North of Kon Tum

North of Kon Tum, Route 14 follows the old Ho Chi Minh Trail which snakes north through Kon Tum, Quang Nam and Thua Thien Hue provinces, all the while running parallel to the Lao/Vietnamese frontier -- sometimes little more than a kilometre away behind a rise to the west. This remote, little-visited region can be a highlight of an excursion through Vietnam, and while many of those who do experience it do so with the Easy Riders, it's even better if you've got your own wheels.

Commencing from Kon Tum, Route 14 runs through Dak To, Ngoc Hoi, Dak Glei and Phuoc Son from where you can take a right turn on 14E and cruise downhill through Hiep Duc till you reach Highway 1 at the town of Thanh Binh midway between Tam Ky and Hoi An. From Phuoc Son you can also continue north, through Nam Giang, Prao and A Luoi before finally reaching Route 9 and the DMZ just to the east of Khe Sanh.

This section covers the Kon Tum to Hiep Duc route via Phuoc Son. We'll add the more northern stretch as soon as we ride it!

Dak To
Dak To is sometimes visited on a day-trip from Kon Tum, but even the tour organisers admit it's not really worth the effort. There's a war memorial, with two salvaged tanks -- one Russian, one Chinese -- which were used by the Viet Cong towards the end of the American war. Just outside town are the remains of an American-built airstrip along with some bombed-out foxholes. These are worth taking a look if you are passing through.

As Dak To lies just 40km north of Kon Tum and 20 km south of Ngoc Hoi (Plei Kan) you don't really need to spend a night here -- unless you want to.

Ngoc Hoi (Plei Kan)
Ngoc Hoi is on a spot along the Ho Chi Minh Trail (Route 14) where it does a hairpin turn just 14 km from the Lao border of Bo Y. You'll most likely find yourself bedding down in Ngoc Hoi if you've decided to take a walk on the wild side and use the Bo Y border to cross between Attapeu in Laos and Kon Tum in Vietnam. It's also a possible rest stop when touring the Central Highlands independently. While Ngoc Hoi is surrounded by rolling, green countryside, the town itself is unremarkable. Locals refer to this place as Ngoc Hoi, but it's Plei Kan on the maps and some road signs.

Dak Glei
This tiny town 50km north of Ngoc Hoi, is located just at the southern end of the mountain pass along Route 14, 50 km south of from Phuoc Son. It serves as a small centre of commerce for the surrounding tribal villages, and staying here makes sense if you're not quiet ready to leave the hills behind and continue your journey, or if you want to take on the mountains in the morning.

Phuoc Son
This is a staple stop-over point for Easy Rider tours travelling between Da Nang and Kon Tum -- most don't linger here for more than the night.

Phuoc Son is a pretty unassuming little mountain town -- internet is available at the post office and at a few internet cafes, but the Agribank here has no services for foreigners -- they don't even handle currency exchange and referred us back to our hotel for the service. Accommodation is basic -- nothing fancy, but there is some variety and a few places are quite cheap.

Hiep Duc
This small, district capital is technically called Tan An, but everyone seems to call it by the name of the district it's in. Hiep Duc is the centre of some government administrative activity and not much else -- the only reason to visit is to pass through if you opt to take Route 14E east from the junction with Route 14A (the Ho Chi Minh Highway), 5 km outside Phuoc Son, or you're travelling the other way from Thanh Binh along coastal Route 1A.