Han Van Pass - Vietnam

Hai Van Pass is about 20km long. The mountain pass is part of the National Route 1A in Vietnam. 
It's part of a mountain range (Annamite Range) that juts into the East Sea of Vietnam
It was made famous by the guys at top gear.


They did one of their hilarious episodes in Vietnam.

The road joins the city of Da Nang and Lang Co in Hue Province.     WE traversed the road by bus. travelling from Hue    

The road itself is ancient ...dating back to the 14th century. Back then it was the boundary between the Champa and Dai Viet Kingdoms. 

You can still see the grand gate at the summit of the pass. This was the border crossing between the two kingdoms. 

There are lots of  hairpin bends on the road.
But the dangers are compensated for by spectacular views.
You'll see steep mountains, plunging into the ocean, deserted sandy beaches and lots of untouched forest.

The name Hai Van translates as a ‘Sea of Clouds’ in Vietnamese

This spot, is roughly half way from the top to bottom of Vietnam on a map.
It marks the junction between the colder North & the warm tropical south.

During the Vietnamese-American War, this pass connected the war-ravaged cities of Hue and Da Nang. It must have been a very sad spot. The gate is riddled with bullet holes.
Today, most of the traffic uses the Hai Van Tunnel... bypassing this road.
So its relatively peaceful and quiet (by Vietnamese standards).

The Hai Van Tunnel was built in 2005. It is the longest tunnel in Southeast Asia.

From the summit you see the city of Da Nang in the distance.
We stopped there for some pork buns & baguettes.

For more travel postcards click here:

http://djjondent.blogspot.com.au/2015/03/travel-postcards-index-my-travel.html