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Phong Huong Adventure: 9.5 kilometres through formosan sweet gum forest, red and orange from october to january

Khe Sanh, Vietnam

Phong Huong Adventure

Length
One day
How hard is it
Moderate
Group size
60
Minimum age
6+

Only here: The only walk here through a forest that turns red, and the lowest age limit in the catalogue.

A 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.

What you actually do

  • 9.5 kilometres through Formosan sweet gum forest, red and orange from October to January
  • The Dinosaur Ridge viewpoint over mountains, wind turbines and Rao Quan lake
  • A boat out to a camp in the middle of Rao Quan reservoir
  • Stand up paddleboarding, swimming and fishing in the afternoon
  • Lunch of bamboo tube rice and grilled pork cooked by local chefs
  • Age 6 and up, the lowest minimum age here, at 1,350,000 VND

Is this the right tour for you?

Worth reading before you book. Age limits and group rules rule people out more often than fitness does.

Book it if

  • You are already travelling the Ho Chi Minh Road or visiting Khe Sanh
  • You want a proper walk rather than a cave
  • You are visiting between October and January, when the forest turns
  • You have younger children: age 6 is the lowest limit in the catalogue

Look elsewhere if

  • You are based in Hue or Dong Ha and expect a transfer. There is none
  • You want caves. This tour has none
  • You dislike steep descents. The last section off the ridge is sharp

How the day runs

  1. Morning: the sweet gum forest and Dinosaur Ridge

    Half eight pickup in Khe Sanh town, briefing at the office, then a twenty minute drive to the trailhead in Huong Linh. The walk covers 9.5 kilometres through sweet gum forest, which between October and January turns from green through yellow and orange to deep red. The trail climbs to Dinosaur Ridge with views across ranges, wind turbine fields and the lake, and your guide fills in the plants and the history of the Khe Sanh battle along the way. The final descent from the ridge is steep, so poles are worth having.

  2. Afternoon: Rao Quan reservoir

    A motorboat carries the group from the foot of the mountain to a camp on the water, reached around two o'clock, where lunch is local food cooked by chefs from the area. The afternoon is free to swim, paddleboard or sit still, before the boat and then the van return you to Khe Sanh.

What the price covers

  • Guide, trained safety assistants and porters
  • Life jacket, helmet and headlamp
  • All food and drinks
  • PVI travel insurance
  • Pickup and drop-off within Khe Sanh town

Not included: tips, personal spending, any pickup outside khe sanh town.

When to go

The sweet gum forest turns yellow, orange then red from October to January, with late December and January the most vivid. Dry season is January to August.

Questions worth asking first

How do I get to Khe Sanh for this tour?

Under your own steam, and this is the catch worth knowing before you book. Pickup is free but only within Khe Sanh town, and the operator states plainly that you need to make your own way there. Khe Sanh sits on the Ho Chi Minh Road in Quang Tri, roughly three hours from Hue by road, so this works best if you are already travelling that route rather than as a day trip from a city.

When does the forest actually turn red?

The colour comes in from October, moving through yellow and orange, and the operator points at the end of December and January for the deepest red. If the autumn colour is why you are going, aim for that window rather than the shoulder months.

Is 9.5 kilometres hard?

It is a solid half day of walking with a climb to the ridge and a steep drop off the far side, but the operator rates it accessible from age 6 and there is no technical ground. Hiking poles help on the descent, which is the part that catches people out.

What is the Khe Sanh connection?

Khe Sanh was the site of one of the longest battles of the war in 1968, and the guides tell that history as you walk. The wind turbines you can see from the ridge are a much more recent addition to the same landscape.

How the price compares

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 800,000 VND (about $30), dearest is 79,500,000 VND (about $3,060).

If you want something bigger

Tra Ang Excursion, Phong Nha

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Tra Ang Excursion

1D

The cheapest way into a real Phong Nha cave: a short walk off the Ho Chi Minh trail, then a swim into the dark with a rope to follow.

The cheapest guided cave in Phong Nha, and the only one that takes children from age 7.

Gentle
800,000 VND
about $30 · age 7+
Elephant Cave and Ma Da Valley Jungle Trek, Phong Nha

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Elephant Cave and Ma Da Valley Jungle Trek

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The best single day in Phong Nha if you only have one: a war-history cave, a swim in an emerald lake, and 600 metres of river cave to finish.

The only day tour with pickup from Dong Hoi included, so it works without staying in Phong Nha.

Gentle
1,950,000 VND
about $75 · age 9+
Phong Huong Excursion, Khe Sanh

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Phong Huong Excursion

2D1N

The 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.

Gentle
1,950,000 VND
about $75 · age 6+

Photographs by Jungle Boss.

Plan the rest

All guided toursVietnam visa rulesBest time to visit Khe SanhThings to do in Khe SanhAll 3 tours in Khe Sanh