Not only famous for its enchanting scenes, Hai Van Pass is also a place with many important events in Vietnamese history.
Located on the Bach Ma mountain range in the middle of Thua Thien-Hue province and Da Nang city, Hai Van Pass is a pass known for its breathtaking scenes.
According to history books, before 1306, the land of Hai Van Pass belonged to two Europeans, Ri of the Champa kingdom.After the Champa king Che Man cut the ceremony to propose to Princess Huyen Tran in Tran, the Hai Van pass became the boundary between Dai Viet and Chiem Thanh.
Entering Ho's house, King Ho Han Thuong ordered General Do Man to bring his troops to fight Champa, causing the king of this country, Jaya Sinhavarman V, to cut the land of Champa and Co Luy to reconcile.Since then, the whole land of the new Hai Van Pass belongs to Vietnam, and becomes the natural boundary of Thuan Hoa and Quang Nam.This was maintained to the Nguyen Dynasty.
For centuries, Cai Quan Street (now National Highway 1 A) passes Hai Van Pass, few people dare to cross, because of dangerous roads, beasts and bandits . Under French colonial rule, the French built building a winding railway through this pass and improving roads so Hai Van Pass has more people.
Under the Saigon government because of the risk of traffic accidents on a narrow road, traffic on the pass was managed by placing 3 control stations: 1 in Lang Co, 1 at the top of the pass, and 1 in Lien Chieu, limiting the vehicle to go to the city union to go up the pass or to go down the same pass to reduce the accident of crashing against each other.
Vehicles from Lang Co or Lien Chieu have to wait for a congregation and start climbing the same pass.Arriving at the top of the pass, the convoy stops at the checkpoint and then passes the pass at the same time to pass through the checkpoint at the foot of the pass.So the whole road passes only one way.
In 1966 the Seabee army forces of the US Marine Corps expanded the highway through the pass, so the traffic did not have to wait at the three checkpoints above.
In 2005, the Hai Van Pass tunnel was also put into use, facilitating the travel, so the traffic obstacles are almost no longer available.
Today, at the top of the Hai Van Pass there are still traces of a Hai Van Quan gate, a construction from the Tran dynasty, and restored during the Nguyen Dynasty.
Near Hai Van Quan there are still a few blocks (ruins of Don Nhat) built by the French army in 1826 to protect this strategic mountain.At the time of Saigon's rule, those posts were transferred to the American army.
In the two resistance wars against the French and the Americans, the Hai Van Pass was the place where continuous great battles took place.
Although today there is a road tunnel through the Hai Van Pass, and the terrain of the pass road still has some dangers, but many tourists still prefer to go on this road to enjoy.
On beautiful days, from the top of the pass, you can see clearly the city of Da Nang and Son Tra Peninsula, Cu Lao Cham .
Due to the rich beauty and important strategic location, Hai Van Pass and the gate at the top of the pass were carved into Du Dinh by the Nguyen court, the 8th peak of Cuu Dinh in The Temple yard.
Some other pictures of Hai Van Pass.
