Thuan An to Vinh Hien
Thuan An Beach, 15km northeast of Hué, is on a splendid lagoon near the mouth of the Perfume River, at the tip of a long, thin island. It’s lovely for beachcombing, and is quite undeveloped except for a few kiosks, but between September and April the water’s often too rough to swim in.

It is joined to the mainland by a short bridge, and beyond the beach a 50km scenic road (actually Hwy 49, though you’d never guess) stretches the length of the undeveloped island (no maps give it a name) from Thuan An to Vinh Hien. This makes a great day trip by motorbike or car from Hué. It also offers an alternative route to or from Hué for travellers making their way on two wheels along the coast road.

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Getting there & away
There are at least three options for driving this road: two for day-trippers from Hué, and one for through travellers.

Those on day trips can just drive as far as they like and then return to Thuan An. An alternative is to drive to Vinh Tanh and, about halfway along the road, turn right and head to a wharf where a ferry runs back and forth across the lagoon until about 4pm. The 20-minute crossing costs 5000d for motorbikes and 30, 000d for cars, and moors 13km from Hwy 1A, a little south of Phu Bai Airport.

An option for through travellers continuing south after visiting Hue – on motorbikes and bicycles only – is to make your way to Vinh Hien and, from there, catch a public boat to Cau Hai on the mainland, close to the Bach Ma National Park access road. The cost for two people and a motorbike is 5000d, and the journey takes an hour or so. Be aware that weather conditions affect the running of the boats, so be prepared to backtrack if necessary.

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