We drove to Lao Bao from
Aluoi, first traveling north on Vietnam’s National Route 14, and then traveling west on Route 9. At the junction of Highway 14 and Route 9, we stopped to take a picture of the Dakrong bridge, and were invited into a family’s house on the side of the road for tea. The husband and wife were both primary school teachers, and taught at schools for hill tribe people in the surrounding area. They told us that village conditions greatly improve when the villagers learn to speak Vietnamese, and are able to participate in the Vietnamese economy.
We drove through Khe Sanh, with little signs of the viscious battle that took place there just 40 years ago. We stopped on the side of the road where a tank was placed, with a plaque that said, among other things, “if you fight, you have to win”.
Other than a market, a couple of decent looking hotels, and the border crossing to Laos, Lao Bao doesn't seem to have much to offer. It was hot, dry, dusty, and barren. When we stopped for lunch, we were continuously assaulted by money-changers who were trying to get us to exchange our Vietnamese dong for Lao kip, at horrible rates. Our lunch was not very good, and because Lao Bao looked like such an uninteresting place, we decided to cross the border into Laos rather than spending the afternoon and night in Lao Bao. We were sad to leave such a beautiful country, and our friends Tuan and Thanh.
For information on Hotels, Tours, Flights, and Books on Vietnam, check out the pages below:
Hotels in Vietnam - Recommended hotels in Vietnam.
Tours in Vietnam - Recommended tour companies in Vietnam.
Flights to Vietnam - Includes information about our experiences on different airlines we've taken to and from Vietnam.
Books on Vietnam - Excellent books on Vietnam's history, people, and travel.
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