Hai Van Quan gate
A fort's ruins at the summit.
Tran Anh Khoa (zorrotran) — CC BY-SA 2.0 · David McKelvey from Brisbane, Australia — CC BY 2.0 · Vyacheslav Argenberg — CC BY 4.0 · Vyacheslav Argenberg — CC BY 4.0
A 21-km mountain road over a spur of the Truong Son range that drops into the sea between Da Nang and Hue, and one of the finest coastal drives in Vietnam. Its name means «ocean cloud pass», after the mists that rise from the sea and often wrap the summit. It once marked the border between the kingdoms of Dai Viet and Champa, and in winter it still divides the cooler, wetter north from the warmer south. Since the Hai Van road tunnel opened in 2005, most trucks and buses take the tunnel, leaving the old road over the top to sightseers and riders. At the summit, about 500 metres up, stand the ruins of an old fortified gate, Hai Van Quan, looking south over Da Nang Bay and north over the Lang Co lagoon. The road became famous abroad in 2008, when the BBC's Top Gear called it one of the best coast roads in the world. The pass makes a half-day trip from Da Nang or a stop on the way to Hue, by car, motorbike tour or jeep tour. The summit is often in cloud from October to March; clear spring and summer mornings give the best views.
A fort's ruins at the summit.
The view to the north.
The view south over the city.
National Route 1 between Da Nang and Hue, about 30 km north of central Da Nang
Yes. The old road over the top links Da Nang and Hue, and many travellers stop at the summit instead of taking the tunnel.