EXPLORING THE SPLENDOR OF THE DON CA ARCH BRIDGE AT HAI VAN PASS

Golden sunlight spills across

The Don Ca Bridge’s timeless arch,

Its classic curve draped in moss—

A patina of days long passed.

Along the legendary Hai Van Pass, you might casually glimpse, tucked beneath the northern foothills where the pass meets the sea, a classic-style bridge built by the French over a hundred years ago—the Don Ca Arch Bridge.

Situated in a remote, rugged locale, the Don Ca Bridge has only recently been “discovered” and quickly become a popular photo spot for young adventure-seekers, drawn by its unique, almost otherworldly beauty.

To reach this hidden gem, you can ride a motorcycle along the Hai Van Pass and then trek along a narrow railway trail through the forest. For the seasoned mountain biker, tackling this route on a mountain bike is an even greater challenge—climbing Hai Van Quan on the way up and struggling back against a steep incline (with concrete slopes on the railway path reaching 12–15%).

Departing from Da Nang in the morning, whether by motorcycle or bicycle, you ride up to Hai Van Quan, then descend toward Lang Co Bay. After passing a roughly 100-meter-long ventilation tunnel and before reaching the Don Nhi Bridge, notice a small, partly concealed concrete path on your right. Take that path and continue down a winding, 2-km-long slope until you encounter the railway tracks and Hai Van North Station—a rather unusual station that does not handle cargo or regular passenger services, serving instead as a technical stop and refuge for passing trains, with only a few railway officials and workers on duty. After parking your motorcycle there, continue trekking along a narrow railway track through picture-postcard scenery for about 1 km until you finally reach the Don Ca Arch Bridge.

The journey may be arduous, but it offers the chance to experience a thrilling adventure amid the majestic, untamed nature of the Hai Van mountains and forests—and, most of all, to witness firsthand the mysterious and romantic beauty of this over-a-century-old, forgotten bridge. Among the hundreds of bridges spanning Vietnam’s more than 1,700 km of railway lines, the Don Ca Arch Bridge arguably possesses the most singular and striking beauty. It is hard to put into words the emotion one feels standing beneath its stone vault in the morning, as sunlight caresses the towering structure, its moss-covered arch echoing the passage of time.

Last but Not Least

In 1881, the French began constructing Vietnam’s first railway line—the Saigon–My Tho line, 70 km long, completed in 1885 after four years of work. Then, in 1902, they started building the railway through Hai Van Pass, which opened in 1906. This line, spanning 28 km with six tunnels and 18 bridges over mountain streams—with one side bordered by steep cliffs and the other by the sea—stands as a testament to the engineering feats of the era.

Today, as you sit on a train and gaze out the window, the breathtaking panorama of Hai Van Pass inspires awe. Yet few realize that this route once represented a nightmare for the local populace and road workers of that time.

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KHÁM PHÁ VẺ ĐẸP CẦU VÒM ĐỒN CẢ ĐÈO HẢI VÂN