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| Traffic signs from National Highway 55 turning onto Phan Thiet - Dau Giay Expressway. Photo: V.Phong |
Tourists can choose new routes to explore green roads on the journey from Dong Nai, Binh Duong, Ho Chi Minh City, the provinces of the Southwest to Lang Biang plateau, taking in the majestic mountain scenery of the country.
Green roads
Following the advice of Mr. Phu, a Da Lat native working in Ho Chi Minh City who has made many trips to explore new routes, one day in early March of the lunar calendar, I decided to choose Highway 55 to go to Bien Hoa instead of taking Highway 20 through Bao Loc Pass.
From Dai Binh intersection (the intersection between National Highway 55 and National Highway 20, about 3km from Bao Loc city center, Lam Dong province), turn left onto National Highway 55, the first impression is a very familiar scene with crowded houses, a completely different urban appearance from many years ago. In particular, the section through Loc Thanh commune is densely populated, the smooth asphalt road creates a feeling of comfort. When reaching the section through Loc Nam commune (Bao Lam district, Lam Dong province), the road surface has some potholes but not too dense and not too long, so the feeling of fatigue does not invade.
After passing Loc Nam commune, we reach Da Mi commune (Ham Thuan Bac district, Binh Thuan province). The houses are gradually thinning out and replaced by a majestic, green mountain landscape. Looking to the left, far below, is the charming scene of Ham Thuan - Da Mi hydroelectric lake still in the mist. On one side are mountains, on the other side is a deep abyss, but not too steep and without many sharp turns, so it is not too difficult for tourist car drivers like me.
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| A cool green mountain pass on Highway 55. |
The road is designed to follow the foot of mountains and hills, so it is not as high as Highway 28B and is not as winding and sharp as Highway 28. In particular, the road surface quality is very good compared to Highway 28 which is bumpy and full of potholes, while Highway 28B has a peeling surface, creating countless potholes.
Continuing to roam, the car passed bridges and hamlets with place names imbued with the culture of the indigenous people such as Ta Pao, La Ngau, Dong Kho... The road was good, with little traffic, so it was quite comfortable for the driver. The closer we got to National Highway 1, the Phan Thiet - Dau Giay Expressway, the road surface was widened when passing through Tanh Linh and Ham Tan districts. Memories suddenly came flooding back when I recalled the business trip in 2000-2001, when my colleagues and I "hunted" wild elephants in Tanh Linh for many days and the feeling of "capturing" the first photo when the wild elephant was shot with tranquilizers and chained in the middle of the natural forest...
It has been a quarter of a century and the houses, buildings and roads have changed so quickly that I have not recognized them. In the past, the road from Tan Minh intersection to Suoi Cat commune and running to the district center town was still narrow and had not been paved with hot asphalt. Many sections still had exposed dirt and rocks, and water pooled on the road when it rained; for 2-3km, there was not a single house. But now, the population is quite dense, spread evenly along both sides of Provincial Road 720, giving it a completely different appearance.
Having not been there for a long time, when I arrived at Ta Pao bridge, I had to stop the car to ask the locals for directions: "After crossing the bridge, turn left and keep going straight for more than 30km until you reach the Phan Thiet - Dau Giay highway". While I was absorbed in admiring the newly harvested rice fields with the herd of buffaloes slowly grazing, a sign informed me that I had reached Ham Tan district. After a while of wandering through the prosperous hamlets, my car arrived at the Dinh River bridge (Song Phan commune, Ham Tan district, Binh Thuan province) and on the other side of the bridge there was a large sign indicating the turn to the highway and the direction to Dau Giay, Ho Chi Minh City or to Phan Thiet, Nha Trang.
More useful options for travelers
After turning from Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay Expressway onto Highway 51, I drove straight to Bien Hoa city, the clock now showed 12:30. The total travel time from Da Lat city to Bien Hoa center only took more than 6 hours, faster if going along Highway 20, passing Bao Loc pass about 1-1.5 hours. That is not counting the traffic jams due to collisions and traffic accidents that have occurred frequently on Bao Loc pass recently, causing the travel time of passengers to increase to 8-9 hours.
It is really unfortunate for those who are stuck in the middle of Bao Loc Pass when there are no restaurants or decent places to rest while waiting for the traffic to clear. It is even more miserable when the driver forgets to fill up the gas tank, and may end up crying because the car runs out of gas in the middle of the pass due to the traffic jam, having to turn on the air conditioner and sit in the car waiting for the authorities to coordinate to "crawl" the 10km long pass.
In recent years, the traffic volume on Highway 20 has increased dramatically, especially with the appearance of heavy trucks and container trucks traveling through the pass, making the speed up and down the pass quite slow. Especially when 2-3 super-long, super-heavy vehicles carrying bauxite ore are in the lead, the other vehicles have to "crawl" and do not dare to pass because the road is strange, narrow and steep. Especially, on holidays such as April 30 or early summer, the number of tourist vehicles from 5-7 seats to 45 seats taking tourists on vacation increases even more and the risk of traffic jams is greater and the waiting time is also longer, sometimes it takes 9-10 hours for passengers to travel from Ho Chi Minh City, Eastern provinces such as Binh Duong, Dong Nai to Da Lat.
Therefore, during peak travel season, Highway 55 is a good option for tourists who want to have a relaxing trip, spending less time traveling by not choosing to go through Bao Loc Pass but going and returning along Highway 55 while enjoying the majestic mountain scenery. If there is time, tourists can take the time to stop by and learn more about the culture and cuisine of the indigenous people to enrich their travel journey.
For about 2-3 years now, during holidays and Tet, many people have chosen National Highway 28B to travel from Dong Nai, Ho Chi Minh City to Da Lat with a travel time of only 5-5.5 hours. However, the road is increasingly degraded, being repaired and expanded along the route, making travel quite inconvenient and harmful to vehicles. Therefore, if you open Google, many people agree that: the route following National Highway 55 is currently the most harmonious and useful route for tourists when going to Da Lat, avoiding Bao Loc Pass.
In particular, tourists traveling from Da Lat to the Eastern and Southwestern provinces should prepare for themselves a plan 2 if Bao Loc Pass is jammed or seriously congested, then National Highway 55 is the only effective "rescue" plan to avoid wasting time waiting for traffic to clear.
National Highway 55 is a road connecting the provinces of Ba Ria - Vung Tau, Binh Thuan and Lam Dong, 219km long; starting in Ba Ria city, passing through Long Dat, Xuyen Moc districts (Ba Ria - Vung Tau province), Ham Tan, La Gi town, Ham Thuan Nam, Tanh Linh, Ham Thuan Bac (Binh Thuan province), Bao Lam (Lam Dong province) and ending in Bao Loc city. This is the East - West axis road connecting the provinces of the Southeast and the Central Highlands. National Highway 55 intersects with National Highway 1 at Tan Nghia town, Ham Tan district and intersects with Phan Thiet - Dau Giay expressway at Song Phan commune (Ham Tan district).
National Highway 55 has a section formed from the road serving the construction of Ham Thuan - Da Mi hydropower plant in the past. According to the Road Network Planning for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050 approved by the Prime Minister in Decision No. 1454/QD-TTg dated September 1, 2021, National Highway 55 will be extended to Dak Glong district, Dak Nong province, with the end point intersecting with National Highway 28 with a total length of 290km.
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Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/dong-nai-cuoi-tuan/202505/rong-ruoi-tren-quoc-lo-55-6761eb7/
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