Ride day 15: Khe Sanh to Huế
6 June 2016
We started the day with a quick pack up at the guest house that has been our home for the past two nights, then nipped across the road for a delicious breakfast; pho bo (beef pho). We were joined at breakfast by another couple who had stayed at the guest house, Stephen and Susie who were also doing the ride north to south on Honda Win’s, but on a considerably tighter timescale. We enjoyed breakfast and a chat together, sharing stories and bike tips, before saying farewells and hitting the road.
We set off out of Khe Sanh heading east away from the Laos border. A quick fuel stop on the edge of town after the epic ride from Phong Nha had left our tanks empty. As we start to wind down the road, there are a lot of trucks, most likely having come in across the Laos border. We approach a significant checkpoint on the road, but as we get closer the guards there seem disinterested in two westerners on motorbikes and wave us through. It looked like some form of secondary customs checkpoint, with mainly trucks being stopped and checked.
From here the road winds steeply down the hill. Still relatively busy, the good quality road enabled us to outrun the trucks after the checkpoint. We manage a relatively clear run through until the hydro electric station at the bottom of the hill, where we take a quick stop to grab some snacks before turning off on to the smaller QL14 to the south.
The road is immediately so much quieter than the QL9. There’s the usual local motorbike traffic, and the occasional Laos registered 4WD blasting along. The road itself is stunning, it runs along the side of the river and has excellent winding tarmac with almost no potholes. We cruised along at a decent pace, taking in the views and really enjoying the ride.
After about 30km down the road there was a small junction, where we took a slight wrong turn. A small bridge crossed the river where a few locals were washing themselves and clothes in the shallow water. It looked very inviting in the heat of the day. After correcting our path and re-crossing the river, we stopped at a small local shop for some snacks and drinks. The orange drinks we bought were exceptionally strong in flavour, one with strange jelly pieces in the drink. We ended up pouring one of them in to a two litre bottle of water to dilute it. Even then, it was a very strong taste. The snack wafer biscuits were amazing. Just as well, since they came in a box of 40 packs of four biscuits!
A continuation down the road, with the mountains to our left and river to our right. We start to enter a series of small towns, strung out along the length of the road. There are a number of signs at the side of the road marking memorials and areas of interest. So we decide to stop and take a look. It just so happens that the one we stopped at marked the way up to Hamburger Hill. We decide to take the detour, and off we go up the very narrow unmarked roads to the right up towards the Laos border. Two failed attempts, and we ride back to the start point on the main road. Re reading the sign and with the added help of maps.me app we think we now know the way, and so start off again up the narrow roads. There are a lot of small junctions and no signage. We keep on going, starting to wind up the hill on ever narrowing and rougher paths (you could no longer call them roads). A small stream crossing and then a series of very steep very narrow paths and we arrive at the final steps to the top of hamburger hill. It’s the middle of the day and the sun is beating down. We stop for a very quick walk through the forest tunnels on the side of the hill, after stashing motorbikes under bushes. There is no one else at all around, and only the scars on the hills around give any indication of a major war here.
On the ride back down, once we got back to the small roads through the back of the little town, we stopped at a very small local shop to get some cold drinks and some amazing squid flavoured peanut snacks.
After re joining the QL14, it’s just a short blast to the turn off east towards Hue. As soon as we make the turn, the road gets instantly busier. A lot of bikes and also very large very slow moving forestry trucks. We pass a few trucks as we climb steeply up the hill. There are forestry operations all around us, with trucks being loaded to the max with freshly cut wood. As we get over the top of the hill and start down the other side, the road quietens for a while with just a few locals on motorbikes. Once on the flat valley floor, the road instantly gets hectic again, with trucks flying along the road and leaving very little room as they pass motorbikes. One truck passes so close to Tracey on this section, that she’s forced to ride on the dirt strip at the edge of the road. A place to ride with extra care!
We can now see what we assume to be Huế in front of us, as we ride alongside a big river. There are a couple of tomb complexes alongside the road at this point that look quite spectacular. A climb over a small hill next to one of these tombs, and then a gentle downhill ride through the outskirts of Huế. As we get closer to the citadel / centre of Hue, the maps.me app points us to go straight on. At the very last minute on this very busy wide city street we spot that it turns in to a one way street. A fairly embarrassing stop and slow U turn in front of opposing traffic and then a drop down to the Huế Perfume River.
We take the chance to stop at a small cafe for an amazing iced coffee / chocolate and look at hotel options for the night. The place we have booked for the following five nights is unavailable for the night, so we opt for the Alba Spa Hotel as a treat, it’s just a short 2km ride away.
The ride becomes slightly eventful as in rush hour traffic Tracey gets cut up and ends up overtaking me on a major roundabout and takes the wrong turn. Leaving me to chase her down and then retrace our steps.
On checking in to the hotel we know we’ve chosen well. There’s a hot and cold jacuzzi downstairs which we immediately opt to take an hour and chill out in.
Then after showers we head out to get a few supplies from local shop, and return to hotel to rest room service for the night (first hotel we have seen with it, and had a delicious cheeseburger and local Pho washed down with a few ice cold beers).
Full days route here:
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