Celebrating 20 Years of the Hai Van Tunnel: Southeast Asia's Most Modern Road Tunnel

Hải Vân Pass — this legendary stretch of road now offers a quicker journey, thanks to the modern mountain tunnel.
Instead of taking almost an hour to "ascend and descend" the 22km mountain pass, drivers on the North-South route now only need 10-15 minutes to "conquer Hải Vân Pass" via the tunnel section, which is over 12km long.

Hải Vân Tunnel entrance from Da Nang City heading to Hue.
On November 7, 2003, the drilling teams working from both the North and South ends of the Hải Vân Road Tunnel on National Highway 1A officially met, following many months of intense work.
Construction on the tunnel began on August 27, 2000, and it was inaugurated on June 5, 2005.
Hải Vân Pass – “The World's Most Majestic Pass”
Hải Vân Pass serves as the natural boundary between Da Nang City and Thừa Thiên-Huế Province.
Historical records show that in 1470, King Lê Thánh Tông personally led his troops to attack Champa. Upon reaching Hải Vân Pass, deeply impressed by its majestic landscape, the king composed a poem and declared the site “Thiên hạ đệ nhất hùng quan” – 'The World's Most Majestic Pass.'
In the early 19th century, after unifying the country, the Nguyễn Dynasty chose Hue as its imperial capital, making Hải Vân Pass the gateway to the capital city.
According to the historical chronicle “Đại Nam thực lục chính biên,” during King Minh Mạng's reign, the road over the pass was constructed and paved with stone. Notably, in the Bính Tuất year (1826), a complex of structures was built at the summit of the pass, forming a robust military fortress known as Hải Vân Quan.
After occupying Central Vietnam, the Commander-in-Chief of the French expeditionary forces, General De Courcy, ordered the immediate and rapid opening of a strategic road through Hải Vân Pass to connect Hue with Da Nang. This also allowed for swift troop deployment to pacify Quảng Nam if necessary.
French engineering forces compelled laborers from the two provinces to build the road starting in 1886.
From 1902 to 1906, French colonialists constructed the railway line through Hải Vân Pass, winding along the mountain slopes, passing through 6 tunnels and 18 bridges. This railway line remains in use today.
Hải Vân Road Tunnel – Southeast Asia's Longest and Most Modern Road Tunnel
The road section over Hải Vân Pass, nearly 21km long, bears the marks of time and history. Combined with its complex terrain, even with upgrades, repairs, and widening, it remained a hazardous route for drivers.
The winding, twisting roads clinging to the mountainside, with sharp, continuous bends, could easily catch out any “inattentive” vehicle.

The winding, majestic curves of Hải Vân Pass.
Especially during the rainy and stormy season, rockfalls were common, leading to numerous traffic accidents and severe loss of life and property.
To help resolve traffic safety issues and keep pace with the demands of integration and economic development, the Party and State committed to building a cross-mountain tunnel.
Feasibility studies for the tunnel project began in 1996, and by early 1998, the Prime Minister officially approved the investment for construction, with a total capital of over 250 million USD, funded by a loan from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) and a counterpart fund from the State.
The entire Hải Vân Road Tunnel complex spans 12.047km, designed for permanence with a design speed of 80km/h. The main tunnel is 6,280m long, 10m wide for two lanes of traffic, with a clearance height of 7.5m. A parallel rescue tunnel, of similar length and 4.7m wide, is connected to the main tunnel by cross-tunnels, serving as an emergency escape route for people and vehicles in case of incidents.
This is the longest and most modern road tunnel in Southeast Asia, and among the 30 longest tunnels worldwide.
The Hải Vân Pass road tunnel is a comprehensive transportation project comprising roads, tunnels, bridges, and operational equipment, passing through Thừa Thiên-Huế Province in the north and Da Nang City in the south of the tunnel.
The tunnel was constructed with a circular cross-section to maximize load-bearing capacity and prevent stress concentration at corners. Statistics show an average of about 6,500 vehicles pass through the Hải Vân Tunnel daily; during holidays and Tết (Lunar New Year), this number can sometimes double.

Hải Vân Tunnel from Da Nang City heading to Hue.
The opening of the Hải Vân Road Tunnel has fundamentally improved traffic conditions over the hazardous mountain pass, significantly shortening the North-South journey. It has also reduced fuel consumption and vehicle damage, and most importantly, helped mitigate unforeseen losses from traffic jams and accidents that previously occurred annually on the pass road, bringing immense socio-economic benefits.
The Hải Vân Road Tunnel stands as a vivid testament to the industrialization and modernization efforts within the transportation sector.
Beyond its socio-economic significance for Da Nang City and Thừa Thiên-Huế Province, the Hải Vân Tunnel project also contributes to completing the East-West economic corridor's transport infrastructure. This brings Vietnam's Central and Central Highlands regions closer to Southeast Asia and facilitates international integration.
Hải Vân Pass – From its Vital North-South Role to a National Tourist Hotspot
Returning to the mountain pass roads, after its mission as a vital North-South route concluded, Hải Vân Pass has transformed into a popular destination attracting numerous tours.
Ascending to an altitude of nearly 500m above sea level, after a long journey over the pass, visitors are greeted by a vast expanse of sky and land, featuring Hải Vân Quan – the historical border point between two provinces and two regions.

Hải Vân Quan National Historical Site with two arched gates located at the summit of Hải Vân Pass.
Hải Vân Quan was originally built during the Trần Dynasty and attained its current appearance after being renovated during the Nguyễn Dynasty (in the 7th year of Minh Mạng's reign – 1826).
Hải Vân Quan is situated directly on the watershed of the Bạch Mã mountain range, which also marks the present-day boundary between Thừa Thiên-Huế Province and Da Nang City.
Hải Vân Quan was built as an arched gateway. The gate facing Thừa Thiên-Huế features a stone plaque engraved with the characters “Hải Vân Quan,” while the gate facing Da Nang bears a plaque inscribed with “Thiên hạ đệ nhất hùng quan” (The World's Most Majestic Pass).
During the Nguyễn Dynasty, Hải Vân Quan was a complex of multiple structures, functioning as a customs gate, a fortress, and a crucial southern defensive line for the Imperial Capital of Hue.
An image of Hải Vân Quan is also carved on the Dụ tripod, part of the Nine Dynastic Urns cast in 1837, during the reign of Nguyễn King Minh Mạng.
During the 20th-century wars in Vietnam, French colonialists and later the American imperialists transformed this site into a vital strategic outpost, constructing numerous additional military facilities.
Coupled with many major battles, the architecture of Hải Vân Quan was significantly altered from its original form. After the war, the relic deteriorated due to insufficient attention and preservation.
It was not until 2017 that Hải Vân Quan was finally recognized as a National Historical and Architectural Art Relic.
To best harness the tourism potential of the area, in early 2013, the People's Committee of Da Nang City officially designated Hải Vân Pass Summit as a local tourist destination for Da Nang City.
Following this, the city also developed plans to establish Hải Vân Pass as a National Tourist Destination.
Hue 6873 view
Update day : 07/11/2023
Source : Vietnamplus.vn Affiliate links
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