After last night’s hailstorm, the sky was blue in the morning with nice white clouds. A perfect day to visit Pác Bó Cave. Choose a pleasant loop and was on the road after a hot shower and some coffee. Little did I know I was going to discover the worst road in Vietnam in a few more hours. And I had my first and only flat tire of this trip.
Karst formations along the wayBlue sky! Looks like a nice day to drive!Great landscape with the karst hills and rice fieldsFarmhouse with a viewParty committees and people of ethnic groups of Cao Chương Commune strive to reach goals in the National Targeted Programs for New Rural Development 2017.
The cows do not care!Karst fields and mountains – clouds are moving inLucky trees – the karst mountains are to steep and nothing else can grow thereFrom time to time you pass a farmhouse. But in general, there is almost no traffic here.The Vietnam drama: Power lines everywhere. But a nice street to drive.The planting season started here in the mountains not to long agoThe old lady checking on the cornAnd look what a nice place it is for a farm. This one is one of the few buildings that are not next to the street.Frontier Area: China is closeSome rocks in that fieldIn quite a good shape compared to some others, I passedList of martyrs from Lũng Nặm Commune, Hà Quảng DistrictThe road to nowhere – or in this case to the start of the famous Ho Chi Minh TrailAll that green…
The worst Road in Vietnam
A few kilometers before I reached the cave, I noticed that I had not a lot of air in the front tire. Went back a few kilometers to find a repair shop. One guy had a pump outside the house, and he gave me some air. No repair shop anywhere – no wonder here in the mountains. Only a few more kilometers to the cave. And since I drive back to my homestay on the big road, it would be easy to find a tire repair shop down there.
Mrs. Google told me to drive down to that little village and take a right. After that, it is only down the hill to the houses you see there in the valley.End of the road… NO! This is the DT 203!
Oh – this is not looking good. I had almost no more air in the front tire. And now I have to go off-road. Turning back was not an option since the last bigger village was too many kilometers back, so down the “road” it was.
The street turned out to be an off-road challengeAnd after a while, there is only one way – down! With no air in the front tire and my road racer bike, it would have been too much work to get the bike back up the hill.There is kind of a path in the middle at some parts of itThe better part of the road
Ho Chi Minh’s Cave: Hang Pác Bó
KM 0 of the Ho Chi Minh Road at the Pac Bo Historical Site
I was happy to arrive in the village. Drove super slow to the souvenir stand area and parked the bike. I only later found out that there is a big entrance gate with parking before the village. But only if you get into the village from that site. Well – saved me the entrance fee and the walk.
His house: Where president Ho Chi Minh’ stays and works in the early days of returning home
After 30 years of exile, Ho Chi Minh re-entered Vietnam in January 1941. This was and still is one of the most remote regions of Vietnam. The cave is about 3 km from the Chinese border, and the area was home to the Nung tribes. From here he started to form the Viet Minh, trained cadres, and translated the History of the Communist Party in the USSR into the Vietnamese language. On top of that, he also edited a revolutionary newspaper called the ‘Independent Vietnam’. More and more Vietnamese tourists come to this site and the government built a big museum close to the entrance as well. He stayed only 7 weeks here before moving south.
Here Uncle Ho was sitting and fishing in his free timeInside Pac Bo Cave. You can see Uncle Ho’s bed!Nice place in summer when it is hot outsideThe formation in the middle is called Karl MarxUncle Ho was boiling water right here! Thank you nice lady for pointing that out!Something like: Cooking kitchen location. Serving the president Ho Chi MinhThe beginning of the Lenin stream where Uncle Ho made the famous “Tức cảnh Pắc Bó” poem.And the Poem: In the morning, at the stream bank, I went to the cave. Cement sheath vegetable porridge is ready. Stone table against the Party history, Life truly is revolutionary too. Well, Google translate…
Another take: In the morning went to the river, in the evening into the cave Rice, and vegetables are always available Stone table to tottering party history Revolution life is luxuriousInteresting color – this is Lenin CreekSomething like: Twenty years ago in this cave, the party marked the path of the Japanese-Western path. The leaders of the entire population fight, and the unremarkable river has this dayWhere Ho Chi Minh president often sat to work – the stone tablePac Bo Relic Area! Do not do this and that and beware – it is at the Border Belt as well!The stream towards the entrance in the evening sun
Tire Repair Shop
At the Tire Repair ShopWith the help of soapy water, you find the hole. Now you have your little drill and make the hole bigger. On the left, you see tool #2 with a piece of rubber waiting.Tool #2 in action. The idea is to press the rubber string in the hole to fill it. This way the tire is ok to go again.Last step: Air!
The first few kilometers after the tire shop were smooth sailing. Brand-new street, wide and no potholes. But I had no idea how the street will look when I have to take a left, and it was getting dark. I do not want another river road in the dark. So No more pictures for this day. I went back to Kim’s Homestay to get another excellent dinner with beer and happy water!
Today’s drive: I drove 148 kilometers in 6 hours, 22 minutes with gas and food, and tourist stops.
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My mother got me an Eurorail ticket when I was 15, and together with two friends, we adventured into France. This was the beginning of a new addiction. I do like to take pictures, so one thing leads to another. On this site, I want to share some of my pictures and some of my trips with you! Now I am on the road for more than 8 months every year. Visiting old friends and making new friends while exploring this big blue ball.
