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This is certainly one of the more random drives you'll find on this site, but this pleasant cruise through some of the rural foothill areas around Da Nang is not too long, and provides a great short trip for those looking to get out and see some countryside. It's a good practice cruise for those who are looking at getting into longer and deeper explorations, or a nice simple pleasure cruise for those who are looking for a short and easy mid morning or afternoon drive.
Along the way, this trip sees a number of interesting and random sights; none of them are particularly stand-out worthy by themselves, but with a steady stream of locally curious sights, it certainly is good for appreciating rural Vietnam and the charms it holds. |
This journey starts along the AH-17 in the very southwestern part of Da Nang City. Turning off the highway, the first section of road is not very fun. It's dusty, there are often big trucks, and the road has lots of loose gravel on it. Close your mouth, take it slow and you'll get through it in no time. This apocalyptic-looking landscape, where they've very nearly taken an entire hill down to nothing for construction fill to be used elsewhere, is not indicative of the rest of the drive, so rest assured once you get through this rough part it WILL get better.
First Detour - The Rock Quarries
The first of two possible detours on this road is found not far after leaving the highway. A road goes up into the most southerly of the valleys on the western side of the Phuoc Thuong Mountains, and in this valley are several impressive rock quarries. Essentially nothing more than giant gaping craters in the mountain side, workers here have removed thousands of tons of stone, most of it to be used for construction and industrial purposes. There are several sizable craters to be found in this area, but one of them is accessible to outside visitors, provided you follow the right path.
You might be asking, "why would I want to go visit a rock quarry?" Well, it sounds unorthodox, but, this rock quarry is surprising for several reasons, and once you go there and understand and see for yourself, you will understand as well. Basically, there are 3 things the quarry has going for it. The first is a neat micro-environment that is surprisingly rich in life. Because it is an artificial structure, and non-natural, the quarry has become a natural sink for the water, creating a lake that is constantly recharged by slow seeps from deep inside the mountain. Because of this, there are lots of insects (none that are bothersome), which has led to a rise in animals that feed on those insects (birds, insects, and reptiles), and these have in turn attracted large reptiles who prey on those. In this quarry I've managed to see snakes, frogs/toads, lizards, birds, fish, and small mammals.
The second is the quiet. This one is not a guaranteed, but if you time your visit around the middle of the day, or on a weekend, or rainy day, you might catch it in a time when the nearby rock quarries and their rock crushes are turned off. If that is the case, thanks to the enclosed nature of the pit, it blocks out any outside noise. The result is a nearly silent and peaceful environment literally on the other side of the mountain from the city!
The final neat thing is really targeted for geology nerds, and that is the interesting rocks that have been dug up and exposed in this quarry. These mountains were formed as part of a laccolithic intrusion, and the granite at their core has been metamorphosed into interesting new rocks. Just sifting around the rocks on the ground should reveal some interesting finds. |
To get here is pretty easy. After you come off the highway, travel for a few kilometers, until you cross a small bridge and you can look up into the valley to the east (right). Right before a turn to the left, hook it to the right on a smaller road. Stay on this as you cross a couple of fields, and eventually you will come to a gate in front of a rock quarry operation. At this point the big pit should be to your left. If the security guard stops you (may or may not be there) point to the big pic and say "ho nuoc, ho nuoc" (water lake, water lake) and keep pointing to it. They should let you by then. Do not turn left immediately; instead drive up the first hill onto the second level, and THEN turn and trend to the left. Once you get close enough to road is obvious, and just follow this all the way to the pit.
The big pit has a surprising twist though. During the rainy season and winter, a small stream of water comes out of the hillside, and falls down the slab of the quarry, creating a small, artificial, and pretty little waterfall. Due to it's small width, we nicknamed it "Ribbon Falls", but despite it's industrial origin and location it's actually kind of pretty. So, if you can catch this pit at a quiet time of day, when the water is quietly splashing in the background, it can actually be a great place to spend a little while relaxing.
Back to the main road, turn right onto it, but then immediately turn left onto a concrete path. Follow this road for a few kilometers until it intersects the highway. Along the way are some interesting abandoned houses, usually that have cows wandering in and around them, a brick factory, and some quiet villages and rice paddies. Once at the highway, go straight across. Keep it straight through the first intersection, and turn left at the second. Stay sharp because the next turn to the right comes up immediately. This long stretch of new road goes past several large fields of bitter melons, easily identifiable due to the A-frame racks the grow on. At the next intersection turn right. This is the actual Hoa Nhon Road itself.
Second Detour - Truoc Dong
The second possible detour of this route is a nice exploration into the area known as Truoc Dong. This area is nice to explore because it's a perfect example of a small, rural Vietnamese village, and there is a small irrigation reservoir tucked in the hills behind it. To make this detour, turn right almost immediately after you join the Hoa Nhon Road, just past the school. Follow this road, going left at the first T, and then right at the second. Around a corner and you'll see the local community center for the area, with the words "Nha Van Hoa Thon Truoc Dong" on it, and a beautiful field of rice paddies surrounded by tree-lined houses.
To visit the lake, stay on the road you are on, and do not turn left to go to the community center. Keep it pointed straight, and continue over a short rough patch. Around a couple of corners, a really interesting feature shows up in the form of a "tree tunnel". Here the trunk of a tree next to the road has grown out, over the road, and then down to the other side. Not a common sight and worth a quick picture. Continue on across the fields, and then turn left at the intersection of dirt roads once in the trees on the other side. Follow this road until you reach the spillway of the lake, where you can park your bike and walk down to the lake itself.
Return to Truoc Dong the way you came. There's one more thing worth visiting in this village, which is the dinh just past the community center. There's a beautiful arch here and some interesting statues. Worth checking out for a few minutes anyway. There's a small coffeshop between the dinh and the community center and it makes a great place to hang out for a few minutes and relax. After you've had your fill, turn around and head back to the main Hoa Nhon Road, and turn right.
Once on the main road again, the small villages continue for the next stretch of road. There's not much difference between any of them, and rather than having one knot of people in one place, the villages tend to be much more stretched out along the road. After a handful of kilometers the small town of Dieu Phong comes up. The biggest claim to fame Dieu Phong has is that just west of town is the confluence of the Tuy Loan and Lo Dong Rivers. These two drainages drain the northern, eastern, and southern slopes of the Ba Na Hills uplift, and make up 2/3rds of the rivers that drain Da Nang's immediate foothills (the other 1/3 is the Cu De River to the north). Although it doesn't look like much, the area that is drained by just these two rivers is surprisingly large and covers a lot of the areas around the city, including the Phuoc Thuong Mountains just west of Da Nang, and the Hoa Khuong valley to the south.
Beyond the confluence, it isn't far to the town of Hoi Phuoc. Here, the road intersects with the Hoa Phu - Ba Na Hills cutoff road, and you've got to make a choice. Both ways will take you back to Da Nang; turning right (north) will take you to the Ba Na Hills superhighway, and turning left (south) will take you to the 14-G (the Road to Prao). To get to "Mystery Lake", we will need to turn left. However, before you do that, turn right, and drive about 5 meters to the bridge over the Tuy Loan River. This bridge offers a fantastic view of Ba Na Hills, provided the clouds haven't covered it up. The river flowing in the foreground, sometimes flanked by buffaloes or workers in the conical nong la hats, with the mountain rising behind, makes for great photographs.
Once you've had your fill of photographs, turn around and drive 50 meters and then turn right. There is a sign that says "Nui Than Tai 4 km" with an arrow to the left; this is the eventual exit for people back to the city, but for now head right. Just down the road is a coffeeshop on the left, next to a large square pond. This coffeeshop, "Cafe Ho Diep", is owned by a friendly family, and the lake is a good place to watch for birds and other wildlife and relax in the peace and quiet for a while. Good coffee too. Down the road just a couple hundred meters, through the village of Hoi Phuoc, around a couple of corners an intersection with 3 routes comes up. Take the middle track, on the slightly overgrown path, (which may have a small amount of water on it), and just 15 meters down this road is the dam.
"Mystery Lake"
The lake is quite beautiful. It's not terribly big, but it has some 2nd growth forests surrounding it, and the obvious bulk of Ba Na Hills rising majestically above it definitely helps make it quite lovely. However, on either side of it are some interesting compounds, surrounded by some fairly intense fences. Consisting of a couple rows of small warehouses, each outfitted with a large fan, the compounds are obviously private and whomever runs them doesn't want any visitors. There is also an interesting smell that permeates the air; while it's not offensive, it's not 100% agreeable, and just smells kind of....strange. Without a real name for this name yet, the nickname "Mystery Lake" kind of stuck.
For those willing to walk a little bit, you can reach a nice place in the forest to hang out and enjoy some nature. Park the bikes at the dam, and then walk to the right (facing the lake) around it's northeastern shore. After a 10 minute stroll, you will come to an interesting feature where a creek comes out of the reservoir not at it's base, but out of a random arm. The forest has been cut, so it's only 2nd growth forests, but once you get past the warehouses it is usually quiet and pleasant. When you've had your fill, head back to the bikes.
From here, there's not much else to see, so it's time to head back to the city. Head back past Cafe Ho Diep, to the intersection with the Nui Than Tai sign. From here you can either turn left, and head back via the Ba Na Hills superhighway. Or, you can turn right and head to the 14-G, which will take you back to Tuy Loan and the AH-17, and ultimately Da Nang. Both ways will take relatively the same time.
The total time for this trip should be about 3-4 hours, but that is with stops for photos and coffees and what not. You could probably blitz the whole thing from city to city in about 90 minutes if you wanted to. This road can really be driven any time of year, but beware of mud near the Rock Quarry and on the road to Ho Truoc Dong if you go in the rainy season. It might not be so great in the middle of June as well, but spring and autumn are great times to go.
The total time for this trip should be about 3-4 hours, but that is with stops for photos and coffees and what not. You could probably blitz the whole thing from city to city in about 90 minutes if you wanted to. This road can really be driven any time of year, but beware of mud near the Rock Quarry and on the road to Ho Truoc Dong if you go in the rainy season. It might not be so great in the middle of June as well, but spring and autumn are great times to go.
The Map
All photos copyright Kit Davidson.
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