Vietnam’s Best Climbs: Hai Van Pass

Length 9.1km | Avg Gradient 5.4% | Gain 490m

This isn’t Vietnam’s hardest or longest climb, but it’s an iconic one. The Hai Van Pass is the bit of geography that has historically divided North and South.

Our favourite view: The northern side of the pass.

The fabled Hai Van once marked the frontier between the northern Dai Viet and southern Cham civilisations, and later separated feuding Vietnamese kingdoms. It’s not too much of a stretch to say that Vietnam didn’t  fully overcome this natural obstacle to its reunification until the end of the American War.

For Vietnamese riders, climbing it is not just a physical accomplishment, but one full of cultural and historical resonances. At the top of it you’ll find a Tran Dynasty gate, inscribed on the southern side with the Chinese characters Thien Ha De Nhat Hung Quan, which means something like “The Supreme Pass”. These are the words reputedly uttered by emperor Le Thanh Ton as he reclined upon its summit.

The southern climb

Hai Van means ocean and cloud, and fittingly the summit is often shrouded in mist while the sun shines brilliantly on the lower slopes. This is the meeting point of the more temperate northern climate and the tropical southern one.

Hai Van Pass is within easy striking distance of Danang, and on weekend mornings it’s a favourite objective for local roadies. The drink stalls at the top are usually full of road warriors telling tall tales about their wattage while chugging cokes and coconuts.