After an incredible evening we retired to the apartment where the floor had erupted into quite a flat party. The festivities carried on into the wee hours of the night. Over the course of the evening guests came and went. So I took some time preparing a few treats for our rotating circle of friends on the floor. Mini banh mi, crispy spring rolls and plenty of wine. At some point the evening ended and morning came with the rooster’s crows at dawn.
Most of the family would be headed home soon so we spent a little time with the family. I set up some cartoons for the kids running between the apartments. After some breakfast and a calm morning Quan and some other family members not staying with us showed up to help see the family off.
A Goodbye
We loaded the cars and got everyone settled for the long ride back to An Lao. As they rode off and were swallowed by the busy streets of Da Nang, I wondered how long it may be before I saw them again. I had just entered a world where time and distance were a difficult reality. The last time I was here I had seen a reunion of family members separated by vast distance and decades. I have no intention of allowing Diễm to be separated from her family for so long. It is a concept and scenario I still can’t fully grasp.
Bà Nà Hills
Where do I begin? It was a magical day. Bà Nà Hills is, was, a French chateau and village high in the Trường Sơn Mountains west of Da Nang. Founded at the dawn of the 20th century, it was originally built as an escape for the French elite from the sweltering heat of the Indochina climate. After the defeat of the French army at the battle of Dien Bien phu in 1954, the village was abandoned and the villas fell into ruin. Some 50 years later, as Vietnam began to find its way in the global economy, the tourism board sought to revitalize and promote the decaying mountaintop retreat.
Only 26 miles from Da Nang bay the elevation rapidly climbs to almost a mile above sea level. This gives the area an amazingly cool and temperate 15 degree drop from the coastal sauna. Given the rapid elevation change and rough terrain, the sole road to this mountain oasis is long, treacherous and slow going. The solution to this problem was solved by the building of the Bà Nà Cable Car system. And in doing so created an entirely new attraction in its own right.
The Cable Cars
The main cable car line holds many Guinness records for its length and height. Built to EU standards and composed entirely of German, Swiss and Swedish equipment. It holds the world records for both longest gap stretched and highest elevation from car to ground in a gap. 19,042 feet and 4,488 feet respectively. Also holding several other records for longest Cable without a splice, fastest elevation change and many more. Believe me when I tell you, the cable car ride alone is breathtaking. Constructed as an almost medieval alpine styled town originally built by French architects, the compound now contains an amusement park, gardens and multiple viewing platforms.
We wandered the grounds at the base of the mountain and slowly worked our way to the cable cars. We jumped in a rather large car that could have easily held 15 people, and it all to ourselves. I was not prepared for the quickness of the elevation change. Or the absolute grandeur of the scene I was about to behold. As my ears popped, and the reality of the scene came into focus, I found myself yet again in this land of dragons completely in awe and at a loss of words.
The Climb
It took quite an amount of time, some 20 minutes to climb and traverse the miles and elevation change up the steep mountain side. We sat and stared, what more could we do? It was unbelievably beautiful as Da Nang bay began to stretch out into the horizon as the mountain top moved ever closer. The golden bridge came into view and I knew the summit oasis was in reach.
The Golden Bridge
High above the coastal plains and rice fields of Vietnam sits the Golden Bridge. Like something out of a Tolkien novel, the bridge stretches out high above the jungle floor below held up by two giant stone carved hands. A truly magnificent sight. Like being held aloft by the very hands of God. We walked the bridge and took in its scene, Da Nang and its bay some 25 miles away looked like a child’s model beset in the distance.
After some meditation and contemplation of the already glorious day we began our journey into the depths of the mountaintop resort. It was truly a beautiful place. French inspired gardens, Vietnamese inspired water sculptures, Mediterranean architecture. It was wonderful. We took many pictures and I’ll show some of my favorites here. We wandered in wonderment, we laughed, we ate, we had an amazing day. After an endless afternoon of pictures and photo ops it was unfortunately time to head back to Da Nang. As the sun was beginning to set in the distance we made our way down the mountainside and back to Da Nang. What an amazing day indeed.
The Hải Vân Pass
We had a bit of a tough day on the second day of our honeymoon, bureaucracy gone bad I’ll call it, but I will get into that adventure later. On our third Day as husband and wife Diễm’s Friends invited us on a little motorbike road trip. I had been up for some real adventure and I was about to get what I had asked for. We donned our face masks and sun attire, mine were shorts, a shirt and some sunglasses, and headed to the edge of Da Nang for a quick bite to eat. After lunch we again mounted our steel and rubber steeds and off we went. Within minutes we had trudged our way out of Da Nang and were headed due north up hwy 1 and towards the legendary Hải Vân pass.
A Little History
The Pass goes over a section of the Annamite mountains. A 681 mile mountain range that is the backbone of Vietnam and Laos. The pass juts sharply out into the South China Sea. An effective geographical barrier, it has stood at many times in history, as the dividing point between kingdoms and countries. In the first century it was of formidable enough stature to bring the rapid expansion of the Chinese Hán empire to a halt and establish its southern border.
In addition it staved off the swift expanse of the Mongol invasion in the 13th century. Kublai Khan ordered massive naval assault and invasion of southern Vietnam in 1285 and in a second campaign from 1287-88. Initially the invasions were designed to be a pincer type maneuver, but the land forces could not make headway over the pass. Thus over land supply lines could not be established, and in both cases the Mongol forces were forced to retreat.
A Natural Barrier
The Hai Van pass continued to be a geographical barrier until the 15th century. It wasn’t until the Đại Việt finally overran the south in the Cham Vietnamese war of 1471, that it began to be the central region of a modern day Vietnamese territory. During the French and later American campaigns it served as an important piece of real-estate. As it was the only road one could use to pass from the north to the south. Often a point of ambush and sabotage. The pass holds a historical infamy for some of the worst rail, vehicle and aviation crashes in Vietnamese history. I couldn’t wait to see it.
Some Geographical Information
Officially known as Đèo Hải Vân (Ocean Cloud Pass), it derives its name from the mist that the mountains pull from the sea in the early morning and evening. The view is completely obstructed giving the sense of being on a floating mountain. The height and quick elevation change also gives the jutting range the ability to completely separate the weather patterns of the north and south. Keeping the cool southern flowing China winds at bay. It is the official divide of the hot tropical monsoon south and the cool mountain forests of the north.
Up The Pass We Go
We began to ascend the switch back road and climb ever so rapidly up the side of the mountain. It did, however, became a little hairy at times. One lane north and one lane south. At moments we were passing slow moving trucks, laden with steel or pigs, and often with minimal visibility. It was one hell of a rush. Jeremy Clarkson of the UK’s Top Gear once said of the road. “A deserted ribbon of perfection-one of the best coastal roads in the world”.
Quite a while later we reached the summit and disembarked our motorbikes for some coffee and sightseeing. The views were amazing. The little village at the top was quaint and there were even some ruins. We also found an old bunker from the war. Strangely enough a wedding party was on top taking wedding photos. After an hour or so of exploring we got back on our bikes and headed down the other side of the pass.
Lang co Lagoon
Down the north side of the pass is the beautiful almost otherworldly Lăng Co Lagoon. To the left the quiet still waters of the shallow, massive lagoon, to the right the South China Sea. We had come here, though I didn’t know, to have a celebration dinner with her friends and take in an amazing view. The restaurant sat at the edge of the lagoon. Everything they served was swimming or crawling in a tank just before you ordered it. Everything. Urchin, shrimp, cold water lobsters, slipper lobsters, snails, pompano, Tilapia, oysters, clams and on and on.
We took a stroll around the edge of the lagoon, which had plenty of props, and locals to get in some wonderful photography. We had a delicious dinner and ate and laughed into the night. I was pleased to find out that in recent years a modern tunnel had been constructed under the mountain back to Da Nang. For a few dollars a truck would take our motorbikes to the other side of the pass while we rode in an air conditioned bus. The tunnel was slow and laborious as it had only two lanes, one each way, divided by a barrier. There was no passing the slow moving work truck in front of us. I didn’t care, at this moment, I didn’t have a care in the world. The moment was beautiful and pure. It belonged to us.
