Travel the Hai Van Pass by Open Top Jeep

Travel the Hai Van Pass, was one of the first things we wrote down on a travel bucket list when we were a couple of 16 year olds running up outrageously expensive phone bills. Anyhow, fast forward nine years and what better time to research this epic road trip than whilst we’re living in Hanoi. The pass was made popular by that Top Gear Vietnam Special episode, so we started researching ways to travel this 21km stretch of coastal road running along the cliffs between Da Nang and Hue. Though there was one condition, we did not want to ride or be driven on a motorbike. So, that’s when we discovered Road Trippers Vietnam, who kindly gifted a place on their Hai Van Pass Jeep tour.

So let’s backtrack a little, for my birthday we were already planning to visit Da Nang, Hoi An and Hue, we thought we would kill two birds with one stone and jumped at the chance to take the Hai Van pass. The route is most commonly travelled by motorbike but as with the rest of our trip across Asia, we don’t do motorbikes or mopeds. Four wheeled transport or by foot is how we roll (or walk), which meant the Hai Van Pass Jeep tour with Roadtrippers Vietnam was exactly what we were looking for.

If you, like us, want to travel the Hai Van Pass but don’t do two wheel transport, then the Road Trippers Hai Van Pass Jeep tour is the way to go. Kick back and enjoy the beautiful views and tick off this awesome road trip from the back of an open top jeep. The tour comes with a driver and a tour guide who will provide you with in depth knowledge about the stops along the route.

MORE ABOUT THE HAI VAN Pass

The Hải Vân Pass, is an epic 21 km stretch of mountain pass in Vietnam. It runs along the edge of the Annamite Range right on the east coast between Hoi An and Hue. The total distance of the tour is around 140 km’s and will take you around 3/4 hours to complete. We got picked up from our lovely hotel in Hoi An and were dropped off at our hotel in Hue – very impressed with the door to door service. We took the Road Trippers Vietnam tour from Hoi An to Hue but you can also book the tour from north-south or south-north. Either way, if you’re travelling through Vietnam it is likely you will visit this region, so turn your journey into a truly unique adventure by travelling in an open top jeep.

Stops En Route

Aside from taking in the gorgeous views offered by the pass, there are a surprising amount of things to do along the way.

After leaving the beautiful town of Hoi An (more than worth a visit btw) you will stop at the Marble Mountains. As we had been staying in Da Nang earlier in the week we had already visited the Mountains so we told the guide and she said we could just get moving to allow for more time at the beach. If you haven’t already been though then the Marble Mountains are an interesting cluster of five hills made from limestone and marble. There are many caves and tunnels too explore, it’s definitely lacking wow factor but at 40,000VND entrance it’s not gonna break the bank.

On leaving the Marble Mountains you will head through the city of Da Nang. This is where you can see the famous Dragon Bridge, if you happen to be staying in Da Nang at a weekend then I would recommend hanging around to see the dragon in the evening as this impressive structure, breathes fire and water – pre warning, if you stand on the bridge you will get absolutely soaked! From Da Nang you will start heading up into the hills to the top of the pass.

You will swing by epic view points and will stop for lunch on a gorgeous secluded beach, you can choose from meat and veggie options – we both ordered the tofu and fried rice. Unfortunately, we couldn’t stop, as this part of the route was under construction but the oyster farm area of Lập An Lagoon was absolutely beautiful.

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Our penultimate stop was at the Dam Cau Hai (Salt Lake) where we took a few photos and looked over the little fishing village on the shore. It was fun to capture some photos with the roof of the jeep off, on leaving though we did ask for the roof to be put up, because who doesn’t need a bit of shade in 30 plus degree heat.

The final stop before we arrived in Hue was at a cemetery. Probably not what you were expecting to read, but this was perhaps not the average cemetery that a westerner may expect. The detail, colour and craftsmanship that had gone into the graves was astounding. After this stop we were whisked back to Hue where we checked into the newly opened G Hotel.

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So, that’s it. We ticked ‘Travel the Hai Van Pass’ off our bucket list in style. If you too don’t do motorbikes then we highly recommend taking the Hai Van Pass jeep tour with Road Trippers Vietnam. You don’t need to worry about driving the frankly, hair raising bends and can sit back, relax and enjoy the ride. Our guide was lovely, she helped with taking photos, lent us her speaker to play some music and was super knowledgeable about the locations we stopped in. The door to door pick up and drop off were much appreciated and the guys even arranged to return our camera case to us the following day when we realised we had left it in the back of the jeep.

So here’s my first proper travel post since my blog went down for a WHILE. If you haven’t read my little life up date, then head here or if you too are heading to Asia anytime soon and need some inspo for Singapore, Kuala Lumpur or Malacca then just click the links.

Thank you for reading x