Backpacking in Vietnam. Hội An to Hue on a bike (Part IV).

Are you curious to know more about the most adventurous part of my trip in Vietnam? Do you want to know how it feels to ride on a back of a motorbike in a country where the death toll annually is over 14 000 people? How to survive a motorbike crash in Vietnam? (yes, I couldn’t skip this, even though it wasn’t planned)

What are the best things you can see on the way from Hội An to Hue? 

Then read this article 

Early in the morning we had our breakfast at Huy Hoang River Hotel in Hội An. As the lady from the motorbike rental shop promised, the motorbike was waiting for us and we gave our backpacks which were transported to Hue. 

Let’s say at the beginning I was a bit worried. It’s not that I was in panic but Emanuele didn’t even know how to start that damn motorbike and we were about to ride the next 200 kilometers in a country where in most of the fatal accidents on the road there’s motorbikes involved :P. 

The lady that gave us the motorbike handed us a printed map of the itinerary. Let’s say the map was missing some details (like 80% of the important points) and even her handwriting skills couldn’t fix that. Thanks God we are living in the century of technologies and more specifically -  GPS navigation. 

We were given short instructions how to get out of Hội An and where is the nearest gas station. We paid 50 000 VND, filled up the reservoir and here we go… Our real adventure started on the 3^rd day of our trip. 

Let’s fuckin’ do this!

I won’t be wrong if I say the moment I sat on the back of that vehicle I was terrified. 

Even though Emanuele is an Italian (I believe you know about their bad reputation when it comes to driving ;)) he wasn’t such a bad driver ;) After we left Hội An and entered the small villages around I felt that this is going to be the best way to travel in Vietnam. The freedom you have, knowing that you can stop whenever you want and you can visit whatever you want plus the adrenaline rush you experience every time when you are speeding or you encounter other motorbike is a combination that can turn your standard backpacking trip into an outstanding adventure. 

I’m sure you will read many articles in Internet about the pros and cons of hiring a motorbike in Vietnam and I admit there’s a risk of injuries but I can also say it’s totally worth it. To me, that was the best day of my trip, full of so much dynamic and even though it didn’t end up in the best possible way (just bear with me till I reach the end of that story) I would say if I have to choose now I will definitely go for it again. 

Hội An - Hue itinerary

Here's a map where I put all places we have visited that day:

Hội An - Hue itinerary: 

Hội An - Mỹ Sơn - An Bang Beach - The Marble Mountains - Hải Vân Pass - Suoi Voi - Hue

The morning started with perfect weather. It was a bit hot but when you are on a motorbike you can only feel the refreshing wind. Still the sun is tricky, so you should definitely take a sunscreen and long sleeves with you. 

We were driving among green rice fields and small villages. I’m not sure if you can see it from my photos but that day I was thinking: “Everything looks a way more beautiful when you’re seeing it from a motorbike”. 

Not long after that we were driving on the highway. The landscape was still quite magnificent but there were more vehicles around us and we had to be more careful.

Mỹ Sơn

The first stop of our motorbike trip was Mỹ Sơn. The old ruins from the ancient Cham Empire are located 40 km from Hội An, Quảng Nam Province in Central Vietnam. The ticket cost 150 000 VND. 

Mỹ Sơn is a UNESCO World Heritage Site which represents partially ruined Hindu temples constructed between the 4th and the 14th century AD by the kings of Champa (Chiêm Thành in Vietnamese).

It is ancient and beautiful but also crowded with tourists. In July is extremely hot. There's a small parking for motorbikes so if you rent a bike it's easy to leave it before the entrance. 

There's also mini-cars which will take you to the ruins so no need to walk in the heat. 

Bridge after the ticket office, Mỹ Sơn

 Mỹ Sơn

 Mỹ Sơn

 Mỹ Sơn

 Mỹ Sơn

Mỹ Sơn

I was impressed that there's still visible craters left after the bombs during the Vietnam War. 

An Bang Beach

After that we drove all the way back to Hội An because our next stop was located north (see the map with our itinerary), had lunch and drove to  An Bang Beach. 

From that point of our trip we have noticed that everywhere there's parking fees so it's hard to avoid it. We paid 20 000 VND to leave our bike. 

An Bang looks like a nice place for tanning but honestly? I wouldn't waste a day of my trip just to stay on the beach. 

 An Bang Beach

An Bang Beach

The Marble Mountains

After a short break and ice-cream on the beach we continued for another 15km north to The Marble Mountains. 

Xa Loi Pagoda at Marble Mountains

The Marble mountains is a complex of 5 marble and limestone hills whose names represent the 5 elements. 

The marble mountains are known with the following names: Hoa Son (Fire mountain), Kim Son (Mountain of metal), Tho are (Mountain of Earth), Thuy Son (Water mountain) and Moc Son (Wood mountain).

While you're still on your motorbike you will be prompted to stop and pay for a parking. Well, this time me and Emanuele managed to hide our vehicle and avoid the paid parking but be careful, if someone spot your bike you could end up with a punctured tires ;)

There is two options to access the complex. Climbing stairs (15 000 VND entrance) and using an elevator (30 000 VND entrance). Guess what we choose? ;)

The stairs were a bit tiring mainly because of the heat.

 Linh Ung Pagoda at Marble Mountains

 Marble Mountains

 Chon Cave at Marble Mountains

 Marble Mountains

 Beautiful pagodas at Marble Mountains

Beautiful pagodas at Marble Mountains

Apart from the caves and pagodas there’s also a viewpoint with some nice landscapes. 

Hải Vân (Sea Cloud) Pass

The most amazing part of the day was driving along Hải Vân (Sea Cloud) Pass, crossing over Truong Son mountain range that juts into the sea. If you want to skip the beach or even Marble Mountains you are free to do so, but you shouldn’t miss this!

Magnificent views of Hải Vân Pass

Here are more magnificent views that prove my point: 

 Hải Vân Pass

 Hải Vân Pass

 Hải Vân Pass

 Hải Vân Pass

Suoi Voi or Elephant Springs

At the late afternoon we continued driving to Suoi Voi or Elephant Springs. The springs are series of small waterfalls and the most spectacular thing here is the huge rock in the shape of an elephant. There is an entrance fee of 10 000 VND. 

 Suoi Voi 

 Suoi Voi

That was the last stop from our itinerary. From here we were supposed to drive another 60km to Hue. 

I remember that it was already around 04:00pm so I said to Emanuele that we shouldn't stop anywhere before we reach Hue. We were driving on a dusty unpaved road and he was speeding after we realized we were running out of time.

It was almost the end of our journey and as usual something really stupid would happen at the very end of your trip just to fuck it up. 

Out of nowhere there was that dog who jumped in front of the motorbike, barking like crazy. Emanuele lost control over the bike and in the next minute I literary saw him flying in front of me. 

Everything happened for a second. We were both rolling in the dust. At the same time a few short Vietnamese men ran out of the bushes as if they were part of a Vietnam War movie scenario :D 

They immediately moved us from the road and took the motorbike aside. One of them brought us cotton and some saline solution from the pharmacy. 

I had just a few bruises on the knee and one deeper bruise above the my left breast. 

Unfortunately, Emanuele took most of the impact. His hands were covered in blood and his knee had serious bruises too. 

Even though I knew that the cotton is a bad idea because the wounds were open we didn't have much choice so we had to wrap his hands and tape the cotton (yes, we used tape). 

Ok, now we were really looking like veterans returning from the battlefield. The whole situation would have been really funny if I wasn't scared as shit.

Emanuele said we have no choice but to continue driving to Hue (as I mentioned above another 60km). Unfortunately he was right. 

So we got on the motorbike again, we drove to the end of the unpaved road and from there on the highway and we reached Hue late at night. I must have been really annoying at that moment because I was keep telling Emanuele to drive slowly and to be more careful.

The sightseeing in Hue started with the emergency room of the local hospital :D For some reason all those Vietnamese doctors and nurses were having a lot of fun while we were trying to explain them with the help of a google translator that we had a bike accident and we need help. 

Finally we were escorted to another section of the hospital where another smiling doctor took care of us. Emanuele received new bandages (to be honest they didn't look much better than improvised ones he had before). 

Emanuele having his moment of glory in a local hospital in Vietnam 

We have been told that in the next 3 days he has to have his wounds clear and his bandages to be changed by nurse. They prescribed him some medicines, I guess to protect him from inflammation process and that was it. 

Did we regret that we rent a motorbike? 

Not at all! Now, the moment someone would try to offer us a motorbike taxi, Emanuele will just show off his hands and say:

"No, taxi. You see, that's because of a motorbike" :D

Even though our 3rd day in Vietnam was marked by the motorbike accident that wasn't the worst. We still had to return the bike back to the rental company in Hue. The guy from the office in Hue was waiting for us in front of the hospital, having our backpacks with him.

When he saw Emanuele's hands he decided that this is the perfect moment to ask for more money. He said that there's some scratches on the motorbike and the front tire is imbalanced. Emanuele was pissed off. We started arguing and we managed to attract the attention of a bunch of local people who were watching the whole drama right in front of the hospital. 

At the end we called the lady from the office in Hội An and we told her we're going to call the police because the guy wanted to keep our backpacks unless we give him some money which, of course, was absolutely illegal. 

After an hour of arguing the threat with the police somehow worked so our backpacks were released. 

Considering the fact that the next day we had to go back to the hospital we found Grace Hotel, which wasn't far away. We stayed there for 2 nights (I think this was the only one place in Vietnam where I spent more than one night). First night we paid 7$ for the room and 2nd night the price was 9 $. 

"Grace Hotel"

Things to do in Hue

We spent the next day in Hue. Not so much to  be seen here. We started the day with a huge meal and local beer (Huda) at a small restaurant called Hanh which was recommended by our hotel. 

Hanh restaurant, walking distance from Grace Hotel 

We ordered the famous 5 dish set meal for 110 000 VND per person. It was absolutely amazing! 

The most delicious was the grilled pork fresh spring rolls wrapped in a moisture rice paper and dipped in peanut sauce. The fried spring rolls were also amazing!

After I was sure that my stomach is happy we headed to the hospital. Emanuele's bandages were falling apart so we had to take some actions. We had to use ribbons to fix the bandages which were falling away :D
We were definitely the main attraction in Hue that day. Locals and tourists were starring at us all the time. This, of course, gave us another material for making endless jokes. 

Emanuele looks happier than ever at day 2 of his recovery

Hue National Hospital is a pleasant place where the A/C works and everyone speaks English.

The moment the nurse saw the bandages wrapped around Emanuele's hands she asked, terrified:

"Who did this?"

Apparently the young doctor at the emergency room last night didn't do a brilliant job. The funniest thing is that after that, every time when we had to go to a hospital for a change of bandages we had been asked the same question. 

Of course neither me nor Emanuele had insurance so we had to pay for the medical treatment. At least, I have to say we choose the right country to crash with a motorbike. The treatment of Emanuele cost around 600 000 VND (aprx 27$). I mean, seriously? In how many countries you can get medical help for that price without insurance? :)

It was time for a bit of a sightseeing. We went to Bia Quốc Học Square. Here it is on the map:

Bia Quốc Học Square

If you go around the square you will find peaceful benches along Perfume river - another favorite spot in Hue.

It is written that in the autumn, flowers from orchards fall into the water, giving the river a perfume-like aroma. Well, maybe because I visited the city in the wrong season, but sorry... there was nothing like that :)

We had a walk in the park nearby and saw a beautiful sunset from one of the bridges over the river. 

After that we headed to another landmark in Hue - The Imperial City - an ancient palace in the heart of Hue. 

Within the Imperial City is The Purple Forbidden City (Tử cấm thành). The Purple Forbidden city was built in the early 1800s, when Hue was made the Capital of Vietnam by the last of the emperial dynasties - The Nguyen Dynasty. Originally it held over 300 buildings, but many has been destroyed by war.

My tip is to visit the place during the day (preferably early in the morning before it gets too hot) because at night the fortress is closed and the square is full of people. We couldn't see much of it but I'm sure there's a lot of history inside. 

Instead of that we headed back to our hotel. The day was extremely hot and even though we haven't had much of activities (if we don't count the hospital visit) we felt tired.

We found a great place to chill out nearby our hotel, called The Secret Lounge. It's a bit pricey but the atmosphere in this small, cosy yard is amazing. We had a few beers and tons of cold, refreshing herbal tea that comes on your table for free :)

With that photo from The Secret Lounge I will end my article about Hue:

If you are curious where our next adventure will take us, follow my blog and read the next story: learn how to get to The Paradise Cave - one of the most beautiful caves I have ever seen in my life, contemplate the amazing landscapes of Tam Cốc on a boat, and find many more spots from the beautiful nature of Vietnam.