Introduction to today's journey
Today's journey takes me from Hue along a precarious coastal highway into Da Nang only two weeks following a typhoon and showing obvious signs of the devastation. We explore a marble factory before continuing to Hoi An.
Today's Journey
 |
Departing Hue continuing south along the coast, misty monsoonal rain falls in the mountains. The country is very narrow here with Laos just over the other side of these hills. |
 |
Bien Vinh Hai, a popular coastal resort beach with the rugged Hai Van Quan mountains in the background. |
 |
Crossing Vung an Cu estuary before starting the climb over the rugged mountains. |
 |
View looking south from just over the top of the 496 metre high Hai Van Quan pass. From here it is an equally winding descent towards Da Nang. A new tunnel road has recently been built through the mountains diverting most vehicles away from this notoriously dangerous route over the mountains. |
 |
Descending from the pass, we stop with a view over the beautiful Vinh Nam Chon Bay, home to an isolated leper colony - something I thought had been long gone in history. |
 |
Crossing an estuary at the bottom of the hill, a man tends to his fishing hut. The area was severely damaged two weeks ago from Typhoon Ketsana. In the distance I see three large ships washed up on the golden beach, and flood damage is very apparent. |
 |
Houses under contruction in Da Nang, no doubt with repairs following the typhoon. |
 |
We reach some marble hills and in amongst them a marble carving factory, where amazing sculptures are carved. |
 |
Heading further south, we eventually reach the historical Hoi An, one of only a very small number of towns unaffected by the very destructive Vietnam war. |
 |
Once settled in, we explore the town in the early evening, with its shops still open and brightly lit with beautiful Vietnamese lanterns. |
|
