The young people avid for conquering the novel destinations walked along the railway at the foot of Hai Van Pass for exploration
Very few people know this interesting “tour” because the path to the spot is quite difficult and takes a lot of time. In order to be avid enough to conquer, you must be a genuine “backpacker” eager for seeking new tourist space.
Following the trail tracks
Following a group of young “backpackers”, at 9:00 am in late February, we set out by motorbike from Phu Loc Town. Directed by the local people, the fleet of motorbikes ran along National Highway 1A towards Hai Van Pass into Da Nang.
“From the foot of the pass, riding about 5km, you will meet a ranger station and look to the left, there will be a concrete trail. Keep riding, but try to ride with care and slowness because the road is steep, dangerous,” a resident directed.
As directed, after about 15 minutes of riding motorbikes, a small path on the left of the road to Hai Van Pass came into view. After asking some rangers on duty, the whole group was sure that was a trail leading down to Bac Hai Van Railway Station before riding along the mountain slope to explore the spectacular scenery.
The fleet of more than 10 motorbikes moved slowly along the trail, crossed the beautiful and windy Melaleuca forest.“How spectacular it is! Fascinated at first sight. Unexpectedly, on Hai Van Pass, there is such a breaktaking path,” said Nguyen Thanh Son, a backpacker.
Leaving behind such magical scenery, after 10 minutes of moving very slowly at 5 km/h, we were finally present in front of the railway, signaling the walk about to begin.
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A stream at the foot of Hai Van Pass in Phu Loc District becomes an enjoyable destination
With the experience of people that often go backpacking, check in novel tourist destinations, besides food and drinks, such trips should have specialized support things in case of uncertainties… Their backpacks frequently have ropes, flashlights, gloves, knives, medicines...
From this stop, the whole group left the motorbikes at Bac Hai Van Railway Station and asked the station staff about some stops as well as impressive spots to visit.
“Keep walking along the railway to the south, down to Da Nang. Walking about 2km, you will see the romantic scenery with the stream flowing on one side and the sea waves lapping on the other side. Also, there are a few beautiful iron bridges, especially the unique arch bridge built in the French times surviving quite intact,” said the employee at Bac Hai Van Station. He also warned us to go very slowly due to the signal of the approaching train and the bad rocky path.
Taking photos and a bath in the stream at will
After the backpackers with rucksacks of nearly 5kg walked for nearly one hour, the poetic scenery at the foot of the pass dubbed “Thiên hạ đệ nhất hùng quan” ( the world’s first grand gate) began to come into view. On both sides are the green mountains, forests. The sound of rolling wind mingling with that of sea wave creates an illusory sensation for the group members.
The journey really reached the destination when the arch bridge appeared right before the eyes. This stop surprised the whole group because in the recesses of the mountain separated from the outside world, from this bridge, one can see the crystal clear stream water in the one direction and overlook the turquoise bay like a mural in the other direction.
With a unique architecture, the bridge was built of stone with 4 arches higher than 20 m. The whole group kept asking whether it was necessary to build such a beautiful bridge for trains to cross. "If it is not so beautiful, maybe our whole group will waste no time coming here," Nguyen Huyen Nhu (21, Phu Loc), a backpacker of the group, said humorously, making the whole group laugh, nod agreement.
Needless to say, it is common knowledge that, for backpackers, shooting a beautiful moment on the journey to conquer the destination is what everyone desires. The whole group said together, "This bridge is so beautiful. Just waiting for the train to pass slowly, we will take a great photo.”
The whole group crossed a small path where a huge boulder overlooks the bridge. After about 15 minutes of waiting, when the train whistle sounded, the group members prepared to raise the cameras to take photos. The locomotive pulling the wagons rolled smoothly, the sounds of "click, click, click ..." lasted continuously to photograph the moment that seem to be only in the West.
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Romantic scenery at the foot of Hai Van
The cameras caught countless impressive photos. The train glided smoothly on the arch bridge with ancient architecture. Through the arch bridge are the green patches of mountains, forests and the ravishing, criss-cross sunbeams from afar.
In addition to “the hunt for” excellent photos, the packbackers coming here also cannot miss stream bath. Right under the arch bridge is a system of natural stream running through the rock cracks, not inferior to many other tourist attractions. The water here is very cool and clean. Therefore, the young people avid for the journey to discover the unique, novel tourist destinations can both admire the wonders that the Creator has bestowed and enjoy the dishes that they have prepared.
In the afternoon, when the sun started to set, the whole group ... "retreated". Everyone was pleased to have just found a novel and unique destination, not inferior to the scene in the movie. We all told one another to set a return date and promote this destination on a tourist map for those who love nature, mountain scenery to come and enjoy.
Story and photos: Nhat Minh - Thuy Linh