Lo Xo Pass on the Way to Kon Tum and Mang Den: Which Road, What Risk, How to Choose

Lo Xo pass is a stretch of the Ho Chi Minh road (Highway 14) about 37 km long, linking Phuoc Son and Kham Duc in Da Nang with Dak Plo and Dak Pek in Quang Ngai (according to VnExpress on 30 October 2025). The easy mistake is to think the pass is on Highway 24, the road normally used to reach Mang Den from Da Nang. Lo Xo only appears when your trip goes to or from Kon Tum. This guide explains when your trip would cross Lo Xo, the state of the road from recent reports, and how to decide which road to take.

Two ways up to the highlands, and where Lo Xo comes in

From the last two figures, reaching Mang Den by way of Kon Tum on the Ho Chi Minh road is about 352 km (292 plus 60), roughly 110 km more than the 240 km in the rate table. That is a derived sum, not an official entry, and the rate table has no entry for the Kon Tum to Da Nang leg. So a trip only crosses Lo Xo when your plan includes Kon Tum, for example the way home in the three-day, two-night plan in the Da Nang, Mang Den, Kon Tum itinerary. The cost of the trip up to Mang Den is covered in the guide to the cost of a private car to Mang Den.

Road conditions from recent reports

The reports below are examples of the kind of risk, not forecasts for the day you travel:

• Road surface: the newspaper Saigon Giai Phong on 27 January 2025 reported that the section through Dak Man commune (Dak Glei, Kon Tum), about 27 km, had broken concrete, water seeping through the road body and many damaged spots right on the bends; the Kon Tum transport department said it would urge the managing units to repair it.
• Landslides: VnExpress on 30 October 2025 reported that the pass reopened after more than 4 days cut off by heavy rain from 26 October, with more than 50 trucks stranded, and that the rain caused 4 more landslides.
• Highway 24: the newspaper Tien Phong on 23 November 2025 reported a landslide of about 400 cubic metres at km 112+200 that paralysed traffic, and that the section between Mang Den and the Violak pass had earlier recorded 27 landslides and one crack.

Both roads carry rainy-season risk. What differs is that Lo Xo is long, runs through sparsely populated country, and the reports above record many cases of damage and landslides in recent years.

How to decide which road

1. If you only go to Mang Den: the Highway 24 direction is shorter by the entries above. Ask dispatch which route the rate table applies to.
2. If Kon Tum is included: consider going up and coming back in the same direction, or making a loop with two different directions. Each has a different total distance, and the time for the Kon Tum to Da Nang leg is not in the rate table.
3. In the rainy season (September to December): check the forecast and traffic notices for both directions before you travel, and ask who decides to change roads when a warning is issued.
4. If anyone is prone to car sickness, or you have young children or older relatives: say so when you book so the departure time and rest stops can be chosen.

What to send

• The pickup, the destination (Mang Den, Kon Tum or both) and the dates you go and return.
• Your preferred direction if you have one, or leave dispatch to suggest one by the weather that day.
• The number of passengers, anyone prone to car sickness, the number of suitcases and the 4-, 7- or 16-seat vehicle.

The base rate for each route includes fuel, road tolls and parking fees on the listed route; the return leg, the driver’s overnight stay and waiting time are not included automatically. Destination information is in the guide to renting a car from Da Nang or Hoi An to Mang Den, and the long-distance corridor is on the page for long-distance private car routes.