Day 9: Dong Hoi – Dong Ha

Distance: 64.71 miles

Time: 5:44

Average Speed: 11.3 mph

Enjoying a pleasant evening with a swim and a film in the hotel, it was 11 o’clock before I made it out on the road, and not before I’d picked up another Banh Mi from the place around the corner.

I headed over the river towards the sea, reaching a deserted stretch of beach beside a huge new hotel construction site. Looking out to sea, I suddenly remembered that it was the South China Sea, part of the Pacific Ocean. I was about to cycle down the Pacific Ocean, again!

Heading south, the whole area was a giant construction project and the road was already built. A dual carriageway with an extra lane each side for scooters, or on this occasion, for a bike as there was no other traffic.

Unfortunately the super-Highway didn’t last, petering out to a dirt track a couple of miles later. I gave it a go for a few miles, but the going was too slow to continue on the red dirt indefinitely.

It was a few miles west to the highway so that’s where I headed. Finally reaching the Highway, I headed south along the Pacific Coast on Highway 1. Erm, sorry is this the right blog?

From there it was a slog along the Highway, there was plenty of shoulder and the surrounding landscape was one of endless rolling sand dunes and scrub land. It wasn’t particularly appealing and I was glad of the chance to phase out a little and take some mental respite from the frenetic pace of the journey so far. This was a day for getting some miles done to set me up for the days ahead, through Hue, Danang and Hoi An.

The trucks were passing in a steady stream and their blaring air horns were a constant source of irritation. I spent some time trying to decipher the use of horns in Vietnam, most of them from trucks so noisy and large you couldn’t possibly fail to hear them a mile off, and are: to warn people on a side road they’re about to turn onto it (in lieu of indicating), to warn a vehicle entering the roadway that they’re coming (because the person entering the roadway never looks behind to check it’s clear), to warn everyone (things, animals etc.) that they’re coming, to warn you that they’re about to overtake you, and to warn you that you’re being overtaken (usually while they’re right beside you and it would be impossible to have missed that fact!). That’s all I’ve come up with for now.

Later in the afternoon, heading across open farmland for miles into a strong headwind I started to suffer from the relentless pedalling. I passed the result of a crash where a moped driver must have slid down a 10 foot embankment beside the road, he was groaning in pain on a stretcher, hopefully he’s ok.

The roads got busier as I reached Dong Ha, a busy little town, but lacking the character of Dong Hoi, and, after a strong headwind all day, I was delighted to make it 65 miles in 6 hours between 11 and 5.