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In the little riverside hamlet of Hoi An, time has stood still. You will find yourself strolling past houses the colours of after-dinner mints - lavender, canary yellow, pink. You'll pass galleries, tailor shops and pagodas with clay-tiled roofs. Peer into the windows of an old shop-house and the scene is straight out of the 19th century: round Chinese cloth lanterns, dark wooden beams, intricately carved teak furniture, lacquer screens, an ornate, gilded altar...
Three centeries ago, this little town in central Vietnam was a bustling port, full of traders from Japan, China and beyond. Today, this World Heritage Site is a living museum. A 40-minute drive from Danang (Vietnamese fourth largest city), Hoi An offers ancient Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese architecture and tradictional Vietnamese hospitality.
Hoi An reveals but one layer of the region's history. From the 2nd to 15th centuries, the land around Danang was ruled by the Chams, an Indianised people who built brick temple towers in honour of Hindu gods. The ruined temple complex of My Son, a World Heritage Site just 60 km from Danang, provides visitors with a fascinating glimpse into this ancient culture. Cham statues of graceful dancing girls and awesome deities create a lasting impression. In Danang itself, a gracious, French-built museum houses the worlds's finest collection of ancient Cham stone carvings.
Stone carves continue the Cham's legacy at the nearby Marble Mountains, a major pilgrimage site since Cham times. Here, visitors can venture through a fascinating maze of cave temples, hidden within five sacred, marble hillocks.
Following all this cultural exploration, head for Danang's beaches. With its warm, lapis lazuli water, fine white sand and coconut palms, this coastline deserves its reputation as a tropical paradise. Sunworshippers can explore Nam O, My Khe and the postcard-perfect Lang Co Beach, which lies across the Hai Van Pass, or Pass of the Clouds. Thi zigzagging stretch of road boasts some of the most spectacular ocean views in all of Asia. Whether you wish to explore Vietnamese culture of lounge by the sea, Vietnam's central coast is not to be missed.
Landscapes
Hai Van Pass
Hai Van Pass is like a giant dragon, lying on Highway 1 on the border between Thua Thien - Hue and Da Nang provinces.
In the past, Hai Van Pass was known as the Thuan Hoa and Quang Nam frontier. In the early 14th century (11306), Che Man, a king from Cham Pa, offered two mountainous administrative units of O and Ri as engagement gifts to Princess Huyen Tran, daughter of King Tran Nhan Tong.
On his way to see off the Princess in the Quang area in a Summer sunny noon, the King and his entourage were on horse back for almost half a day but could not reach the top of the pass. Facing upwards, the King saw a rampart of mountains in dim clouds, and at the foot of the pass, an immense ocean, of waves. Though sorry for his daughter's difficult journey, the king was comforted by the closer ties between the two nations.
Whenever one goes through Hai Van Pass, two feelings are experienced: amazement at passing through the clouds and fear when seeing the dangerous bends of the road.
A 21 km-long road over Hai Van Pass, opened at the end of the 19th century, winds back and forth to a height of 435 metres above sea level.With sudden curves and blind corners, Hai Van Pass is likened to an arrogant but beautiful girl challenging drivers' skills. Its name means "Pass of the Ocean Clouds," since the peak of the mountain is in the clouds while its foot is close to the sea. Hai Van is considered to be the largest frontier post in Vietnam. The name De Nhat Hung Quan, meaning the most colossal frontier post, is engraved on an incense burner in Thai Temple.
From the top of Hai Van Pass, one can admire Lang Co Beach to the north and Danang to the south. The curving railway through Hai Van Pass is 3,200 meters long including sections running through seven tunnels. There are endless forests to the west of Hai Van Pass and the ocean is to the east. Hai Van Pass is a real challenge for drivers, as well as for adventurers.
