This national park in Vietnam’s Hue Thien-Hue Province takes its name from the highest peak in the region. Ten miles from the coast, the park is a popular ecotourism destination.
In the 1930s this was a popular hill station with French VIPs, who came to escape the heat during the summer months. In less than a decade, nearly 140 villas were built. There’s not much left of these old-world structures, as resistance forces did their best to erase any sign of the colonial period.
Things took a turn for the worse during the Vietnam War, when US forces built heavy fortifications. Intense fighting and clouds of Agent Orange plagued the forest. National Park status was granted in 1991 and the cleanup effort has been monumental.
Today’s tourists come more for the stunning scenery than to explore the local history, but locals remember the decades of conflict and insist the forests are haunted. You’re as unlikely to see a ghost as a leopard, though the latter still slink through the remote highlands.
Other wildlife includes hundreds of exotic bird species and rare mammals like the muntjac and saola. A five-tier cascade tumbles through 1000 feet of elevation into a cool lake. To reach the atmospheric guesthouses near the summit you’ll have to hire a car or use public transportation, as all two-wheeled traffic (including bicycles) is prohibited.
Getting There & Away
Public buses connect to Cau Hai from Hue (one hour) and Danang (two hours). Phu Bai Airport is 10 miles south of Hue and offers a few international flights to Asian destinations. After disembarking at Cau Hai, motorcycle taxis can take you as far as the entrance, but you’ll need to have a hire car to reach the summit. Otherwise it’s a 10-mile walk to the peak. Trains to Cau Hai are slow and infrequent.