Written by Elise

Elise's View From The Backseat

Riding a motorbike from the North to the South of Vietnam was an amazing experience. Now, while I didn’t ride the motorcycle myself (Anthony did an amazing job!) it is still something that will remain with me for the rest of my life. Each day we were faced with new challenges and amazing sights making the journey all the more incredible. I think what made it so momentous was the simple fact that we were in control of where we wanted to go on the trip. It didn’t have to be governed by train and bus timetables (how we normally get from A to B). We were able to stop anywhere we wanted to and take our time to stop and smell the rice paddies! It was hard to pinpoint my favourite memories, but for anyone thinking of doing a trip similar to this, I hope this post inspires you! It was an amazing journey and loved every minute of it!

Rice Paddies

Working In The Fields

I had always wanted to see the bright green rice paddies that I seen in so many photos and our time in Vietnam I defiantly got what I asked for! We would ride for hours and hours through countless rice paddy fields, each one greener than the last. The fluorescent colour of the neat fields would be on either side of us. We stopped often just to stare at the endless plains of the newly growning rice.

Road Butterflies

When we were riding on the Ho Chi Minh Road, there would be stretches of the trail where hundreds of butterflies would flutter up from the road and surrounding trees and shrubs. We would sometimes find ourselves riding through almost hundreds of them-I felt like I was in the forests of Narnia! Anthony said they were just moths but I still protest that they were beautiful butterflies just fluttering by!

Chasing the Rain and Getting Caught Out

For over half of our trip we were lucky enough to escape any downpour. There would be days we would be riding with foreboding clouds above us, but we never felt a drop. That is until the day we left Hoi An for Dak Glei!

We were only about 1 hour away from the town we chose stop at for the night when we turned round a corner of a mountain and right in front of us were heavy black clouds. We could hear the thunder and see the lightening but didn’t feel any rain. Then without warning the skies opened up and the biggest water droplets ever splashed down on us. Of course, that was the day we didn’t have our wet weather gear out and ready! As fast as we could we put our jackets and pants on, already saturated and continued slowly in the rain.

We didn’t need to be told again to always have our rain gear out and ready with our bags wrapped up!

Us In Our Rain Gear

Iced Tea

A common drink in Vietnam is Iced Tea or Tra Da, and it quickly became our favourite drink to rehydrate with whilst on the road. Rather than being a sweet tea it is usually just green tea or another kind of herbal tea with ice added. So thirst quenching and refreshing! We would stop at little roadside cafes regularly to grab one of these cheap and satisfying drinks. Many a time the owners would continually top up our glasses with a big grin. They seemed to be so proud to serve us. At one town, Kham Duc we stopped in and got ourselves tea from a family. Minutes later the wife brought out some freshly baked teacake for us to eat with cream-scrumptious! We had about three glasses of tea each and chatted to the family in broken English. When we were ready to leave and went to pay they would not take our money. No matter how much we plead with them, they would not take our cash. This was true Vietnamese hospitality that we had experienced and were so grateful for.

Beep Beep, Honk Honk!

We passed so many buses and trucks on our trip and at times I really did think I burst an eardrum! The horns they use on their vehicles were so loud and they would go for so long. It didn’t mater which way they were coming from the drivers would be sure to blow their horn at least three times if they were passing you or nearing you. Sometimes the horns were unnecessary and were more annoying than anything. We were thankful when we were along the Ho Chi Minh Road and would not hear a horn for hours on end or even pass anyone else on the road!

A Quieter Road Ahead

Getting Dirty

One day we were taking our motorbike through the countryside around Hue so we could independently visit some tombs and mountains. Since I was in charge of the map it was my job to get us to where we wanted to go. (That was our first mistake!) Bumping along a dirt road I soon realised we were going the wrong way and the actual track was on the opposite side of rice fields. The only way across them was on a muddy road full of puddles! We sloshed our way slowly through but unfortunately our little bike ‘Bullet’ couldn’t handle all the mud and we fell off the road into a muddy rice field below! We weren’t hurt-just dirty, but that didn’t stop us from continuing the day to see the tombs!

Girl Falls Off Motorbike

Being on the open road in Vietnam was unbelievable. Noisy at times, busy most of the time but such a great trip. We did over 3500km in the two months we were there. I love thinking that in years to come I can look back on my trip with Anthony on our trusty ‘Bullet’ and have great stories to tell the Grandkids!

Thinking of travelling to Vietnam? Contact Us for any questions you need answered!

Written by Elise

Of the two months we spent in Vietnam a good portion of that was riding everyday. We booked a Motorbiking the Ho Chi Minh Trail tour of Activetravel Asia. Our tour is about 3500km from Hanoi to Saigon (much to the horror of our parents!). We took our time, made many small stops in towns as well as major cities and really got a feel for Vietnam.

Along the way we met so many travellers who were shocked, awed, surprised and inspired by what we were doing and many a times the question they all asked was ‘Is it safe?’ Every time without fail our answer was ‘Yes!’.

Motorbike tour in Vietnam

There were of course many things that made our trip more not only safe but more enjoyable. If you’re considering doing the same thing we did or even just hiring a bike for a few days, read these 6 tips below on how to make your trip as safe as possible.

1. Forget What Road Rules You Already Know

Riding a motorbike in Vietnam (or any vehicle in South East Asia for that matter!) is very different to what you may be used back at home. The first thing you should know is that while road rules do exist, when on the road they cease to exist-if you get my drift! Forget trying to indicate, using your mirrors or going the speed limit-it just doesn’t happen. At first this may take some getting used to but after a while it works. So many times we would see Vietnamese on their Moto’s pulling out of a road onto a major highway without even looking! It’s just a given that everyone moves around them or out of their way. 

Now while I’m not saying you should never look when pulling out (a lot of things you’ll still do instinctively) but rather you need to flex your rules to how the Vietnamese do things. For example, while Anthony was riding, if we needed to cross lanes, merge, turn or even slow down I would just stick my hand out (either left or right depending which way) and give it a little shake. Who needs indicators when you have a good old hand wiggle! The thing is, it worked. People knew where we were trying to go. It might seem a little awkward at first, trying to adapt but after a while their driving becomes second nature.

2. Keep Up With The Flow Of Traffic

Check Your Speed

This is probably one of the most important things you can do whilst on a bike. When you first get on, you make feel like you want to go slow (because it feels safer) but in all honesty, doing that will get you into an accident. In larger cities-because there are so many motorbikes-there is an ebb and flow to the traffic. Keeping up with this so called ‘pulse’ makes it easier to move on the road. If you’re travelling on major highways, always keep to the very edge of the road and try and go about 60km/h. It’s unlikely you’ll be able to go any faster and going slower is likely to cause more accidents.

3. Have Tea Breaks

If you’re on the road for most of the day (we only ever tried to ride about 3-4 hours a day MAX), it is important to stop for tea breaks. Along both main and country roads there are countless teahouses that will offer you an ice-cold cup of ‘tra da’ (iced tea) for less than a dollar. Many of these places will also serve a soup or a rice dish too if you’re hungry. These stops are important so you can stretch your legs and have a bit of a break from riding, but they are also a great place to meet locals, have a chat with them and get a view into their daily life.

4. Get A Decent Road Map

Chekking the Next Destination

Now while it may sound adventurous and rather ‘Bear Grylls’ of you to travel without a map, it is smarter idea to carry one with you on your trip. Not only can you decide where you want to ride to next, you can also pick and choose places a little more easily. We bought maps that were detailed, had how many km’s there was between towns and also had tourist sites for some places.

Road signs are actually pretty good in Vietnam and many places/roads were labeled and corresponded to our map. On the off chance they didn’t, or we weren’t sure where we were going, we just pulled up somewhere and asked the locals for some help. We would show them the town on the map and then they would point us in the right direction. Everyone we met was willing and happy to help (so boys, don’t worry about asking for directions!) Not only will a map help keep you safe it is also great to keep check of everywhere you visited in Vietnam.

5. Take Back Roads

When you can, take the back roads to your next stop. Not only will they allow you travel slower and be less crowded, but more often than not the sights are breathtaking and the people very friendly.

Running pretty much the entire length of the country is Highway 1. It’s busy, dusty and very fumy. However, to get to coastal towns, there are times when you’ll have to travel on this. Otherwise opt for the scenic and beautiful, Ho Chi Minh Trail. This road is very quiet, smooth and much more pleasant. Take your time and travel these smaller quieter roads, wherever possible.

6. Don’t Ride At Night For Long Periods

Riding at night is ok if you’re just going out to eat or visit markets etc, but try not to travel at night on your bike. Many of the roads have no streetlights, so at night it is more difficult to see what may be ahead of you. There are many dogs, chickens, cows they are constantly on the road, so running into one of them on the road wouldn’t be pleasant or safe. Also, some Vietnamese don’t travel with their headlights on which makes them harder to see. The bottom line-don’t travel at night for a long period of time.

 Now Enjoy The Freedom!

With these tips in mind, get out there are enjoy riding through Vietnam! You now have the freedom to go wherever and whenever you’d want. Stumbling upon little towns you never thought existed or meeting some of the friendliest people in the world, will surely be an amazing experience. It is hands down the highlight of my trip so far and I know Anthony feels the same. Hopefully you’ll enjoy it just as much as we did!

Recommend an itinerary Motorbiking the Ho Chi Minh Trail - Complete Challenge of Activetravel Asia.

Hanoi - Mai Chau - Vinh - Huong Khe - Phong Nha - Dong Hoi - Dong Ha - Khe Sanh - A Luoi - Hoi An - Da Nang - Phuoc Son - Kon Tum - Buon Ma Thuot - Dalat - Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City)

18-day trip with 11-day motorcycling

Motorcycling grading: Moderate to challenging

Highlights 

• Stunning scenery
• Historical sites
• Charming ancient trading town of Hoi An
• Relaxing in Dalat
• Encountering ethnic minorities
• Just you, no others travelers

Read more detail at:  http://www.activetravelvietnam.com/tour.php?op=detail&tourId=33

Hanoi - Mai Chau - Son La - Dien Bien Phu - Sapa - Hanoi  

Explore Vietnam's remote northwest - the historic battlefields of  Dien Bien Phu, the thriving hilltribe markets of Sapa and the stunning mountain scenery of Son La and Lai Chau.

Road map Northwestern Trail

The remote northwest of Vietnam appeals to those wanting to get off the beaten track in one of Vietnam's most beautiful, unaffected and untouristed areas.

Mai Chau, Northwestern Trails

The travellers who do venture to Mai Chau, Son La and Dien Bien Phu often do so by way of a hired jeep and driver or do it by motorbike, while those striking straight north to Vietnam's hilltribe capital of Sapa avail themselves of the comfortable and efficient overnight train to Sapa. Whichever way you're headed, prepare yourself for stunning scenery as you pass through spectacular ravines and over breathtaking passes.

Sapa, Vietnam

Best known for the burgeoning trekking centre of Sapa, there is a lot more worth investigating in this part of the country. The remote French firebase of Dien Bien Phu remains a drawcard, but it's as much the attraction of the trip there as the town itself that is worth visiting. A trip to Dien Bien Phu is easily combined with an approach to Sapa via "the back way" over the Fansipan pass (Vietnam's highest), allowing for more stunning scenery and the opportunity to see some of the less touristed parts of the country.

Tram Ton Pass

Another popular destinations is Mai Chau whose day-trekking and stunning scenery have helped it develop into a small tourist centre en-route to Dien Bien Phu -- many trips from Hanoi run out to Mai Chau -- and with good reason. It also forms a comfortable spot to rest those weary limbs before continuing onwards and up into the hills.

Road to Son La, Vietnam

More and more travellers are now heading up into this part of the country, in part due to the long-awaited opening of the border crossing into Laos near Dien Bien Phu -- yes, it's true, you really can cross here now!

This is a time consuming part of Vietnam to visit, but if you have the time, the northwest is well worth adding into your trip plans.

Ethnic minorities in Sapa

Now if you’ve seen that episode then you’ll know just how amazing that experience looked. After seeing the episode for the first time, the initial awe of the entertainment, and speculation as to the reality of personally carry out something like this soon passed, after realization of the fact that this was a incredibly well funded show and each trip has a small army for back up and support.

Discover Vietnam’s rugged and scenic northwest and its people first hand with ACTIVETRAVEL ASIA. By taking to the roads and riding from the capital Hanoi to the remote area of the northwest we can see life as it truly is for the Vietnamese. The perfect itinerary and the support crew ensure you get the most out of the trip in terms of comfort, enjoyment and adventure. Along the way we encounter dramatic landscapes and sweeping panoramas as the rural population goes about its business. 

Highlights 

• Stunning scenery
• Challenging roads
• Stunning Pha Din Pass and Tram Ton Pass
• Terraced valley of Sapa
• Colorful ethnic minorities

By David Atkinson

Motorbiking North Vietnam

Traveling around Vietnam by motorbike, seeing breathtaking landscapes, beautiful mountain passes, interesting historical relics, colorful, friendly and happy people…makes you love Vietnam more and gives us extremely special feeling.

I love the thrill of the open road. Shades on, foot to the floor and cruising through alien landscapes with the stereo cranked right up.

But Vietnam was just about the last place I expected to find myself on a road trip. Self-drive isn’t really an option here.

And, as for the State-approved backpacker bus trips, well, let’s just say that rubbing knees with the tie-dye clad hordes and eating in the tourist restaurant, where the bus driver always collects his kickback, isn’t my scene.

Easy rider

It sounded perfect. A way to get my engine running and get out on the highway while staying off-the-beaten-track and seeing the real Vietnam.

Road to Northern Vietnam

Activetravel Asia is one of the Indochina's leading adventure travel companies. They offer a wide selection of Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia adventure tours, including hiking and trekking, biking, motorcycling, overland touring and family travel packages. ATA’s packages and tailor-made private itineraries take you through exotic destinations to really experience the culture, history and nature of Asia.  They have made hundreds of trips into the backwaters of the far north, building up a comprehensive motorbike guide to northern Vietnam.

“The bikes are old 50’s designs straight out of Belarussia. They’re the backbone of the country and used by everyone to haul goods around,” 

“They don’t go very fast, use a lot of petrol and billow out a lot of smoke, but they’ll get you anywhere,” he adds.

“Besides, they’re very easy to fix. If you’ve got a stick and a rock you can fix a Minsk.”

Cruise control 

With the sun in our faces, we join the highway near Hanoi’s Noi Bai airport and start the slow climb northwards. As we progress at a steady 35km/h, overtaking lumbering trucks soon gives way to overtaking lumbering water buffalo who eye suspiciously as we file past the paddy fields.

We stop for dinner that night in Tuyen Quang. It’s a dusty one-ass town dominated by trucker rest stops and so-called bia om or ‘cuddle beer’ outlets where the town’s two attractions make for natural bedfellows.

As we settle down for the night in the shabby state-owned hotel, one of my fellow easy riders, Casey McCarthy from Texas, tells me why she has chosen a severe buttock buffing on a motorbike in the rain for her holiday.

“I’d never seen a Minsk before Vietnam and, although it’s ancient technology, it’s a very easy ride,” she says. “I guess I just wanted to get away from those cattle-truck bus trips and a bike trip is the best way to see the countryside as you decide where and when you want to go.”

The next day we’re up with the light and, after a hearty bowl of Vietnamese pho bo(a rice noodle soup with strips of beef), we’re back in the saddle and on the road for Ha Giang.

As we stop for petrol at what looks like a roadside chemistry set, I ask Digby what kind of people are attracted to the idea of driving around rural Vietnam on a piece of Russian war-era machinery.

“Half are motorbike riders back home or people with some previous experience but not all. I’d never ridden a bike until I came to Vietnam,” he explains, taking a little bottle of engine oil and mixing it with petrol.

“Drive bikes and you will crash but drive slow enough and you’ll be OK,” he adds, handing over a dollar for two litres. “If we go over, we’ll just slide – unless we hit something. But it’s nothing like driving at 130km back home when you get washed up off the road”.

Alien invasion

Hagiang province, Vietnam

The last 50km to Ha Giang is made up of winding country lanes. It’s a drive not best experienced at dusk when huge trucks with dazzling headlights tear around blind corners with scant regard for approaching fellow truckers, let alone a bunch of foreigners on motorbikes in dayglo jackets.

As we make the final approach, it feels like entering a long-forgotten Wild West outpost. The locals stare at us like aliens just beamed down from another planet but Digby is used to it.

“I regularly go to places where only a handful of strangers have ever been before. Just two weeks ago, I took a tour to a place where only three foreigners had ever visited before the new road was built,” he smiles.

“Just as I was thinking that I’d been everywhere possible, the Vietnamese Government has launched a programme to build roads to each commune so a there’s now a whole bunch of new roads to explore,” he adds.

“That’s why I do this. It isn’t so much a tour as a road trip where the guide is having as much fun as the customers.”

More travel information about motorbike northern Vietnam at: http://www.activetravelvietnam.com/tour.php?op=detail&tourId=66