Rough Guide to Vietnam - Jan Dodd [206]
Lang Co has been earmarked for tourist development for years, yet it remains rather quiet, with only a few beach resorts in operation and a number of cheaper guesthouses on the other side of the highway. If you decide to stay, the best all-round option is Thanh Tam (054/387 4456; US$21–30), on the highway about 1500m north of the village; ask for a sea view. On the opposite side of the highway, Anh Nguyen (054/387 4448; US$11–20) has nice en-suite rooms with hot water, while nearby Chi Na (054/387 4597; US$10 and under) is another friendly place with a handful of simple but clean rooms at slightly cheaper rates. The government-owned Lang Co Beach Resort (054/387 3555, langco@dng.vnv.vn; US$31–50), opposite Chi Na, stands out a bit with its complex of green-roofed, Hué-style villas, landscaped pool and replica covered bridge. The rooms are big, light and well equipped and the beach here is kept scrupulously clean. Most of these places have restaurants, or will at least rustle up a meal, but the most popular place in town is Sao Bien just over the bridge when coming from the south, which busily serves an array of seafood to passing tour buses.
Lang Co lies about 40km north of Da Nang and 65km from Hué. The train station is on the lagoon’s western side, or public buses will drop you off anywhere on the highway. Sinh Café open-tour buses stop at Thanh Tam, while An Phu Tourist uses the very run-down Tourist Hotel towards the southern end of the strip.
The central provinces | Around Da Nang | North of Da Nang |
Bach Ma National Park
Well off the beaten track, Bach Ma National Park is being developed as an eco-tourism destination, and dedicated ornithologists and botanists may want to make the effort to get here for the chance of seeing some of the region’s 330 bird species and more than 1400 species of flora. Bach Ma is also home to 83 mammal species, including the Asiatic black bear, leopard and the recently discovered saola and giant muntjac (see "Wildlife"), as well as more visible deer and macaque monkeys. The highlands were previously the location of a French summer resort, where Emperor Bao Dai also kept several luxury villas. The majority of buildings, tennis courts and rose-beds are now in ruins, but a number of villas have been restored to provide tourist accommodation. One word of warning before you set off: Bach Ma is one of the wettest places in Vietnam, with a staggering eight metres of rainfall a year at the summit. The best time to visit is from May to early September, but even then be prepared to get wet. Remember to take warm clothes since it can get chilly at the top.
Six short nature trails branch off the steep, tarmacked road which leads 16km from the entrance gate almost to the summit of Hai Vong Dai Mountain (1450m). The first, Pheasant Trail (2.5km), starts at the kilometre 8 marker (note that all distances refer to the distance from Highway 1 rather than from the park entrance) to reach a series of waterfalls and pools, where you can swim. On the way you may hear the calls of white-cheek gibbons or some of the seven types of pheasant that inhabit the park, or see the fifty-centimetre-long earthworms which the locals cook and eat as a treatment for malaria. The short but very steep Parashorea Trail (300m), at kilometre 14, is named after this area’s towering trees, while 2km further on Rhododendron Trail (1.5km), leads up 689 steps to a waterfall, with views over primary forest. Five Lakes Trail (2km), at kilometre 17.5, ends at a series of five pools fed by a waterfall, where you can also swim. Summit Trail leads 800m from the end of the road to