| Day 6 Doung Hoa to Dong Ha, Vietnam Kilometers 64 Miles 40.4 |
Ride/Road - Hwy 9. Completely sealed. Downhill coming
out of Doung Hoa. Wet, slippery ride. Lots of red mud on the
road that is more like a clay.
Wide shoulder with pebbles and a few potholes.
Traffic was moderate to light, with some moments of heavy
traffic with vehicles passing on the shoulder. Vietnamese
drivers (vehicles and scooters) honk to warn others that they
are coming. It is a bit alarming and deafening at times.
Hills - After the downhill out of Doung Hoa that lasts for
several kilometers the road becomes undulated with a
couple of good climbs.
The final 20 kilometers are pancake flat.
Weather - Misty, foggy, chilly, muddy, gray, cloudy, gloomy.
Since we entered Vietnam the weather has been completely
overcast, rainy, with a heavy mist and muddy. The wet
conditions made for a slippery ride.
A mild headwind on the way to Dong Ha.
Dong Ha is a large, modern city with moderate traffic level. It
is very built up with wide streets. There are stores, internet
cafes, tourist agencies, guesthouse, hotels and restaurants.
The city is divided by a bridge. As we entered town from
Hwy 9 we continued across the bridge toward Hwy 1 and the
bus station on Le Duan Street, which is also Hwy 1.
Cho (market) Dong Ha is on Le Duan Street (hwy 1) toward
Hanoi (north) about 1 kilometer (.6 mile) from the bus station,
on same side. Huge market with large fresh food section
with vegetables, fruits, fresh bread, tofu, dry goods, teas,
coffee and packaged goods such as chips, cookies and
other snack food. Food vendors and stalls are set up all
around the market.
There are plenty of places to eat sleep, eat and shop. Most
guesthouses and hotel have a restaurant attached or very
close by and some offer free breakfast.
Central markets in Vietnam are normally inside a large
building. They are more like a mall with fresh food, clothes,
appliances, sundries, dry goods, etc. in one enormous
complex. We enjoyed walking around the Cho Dong Ha
(market) looking at the Vietnamese products and interacting
with the vendors.
Vietnamese have lively personalities with a healthy sense of
humor. They are very open to interacting with foreigners and
we've found them very polite, enjoyable and extremely helpful.
Slept - Hieu Giang Hotel
Location - 183 Le Duan (Hwy 1) Across the street from the
bus station
Cost - $10.00 Note - The price range as of this writing is
$10.00 - $18.00. No breakfast.
Amenities - Two double beds, large, elegant room with
balcony, fridge, a/c, en suite bath with tub, shower with hot
water. Good, well priced food at restaurant attached.
Bikes were safely locked in a room in the lobby.
Other accommodations in town - There are several hotels
and guesthouses in the city mostly on Hwy 1. We passed a
big, new hotel 4 kilometers (2.4 miles) west of town as we
entered.
Dong Ha, Vietnam
Rest Day - Side Trip - DMZ Tour (No bicycles)
Dong Ha is close to many of the historical sites created by
Vietnam War around the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and the
city has plenty of agencies that put together 1/2 day and all
day tours of the surrounding area.
We set up the tour at the DMZ café across the street from our
hotel and met up with two other travelers from the US,
Shannon and Zack who are backpacking through all of
Southeast Asia.
The four of us negotiated for a mini-van and an guide to take
us to the DMZ line at the 17th parallel along the Ben Hai
River, the beginning of the Ho Chi Minh Trail, two North
Vietnamese military cemeteries, and the Vihn Moc tunnels.
We also visited the homes of locals that farm the land and
continue to find unexploded bombs, ammunition, grenades
and other military equipment used during the war. The locals
melt the metal that is then use to make all sorts of other
things such as utensils.
The tour began at 8:00 a.m. and we were back in Dong Ha
around 3:00 p.m. It cost $12.00/person, including admission
to the tunnels. (Lunch not included). The day was very cold,
windy and muddy, but well-worth it. The guide really makes
the trip. Our guide was an older man that had lived in the
south with his family during the Vietnam war. The stories
about his experience made this historical episode come to
life.
Another option is to take the tour from the city of Hue, south
of Dong Ha. That tour leaves at 6:00 a.m. and returns to Hue
at 8:00 p.m. on a bus with 30 people and costs around
$10.00. Sites visited varies depending on the tour.
out of Doung Hoa. Wet, slippery ride. Lots of red mud on the
road that is more like a clay.
Wide shoulder with pebbles and a few potholes.
Traffic was moderate to light, with some moments of heavy
traffic with vehicles passing on the shoulder. Vietnamese
drivers (vehicles and scooters) honk to warn others that they
are coming. It is a bit alarming and deafening at times.
Hills - After the downhill out of Doung Hoa that lasts for
several kilometers the road becomes undulated with a
couple of good climbs.
The final 20 kilometers are pancake flat.
Weather - Misty, foggy, chilly, muddy, gray, cloudy, gloomy.
Since we entered Vietnam the weather has been completely
overcast, rainy, with a heavy mist and muddy. The wet
conditions made for a slippery ride.
A mild headwind on the way to Dong Ha.
Dong Ha is a large, modern city with moderate traffic level. It
is very built up with wide streets. There are stores, internet
cafes, tourist agencies, guesthouse, hotels and restaurants.
The city is divided by a bridge. As we entered town from
Hwy 9 we continued across the bridge toward Hwy 1 and the
bus station on Le Duan Street, which is also Hwy 1.
Cho (market) Dong Ha is on Le Duan Street (hwy 1) toward
Hanoi (north) about 1 kilometer (.6 mile) from the bus station,
on same side. Huge market with large fresh food section
with vegetables, fruits, fresh bread, tofu, dry goods, teas,
coffee and packaged goods such as chips, cookies and
other snack food. Food vendors and stalls are set up all
around the market.
There are plenty of places to eat sleep, eat and shop. Most
guesthouses and hotel have a restaurant attached or very
close by and some offer free breakfast.
Central markets in Vietnam are normally inside a large
building. They are more like a mall with fresh food, clothes,
appliances, sundries, dry goods, etc. in one enormous
complex. We enjoyed walking around the Cho Dong Ha
(market) looking at the Vietnamese products and interacting
with the vendors.
Vietnamese have lively personalities with a healthy sense of
humor. They are very open to interacting with foreigners and
we've found them very polite, enjoyable and extremely helpful.
Slept - Hieu Giang Hotel
Location - 183 Le Duan (Hwy 1) Across the street from the
bus station
Cost - $10.00 Note - The price range as of this writing is
$10.00 - $18.00. No breakfast.
Amenities - Two double beds, large, elegant room with
balcony, fridge, a/c, en suite bath with tub, shower with hot
water. Good, well priced food at restaurant attached.
Bikes were safely locked in a room in the lobby.
Other accommodations in town - There are several hotels
and guesthouses in the city mostly on Hwy 1. We passed a
big, new hotel 4 kilometers (2.4 miles) west of town as we
entered.
Dong Ha, Vietnam
Rest Day - Side Trip - DMZ Tour (No bicycles)
Dong Ha is close to many of the historical sites created by
Vietnam War around the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and the
city has plenty of agencies that put together 1/2 day and all
day tours of the surrounding area.
We set up the tour at the DMZ café across the street from our
hotel and met up with two other travelers from the US,
Shannon and Zack who are backpacking through all of
Southeast Asia.
The four of us negotiated for a mini-van and an guide to take
us to the DMZ line at the 17th parallel along the Ben Hai
River, the beginning of the Ho Chi Minh Trail, two North
Vietnamese military cemeteries, and the Vihn Moc tunnels.
We also visited the homes of locals that farm the land and
continue to find unexploded bombs, ammunition, grenades
and other military equipment used during the war. The locals
melt the metal that is then use to make all sorts of other
things such as utensils.
The tour began at 8:00 a.m. and we were back in Dong Ha
around 3:00 p.m. It cost $12.00/person, including admission
to the tunnels. (Lunch not included). The day was very cold,
windy and muddy, but well-worth it. The guide really makes
the trip. Our guide was an older man that had lived in the
south with his family during the Vietnam war. The stories
about his experience made this historical episode come to
life.
Another option is to take the tour from the city of Hue, south
of Dong Ha. That tour leaves at 6:00 a.m. and returns to Hue
at 8:00 p.m. on a bus with 30 people and costs around
$10.00. Sites visited varies depending on the tour.