Sitting here in these COVID-19 times it’s best we pursue domestic adventures, but it’s still fun to reminisce about the freedoms we had before the world locked its borders. Able to jump on a plane and enjoy exotic climbing, submerged in a culture vastly different than our own. This is an account of a magical climbing trip to Vietnam in fall 2019—put it on your bucket list once the world opens up!
“Watch me!”
Huu Lung – B Classen
Dragon Wall – B Classen
I focus my attention as Ian gracefully forges ahead on a powerful onsight. We’d just arrived in Huu Lung, Vietnam—a recently developed climber’s paradise. Still jet-lagged, the buttery (yet ultra-high-friction) limestone had us giddy. His breathing was rhythmic and his strong frame mysteriously clung to the wall.
Behind us, the landscape stretched with countless karst towers. Up the valleys, modest houses and villages were stitched together by miles of rice fields.
Huu Lung Region – B. Classen
“Come on Ian, you got it! Keep breathing! Looking good!”
Ian on Huu Lung – S DeTray
I spotted a farmer walking toward us, clad in olive greens—one might mistake him for military from afar, but this is his daily gear. Drawn by our shouts, he watched Ian climb. When Ian clipped the anchor, the farmer raised his arms in triumph.
I lowered Ian, pulled out Google Translate, and asked, “Would you like some money for us climbing here?” He refused with pride. “Thank you for letting us climb,” I said. He smiled, invited us for tea, and we packed up to follow him home.
Homestay Tea – Local Hospitality
A few years ago, during my darkest days of cancer, I asked: if I only have a few years left, do I want to spend them at the base of a cliff? No—I wanted to travel and experience the world. In 2019 alone I hit 14 countries: Jordan’s deserts, Bangladesh’s chaos, Laos’s back roads, Cambodia’s Angkor Wat, Pakistan’s peaks, plus Kenya and Myanmar. It was a journey of self-discovery.
Now two years later, the call of the stone tugs at my soul again. I secured a remote job that lets me work two months on, two months off. Injuries and age bring setbacks, but climbing’s camaraderie and challenge keep me hooked. Tie in, start climbing, and every worry vanishes—a moving meditation of mind and body.
I feel it again now. Walking through rice fields, I buzz with that fleeting euphoria. Grades shift with fitness, but the mental-physical challenge remains—the bright ribbon that makes climbing fantastic at any level.
Five minutes later we reached his house: two wooden rooms stacked, teak walls, bamboo mats instead of furniture. His wife served green tea and rice whisky. On the wall hung calendars of Ho Chi Minh and Viet Cong jeeps—heavy history, heavy price for freedom.
I wondered how he’d feel about Americans. A smile broke across his face when we revealed our nationality. We toasted rice whisky and shook hands—proof that old foes can sit down as friends.
Touring the Countryside – Local Guide
Climbing and travel go together like coffee and cream. As soon as your passport stamps, you enter a new world. Climbing is the universal language—instant community, endless challenge, constant awe.
Huu Lung boasts 70+ bolted routes (20–35m, 5.8–5.13b) with endless potential. Perfect jugs, technical pockets, tufas for laybacks and hand jams—Jean’s eye for flow makes each link a joy.
After a day on rock, we hit a café/bar/pool hall for Saigon beers and pool. It’s the camaraderie that hooks me: life in your partner’s hands, trust beyond sport, friendship beyond borders.
Ian Arm Wrestling – S DeTray
A crowd cheered as Ian arm-wrestled through four opponents. I sipped rice whisky, music pounding—hospitality and warmth everywhere.
Vietclimb homestay – S DeTray
Despite Ian’s swollen elbow, we climbed a few more routes before our final farewells in Hanoi.