If you’re planning on going to Vietnam I’m sure you’ve heard of the Hai Van Pass AKA That Trip Top Gear Went And Did. Starting in either Hue or Hoi An and going via Da Nang beach, the windy road will take you on an exhilarating drive up through the clouds and around some of the Vietnamese coastline. You can either pay to rent a scooter for the day and get to the pass then drive back, or you can pay someone to take you and your luggage, or like us you can pay pretty much the same price to be part of a guided tour with everything included. If you fancy trying your luck driving it on your own, this guide will give you a rough idea on how to get there and where to stop.

Le Family Riders

Deciding fairly early on that I wanted a full day experience with lots of activities mashed in, I took up a tour with a local company in Hue: Le Family Riders. They are exactly what they say on the tin – family owned. All I had to do was email them to confirm the day and what time, and they would pick me up from my guesthouse and take me to the bikes.

Upon arrival, I was greeted by the whole family – son, cousin, daughter, father, mother. As they were (top) gearing me up for the ride with helmets and high vis vests, the mother took my luggage and loaded it into their family car as she would drive with us and drop it in Hoi An for when we arrive (so cute). As my bike riding skills aren’t exactly up to scratch, we opted for one bike. My boyfriend would drive and I’d just be chilling on the back (free to take as many pictures and videos of the Hai Van Pass as i like).

Leaving Hue

When leaving Hue the guides took us through the countryside and onto the busy Highway 1. This was challenging and I wasn’t even the one driving. Buses were whizzing past at 80km an hour, beeping loudly to let them through. Thanks to pretty much a near-death experience on a crazy bus heading to Ninh Binh, I knew all too well that Vietnamese bus drivers are ruthless when it comes to getting their way on the road. Luckily, the guides were well spread out within the group and would direct you to move over or slow down if there were any dodgy situations with bigger cars.

After about 45 minutes of driving (my bum had well and truly gone numb) we stopped at a local coffee shop on the side of the highway. Once again, family run. We were treated to Vietnamese coffee, cans of coke, and as many bottles of water as we liked. They even gave us baby wipes to get all that pollution and road dirt off our faces.

Elephant Waterfalls

After another 20 minutes or so of driving we headed off the highway and up into the mountains. We stopped us at a fresh water spring called Elephant Waterfalls. Here we got to get in under the waterfall, chill in the fresh water, and jump off rocks. Every 15 minutes or so the guides would throw a couple of cans of the local Huda beer into the water for you to refresh with.

I would recommend stopping here even if you’re not on a guided tour – It serves as a nice in between to refresh yourself and have a break from driving. With the tour entry and parking is included, but if you go on your own you’re looking to pay 30,000 VND (just over 1 USD) for parking and around 100,000 VND (around 4 USD) for swimming.

Lunch

After the waterfalls and just before we got to the Hai Van Pass we were treated to lunch in a local fishing village. This was and probably remains the best meal I have had in Asia so far. Once seated we were given plates upon plates of local food including fish, beef, and fresh fruit. The fish definitely deserves an honorable mention – we were treated to the biggest mussels I’ve ever seen, tiger prawns, fried squid, shrimp, and seafood spring rolls. I’ve never been so grateful for a plate of fish in my entire life.

Driving Hai Van Pass

Nicely refueled from lunch, it was time for the main attraction – The Hai Van Pass. I’d heard so much of this before and during my Vietnam trip, and I was pretty keen to get going. It was starting to get cloudy so we pretty much whizzed up to the top – stopping at some lookouts along the way. The drive was exhilarating, and I was happy I didn’t have to focus on driving so I could just take it all in. There were windy roads right along the side of the mountain, with lots of twists, turns, and bends all thrown in. Driving up you’re bound to see cows, baby goats on the road so be aware of what’s going on in front of you.

Once we’d driven the first half of the pass and got to the top we were treated to more Vietnamese coffee and a brief history of when the Americans used the top as an army lookout during the Vietnamese war. If you’re driving on your own, a lot of people (including day tours and many bike tours) stop here so if you wanna miss this part out and carry on down the other side you wouldn’t be missing out on much.

After about a 30 minute stop – we were back on the road to head back down the other side of the Hai Van Pass.

Driving Through Da Nang

We were running late on our tour so we hit Da Nang during peak rush hour. Luckily for us, we had the guides helping us navigate the crazy roads. Unless you’re an experienced driver I wouldn’t recommend getting stuck in the mix of all these scooters and cars – it can be quite overwhelming. We were also unlucky as, at this point, it had clouded over. Da Nang is famous for its long beach but we didn’t get to really see it in it’s prime. We did, however, stop at the Marble mountains which have many Buddha statues and pagodas which you can go inside.

Overall I found Da Nang fairly underwhelming. If you’re taking the trip on your own its completely up to you whether you stop here or just pass through – at this point on our tour I was tired and ready to get to Hoi An.

Worth it?

Going with Le Family Riders costs a little bit more than going solo or with a random who knows the route – but it is totally worth it! This was by far my favorite day in Vietnam and I would do it all over again with the same company. Overall it cost me about $40 for the whole day but that was including EVERYTHING so I didn’t have to worry about anything – they literally sort you right out.

If you’re planning on going along the Hai Van Pass with Le Family Riders you can book via their website and they do trips starting in either Hue or Hoi An.