Hai Van Pass (also known as May Pass because the top of the pass is covered in clouds all year round) is a pass running on the Bach Ma mountain range (a branch of the Truong Son range that juts out to the sea). This place is famous as the most beautiful and most dangerous mountain pass in Vietnam.
The winding pass cuts across the mountain range, is 20km long, has an average height of 500m above sea level, and is the border between Thua Thien Hue province and Da Nang city. In the photo, the highest peak of the Bach Ma mountain range.
From above, you can see Da Nang city very clearly. According to historical records, before 1306, the land with Hai Van Pass belonged to the two Chau O and Ri of the Champa Kingdom. In 1306, the Champa king Che Man cut these two Chau as the border between Dai Viet and Champa.
About a century later, under the Ho Dynasty, in 1402, Hai Van Pass became the natural boundary between Thuan Hoa and Quang Nam . Le Quy Don's book Phu Bien Tap Luc wrote: "Hai Van, close to the coast below and touching the clouds above, is the boundary between Thuan Hoa and Quang Nam".
In 1470, King Le Thanh Tong personally led his army to attack Champa. When he arrived at Hai Van Pass, he was impressed and moved by the majestic landscape, so he wrote a poem and named this place "Thien ha de nhat hung quan".
During the Nguyen Dynasty, Hai Van was the border between Thua Thien and Quang Nam. The mountain pass was extremely dangerous, difficult to travel, with many wild animals and robbers. For centuries, few people dared to cross and Hai Van was an obstacle to trade and cultural exchange.
In 1902, the French colonialists built a railway through Hai Van Pass, which was opened in 1906 and is part of the national railway system that began construction in 1881.
This is truly a miracle because of the extremely difficult terrain. The Hai Van railway winds along the mountainside, passing through 6 tunnels and 18 bridges. Trains traveling on the pass have cliffs on one side and deep abysses and the ocean on the other.
Traveling by train here is an unforgettable experience for anyone because you can admire the majestic nature and beautiful wild landscape of the pass. The romantic image of the train crossing Hai Van has become the inspiration for many musicians to compose immortal songs, including "The train passes the mountain" by Phan Lac Hoa.
From Da Nang to the North along Hai Van Pass, when reaching the winding bend in Thua Thien Hue province, visitors can easily see the whole view of Lang Co and Lap An lagoon with spacious new tiled houses reflecting in the deep blue sea, pristine white sand dunes stretching far and wide, in the distance are overlapping mountains covered with white clouds.
According to tourism industry statistics, before the Covid-19 pandemic appeared, in 2018 and 2019, each year there were 1.6-1.8 million visitors to Hai Van Pass.