Day 2: Khe Sanh to Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park

C: Heading downhill, almost halfway to Phong Nha-Ke Bang.

After a good nights sleep in the top floor room Thuan had booked for me, it was time for breakfast and a quick visit to the former US military base for a look at the museum and military equipment on display before we headed through the mountains to Phong Nha-Ke Bang and its incredible caves.

We drove through some beautiful scenery, lush and mountainous. Nothing like the dramatic landscapes in the North, as Thuan said, but still a great experience.

Route, day 2: A - Khe Sanh Military Base, B - Houses, C - Park Rangers, D - Buffaloes, E - Memorial Temple, F - Break for drinks, G - Phong Nha-Ke Bang.

Neighbours during breakfast in Khe Sanh.

A: Several old military vehicles are on display along the landing strip of the Khe Sanh Military Base.

A: Troop movements during the battles of Khe Sanh.

B: We had a quick break by a couple of small houses by the road, and the people living there proudly showed us their moonshine setup.

B: Being offered a sample shot, it was of pretty good quality!

C: Raspberries by the road in the mountains.

D: Park rangers playing cards during lunch break.

E: The memorial temple for the heroic martyrs of the Long Dai ferry-boats. Two teams of fifteen voluntary youths died here when they were bombed while doing their tasks, on two separate occasions. The temple serves as a memorial.

E: This woman was running a little kiosk by the temple. Her father was relaxing in the shadow, a war veteran who was fortunate enough to survive a land mine blast while on patrol during the war, even though it took out a big part of his forehead.

G: Arrival in Phong Nha-Ke Bang, clearly marked with an enormous LED-sign on a mountain.

Day 1: Hue to Khe Sanh through the DMZ

Thuan picked me up at my guest house early in the morning. My backpack and bag were strapped to the bike securely with thick rubber bands and we were on my way. We dropped by a market near outside of Hue for a quick breakfast and headed towards Khe Sanh and the mountains via the Vinh Moc Tunnels, first along the Tam Giang lagoon.

Our route for the first day: A - Tam Giang Lagoon, B - Coconut juice stop, C - Vinh Moc Tunnels, D - Hien Luong bridge, E - Chua Cam Lo temple, F - Chicken farm, G - Khe Sanh — Our route for the first day: A - Tam Giang Lagoon, B - Coconut juice stop, C - Vinh Moc Tunnels,
D - Hien Luong bridge, E - Chua Cam Lo temple, F - Chicken farm, G - Khe Sanh

The Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) was established as a border between North and South Vietnam during the First Indochina War, and later served as a battleground demarcation during the Vietnam War (or American War as they say in Vietnam...). The DMZ followed the Ben Hai River from Laos in the West to the sea in the East.

At the western end, near the border with Laos was the US military base at Khe Sanh, the site of a prolonged battle. The base was under heavy attack for 5 months and 18 days, the Americans dropped more than 100.000 tons of bombs and shot an estimated 8 artillery shells per North Vietnamese soldier during this period and the relentless attacks may have distracted the Americans from the buildup of Viet Cong in the south leading to the Tet Offensive.

A: Thuan by fishing areas at Tam Giang Lagoon, South East Asias largest lagoon - 68 kms long.

C: Vinh Moc Tunnels, The US tried to force villagers to move by dropping 9000 tons of bombs over eight years, as there was nowhere to go for the people living here they dug 2 kilometers of tunnels 30 meters below ground and moved their village there… — C: Vinh Moc Tunnels, The US tried to force villagers to move by dropping 9000 tons of bombs over eight years, as there was nowhere to go for the people living here they dug 2 kilometers of tunnels 30 meters below ground and moved their village there. Around 60 families lived in these tunnels during the war, there were no direct hits.

A war veteran we met at a roadside café. He was building a bridge at night with other soldiers when they were discovered by the Americans and bombed. They moved to a different location and started building another bridge, and they were bombed again … — A war veteran we met at a roadside café. He was building a bridge at night with other soldiers when they were discovered by the Americans and bombed. They moved to a different location and started building another bridge, and they were bombed again - the second time he lost his arm.

D: Hien Luong bridge, the northern blue and southern yellow parts symbolizing a mutual desire for reunification.

As we passed a wedding in a restaurant by the road, people were cheering and waving so we stopped to have chat with the couple and the guests.

Two very animated guests insisting that grandma should pose for a photo.

F: Stopping for a break and a look at the view, a farmer came down from the fields to talk to us. She had a small chicken farm and some crop in the very steep hills above it. She joked about being worried her daughter, who can be seen digging out wo… — F: Stopping for a break and a look at the view, a farmer came down from the fields to talk to us. She had a small chicken farm and some crop in the very steep hills above it. She joked about being worried her daughter, who can be seen digging out worms for the chickens in the background, did not having much potential for marriage because she couldn't cook.

F: The view from the chicken farm, towards Laos.

G: Khe Sanh radio tower, seen from my hotel room.

Vietnam part II - Hue to Hanoi by motorbike

It's been almost a year since I wrote the last post. Image-heavy blogging from my first generation iPad Air was a bit too slow and cumbersome to keep up, especially with what turned out to be very long days on a motorbike as I ended up taking the very, very scenic route to Hanoi from Hue.

I will post about each leg of the ten-day journey here, as well as my days in Hanoi and my visit to tourist magnet Ha Long Bay.

In Hue I asked in my very simple but nice guesthouse Sunny Fine if they could recommend a driver to take me around to the different crypts in the area. The manager asked if I wanted someone who just could drive or someone who spoke English and could tell me a bit about the history, for a slightly higher but very reasonable price. The morning after I was picked up by motorcycle driver and cultural history graduate Thuận Nguyễn.

Hiring Thuận was a much better choice than I expected. He was funny and easy to get along with, very knowledgeable and a safe driver. In between the crypts and sights we stopped by his parents house as we were nearby, his mother made us a great lunch.

He told me he had made a trip to northern Vietnam along the Ho Chi Minh trail to Sapa and the more remote areas close to China the year before with a friend, and that he wanted to do trips like that with tourists. My original plan was to continue from Hue to Hanoi by bus and then go to Sapa and Ninh Bình and maybe Halong Bay, but after a day with on the bike with Thuận we agreed to drive through the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and stop over in Khe Sanh, then continue north through the mountains along the border with Laos to Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park and the caves there as a trial run.

If it felt safe and comfortable being two on the bike 8 to 10 hours a day we would continue to Hanoi, the very long and scenic route.

If you find yourself in Hue, I highly recommend seeing the area on motorbike with Thuận Nguyễn - Hue Touring

Bunker Hill (Vong Canh Hill) with old bunkers overlooking panorama vistas of the Perfume river.

Just before Bunker Hill there is an area where they make fragrant and colorful incense.

Newlyweds taking shelter from the sun on a bridge in a small village outside of Hue.

The Meridian Gate of the Imperial City in the Hue Citadel.

A tour guide with a portable speaker at the grounds of the Tu Duc crypt.

Hue

The train ride from Danang is scenic, I wasn't alone trying to get some shots of the landscape.

I took the train from Danang to Hue, which was cheap and comfortable with a very beautiful route along the coast, but I think I would have preferred going by motorbike over the famous Hai Van Pass. Both for the view and to have the opportunity to stop for photos.

The former imperial seat and national capital from 1802 until 1945 when the emperor abdicated and the capital was moved to Hanoi, Hue is dominated by the enormous Citadel and Imperial City, full of palaces and shrines. The Perfume River and its riverside pedestrian walkway near the Imperial City is very popular with both tourists and locals, and the myriad of dragon-adorned tourist boats are testament to this.

All the women working on the boats wear traditional Vietnamese dresses.

Making souvenirs by the Imperial Palace.

Sugar cane juice is very popular in Vietnam, and is made entirely from sugar canes.

Fishing in the moats of the Imperial City.

Breakfast in the many food markets is great, everything is prepared while you wait.

Breakfast ingredients, you can buy the ingredients you want in the market and have someone there prepare you a meal from them while you wait.

Fried egg with small fish and lemongrass, served with fish sauce with lime and chili. The cuisine of Hue is characterised by its spiciness, and also the prominence of all-vegetarian restaurants as it is normal to eat vegetarian a couple of days a mo… — Fried egg with small fish and lemongrass, served with fish sauce with lime and chili. The cuisine of Hue is characterised by its spiciness, and also the prominence of all-vegetarian restaurants as it is normal to eat vegetarian a couple of days a month.

The markets are where most people get their clothes and food, rather than in shops.

Danang

Korean night on the rooftop - hostess Hoang Hai at Skybar 36, wearing traditional Korean clothes.

Danang took over as the most important trading port in central Vietnam after Hoi An when it became the only trading port Europeans were allowed to use. It is now the fifth largest city in Vietnam, growing and changing quickly, and has one of the highest GDP per capita. Americans started deploying troops at the airfield here in 1962, and used it as a major base throughout the war.

The city centre is quite spread out, divided between the beachside area and the business centre, and it can be a bit tricky to find out where to go at first. The region is famous for its cuisine, and Danang has many great restaurants and the famous China Beach starting in the middle of the city, but many tourists only land here to go directly to Hoi An.