Huế:

Huế was worth a quick stop to see the tombs, and ancient architecture, but as someone who isn’t a huge Nguyen Dynasty fan- a lot of the history was lost on me.  We spent one day in Huế , and moved on to Phong Nha- a real highlight of Vietnam.

As the train screeched to a halt, we hopped off the train quickly realizing that only fellow backpackers were getting off at this stop.  Three other couples with identical backpacks looked around, and after a brief discussion we all set off to find the public bus stop rather than try and find reasonable taxis.  We walked single file along the busy road with people gawking and staring at the line of 6 backpackers in search of a dingy yellow bus.  As we all hopped off of the bus, darkness sat like a cloak over the mountains waiting to be revealed by dawn’s light.

What to do:

We only spent three days here because the tours are costly, and a lot of the sights are prohibited by forcing tourists to pay for the tours or they’re not allowed in.  I’m assuming this is both a safety feature and a money-making scheme.

Botanical Gardens:

Sam and I decided to ride bicycles up here, which in hindsight was a bit more adventurous than I had hoped for.  It’s only a 12.5 mile round trip, but it is mighty steep.  I’m not sure that ‘gardens’ is the correct term for this area, but it was a very cool experience.  There’s a semi well-maintained trail to walk around, and a rather slippery trail down to a waterfall.  The fun part was hiking back up the waterfall, complete with ropes to shimmy yourself up with.

There were also some monkeys in a large enclosure that were being either rehabilitated or kept because they wouldn’t survive in the wild.  They were either missing legs, tails, or other body parts.  They seemed quite happy unlike many other kept monkeys we’ve seen in Southeast Asia.

I would recommend the botanical gardens even though all of the signs signifying the types of plants and trees were strictly in Vietnamese.  The waterfall was a fun adventure, and the journey there was absolutely beautiful.  It was almost as if we had stumbled into Jurassic Park.  Riding along this road was by far the best part of this day.

Paradise Cave:

Knowing that the journey to get to this cave was even more uphill than getting to the Botanical Gardens, I decided to conquer a major fear and ride a motorbike.  To clarify, Sam drove the motorbike and I rode- I tried to drive a bit but I’m just too jumpy.  Motorbiking up the mountain was significantly easier than biking, and we were able to appreciate the views a lot more.  The whole loop was 30 miles, so it wouldn’t have been possible on a bike anyway.

We rode through the very well maintained road, stopping frequently to take photos and take in the sights.  Once we got to Paradise cave, it is a walk to the main gate, then a hike up a mountain to the actual cave. Many people were deterred by the steep hike, but we continued on.  As I ducked my head to enter the cave, I realized that it was much larger than I ever fathomed.  Words could never do this place justice.

As we drove back to our hotel, we rode along the Sôn Côn river, which was as Sam described it “jolly-rancher blue.”

Where to eat:

Capture Vietnam:

We were tired, we were homesick, and we needed something to bring us back from the bowels of despair and self doubt. It was morning which amplifies anxiety like napalm without the proper regiment of food. We were hungry and in desperate need of a slice of home and the Capture cafe gave us so much more. What better way to subdue that ache of familiarity and the warmth of your own bed than a nice hot plate of pancakes. Not just any pancakes, however, but pancakes with strips of bacon in each buttery fold doused in the divine darkness of brown sugar molasses. My mouth sang that morning and my eyes danced to its tune, swaying upwards in euphoric bliss. That meal was the medicine I needed, the IV bag that would keep me going for the days to come, but that wasn’t all Capture had to offer. I paired my floury breakfast selection with a smoothie named after the food emporium itself. A Capture Smoothie they called it. I, on the other hand, prefer the name Ambrosia of the GODS. I have had my fair share of mango smoothie variants, some deeply underwhelming and others on a caliber that can only reside in the heavens above. Leo’s Cafe in Da Lat comes to mind but this angelic cocktail was just as good if not better than the best I have had on this journey so far. Not too sweet or too thick, this delectable mixture sent me overboard on a river of happiness that made me never want to return to shore. I cried that morning. Each bite producing its on signature tear droplet of joy. I will never forget the hospitality of the staff and the love they shared that added a flavor to the food that surpasses any condiment.

Bamboo Café:

Yet another delicious café, but they offered a few more Vietnamese style dishes.  We came back just for the fresh spring rolls!

TLDR; Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park is absolutely stunning, and I would list it as a “must-see” for Vietnam.  Hue would probably be cooler for people who did their research on the history.