Da Nang - Hue - Dong Hoi

February 5

6AM - 10 AM

Have breakfast at the villas and get ready for the Hai Van Pass road trip.

Brunch - Hai Van Pass road trip to Hue

For those continuing on, we will be renting Jeeps, Scooters and Motorbikes and taking a road trip up the Hai Van Pass to Hue. This might be one of the most memorable parts of the trip for you. This is one of the safest and most scenic stretches we can drive in all of Vietnam.

It is an 2.5 hour road trip from Da Nang to Hue, and it takes up to 4.5 hours with stops. Road trip cruise should have a nice big brunch and pack snacks for the trip. It will be great if we can arrive Hue by 4PM, rest and get ready for the night. 

Scooter (automatic)

We'll be taking it slow since most of us won't be experienced scooter drivers. When in doubt, just pull over to the right. ($5 per person)

Jeep (manual, with a driver)

For those who don't want to go on two wheels. We can have the driver for the Jeep, and enjoy the view. It is $65 per person, and 3 people can share a Jeep.

Motorbike (with a driver)

For those who want to be a passenger on a motorbike with a Vietnamese driver ($41 per person)

Where to stop at Hai Van pass?

Normal drive from downtown Da Nang - downtown Hue takes 2 hour 40 minutes via Hai Van pass. We might take up to 6 hour drive due to stops and slow drive. 

Ran Nam O

  • Search for Dinh Cô hồn Nam Ô (stop to re-group) and then head to Bãi tắm Nam Ô together
  • It will take about 30-40 minutes to get here from our lodging
  • Short stop: 15 minutes for pictures

V-Village Hai Van

  • This is a local camping site, and still close to the city. It is better to eat here rather than on the Hai Van pass.
  • Good stop for a restroom break, food/ snacks, and have coffee with a view.
  • It is about 11 minutes North of Ran Nam O. If we do not need a restroom break & snacks, we can skip this stop. 

Stand alone Pine Tree & Da Nang view point

  • Search for Cây thông Cô đơn and Góc nhìn Đà Nẵng
  • It is 7-10 minutes North from V-Village or 20 minutes North from Ran Nam O.
  • For those who want to stop for pictures,  feel free to do that. For those who skip this stop, you can head to the peak of Hai Van pass and wait for the rest of the group before continuing your trip.

Peak of Hai Van Pass

  • Search for Hải Vân Quan 
  • It is 7-10 minutes North of stand alone Pine Tree
  • We expect to arrive at the peak by 1PM, and DO NOT leave this spot until we have the entire group here. 
  • This might be the last restroom break before continuing the second half of the road trip. It might take another 25-30 minutes to arrive at Lang Co bay

Hai Van U shape corner

  • It is only 1 minute down the hill from the peak of Hai Van Quan. 
  • If you plan to shoot a great video or picture at this corner, please pay attention to not cause a safety hazard for us and other bikers on the route. 

Second half of Hai Van pass

  • After leaving the peak of Hai Van pass (or Hai Van Quan), we are entering Thua Thien Hue province. From the Peak to the bottom of the hill, it will take us about 30 minute of downhill driving. So drive carefully!!! And you will not have many local coffee shops for restroom breaks. 
  • Search for Điểm Dừng Lăng Cô, which is the rest area for tourists and wait for others to arrive before continuing on our route. 

Lang Co Bay - Lang Co rest stop

  • Search for View Point Lang Co if you want to check out the spectacular view of the entire Lang Co bay before crossing the bridge. It is on the way to Điểm Dừng Lăng Cô, where to re-group with others
  • It is 15 minutes North of the peak of Hai Van Pass (or Hai Van Quan)

1 more hour to Hue city

We will have another hour drive to downtown Hue. We should stop at 1 more stop at Trạm Dừng Chân Vườn Xoài on the way to check that everybody is ok.

Mango Garden rest stop (Trạm Dừng Chân Vườn Xoài)

Search for the next rest stop Trạm Dừng Chân Vườn Xoài. It is about 50 minutes North of Điểm Dừng Lăng Cô (Lang Co rest stop), and south of the Phu Bai airport. If you pass Phu Bai airport, please come back to get a head count before we continue. 

Last stop in Hue city (TBD)

  • Address: TDB
  • Still in process to pick the best final stop

Later afternoon

Arrive in Hue, have a royal dinner or street food at Hue night market, and then take a private sleeping bus to Chay Lap Stayfarm.

Going straight to Dong Hoi this evening, we will have 2 full days to explore the caves in Phong Nha - Ke Bang area, Dong Hoi city, and Quang Binh province.

Y Thao Garden

  • Address: 03 Thach Han, Thuan Hoa district, Hue city, Vietnam
  • Treat ourselves a royal dinner after a long road trip
  • Price: $14 - $26
  • Menu

Hue at night

  • We might not have enough time to explore Hue at night, but if we arrive early, we will have about 1.5-2 hours to explore downtown Hue which was the old capital during King times. 
  • There are multiple things to do in Hue at night. It is cool to check out the Imperial City at night (close at 10PM)
  • Check it out