Anatolii Kusurko, a Russian living in Ho Chi Minh City, shared a photo titled "Vietnam's loneliest road" in a travel group for foreign travelers on Sept. 17. The photo, taken on the western branch of the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Quang Tri Province, received more than 7,000 likes.

Kusurko took the photo at around 9 a.m. on April 30 while driving with a friend during their trip to Phong Nha-Ke Bang. Noticing the area was deserted, he stopped to take a photo.

He was surprised by the attention the image received from both foreign travelers and Vietnamese.

"The scene in front of me was truly unbelievable, and somewhat frightening," he said, adding that he used a drone and flew it above the road to create a higher-angle view.

This provided a dramatic perspective, making the road in the photo appear to stretch endlessly down a steep slope. As a result, many people seeing the image for the first time thought it was AI-generated.

The western branch of the Ho Chi Minh Trail is part of the historic Truong Son road network and runs for 250 kilometers from Khe Gat Junction in Phong Nha Commune to National Highway 9 in Khe Sanh Commune.

Along the route, travelers can admire the pristine beauty of Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park and pass landmarks including Paradise Cave, the Eight Ladies Cave, and Ta Con Airport.

Bức ảnh chụp đường Hồ Chí Minh nhánh Tây của Anatolii hôm 30/4. Ảnh: Anatolii Kusurko

Anatolii said that the road's majestic scenery can only truly be appreciated by those who drive it themselves, with dense forests and towering limestone cliffs lining the route. Learning more about the road's history made the photo even more meaningful to him.

Nguyen Tu, a tour driver who has driven on this route many times, was impressed by Kusurko's camera angles, but said the road is hardly dangerous, adding that people should only avoid it during rainy weather because of the risk of landslides.

Nguyen Duy Huan, a tour guide who has traveled along the western branch twice, said the route sees few travelers, with most being local ethnic minority people.

Tour groups usually travel by the eastern branch, he pointed out.

The western branch is narrow and relatively steep, with many concrete sections just wide enough for two vehicles.

At several places along the route, there is no phone signal, and so if a vehicle breaks down or has a flat tire, travelers have to deal with the problem themselves, he warned.

He therefore recommended traveling in convoys of two or three vehicles.