Stopover at the Gate of Hai Van Pass Between Da Nang City and Hue City in Vietnam

Hai Van Pass is a 21-kilometer twisting mountain pass that has existed for almost 2,000 years and was historically a major connection between Da Nang City and Hue City, before the completion of a tunnel in 2005.

For any day trip to or from the UNESCO Heritage of Hue City, a stopover to at the ancient gate of Hai Van Pass is almost a guarantee, and that's the reason for my visit. 

Let's climb up to the main gate of the military fortress that was built in 1826 during the Nguyen Dynasty. Many structures were actually destroyed during the Vietnam War, and they were only restored in 2024.

Honestly, I could have been persuaded that this arched entrance was undestroyed during the war as it looked too plain, too dated to feel that it was only rebuilt a few years ago.

Known as the world's most majestic gate by the emperor of the Nguyen Dynasty, this outpost was strategically located at 500 meters above sea level, and this view looked out to the beautiful beaches of Da Nang City.

While there were security guards, it didn't seem to have a ticketing system. However, there were two sets of operating hours; summer and winter, which I would share at the end of this post.

Photo-taking by tourists.

No idea about the significance of this door.

Exploration time! 

Not much shelter so load the sunscreen.

Spectacular views in front and behind us. As mentioned earlier, one view is southwards, pointing to Da Nang City, whereas the other is northwards, towards Hue City.

Those with sufficient time to spend can consider patronizing the shops below the attraction. For us, we were more keen to spend more time at the last imperial city of Vietnam.

Captivated by this vibrantly colored bug.

Those with hyperactive kids should be mindful of the seemingly invisible barricades and ease of accidental falls. I am afraid of heights; so am already attuned to the risk.

Didn't stop me from climbing higher though. My apparent carelessness is well known but to have survived so long in life is really a blessing. Nevertheless, you don't catch me bouncing all around at this are, like my usual self.

Yellow building; can't remember what's inside.

Bunkers in the area. Even though we also have bunkers in Singapore, many were sealed off, and I bet all of them wouldn't be able to command such a good view. p.s. Singapore's highest hill is less than 200 meters!

Nothing much inside the bunker anyway.

There's also a shrine that had a temporary shelter that totally looked out of place. Was it built simply as a shelter in event of wet weather? 

According to the tablet within, it's an altar for the mountain god. Such a prestigious spot for a shrine; albeit a pretty small one.

As tourists to a country, we should always respect the rules and regulations. Despite being a maverick, I think it's hard to not to notice the barrier preventing visitors from going to the top of the archway. 

No one seemed to care though.

There's supposed to be a road going up a 100 meter to another area but as we were running short of time; we had to give it a miss.

Chinese words on top of the archway. 

"The World's Most Majestic Gate"!

Lastly, tons of photos of my mom!

=====

Location Map

As above.

Operating Hours

As above.

Attraction Map

As above.

Click HERE for My Day Trip to Hue City: The Former Imperial Capital, with Chinese Speaking Guide

Thien Mu Pagoda - Temple of the Celestial Lady @ Hue City in Vietnam

The first stop we made at Hue City was to a temple that had assisted for over 400 years! Damn, that's even older than the founding of Singapore by Sir Stamford Raffles!

After a short walk, I finally was faced with the exact picture that was returned as a result whenever I searched for Hue City on the internet. The towering totems and the iconic Phước Duyên pagoda built in 1884. 

Climbing up for a better look! Info: temple was built in 1610 by the first Nguyễn lord, who heard of a legend of "an old lady, dressed in red and blue who sat at the site, and foretold that a lord would come and erect a pagoda on the hill to pray for the country's prosperity".

Before then, please note the above; do wear appropriate clothing as a sign of respect to the religious abode. This is quite common in Asia, even in hot and humid Singapore!

Unofficially known as the symbol of Hue City, the pagoda stood at 21 meters tall, with a unique octagonal shape, and has seven stacked up floors, "each of which is dedicated to a different Buddha". Pity we can't go in to explore further. 

While heavily influenced by Chinese culture in the past, a unique variation in Vietnam is the building of structures to shelter stone slabs with engraved words on top of tortoises. 

Known as stele, the text talked about the restoration of the temple in 1715, and penned by Lord Nguyễn Phúc Chu, the de facto ruler of central Vietnam then.

Tam Quan Gate - built during the restoration and expansion in the early 1700s, the three doors refer to the pathways of three realms; the human, the devil and the god. 

Not sure which one we passed through but for the plaque for the center pathway was interesting as it showed a different name from the one we are accustomed to. Turned out Thien Mu Pagoda was previously known as Linh Mu Pagoda between 1862 and 1869.

Statues of Dharma Protectors; "fierce or wrathful guardian deity in Buddhism. Their main job is to defend the Buddha's teachings (Dharma), guard practitioners from spiritual obstacles, and destroy inner ignorance."

Advancing towards Dai Hung Palace; main hall of the pagoda.

Now, this passage reminded me of Hanoi's Temple of Literature.

Photographs of the hall for viewing pleasure. Nothing impressive in my opinion, like a typical Buddhist hall, albeit more spacious. There could be antiques within which I am unaware of. 

In a straight line, the palace faced Tam Quan Gate and Phước Duyên pagoda.

The Temple of the Celestial Lady was almost 300 meters deep and where we had reached so far was merely a third! How I know? I used Google Maps! 

Central courtyard was flushed with bonsai.

Very much like a traditional Chinese garden of a rich family. 

What's the story with this antique car? It's part of an important piece of history in modern Vietnam that concerned Buddhism. Back in the 1960s, the then President was known to be discriminated against the Buddhists, preferring Catholics.

A buddhist monk drove the the above Austin car to Ho Chi Minh City, got out at a busy intersection, sat down in the classic lotus position, and burned himself to death as a sign of protest against the president's regime. "It was the first of a series of self-immolations by members of the Buddhist clergy, which brought the plight of Buddhists to the attention of the international community."

Venturing further to the back, where's a tiny water lily pond.

And another structure towards the back. Curious, curious.

Tomb of Venerable Thich Don Hau; "the abbot of the temple during its reconstruction phase in the 20th century". His body wasn't buried underneath; apparently, it's "entombed in the stupa"!

Inscription in Chinese.

Something about buddha year 2532. 

Photograph of the view in front of the tomb.

You can still see the top of Phước Duyên pagoda.

Last section of the temple grounds, where there were plenty of tidily planted pine trees. What I didn't realize until I checked the google maps after my trip, was that beyond the end of the temple was an enormous plot of land filled with tombs! 

Oh well, maybe I could check it out in my next visit.

These funny looking coconut lookalikes hanging from trees are fruits of the cannonball tree; "the fruit is edible but is not usually eaten by people because, in contrast to its intensely fragrant flowers, it can have an unpleasant smell.".

Ladies wearing traditional ao dai. Unlike most countries where traditional attire is either frowned upon  as good fashion or limit to just festivals / important events, the Vietnamese women considered it as a common attire, and they carry it so well.

Don't know why but the place felt so peaceful at this moment.

According to Wikipedia, "in 1710, Chu funded the casting of a giant bell, which weighs 3,285 kg, and was regarded as one of the most prized cultural relics of its time in Vietnam." Would the above be the same bell?

I doubt it as a 300-year old bell would have been better protected from vandals. I really don't get the thinking of people who thought of defacing places of interests.... 

Not sure who the above were...

Photographs of mom taken at Thien Mu Pagoda - Temple of the Celestial Lady. She was most impressed by the overhanging bushes of red flowers! 

A photograph of the 80-kilometer long perfume river which runs in front of Thien Mu Pagoda. You may read more about it here; the same website where I got most of my information about the pagoda from. 

=====

Address

Kim Long, Hue 532761, Vietnam

Map

As above.

Click HERE for My Day Trip to Hue City: The Former Imperial Capital, with Chinese Speaking Guide