The Hai Van Pass in numbers

The Hai Van Pass carries the old national highway over a spur of the Truong Son range where it drops into the sea. That geography is why it exists and why it matters: the ridge is a genuine climatic divide, and you can often ride out of sunshine in Da Nang into cloud on the Hue side within twenty minutes.

The name Hai Van Pass means “sea cloud pass”, and it is literal. The ridge catches weather coming down the coast, which is why the summit is so often in fog while both ends are clear.

The ticket change nobody has updated

Hai Van Quan is the Nguyen-era fortress gate straddling the summit of the Hai Van Pass, restored over several years and reopened to visitors. Until mid-2026 you could walk up, photograph it and leave without paying anything.

From 2 June 2026 that stopped. The rate was set by resolution of the provincial council on 22 May 2026 and reported in the Vietnamese press at the time. The current arrangement:

• 70,000₫ per person, applied equally to Vietnamese and international visitors.
• Fixed until 31 December 2028, so the price should hold for the next couple of years.
• Open 7:00 to 17:30 daily. Arrive outside those hours and the gate is shut regardless of what the road is doing.
• Concessions exist for certain visitor groups, so ask at the counter rather than assuming full price.
• You can still ride over the pass for free. The fee is for entering the fortress site, not for using the road.

This last point matters. If you are riding the Hai Van Pass as a road and stopping at the roadside viewpoints, you pay nothing. The 70,000₫ buys you into the restored gate structure itself.

Why the Hai Van Pass tunnel is closed to bikes

There are two ways through the mountain on the Hai Van Pass route: over the top, or under it through the Hai Van tunnel. Motorbikes are not allowed in the tunnel. It is restricted to cars, buses and trucks.

This is not a rule you can quietly ignore — the tunnel entrance is controlled, and you will be turned back. For a rider it is good news dressed as a restriction: the tunnel took the through-traffic off the pass when it opened, which is exactly why the Hai Van Pass is now a pleasant road instead of a lorry route. You get the views because the trucks got the tunnel.

The route to the Hai Van Pass from Hoi An

The riding from Hoi An to the foot of the Hai Van Pass is straightforward; the only decision is how you cross Da Nang.

1. Hoi An to Da Nang along the coast. Leave on the beach road past An Bang and Ha My, then follow the coastline north through Non Nuoc and the Marble Mountains. Slower than the highway, considerably nicer, and it puts My Khe beach on your route.
2. Through or around Da Nang. Cross the Han River and head north on the city’s western side. This is the least interesting stretch of the day and the busiest — get it done.
3. Nam O and the start of the climb. The road narrows and starts to rise. From here the Hai Van Pass proper begins and the traffic thins to almost nothing.
4. The climb, roughly 10 km up. Continuous switchbacks with the bay opening up behind you. Stop at the pull-ins on the way rather than trying to photograph while moving.
5. The summit and Hai Van Quan. Parking, drink stalls, and the fortress gate. This is where the 70,000₫ applies if you go inside.
6. The descent to Lang Co. The northern side is greener and often cooler. Lang Co lagoon at the bottom is the natural lunch stop.

Hai Van Pass motorbike rental: which bike, and what it costs

A Hai Van Pass motorbike rental is not a technically difficult ride, but it is a sustained climb and a long descent, and the bike matters more than on flat roads.

On licences for the Hai Van Pass: anything above 50cc requires a valid motorcycle licence plus an International Driving Permit issued under the 1968 Convention. Insurers check this after an accident, and a mountain pass is exactly where you do not want to discover your policy is void. A 50cc avoids the licence requirement, which is the only reason to consider one for this ride.

What a Hai Van Pass motorbike rental costs

These are our current daily rates at 84 Phan Châu Trinh. A Hai Van Pass motorbike rental is normally a one-day or two-day hire; take a week and the rate drops about 10%, a month about 30%.

Every rental comes with two helmets, raincoats, a phone holder, a paper map and 24/7 roadside support; petrol is yours. Delivery is free to hotels in central Hội An, with a small fee out to An Bàng and Cẩm An. Deposit is 2,000,000₫ refundable or a copy of your passport — we never keep the original.

Five stops worth your time

• The southern Hai Van Pass viewpoints on the climb. Several unmarked pull-ins look back over Da Nang bay. The higher ones are better and less crowded than the summit.
• Hai Van Quan itself. Now ticketed at 70,000₫. Worth it once for the gate structure and the view from the walls in both directions.
• The northern descent lay-bys. Looking down on Lang Co lagoon with the sand spit stretching north — arguably the best single view of the day.
• Lang Co. Lagoon on one side, sea on the other. Seafood at the bottom of the descent and a natural turnaround point if you are not going all the way to Hue.
• Elephant Springs, if you have time. Freshwater pools inland from the northern side — a cold swim after a hot climb, and rarely on tourist itineraries.

One-way to Hue, or a loop back

Two ways to structure a Hai Van Pass motorbike rental day, and they suit different trips.

If Hue is your next stop regardless, riding the Hai Van Pass one-way makes far more sense than doubling back — you get the best road in the region as your transfer instead of sitting in a bus. We run a one-way rental from Hoi An to Hue for exactly this, with the bike collected at the Hue end.

If you are based in Hoi An and coming back, leave early. The pass is at its best in morning light and the ride home across Da Nang in the dark is the least pleasant part of the day.

Safety notes from our mechanics

• Check brakes before the Hai Van Pass, not on the way up. Ten kilometres of descent is a real test. If the lever comes back near the grip, do not start.
• Use the engine to slow down. On a semi-automatic drop to second or third and let the engine hold you. Riding the brakes the whole way down heats them until they stop working — the classic way people crash on this road.
• Fog at the summit is normal. Slow down, use lights, and do not overtake in it. The pass earns its name several days a week.
• The road is damp long after rain stops. Shaded corners on the northern side stay wet, and the painted lines are slippery when they are.
• Watch the tour convoys. Easy Rider groups and jeep tours stop suddenly for photographs, often on the outside of a bend.
• Fuel up in Da Nang. There is no petrol station on the pass itself. Vietnam now sells E10 RON 95, and a full tank costs about 110,000₫.

When to ride the Hai Van Pass

On the Hai Van Pass, time of day matters as much as season. Leave Hoi An by 7:30 and you are on the climb before the coaches, at the summit while the light is still low, and back across Da Nang before the afternoon heat.

Questions we get asked

Updated August 2026. Hai Van Quan admission of 70,000₫ per person took effect 2 June 2026 and is set until 31 December 2028, with gates open 7:00–17:30; concessions apply to some visitor groups, so ask at the counter. Distances and heights for the pass are the commonly published figures and vary slightly by source and by where you measure from. Motorbikes remain prohibited in the Hai Van tunnel. Conditions on the pass change quickly with weather — check the forecast on the morning you ride.