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Ho Chi Minh City >> Mui Ne >> Cam Ranh >> Nha Trang >> Hue >> Vinh Moc >> Dong Hoi >> Phong Nha-Ke Bang National park
With the bike piled high with luggage (imitating the Vietnamese) we slowly battled our way through the Ho Chi Minh traffic, across the river on a ferry and onto the open road to begin our 220km distance to Mui Ne, on the Southeast coast of Vietnam. The journey had been going well until a sudden downpour started and we quickly had to pull over in a roadside petrol station to shelter the bike and cover up our bags in some bright orange bin liners. Lots of maintenance and resurfacing work was being completed on the Ho Chi Minh highway creating uneven, stony surfaces and deep pot holes. This often forced us to drive on the wrong side of the road as the locals do, along with the on coming traffic, which can be terrifying at times! After eight hours of solid driving and very sore bottoms we approached Mui Ne and were greeted with the pleasant view across the lit up seafront as we drove along it in search of somewhere to stay.
The next morning our bums were still aching so we purchased some cheap pillows from the market as well as some additional straps, to secure our bags, and some spare petrol to store on the back. We had arrived late the previous evening so didn't get to see much of Mui Ne but as we left we drove past the rolling sand dunes abundant with green, spiky dragon fruit plants speckled with pink from the fruit itself. On the way we saw many quarry sites. At one site we were forced to stop, along with the other traffic, so they could let off an explosion before the traffic could, once again, resume its disorderly state! The highway is crammed with a mix of bikes, cars, buses and lorries all fighting for space on narrow roads so, the majority of the time, bikes are pushed onto the hard shoulder to let the others past. We successfully completed another 220km but had to stop just 6km before we reached Cam Ranh (our planned destination) because it was dark, and the roads were becoming treacherous with relentless lorry drivers honking their ear piercing horns in a bid to
reach their destination on time!
We had a quick stop in Cam Ranh for breakfast before we took the recently built coastal road to Nha Trang. This was a blissful contrast to the highway with stunning scenic views and clean, fresh sea air. Nha Trang is predominately a Russian holiday destination with an abundance of flashy hotels, bars and its own Vietnamese version of Disneyland that can be reached by a cable car across the sea. On the beach we were stopped by a group of Vietnamese youngsters who thought Will was the famous Brazilian football player Kaka (Google him to see the likeness - it's uncanny). Of course, he played along with it and the next minute we were surrounded by a group of screaming girls all wanting to be in a photograph! Nha Trang was one of our last seaside spots for the next few months so we booked a snorkelling boat trip. As we sailed out into the clear blue waters we spotted some birds' nest caves, hidden in the limestone cliffs. Bizarrely, these edible! birds' nests are a delicacy in Asia and can sell from anywhere between $1,000-$1,500 per kilogram. We
stopped at a large coral reef to snorkel, which had numerous crevices and a large dropoff filled with tropical fish and colourful coral. There were many species of fish; all of differing size, colour and pattern. Will spotted a blue starfish, approximately 50cm in diameter hiding amongst the coral and I spotted a White Mouthed Moray eel, which looked like something from a horror film along with a metre long pipe-fish, which periodically jetted itself through the water.
Due to time restrictions on our monthly visa, we opted for the overnight train north to Hue instead of riding. Having dropped the bike off to be packaged up and put on the train we were slightly dubious as to whether it would actually arrive in Hue at the same time as us and also in one piece! The bike did arrive safely, and after refusing to pay the additional money they demanded just for taking the bike off the train, we quickly rode off. That evening we strolled along the Huong Giang river front and across the bridge to the citadel in the centre of Hue. The red lantern lampposts, Chinese-style upturned roofs and elaborate dragon
inspired statues dotted along the river front marked our first encounter of the Chinese influenced North. In the park, alongside the moat, there were lots of Vietnamese people socialising, playing football and roller-blading.
The following morning we visited Ha Quyen, an arena built in 1830 for the royals to watch tigers and elephants fight. The tigers usually had their claws and teeth removed so that the elephants (a symbol of the Emperor's power) triumphed every time. Although we were unable to go inside we were able to visualise the scene of the arena, through the gate, the tigers caged and ready to fight as the royals eagerly spectated from the sides. I can imagine in its heyday there would have been a tense, but buzzing, atmosphere before and during the fight.
We stopped the night in Dong Ha before we visited the Vinh Moc war tunnels. On the way to the tunnels we drove past thin piles of drying corn at the side of the roads, as well as almost running over a metre and a half black and orange snake that slithered out in front of us! On our
arrival we were met by a guide who turned out to be one of the 17 who were born inside the tunnel system during the war. Unfortunately, he didn't speak any English so we were unable to ask him any questions about his childhood but he kindly showed us around the underground complex. The tunnels were built to shelter people from the intense bombing from the Americans in the war and over a period of 18 months this impressive idea was transformed into an elaborate underground network. As we ducked through the narrow tunnels we saw designated areas for wells, toilets, kitchens, spaces to eat, medical areas and even a meeting room. As well as providing a home for the village people, many weapons were also stored underground. We arrived before the daily entourage of tour groups so it was very quiet, however underground it still felt claustrophobic, damp and humid but nothing as extreme as it must have been with 300 people living down there.
One thing I have noticed throughout Vietnam is the instinctive need to stay sheltered from the sun. Mainly women, even in 37 degree heat, will be fully dressed in
a Kath Kidston-style patterned hooded anorak complete with face mask, gloves and socks. Throughout all the countries in South East Asia we have visited many of the people use methods to keep their skin as white as possible. We are cautious when buying soap and shampoo products because many of them include whitening ingredients.
The route from Dong Hoi to the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National park was very rural with outstanding mountain scenery. On the way we passed many lush green rice paddies, dotted with farmers in their pointy straw hats (Non La in Vietnam), burning the dry rice straw left over from the harvest. The national park is full of enormous cave systems (including the biggest in the world), grottos, rivers, springs and wild animals. Much of the area is restricted due to many undiscovered live landmines still unexploded from the war. Work is being done by NGOs to clear the affected areas, which would save lives as well as making these areas more accessible to locals, farmers and travellers alike.
We approached Phong Nha cave like a scene out of Apocalypse Now, on a boat through the river with the
towering green mountains behind us. We entered the mouth of the cave and were instantly hit with the vast height and intricacy of the stalagmites and stalactites. Once inside the cave they switched the boat's engine off so we could drift peacefully past the fascinating rock formations deeper and deeper into the cave. The additional lighting creates the perfect combination of mysterious shadows as well as enhancing the shapes in the limestone rock. Phong Nha cave is one of the most spectacular natural sights I have ever seen, and I would definitely recommend seeing it on a visit to Vietnam. The second cave we visited was Tien Son, situated next to Phong Nha but up a steep 200 metre climb in the midday heat. Slightly out of breath and very red in the face we explored the cave on foot through man made wooden steps leading you on a route through the cave. Similar to Phong Nha there were many formations, different shapes and sizes protruding at every angle. Looking back towards the entrance to the cave from the bottom of the steps looked like a scene out of Aladdin just without the magic carpet.
