Đồng Hới

October 2, 2024

The rain pelted down last night and it was raining steadily when we woke up this morning. With only forty odd kilometers to Đồng Hới we weren't in a rush to leave the relative comfort of the simple hotel room but I started getting hungry.

So at about seven thirty we packed up and hit the road. Street food breakfast comes to an end at about eight o'clock so it was good that we found a phở joint a couple of kilometers down the road.

Leigh has a Google Translate conversation with the proprietor while the food is being prepared.

After that we lurched towards Đồng Hới in spastic bounds determined largely by how heavy the rain was falling. One stop to shelter lasted more than an hour. Fortunately the roof of the shop under which we were sheltering also served as an informal bus stop so there was lots of activity to keep us from being bored.

There's a young child sleeping under that rain poncho. A common sight here.

Another long break to shelter was had at Dancing Rocks Beach, a rather grubby collection of simple restaurants near some interestingly shaped rocks. Apparently there is one shaped like a phallus but it was out of view and we weren't going to go and look for it in the rain.

Another good rain stop delivered a piece of cake. I was stuck with the green tea cake because Leigh grabbed the last slice of chocolate cake.

The largest group of Water Buffalo we have seen so far.

Once in Đồng Hới we headed for the Riverside Hotel. Good value for money but, with it now suddenly being low season (since yesterday I suspect), breakfast won't be served tomorrow morning. Once we had enjoyed some lunch at a nice cơm place around the corner, showered and rested we headed out on the bikes to have a look at the riverside area of Đồng Hới. It's a pretty little city, at least in this area, but we were soon driven back to the hotel by the rain.

Pretty much all that remains of the old citadel.

Outside the museum were two American War era aircraft. This one is an Douglas AD-6 Skyraider single-seat attack aircraft shot down by Vietnamese forces.

A Russian built MIG-17 used by North Vietnam.

Nearby the museum a park with a big memorial to Hồ Chí Minh, depicted here with some agricultural workers. He had donated a tractor to them. I'm sure the Water Buffalo were relieved.

Tomorrow we head down towards somewhere close to the Vịnh Mốc Tunnels (not sure where yet). These are the famous tunnels where the local population dug themselves in to protect themselves from US bombing. Apparently seven tonnes of ordinance was dropped on the area for every single person who lived there.

Today's ride: 47 km (29 miles)
Total: 642 km (399 miles)

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