Ho Chi Minh Trail was used by North Vietnam to connect North and South Vietnam during the American war. Soldiers, ammo, and supplies were transferred on foot, by truck, by bicycle for hundreds of km (kilometers) through, if not, an impenetrable forest that enclosed Vietnam’s mountainous border with Laos. The trail has silently slipped away and been reclaimed by the forest since its disuse.
However, the latest road work that keeps the original areas of the trail has already changed this. Giving an awesome scenery of the deep Vietnamese terrain, riding or driving all the way through this trail allows one to enjoy the Khe Sanh battle site and DMS (demilitarized zone), and the captivating ancient trading town of Hoi An. Exhausted tourists can stay overnight in a traditional Thai hill tribe and may visit other tribal villages along the way. Here, we take you gradually through the motorbike tour program.
Day 1. Start the tour in Hanoi where you can appreciate a Hanoi city tour, visit Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, the “Uncle Ho” house and other well-known sights.
Day 2. Take a short bus drive to Ho Chi Minh Trail Museum on the border of Hanoi, wherein you can start motorcycle tour.
Here, tourists will be given a Minsks (a small motorcycle) and time to know how to use it. Once ready, you will cross 2 short mountain paths and descent to the mountain valley community of Mai Chau for dinner and an overnight stay in a stilt house.
Day 3. A tour heading South on a beautiful crooked road which follow the banks of the Ma River. The ride lasts a few hours, next to a wavy quiet road, before joining the new Ho Chi Minh Highway. This freshly carved path leads southward close to the Laos border, before heading east approaching the coast and a night in the peaceful city of Vinh.
Day 4. The morning starts with a 40 minute ride inland towards the Laos border to the origin of Ho Chi Minh in Kim Lien Village. The spot is a temple to the Vietnamese and visited by few travelers. Continuing on the quiet highway to Dong Loc Intersection, extensively regarded by locals as the start of Ho Chi Minh Trail, tourists then pass through secluded back country, close to the border, as the view increasingly becomes dominated by Karst limestone rock formations. For the overnight stop is Huong Khe Town.
Day 6. The next day’s ride will again be on the new highway, where tourists will have a brief stop at Truong Son National Cemetery to pay respects to the soldiers who fought and died on the trail during the American War. After this, tourists will head to Dong Ha Town passing through Ben Tat Bridge which was built over the Ben Hai River.
On arrival in Dong Ha, tourists will check into a hotel and have lunch before going to the mystical Vinh Moc Tunnel and the well-known DMZ, Doc Mieu fire base and the historic Hien Luong Bridge in the afternoon.
Day 7. Continuing to West on Highway 9, tourists will go up to the Truong Son foothills. About 16 kilometer from Khe Sanh is the Dakrong Bridges and the road turns crooked and narrow. A bit more, tourists will come to Huang Hoa, once identified as Khe Sanh Base, which was recognized as a forward base by General Westmoreland close to Laos to secure Highway 9. About 3 kilometer from Khe Sanh is Ta Con Airbase. Eat lunch Khe Sanh before you take off across the well-known Dakrong River Bridge on Route 14, close to the town of Ta Rut, where tourists will stop for a visit with the Pa Co people and walk through their village.
Day 8. The highlight of the trip on this day is riding of the whole route. For the first 110 kilometers, enjoy your tour on one of the longest and most stunning route, immersed with stunning view of primitive forests backed by the grand Truong Son mountain range. There are two long tunnels and very little traffic. The next 68 kilometers from Hien to Thanh My, is a good road with some moderate climbs.
Stretch out in relaxation in Hoi An tow, an ancient Quarter well-known by its vital trading ports in Southeast Asia, and spend the night before transferring to Da Nang at the end.
Available Vietnam Packages
10D9N Hanoi - Halong Bay Special Scenic Tour
3D2N Hanoi Free and Easy Package (SIC)
3D2N Saigon Free and Easy
4D3N Hanoi/Halong Package (PVT)
0 comments:
Post a Comment