Hoi An to Cua Viet via Prao
I like the country more so than the sea, less people and less litter and quite
different to where I live. A route wending north, west and back eventually to
Ninh Binh is one I took. So off I went on m y two wheeled steed.
The countryside is verdant and the roads range from busy to light where busy
is the city and towns, light is the open countryside. Good to bad, straight
and sinuous, it's all there. The roads area a mixture of concrete and bitumen,
The concrete roads were a bit harsh on my back with the mild jolting caused by
the expansion joints.
There were many options to get to the Vinh moc tunnels, I could of
continued on the road that runs near the border of Laos or hugged the coast,
these considerations ran through my mind, and I weighed them against the other
things I wanted to achieve in the remained time of my holiday eg. tea
plantations, ha Long bay, Ha Giang Loop, Ninh Binh.
Over all, I chose an interesting road trip through lovely countryside, some
areas like the outskirts of Hue I would avoid ie the main highways, but that
would take a lot more planning and some good off-line maps.
I diverted to the coastline because I wanted to visit the Vinh Moc tunnels. In
anticipation of massive influxes of tourists the town, Cua Viet before them
has large resorts and wide roads. When I arrived they were largely empty. This
one had the feel of a resort, but it was getting a bit tired and needed some
polish, that only comes through a paying public.
Sitting on my own in a large restaurant, the meal was great but somewhat
eerie.
These resorts are very expensive in comparison to the accommodation in
general, perhaps that's the reason for their vacancy, Maybe everyone has
simply gone home after the tet holiday. Or maybe it is those super loud
karaoke speakers that blast way in adjacent hotels to equally empty rooms.
The beach was full of garbage too. It is all too easy to say Vietnam is a
3rd world country, blah de blah. I do not buy it. They have a good
education. Littering is a cultural thing not an economic thing. If there is
enough money to build a good road, there is enough to create a good waste
management system and attitude towards the environment. It is such a
shame, but I will cast a generalisation that Vietnam's beaches are one big
rubbish tip.
Maybe there is just as much garbage in the bush, and maybe it is simply
hidden under the carpet. As well there is probably an excessive use of
fertilizer and pesticide, but I prefer my travels inland and have decided
to steer away from the coast. Also, Australia is not innocent either
with regard to pollution, we aren't at this scale visual scale though.
For an interactive map see:
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