Bao Loc Vietnam: Beautiful Mountain Scenery, Dangerous Mountain Roads

We traveled to Bao Loc for a conference recently and had the chance to do a little sightseeing while we were there.  Bao Loc is on the way to Da Lat from Ho Chi Minh City; it is about 100km away.  There is little to do in the Bao Loc other than enjoying the outdoors and eating at one of only a few restaurants.  However, it is so peaceful and beautiful there that one could easily spend a few days just walking around on the various paths leading to tea or coffee plantations and enjoying the quiet fresh air.  Below is one of the small paths for access to a farm.

Bao Loc is very mountainous and fertile and entire valleys are under production for various agricultural products.  This is just one of many different tea plantations.  

The city hospital is located at the end of a quiet road overlooking the mountains.  

Bao Loc even has a delicious vegetarian restaurant.  The prices were much cheaper than the vegetarian restaurants in Sai Gon and the food was much more delicious.  If you like to eat vegetarian every now and then, this place is worth stopping at on travels to Da Lat or farther.

The only down side to the trip was the number of accidents we saw on the road during our 36 hour round trip.  Below is an overturned trailer truck we saw on the side of the road on the way back to Saigon.  It was not there the day before when going to Bao Loc.

We also saw the unfortunate aftermath of a head-on collision between two smaller trucks.  There were also several motorbike accidents we passed that had occurred recently; one with a police officer measuring the accident seen (possible fatality) and one with a woman burning incense and praying in the center of the road with a picture of someone next to her (certain fatality).  The traffic is very dangerous here.  If you are in Vietnam, drive safely!