| Day 5 Border Crossing From Xepon, Laos to Houng Hoa, Vietnam Kilometers 65 Miles 39 |
Note - Money changer women at the border normally rip off
foreigners. If possible change money at one of the big hotels
in Lao Bao or at the bank in Lao Bao. You can pay with
dollars and wait for the first ATM in Dong Ho to get money.
Ride/Road - Hwy 9 Loa side - Newly sealed road, with wide
shoulder and painted lines. The highlight of the ride is the
scenery. The last two days we have pedaled by some of the
nicest views in the country. We passed many traditional
villages with enthusiastic locals bidding us farewell. The
mountains, jungle and river crossings are breathtaking.
Hills - Very undulating. Up and down all the way to the
border. We felt some of the ups. Very few flat moments.
Weather - Headwind at times very hard.
Dan Savan, Laos has a few guesthouses that looked very
basic and run down. Lots of restaurants, mini-markets and
an open market to spend your last kip.
Border crossing - Very easy and quick on both sides. We
had gotten our Vietnam visa in Vientiane but for some
unknown reason the border guard only gave us 20 days
instead of the normal 30 days. He said is had something to
do with the days we declared at the Vietnamese Embassy
as to our entry date.
We were the only people exiting Lao and the only people
entering Vietnam at this border crossing. It was Saturday
around 10:30 a.m. Neither border charged us an exit tax or
an entry tax.
Lao Bao town, is a very modern and build up border town
compared to Dan Savan, the border town on the Lao side. A
couple of nice new hotels on the main street the Sepon Hotel
and another next door, on the main road (Hwy 9) heading
west. Plenty of internet cafes, restaurants and a huge new
Cho (market) building with lots of shops, food vendors, food
stalls, fresh fruit and vegetables. You can't miss it. It's a very
modern looking building on the right side as you cross the
border.
There is a bank just across the street from the Cho (market)
that supposedly changes money and has an ATM. We're
unable to verify this information because we crossed the
border on a Sunday and the bank was closed.
We changed our few remaining kip into dong at one of the
new hotels. Not the best rate. Beware of the money
changing girls offering their services at the border. We
heard that they can be tricky with their exchange rate so we
chose to pedal by them and take our chances in town.
Ride/Road - Vietnam - Hwy 9 east. The road out of Lao Bao
to Houng Hoa is sealed with a nice wide shoulder.
Hills - The 20 kilometers to Houng Hao is undulating with one
6% grade hill. It is a gradual climb that ends when you see
the American tank at the summit on your left. After the
summit the road continues to go up and down but nothing
major.
Weather - The headwind would find us every so often
throughout the day. It was at its worst in the morning.
Houng Hoa is a small town perched on the side of the
mountains among the tea plantations. It has plenty of shops,
places to eat and local markets.
A thick fog descended on the town as we entered around
2:00 p.m. It was very windy and chilly. The surrounding hills
are very fertile, covered with farming plots and traditional
homes with shutters and a flare of French influence. Found
plenty of shops, restaurants and another guesthouse west of
the Nhat Tan Hotel. Also found a good open market (west of
the hotel) with vegetables, fresh baguettes, tofu and fruit.
Slept - Nhat Tan Hotel
Cost - $10.00 (quoted and paid in dollars)
Location - Just west of Houng Hoa town on the right hand
side if heading east.
Amenities - Our room was in the low range. The prices went
up as high $18.00. Our room was small, on the first floor with
one double bed, en suite bath with hot shower and western
toilet together, TV (no English channels), fan (not needed).
Small table with two chairs with a porcelain tea set.
The walls around the room did not reach the ceiling. Light,
noise and wind from the back door blew into our room. The
room also had vents all around the bathroom that opened up
to the outside.
Bicycles were locked in a garage building in the back of the
hotel. Very safe.
NOTE: The receptionist at the hotel took our passports and
kept them while we stayed at the hotel. Supposedly the
police come into hotels on a regular basis and verify the
guest list with the passports. Holding on to your passport is
customary at the majority of the hotels in Vietnam.
foreigners. If possible change money at one of the big hotels
in Lao Bao or at the bank in Lao Bao. You can pay with
dollars and wait for the first ATM in Dong Ho to get money.
Ride/Road - Hwy 9 Loa side - Newly sealed road, with wide
shoulder and painted lines. The highlight of the ride is the
scenery. The last two days we have pedaled by some of the
nicest views in the country. We passed many traditional
villages with enthusiastic locals bidding us farewell. The
mountains, jungle and river crossings are breathtaking.
Hills - Very undulating. Up and down all the way to the
border. We felt some of the ups. Very few flat moments.
Weather - Headwind at times very hard.
Dan Savan, Laos has a few guesthouses that looked very
basic and run down. Lots of restaurants, mini-markets and
an open market to spend your last kip.
Border crossing - Very easy and quick on both sides. We
had gotten our Vietnam visa in Vientiane but for some
unknown reason the border guard only gave us 20 days
instead of the normal 30 days. He said is had something to
do with the days we declared at the Vietnamese Embassy
as to our entry date.
We were the only people exiting Lao and the only people
entering Vietnam at this border crossing. It was Saturday
around 10:30 a.m. Neither border charged us an exit tax or
an entry tax.
Lao Bao town, is a very modern and build up border town
compared to Dan Savan, the border town on the Lao side. A
couple of nice new hotels on the main street the Sepon Hotel
and another next door, on the main road (Hwy 9) heading
west. Plenty of internet cafes, restaurants and a huge new
Cho (market) building with lots of shops, food vendors, food
stalls, fresh fruit and vegetables. You can't miss it. It's a very
modern looking building on the right side as you cross the
border.
There is a bank just across the street from the Cho (market)
that supposedly changes money and has an ATM. We're
unable to verify this information because we crossed the
border on a Sunday and the bank was closed.
We changed our few remaining kip into dong at one of the
new hotels. Not the best rate. Beware of the money
changing girls offering their services at the border. We
heard that they can be tricky with their exchange rate so we
chose to pedal by them and take our chances in town.
Ride/Road - Vietnam - Hwy 9 east. The road out of Lao Bao
to Houng Hoa is sealed with a nice wide shoulder.
Hills - The 20 kilometers to Houng Hao is undulating with one
6% grade hill. It is a gradual climb that ends when you see
the American tank at the summit on your left. After the
summit the road continues to go up and down but nothing
major.
Weather - The headwind would find us every so often
throughout the day. It was at its worst in the morning.
Houng Hoa is a small town perched on the side of the
mountains among the tea plantations. It has plenty of shops,
places to eat and local markets.
A thick fog descended on the town as we entered around
2:00 p.m. It was very windy and chilly. The surrounding hills
are very fertile, covered with farming plots and traditional
homes with shutters and a flare of French influence. Found
plenty of shops, restaurants and another guesthouse west of
the Nhat Tan Hotel. Also found a good open market (west of
the hotel) with vegetables, fresh baguettes, tofu and fruit.
Slept - Nhat Tan Hotel
Cost - $10.00 (quoted and paid in dollars)
Location - Just west of Houng Hoa town on the right hand
side if heading east.
Amenities - Our room was in the low range. The prices went
up as high $18.00. Our room was small, on the first floor with
one double bed, en suite bath with hot shower and western
toilet together, TV (no English channels), fan (not needed).
Small table with two chairs with a porcelain tea set.
The walls around the room did not reach the ceiling. Light,
noise and wind from the back door blew into our room. The
room also had vents all around the bathroom that opened up
to the outside.
Bicycles were locked in a garage building in the back of the
hotel. Very safe.
NOTE: The receptionist at the hotel took our passports and
kept them while we stayed at the hotel. Supposedly the
police come into hotels on a regular basis and verify the
guest list with the passports. Holding on to your passport is
customary at the majority of the hotels in Vietnam.