Hello everyone,
How is everything going? I hope everything is going well for you and December is kind to us.
Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park is well-known not only for its geology and geomorphology but also for its historical sites. The Ho Chi Minh Trail became the most visible historical evidence in the area, and it played an important role during the Vietnam-America War. The Truong Son trail, a 20,000-kilometre-long network of roads and tracks, was the most well-known of the five trails (the air trail; the sea trail; the pipe trail; the bank trail and the Truong Son trail).To welcome the last month of 2021, we decided to take a trip to cycle on the Ho Chi Minh trail in Phong Nha to re-find what happed during the war right here.
We had a hearty breakfast in Dong Hoi before departing a bus to begin our journey. We drove for about an hour to Phong Nha town, where we rented bikes for our own trip. The beautiful weather at the start of December made the trip even more enjoyable.
It was not difficult for me to make a schedule for our team and guide them to explore the Ho Chi Minh Trail by bike because I had worked here for a long time. We arrived in Phong Nha around 7 a.m., and the owner of the bike rental provided us with bikes and helmets, as well as for instructions on how to use the mountain bike. We stopped at a mall to buy water, bananas, and snacks. We began in Phong Nha town and travelled along Victory Road 20. The name of the road was given by locals in Phong Nha village. This is a part of the Ho Chi Minh Trail, which was heavily bombed by the North Vietnamese Army to provide supplies for the war effort in the south.
The first 3 kilometres on the concrete road were relatively easy, with only a few of my friends having difficulty learning how to ride their bikes. We didn't want to leave anyone behind, so the faster group slowed down. We finally pedalled to the Son River. We stopped for photos while we waited for the boat. Mr Tham, a 56-year-old man, greeted us with a friendly and large smile. His and his wife's main source of income is paddling across the Son River to serve locals. Mr Tham looked at us and showed us the Nguyen Van Troi Ferry before beginning to tell us the story of this sanctum. It is one of the most significant and distinctive relics in the Truong Son trail system of Quang Binh province. The ferry, along with other ferries and road systems, was built to provide timely service on the battlefield in South Vietnam by transporting locals, soldiers, food, and weapons across the river. At that time, tons of booms were dropped into the river.
We bid Tham goodbye and continued on our journey. The next 4 kilometres were spent cycling around Chay village, learning about the lives of the locals. Their primary source of income is farming, with a minor contribution from tourism. The pandemic, on the other hand, made them even more difficult. Because of their location in a low area near a river, the residents of this area were subjected to flooding every year but we could see they are extremely friendly and welcoming, always smiling at us.
We stopped at Nam's house and enjoyed green tea with him and his family. at 12 am we had delicious chicken BBQ at their home after an hour of preparing with Nam. We then took a 30-minute nap right here. Thank you to this wonderful family, and we went to the original Ho Chi Minh Trail, which was the most difficult part of our journey. The sun disappeared sometimes so it was not too hot to pedal through this tough terrain. The trail had many ups and downs and was muddy, but it was well worth it. We pedalled along the trail, which offered breathtaking views of the mountains, blue river, and suspension bridges. We arrived at the main highway at 4 p.m. and returned to the Phong Nha homestay by 5 p.m.
We then took a hot shower, wandered around Phong Nha's downtown, had hotpot at a local restaurant, and went to bed to recharge our batteries before continuing our exploration of Phong Nha on our next journey.
