Huong Hoa, Quang Tri
Tours in Khe Sanh
Khe Sanh is known internationally for the 1968 battle, and almost nobody stops there as a traveller. That is starting to change, because the hills around it hold something unusual for Vietnam: a Formosan sweet gum forest that turns yellow, then orange, then deep red between October and January, and a reservoir ringed by wind turbines where you can camp on an island in the middle of the water.
Every tour, cheapest first
3 trips
Jungle Boss
Phong Huong Adventure
1DA 9.5 kilometre walk through a sweet gum forest that turns red in winter, ending with lunch and a paddleboard on a reservoir ringed by wind turbines.
The only walk here through a forest that turns red, and the lowest age limit in the catalogue.
Jungle Boss
Phong Huong Excursion
2D1NThe most relaxed trip in the catalogue: a boat to an island camp on Rao Quan lake, a barbecue, a campfire, and nothing more strenuous than a paddleboard.
The only trip with no hiking whatsoever: a boat to an island camp and nothing more strenuous than a paddleboard.
Jungle Boss
Phong Huong Adventure Overnight
2D1NThe forest walk and the lake camp together, finishing with a 30 metre abseil down Ta Puong waterfall and a jump into the pool.
The only trip pairing the red forest walk with a waterfall abseil, in two days.
Discount code
Discount coupon for the Jungle Boss tours above. Enter it at the payment step on their site for 5% off.
Side by side on price
Every tour here, cheapest first. Bars use a compressed scale so the shorter trips stay readable next to the expeditions.
Approximate figures, per person; the operator bills in VND. Cheapest is 1,350,000 VND (about $50), dearest is 3,350,000 VND (about $130).
What Khe Sanh is actually good for
A forest that changes colour
Formosan sweet gum turns from green through yellow and orange to red between October and January, with late December to January the most vivid. Autumn colour on this scale is rare anywhere in Vietnam.
Rao Quan reservoir
A large, clear reservoir with wind turbine fields on the ridges above it. Tours camp on an island site reached by boat, with paddleboarding, swimming, fishing and a barbecue on the shore.
Dinosaur Ridge
The high point of the 9.5 km forest walk, looking across overlapping ranges to the turbines and the lake. The descent from the ridge is steep enough that poles are genuinely useful.
Ta Puong waterfall
A 30 metre rope descent down the falls, finishing with a short free jump into the pool at the bottom, on the two day adventure trip. Lunch beforehand is cooked by families in Ta Puong village.
The history, told on the ground
The battle of Khe Sanh in 1968 was one of the longest of the war, and guides tell that history as you walk the same hills. The Ho Chi Minh Road that brings you here is part of the same story.
When to go
October to January for the forest colour, with late December and January the deepest red. January to August is the dry season and better for the water activities on the reservoir. September to December is the wet season.
Getting there
Khe Sanh sits on the western Ho Chi Minh Road in Quang Tri province, roughly three hours by road from Hue and about an hour and a half from Dong Ha on Highway 9. There is no airport or railway station: you arrive by road, which is why this suits people already travelling the Ho Chi Minh Road rather than day trippers from a city.
Worth knowing first
- Tour pickup covers Khe Sanh town only. The operator says plainly that you must make your own way there, and no transfer from Hue or Dong Ha is offered.
- This is not a caves destination. If you came to central Vietnam for caves, that is Phong Nha, about four hours north.
- The autumn colour is the draw for a specific window. Outside October to January the forest is green and the trip is a different, quieter proposition.
- Facilities are limited compared with Hue or Phong Nha. Camp toilets are composting units and washing happens in the lake.
Khe Sanh questions people actually ask
How do I get to Khe Sanh?
Under your own steam. It is about three hours from Hue by road and an hour and a half from Dong Ha, on the western Ho Chi Minh Road. Tour operators here collect you free within Khe Sanh town but explicitly do not run transfers from anywhere else, so plan the journey as part of your route rather than as a day trip.
When does the sweet gum forest turn red?
Colour starts appearing in October and deepens through the season, with the end of December and January giving the most vivid red. If the autumn colour is the reason you are going, aim for that window rather than the shoulder months.
Is Khe Sanh worth a detour?
It is if you are already travelling the Ho Chi Minh Road, want a genuine walk rather than a cave, or are interested in the war history. It is a long way to come purely for a day trip, which is precisely why the area stays quiet.
What is the easiest trip here?
The two day lake excursion at 1,950,000 VND has no hiking at all: a boat out to the island camp, a barbecue, a campfire, and paddleboarding in the morning. It takes children from age 6 and is the most relaxed trip in this region.
Elsewhere in Vietnam
Photographs by TripAdvisor (MyNhungks), TripAdvisor (DaveH6742172), TripAdvisor (hientourist), TripAdvisor (Thien_phuc_2019bia).
We may earn a commission when you book through links on this page, at no extra cost to you. It does not change what you pay, and it does not decide which trips appear here.