Day 29: Phong Nha
Today we drove to the highly-acclaimed Duck Stop, and did no research prior as we were advised. We had no idea what to expect - I was vaguely thinking we would take photos of a field of ducks.
Instead, we found ourselves at a small family-run farm at the end of a rough dirt road. For 150k dong ($7USD), we went to meet their buffalo, a friendly guy they named “Donald Trump.” After climbing onto Donald Trump, you were guided through a pool of water and posed as such:
The photos were taken by a small Vietnamese boy, and he did an excellent job. Next, we had a fully engaged duck experience, holding ducks, leading ducks, a duck foot massage, etc. It was hilarious and unexpected.
This was the most bizarre experience I have had so far in Vietnam and I could not recommend it highly enough.
Day 30: Phong Nha
Today we drove to the Botanical Gardens. It came highly recommend, so we expected a short tour of an indoor flower garden.
Nope.
This botanical garden was actually a jungle, and for 40k ($2) you could take yourself on a three hour jungle hike, which we leapt at the opportunity to do. We brought a picnic lunch to eat at the viewpoint and Mak flew the drone over the National Park.
There was also a beautiful waterfall that we had the chance to climb and swim at. We are definitely taking advantage of these sunny days!
After our mini-adventure, we took a longer route home through the Phong Nha-Ké Bàng National Park, which was a well paved loop with scenic views.
Day 31: Phong Nha
Today we toured Phong Nha Cave, which is one of the most popular destinations in the area. It is accessible only by boat, which are available on the shore of the river for 500k dong ($20USD). Luckily they are 12 person boats, and if you are able to gather together enough tourists at the ticket counter the cost can be split between everyone. There is also a 150k dong ($7) entrance fee.
The boat is driven by two women with a small motor on the riverway. The view along the way is absolutely gorgeous, and that’s before you even reach the cave.
The cave itself is large and lit by spotlights, and each of the two women has a paddle to manually control the large boat’s slow progress through the cave.
We also considered exploring Dark Cave, which is an adventure cave nearby, but wading through the mud is required for that cave and it seemed like a bad idea with Mak’s road rash wounds still open from the motorbike accident.
At sunset we drove to the Phong Nha Farmstay where we bought drinks and enjoyed a view of the mountainswhile farmers herded buffalo through the rice fields.
Day 32: Phong Nha - HCM km Marker 0
267 km / 166 mi
This was the first time we biked all day along the Ho Chi Minh trail, and it was amazing. The Ho Chi Minh trail was traditionally a supply route between northern and southern Vietnam during the Vietnamese-American war, but today it is a beautiful inland route with limited traffic.
The weather was sunny, the roads were great, and the views were incredible. The Vietnamese mountains are unlike anything I have ever seen, and we ended the day at the Ho Chi Minh km marker 0.
Day 33: Ho Chi Minh km Marker 0 - Ninh Binh
224 km / 139 mi
Today we continued along the Ho Chi Minh Trail to Ninh Binh, but the rain made our five hour ride feel much longer. It is hard to enjoy the beautiful scenery when rain is pelting you on a bike!
As we got closer to the city the roads became extremely muddy and every large truck in Vietnam was there to splash us. It felt great to shower and rest at the end of the day!
Day 34: Ninh Binh
Today was raining heavily and we did absolutely nothing. It was glorious.
We are staying in a homestay for the first time, which is a similar to a hostel but run by a local family.
Day 35: Ninh Binh
The rain eased up enough for us to drive to Hang Múa mountain just outside of Ninh Binh. It was 400 stairs to the peak, but the view was breathtaking. Tomorrow we begin the Northern Loop!
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