Day 6 - Riding back to Hue by motorcycle from Phong Nha

At 9:00 am, we got on the motorcycles and our last day together began. Unfortunately, it was already very hot - 35 degrees 🥵. Today, we had 240 km ahead of us. We all knew: today we have to push through and can't give up, even if it gets very hot.

At the first stop, we visited a family who earns their living as beekeepers. Their beehives are located in the middle of a rubber plantation, which is used to make rubber. Although we 'burst into' their daily work unannounced, they were very happy about our visit. First, they showed us their beehives and we were allowed to eat their honey from honeycombs. While enjoying the honey, the two owners changed their clothes. He put on a shirt and she combed her hair and put on makeup. Quickly, we realized why - they wanted to take pictures with us. They didn't shy away from physical contact - Chris was hugged and Madlin's arms were wrapped around her. In Vietnam, you can't be afraid of physical contact 😄. Afterwards, we were invited for tea and pastries. We sat together at the family's table, talked, with Dung naturally being responsible for communication. Visiting this family is the highlight for both of us!

After driving a few more kilometers, we took a break to have a drink. Here, we lay in hammocks and drank coconut water.

Next, we visited the former border between South and North Vietnam. There is a famous bridge and a national monument here.

After lunch, we visited the tunnels at Vinh Moc. These are two kilometers long tunnels that the local population built to protect themselves from American bombs. At the peak, 10,000 people lived underground in this region. There were even medical stations, kindergartens, schools, and midwives. It was impressive to see what the people accomplished despite the fear of death back then. The tunnels were 1.60 - 1.80 meters high and very narrow. Most of the time, we walked in a bent position through the tunnels, while Dung could walk upright. A four-person family lived in a recess that was about 3 square meters in size. 600 people shared a bathroom. Even today, the locals in this region do not swim in the sea because there are still bombs and unexploded ordnance there.

Our last stop was a local market. In addition to fruits and vegetables, fresh fish was also sold here. We bought a cinnamon apple for each of us. Unfortunately, this very delicious fruit can't be exported because it doesn't last long.

On the way to Hue, we passed a construction site where the road was just freshly paved. However, unlike with us, there was no detour or roadblock set up, but we drove over the still warm asphalt and the unpaved base. The asphalt flew in all directions and stuck to our clothes in some places. That wasn't so great...

We reached Hue at 7:00 pm. Here, we said goodbye to Dung and boarded the night train to Ninh Binh. There, we booked a homestay with a pool for four nights to relax after the tour and reflect on the many impressions and experiences.