Huế to Ninh Binh

P-P-P-P-P-Phong Nha!

After our visit to Huế we finally enter what used to be North Vietnam. Our initial route brings us back to the dreary 1A, but after some 45 miles we start a whole new adventure. After thoroughly enjoying the coastal roads a while back, we are now headed towards the magnificent tarmac of the Dung Ho Chi Minh.

Around Dong Ha we turn westwards and quickly find ourselves driving on a marvellously smooth road. The satnav tells us to follow the course of this road – also know as “Unclo Ho’s Road” – for the next 80 miles. We don’t mind that instruction! Billy is enjoying himself and was clearly built to drive these constant series of easy hills and descents. The perfect road condition and the fact that there is very few traffic results in us covering plenty of miles before lunch, and before we know it we’ve almost arrived at our destination of the day: Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park.

When entering the village of Phong Nha, the starting point from which most tourists explore the National Park, an enormous sign that’s been fit onto the mountainside greets us. We’re definitely where we needed to be and the surroundings already look stunning. Northern Vietnam does not disappoint one bit! Besides all the splendid rock formations and spectacular limestone scenery, there are hundreds of caves to discover and underground rivers to explore. All of these combined make this region a not-to-miss destination in Vietnam.

With ringing names like the “Paradise Cave” and “Dark Cave”, it’s hard to give them a miss. Unfortunately entrance prices are on the steep side, so we only visit one. Son Doong Cave, the world’s largest cave (5,5 miles long, 650 feet high and 500 feet wide) is also found in this park and has only been opened to the public since 2013. It’s so big a Boeing 747 could fit inside its largest cavern. Luckily Boeings are not allowed in there, but even as a human it’s hard to organise a visit because only 500 people are allowed to enter each year. Also, you’d have to book years in advance, be prepared to spend over £2500 and be physically and mentally fit to survive a four or five day trek through the cave. We mentioned we only visited one cave; you won’t be surprised to read it wasn’t Son Doong Cave. Instead, we’ve visited Paradise Cave. It might be smaller, but also a lot cheaper and easier to visit. And to be honest, still quite striking!

The last beach

Because we’re mortally afraid of missing out on beach excursions and as this might be our last one, we have ourselves a short stopover between Phong Nha and Ninh Binh. Vinh, a city where there’s literally nothing to do or visit, but it does have a very long stretch of beach and no people tanning on it during the week, so it’s perfect - for us. We spend two nights in Vinh and a full day on the beach inbetween. Relaxed and ready, we drive onwards to Ninh Binh.

Halong of the land

Close to Ning Binh lies the “Trang An - Tam Coc - Bich Dong scenic complex”. That’s a mouthful, but also the reason why people come here in the first place. The area is often nicknamed the “Halong Bay of the land”, which makes is easier to imagine. Think of Halong Bay and replace the water with rice paddies and that’s about it. With the help of our faithful motorcycle– out on one of his last drives – we take photos of our surroundings. The karst mountains we’re seeing do resemble those in Guilin in China or Vang Vieng in Laos, but even though it’s recognisable, we still enjoy them. Alos, we’ve never had a nice sunset before in karst region and here in Tam Coc we do get lucky for once.

The next morning it’s time for our very last drive. On the roads heading North we often saw signs mentioning the distance to Hanoi. Three and a half weeks ago we still had over 1000 miles to cover until Vietnam’s capital, today only 60 miles are left. A short and quick drive – although we manage to take a wrong turn on the way – brings us all the way to the old centre of the ancient city. In a chaos that still makes no sense whatsoever we zigzag through the traffic in the narrow streets until we reach our final destination. We have crossed Vietnam on a motorbike and we’re still alive. Whew!

Recommendations

• Phong Nha

• As always: hire a scooter and explore the surroundings.

• Visit the Paradise Cave. All entrance fees for the caves are pretty pricey, but here you do get your money’s worth. Do not take the little train transfer as they don’t take you all the way to the entrance and you have to climb all the way up yourself even if you do take it. Give it a miss.

• Ninh Binh

• Again: hire a scooter.

• Cheap and very good accommodation is easily found in Ninh Binh, but if you’re not planning on driving a bike or scooter it’s easier to stay in the village of Tam Coc. It’s a little more expensive but located in the park itself.