were supplying food and armaments to the North Vietnemese garrison on the island of Con Co, which was in turn hindering the American bombers on their way to bomb Hanoi. The area was heavily and continuously bombed. The idea was to force the villagers of Vinh Moc to leave the area, but as is typical in Vietnam there was nowhere else to go. The villagers initially dug the tunnels to move their village 10 metres underground but the American forces designed bombs that burrowed down 10 metres. So the villagers moved the village to a depth of 30 metres. It was constructed in several stages beginning in 1966 and used until early 1972. The complex grew to include wells, kitchens, tiny rooms for each family and spaces for healthcare. Around 60 families lived in the tunnels, and as many as 17 children were born underground. The total length of the tunnels is nearly 2,000 metres with 6 entrances to the tops of hills and 7 entrances to the South China sea.

There was very dim electric lighting at intervals along the tunnel walls, but to enter without a strong torch would have been foolhardy. A lot of the

Ho Chi Minh Trail

The bike at a photo stop.

time I couldn't stand upright, and steps would suddenly appear in front of me, disappearing into the darkness below. Tunnels went left and right, thank goodness for the 'this way' signs, it would have been easy to get lost! Hieu and I were the only ones there, deep underground in the cool silence. I couldn't imagine living down there for years.

After leaving the tunnels we headed straight back to Hue, with just a couple of photo/rest stops along the way. Hieu was always happy to pull over if I wanted to snap a photo, and we arrived back in Hue by mid afternoon.

On Friday, I'm returning to Hoi An. The original thought was to take the bus but Hieu suggested he take me back instead. I'm not adverse to the idea as he will take a different route - along the coast road and over the Hai Van Pass.

The pass is renowned for its scenic beauty. Presenter Jeremy Clarkson, host of the BBC motoring programme Top Gear, featured the pass during the show's 2008 Vietnam Special, calling the road 'a deserted ribbon of perfection - one of the best coast roads in the world'.

Ho Chi Minh Trail

What better reason do I need to make the trip myself? Certainly a journey better experienced on the back of a bike than in the back of a bus!

Elephant Springs, 53klm from Hue, was an excellent place to break the trip from Hue to Danang. The natural springs are a series of small waterfalls and ponds, well hidden up in the mountains. There where no road signs in English pointing out the way, and I wondered where Hieu was headed when he turned off the road and down a narrow track. There was an admission fee, but Hieu paid it, so I don't know how much it was. There were many locals there, loaded down with BYO everything, swimming and enjoying a day out.

We also had a quick stop at a fishing village where I was able to take some photos, and we arrived back in Hoi An early in the afternoon. I was a little sad to say goodbye to Hieu as we had spent the last five days together, and he was good company. He left for the return trip to Hue and I booked back into my room at Loc Phat Homestay. It's