Fog, rockfalls and sharp bends: Khanh Le Pass between tourist hubs of Nha Trang and Da Lat remains nightmare for drivers

Quang Trung, a 24-year-old driver, was horrified to read about the passenger bus being buried by rocks and soil there on the night of Nov. 16. He shuddered, thinking to himself, "Luckily, I didn’t have any passengers that night."

He is a driver on the Da Lat - Nha Trang route and usually takes National Highway 27C that goes through the pass, which is nearly 50 km shorter than the alternative route via Cam Ranh and Song Pha Pass, and avoids expressway tolls.

But for many drivers, the 33 km stretch across Khanh Le is fraught with risks.

The scene of a landslide on Khanh Le Pass that buried a passenger bus, killing six people. Photo by Khanh Hoa Department of Construction

"This pass is like a beautiful woman with a volatile temper," Trung commented. There can be blazing sunshine at the foot of the pass, but the peak will be shrouded in fog.

Trung’s greatest fear is the fog. On some days, it remains thick until 8 a.m., and on others, it rolls down to the road surface at as early as 3 p.m., reducing visibility to just a few meters and forcing vehicles to crawl nose-to-tail.

Even more dangerous is the rain. Khanh Le Pass has unstable geology. When it rains, soil, rocks, and even trees can collapse onto the road at any moment.

Trung says: "Many areas are full of boulders; the thought of one falling is terrifying. Driving those 33 kilometers is incredibly stressful".

Whenever there is news of an accident on the pass, his family calls him up and urges him to take the longer route.

This feeling of unease is familiar to Vu, a Nha Trang native who manages a hotel in Da Lat. He traverses the pass at least eight times a month and is constantly haunted by its dangerous slopes and hundreds of sharp curves.

He says he can never forget the accident on the morning of March 31, when he was one of the first rescuers at the scene. "I was driving from home to Da Lat on that day. Just past a very sharp bend in Khanh Vinh district, I saw a passenger bus carrying pilgrims overturned on the side of the road," Vu recalled.

The scene was chaotic: shattered windows, screaming passengers. Vu immediately stopped his car and, with the help of other locals, broke open the doors to pull the victims out. "Six women were severely injured in that incident. I had to flag down another passing passenger bus and ask for their help to rush the injured to the hospital."

Vu says Khanh Le Pass has steep slopes together with continuous hairpin turns, and if drivers unfamiliar with the road take a curve too fast or constantly brake, which can lead to brake failure, a disaster is imminent.

He says that the most treacherous section is between kilometers 47 and 62, at an altitude of 1,500 m. "One side is a cliff, and on the other is a deep ravine. Heavy buses and trucks must slowly crawl up. If one car brakes suddenly, and the vehicle behind doesn’t keep a safe distance, there is a risk of a collision."

Khanh Le Pass has been the scene of numerous fatal accidents. On July 18, 2023, at km 56+200, a 29-seat coach carrying Chinese tourists lost control and plunged into a ravine, killing four people.

On May 12, 2018, a bus transporting a group of retired officials overturned at km 56+100, resulting in three fatalities.

A landslide point on Khanh Le Pass, about 3 km from the accident that happened on Nov. 16, 2025, and authorities deployed an excavator to clear the road. Photo by Bui Toan

Duong Trong Nghia, 52, from Da Lat, who has 10 years of experience ferrying passengers over the pass, believes that extreme caution is the key to survival. "You cannot be in a hurry when driving on the pass."

He emphasizes that drivers must stick to their lane, especially on curves, always use a low gear, and maintain a speed of under 50 km per hour, even when the road is empty.

Observation skills are imperative, and drivers must be able to "read" the road, use convex mirrors to anticipate oncoming traffic, and pay close attention to landslide warning signs, he says. He also advises drivers to thoroughly check their brakes and tires before every trip.

Those driving automatic cars should not continuously apply the brakes when descending, and should switch to manual mode (S or L) or use paddle shifters to engine-brake and control speed, he says.

In bad weather, Nghia always calls colleagues driving ahead to ask for an update.

"If I know the fog is dense or the rain is heavy, I’d rather change the itinerary and take the long route than risk it", he says. "Trying to save a few minutes can cost you a lifetime."