Хон Ба

Hon Ba is a 1,578 m mountain south-west of Nha Trang, inside a nature reserve of more than 19,000 hectares spread across several districts. On the summit stands the wooden house of Alexandre Yersin: the man who founded the Pasteur Institute in Nha Trang, built as a place to work and to grow medicinal plants at altitude. The sign at the top states both figures plainly: the working house was built in 1903, the altitude is 1,578 m.

Getting there is simple but not easy. From Nha Trang you ride about 30 km south to the Suoi Dau reservoir, and from there it is 37 km of mountain road each way: continuous gradient, hairpins, and a surface that alternates between good and patched. The round trip is about 120 km and takes two to three hours each way on a motorbike. There is no fuel station anywhere on that climb. Fill up at the bottom before you turn off.

The higher you go, the colder and wetter it gets. It can be blazing at the foot while the summit sits in cloud, drizzle and wind; that is why hydrangeas grow up there. There is no ticket and nobody collecting money, and almost nothing to buy either. Take water, food and a warm layer, even if you set off in 33-degree sunshine.

Two things said plainly, so you can pick the right day. First, this is a drive rather than a hike: the value is in the road and in the cool at the top, not in a destination with services. Second, on a low-cloud day you arrive and see fog and nothing else, so check the forecast, and avoid days of heavy rain, because this stretch slips and slides. If you are not a confident rider, take a car or hire one with a driver.

In the same group of hill and forest trips: Yang Bay falls and Ba Hồ stream. For climbs inside the city, see the hill-walks page.