Through the Hai Van Pass

On a journey through the land, Hai Van is always an attractive landscape. Hai Van is highest pass in the country, full of perilous obstacles and is the last spur of the Truong Son Range reaching to the sea. In “Phu Bien Tap Luc”, Le Qui Don, the Viet Nam scholar who lived in the XVII century wrote that Hai Van with its foot standing in the sea surface and its summit covered with clouds. The pass standings as a borderline divide Thuan Hoa and Quang Nam provinces.

On the top of the pass are the vestiges of long ago, a fortified gateway. The gate facing to Thua Thien province is inscribed with the three words “Hai Van gate” and the other gate looking down on Quang Nam province is engraved “the most grandiose gateway in the world”. In the XVI century this land belonged to Cham Kingdom and was given to the Dai Viet as an engagement present for the Princess Huyen Tran of the Tran Dynasty. The old story is only a memory, old vestiges covered with green moss, among vast spaces vast of plants and trees, tourists are filled with the emotions of the past.

Hai Van means winds and clouds. Winds like a herd of horses galloping a number of miles, clouds like pouring from haven. Cao Ba Quat, the poet living in the XVII century only respected apricot blossom (Nhat sinh de thu bai mai hoa) was surprised when he was before the landscape: Nhat bich ngung vi gioi – Trung van nhieu tac thanh. On the summit of Hai Van pass, a panorama of the Danang city, Tien Sa port, Son Tra peninsular, Cu Lao Cham and a long white sandy beach can be seen.

Whatever endowed by nature, time by time and by hands of man will be something of humanitarian values. Coming to Hai Van is to come to the sanction of two land, to satisfy the peak-conquering philosophy, to mix ourselves in to echo of heroic songs of Vietnamese ancients when they went to find new lands to be emotional to prolong past of the Center region where suffering a lot of losses in the course of finding and protecting the nation.

Visiting Hai Van Pass and Hai Van Gate

- Location: National Highway 1A, connecting Thua Thien – Hue Province and Danang. The pass is 20km long, lying on the mountain and facing the sea. The scenery is glorious and romantic. Destinations for visitors include:

- Southern Hai Van: 6km from the foot of Hai Van Pass. You can enjoy the whole view of Danang. When the train goes on the north-south railway along the mountainside, it looks like a snake crawling around the mountain and entering the cave. From here, you can also see the Danang Bay, the Han River and the Marble Moutains. At km 5-6, you can see Hoa Van, a small hamlet at the foot of the mountain with its rice fields and white sands. In the past, it was home for leprosy patients. After being treated, they remained here and built a village. The city authorities have built a resettlement area in Hoa Ninh Commune for these residents. The hamlet with beautiful sandy beaches will be developed into a large marine tourist zone.

- At the top of the Hai Van Pass: There is a parking area and shops. You can visit the Hai Van Gate and the Don Nhat Victory relic.

- Northern Hai Van: 1.5km from the northern foot of the Hai Van Pass. Here you can enjoy a beautiful fishing village and Lang Co beach.

- At the top of the pass, tourists can see clouds, even on the road surface. In rainy seasons, you can enjoy a waterfall from the peak to a deep valley.

You can aslo visit the Hai Van Pass Tunnel and its operation center.

Hai Van Pass

On the north – south nation highway, the Hai Van Pass is an impressive landscape. This is the highest pass in Vietnam (500m above sea level). This rugged pass is the final section of the Truong Son Range stretching to the sea. In Phu Bien Book, Le Quy Don said that Hai Van with its foot close to the sea and its head touching the sky is the border of Thuan Hoa and Quang Nam regions. Over six centuries ago, the land belonged to the O and Ri counties of the Cham Kingdom and was given as a wedding present by King Che Man to princess Huyen Tran of the Tran dynasty. Hai Van Pass is now the border of Thua Thien – Hue Province and Danang City.

At the top of the Pass, old relics still remain, including the gates and a fortress. The gate overlooking Thua Thien Temple is imprinted with three words: Hai Van Gate and the gate overlooking Quang Nam Province with The most grandiose gate. (The titles were given by King Le Thanh Ton when he visited the pass). Nowhere from the north to the south are as beautiful and magnificient as the Hai Van Pass. The windlng path along the mountain sides look like a long silky cloth hanging over the sky. Its name means a world of cloud and wind. From the pass, on nice days, visitors can enjoy the whole vista of Danang, the Tien Sa seaport, Son Tra Peninsula, Cham island and long sandy beaches.

The Hai Van Pass will satisfy your desire to conquer high peaks and remind you of the glorious past of the Viet people.

South Hai Van natural preservation zone

The 10,850 ha zone includes 9,764 ha of forest and forest land (2,993.4 ha of natural forest and 2,565.4 ha of cultivated forest), and 4,205ha of uncultivated land.

The South Hai Van forest borders the Bach Ma Natural Park of Thua Thien – Hue Province and Mt. Ba Na – Chua. This helps create an area for preserving and developing various kinds of animals which are in the danger of extinction. Hai Van makes the climate in its southern side (Danang) and northern side (Thua Thien – Hue) quite different. It helps reduce the effect of storms on Danang and regulate the salination of the Cu De River. The Hai Van zone is also rich in traditional cultural and historical values. It once marked the southward history of the Vietnamese people.

 The Hai Van Pass tunnel

The Hai Van Pass tunnel is the longest in Southeast Asia. It is also one of the biggest and the most modern tunnels in the world. It goes through the Hai Van Pass with a total length of 12.182 km. Of this, the main tunnel is 6.247km long. The tunnel goes from Lang Co of Phu Loc District of Thua Thien Hue Province to Hoa Hiep Ward, Lien Chieu District of Danang City.

The construction includes a main tunnel and a secondary tunnel. The main tunnel is 11.9 m wide. Connecting the two tunnels are 15 450m cross tunnels (including 11 tunnels for pedestrians and four for vehicles). It is equipped with ventilation facilites, dust filtering, electricity, camera and radio systems.

The work is the cooperation between Vietnam and Japan, South Korea, Austria and Switzeland and was constructed by Song Da Corporation and Cienco 6 company.

The tunnel has helped reduce traffic accidents, save fuel and increase transportation efficiency. Together with the Ho Chi Minh Road and the East-West Economic Corridor, the tunnel will open up many economic development opportunities with great potential.

The tunnel was opened to traffic in early 2005. Only cars, buses, trucks and motorcycles of at least 175 cc are allowed to go through the tunnel. Pedestrians, bicycles and motorbikes of under 175 cc are transported by special buses of the Tunnel Management Board. The Hai Van Pass is now a tourist attraction.