24 September 2017
While staying at Banyan Tree Lang Co, we joined the eco-tour of the Canh Duong area, organised by the hotel.
In the tour group were other hotel guests, plus a group of young men and women from the hotel’s reservation team and our guide named Hung who spoke excellent English.
Our first stop was at a fishing village a short drive away. A few local fishermen were waiting to take us for a ride on the iconic round “basket boat” or thung chai.
Local Vietnamese fisherman preparing the basket boats to take us for a tour of the waterways and lagoon near Lang Co.
Hung told us that this basket boat was invented during the French colonial era. When French arrived in Vietnam, they began to levy a tax on the ownership of boats. Most of the poor Vietnamese fishermen who depended on boats for their livelihood could not afford to pay the taxes. So, the ingenious Vietnamese invented a new type of “boat” woven from bamboo strips and coated with tar for waterproofing. This round basket “boat” is functional but technically not a wooden boat, so escaped the tax. Ingenious.
Look at the wake created by this fast moving basket boat!
We sat on the edge of the basket boat, up to 4 persons per boat. We found that the thung chai is surprising agile and fast.
I watched the teenage boy who was rowing my thung chai and learnt the technique. The proper technique is to move the paddle back and forth through the water in an arcing motion at the “front”. I was given the chance to row the boat. My boat did not spin round in circles and actually made relatively good progress for a first timer.
Part of the maintenance required is the yearly re-coating of the tar and my boat was overdue for maintenance! It was leaking a bit and some bailing with a small white hand-held bucket was required.
Water at the bottom of the leaky “basket boat” or thung chai.
We were given the chance to catch some fish using the floating gills nets. These nets were laid across the flow of the slow flowing river to trap fishes swimming up or down stream.
We let out the nets from our round basket boats. We would come back to haul them up later to check if we caught anything.
Life as a fisherman in this area is tough. After an hour in the sun, we caught nothing but a few small crabs and a couple of small fish. Most of the catch is sold locally or made into fish sauce.
We chat with the teenage fisherman who was rowing my boat. He speaks a little English, having learnt it in the village school. He is the youngest son of the fisherman and his wife who are rowing the other two basket boats. He is the only one in the family learning the fishing trade from his parents. Like most young Vietnamese, his older siblings prefer working in the cities compared to the hard life of a fisherman.
An easier way to catch fish in the Vietnamese river would be by using the square lift nets.
Square lift nets commonly found in rivers of Vietnam.
The net is lowered into the water at sunset. Lanterns are lit during the darkness to attract the fishes and crustaceans. The fisherman will raise the net before sunrise to catch the fishes having a party below the lights. There is a small opening at the centre of the huge net that could be opened to allow easier harvesting of the catch. Once again, ingenious!
Our excellent guide giving us plenty of information during our tour.
We had a fun time on the river, including time to inspect wild oysters growing on the roots of the mangrove trees and listening to Hung, our knowledgeable guide who shared plenty of insights to life in Central Vietnam, including stories, history and tips for visitors to Hue and Hoi An.
Our next destination is the Hai Van Pass. On the way there, we made a short stop by the Lap An lagoon and a lookout point where we could see the place where Lap An lagoon meets the sea.
Lap An lagoon with cloud-covered mountain range in the back.
Lookout point where Lap An lagoon meets the sea. Lang Co beach, with its fine white sand, is the best beach along the coast of Central Vietnam.
Here, we could see the long stretch of white sand beach that is the Lang Co beach. Hung told us that this stretch of Lang Co beach, with its fine white sand, is the best beach along the coast of Central Vietnam.
Next to the road and running along the coast is the tracks of the narrow gauge railway. This is for the only train service linking the north and south of Vietnam. Travel from Hanoi in the north to Ho Chi Minh City would take about 34 hours, covering a distance of 1726 kilometers. Slow but scenic ride if one has plenty of time to spare.
The lookout point marks the start of the road up Hai Van Pass. Hai Van Pass is situated along the Hai Van mountainside between Hue and Danang. With a height of 500m above sea level, and a length of 21km, this is the highest and longest pass in Vietnam. It crosses over a spur of the Truong Son mountain range that juts out into the sea and serves as a geological and geographical dividing line. It forms a physical boundary between the north and the south of Vietnam, and has been considered an important strategic frontier post along the north-south road in the past.
“Hai Van Pass” is translated to mean “Ocean Cloud Pass”. Hai Van Pass probably get this name as the peak of the mountain is mostly covered in clouds while its foot is close to the sea.
Old architectural relics at the top of Hai Van Pass. The tallest brick structure is the Hai Van Gate.
There were stalls selling souvenirs, drinks and snacks at the car park at the top of the pass. We went straight up a path on what used to be a rampart to an architectural relic that was once the Hai Van Gate, built in 1826, during the reign of Emperor Minh Mang.
This gate used to control access between Hue (the ancient capital city) and the southern part of Vietnam.
Hai Van Gate, built in 1826, during the reign of Emperor Minh Mang.
The side of the gate facing Thua Thien-Hue Province is inscribed with the 3 words “Hai Van Quan” (Hai Van Gate).
There was more interesting history lessons about Vietnam, in particular the Cham kingdom and the Nguyen Dynasty, from Hung once we arrived at the gate. The information on the 13 kings of the last Nguyen Dynasty was great as it allowed us to appreciate our visit to the Citadel and the imperial tombs in Hue later during our trip.
We saw quite a fair bit of tourists on motor-cycles at the top and along the Hai Van Pass. Apparently, riding along this winding road up and down the sides of the mountain on a motor-bike was made popular in an episode in the Top Gear. Personally, I think there are more exciting and challenging mountain passes than this road.
There were some old bunkers, built during the Vietnam war that can be explored or climbed, at one’s own risk.
View from the top of the Hai Van Pass. On nice days, one can admire Lang Co beach to the north and spot the winding road leading up to the mountain top. Climbing the old crumbling US-built war bunkers is at own risks.
View of Da Nang city on the South side from the top of Hai Van Pass.
We had time to explore the old war bunkers, built by the US during the Vietnam War, as well old stone relics built during the Nguyen dynasties.
Bullets holes and damages caused by bombing during the Vietnam are visible on these old buildings.
The top of the Hai Van Pass was our last stop for the tour. On the way down from Hai Van Pass, we were slightly held up by an accident along the narrow mountain road. Some heavy equipment had been dislodged from a large trailer. A mobile crane was on hand to remove the obstacles.
I get to see the cool and level headedness of the local people. No tempers, no impatient honking. Here the locals and just rolled up their sleeves to solve a problem and clear a narrow passage through the obstacles on the road. The motorcycles and cars then took turns to squeeze through and we were soon on our way.
The Banyan Tree staff that were on the tour with us took the initiatives to call back to the resort to extend the closing time of the Saffron restaurant and buffet lunch for our group.
Overall, it had been an enjoyable day out.
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