And a few more
Vietnam for 4 weeks December 2025
- Thread starter TLSgazza
- Start date
Another great days riding today.
We left the motel at ban gioc before 9am. Set off along the same road we came in on to start with.
A nice flowing road with good tarmac and we could cruise along at about 70kph. Stopped for a drink and to buy a few snacks after about an hour or so. Then carried on.
Much of the same for the next hour or so, and some beautiful views of the limestone mountains.
They are quite majestic in this area so tall and the valleys are so deep.
It's a little cloudy so I didn't take too many photos.
We stopped in a busy town and it had a huge market with street food stalls so we got some lunch. I just had a delicious hotdog in the most wonderful bread with a huge assortment of other fresh ingredients.
The lady serving was like a robot on speed. She made all the food so quickly, very impressive.
We set off again on another mountain pass heading to Ba Be lake.
This was a much more rural and twisty road.
Lots of evidence again of all the landslides from last year and possibly this year as well. Many places are still waiting for the roads to be repaired too.
A few parts consisted of Kms of muddy road, when I say muddy I mean muddy. Very very slippery. I carried on and got to a viewing point and waited for the others to catch up. They turned up 10 minutes later in full waterproofs. I caught a few drops of rain but I think I missed most of it because I was a little in front.
We carried on and the rain didn't really happen so the next time I stopped for a photo they took their waterproofs back off. More nice roads and a few more bits of roadworks and we made it to Ba Be lake. I took a few photos and I chose a homestay.
I decided to get away from the main road and find a place a bit more relaxing.
It was a couple of Kms down a narrow concrete path. It was a little bit away from the main lake which was a shame.
But when we got there I went up the stairs for a look. What a lovely place. Greet setting. Lovely rooms and even a pool.
Chris and I went in for a relaxing swim. The water was a little cold but once in, it was quite refreshing.
We had a lovely evening meal as well.
This place has so much outside space with big open huts and sofas. It's so nice to be able to just sit outside and enjoy the lovely evening as opposed to staying in a motel where there's not really this kind of option.
As I said another great day. Let's see what tomorrow brings .
We left the motel at ban gioc before 9am. Set off along the same road we came in on to start with.
A nice flowing road with good tarmac and we could cruise along at about 70kph. Stopped for a drink and to buy a few snacks after about an hour or so. Then carried on.
Much of the same for the next hour or so, and some beautiful views of the limestone mountains.
They are quite majestic in this area so tall and the valleys are so deep.
It's a little cloudy so I didn't take too many photos.
We stopped in a busy town and it had a huge market with street food stalls so we got some lunch. I just had a delicious hotdog in the most wonderful bread with a huge assortment of other fresh ingredients.
The lady serving was like a robot on speed. She made all the food so quickly, very impressive.
We set off again on another mountain pass heading to Ba Be lake.
This was a much more rural and twisty road.
Lots of evidence again of all the landslides from last year and possibly this year as well. Many places are still waiting for the roads to be repaired too.
A few parts consisted of Kms of muddy road, when I say muddy I mean muddy. Very very slippery. I carried on and got to a viewing point and waited for the others to catch up. They turned up 10 minutes later in full waterproofs. I caught a few drops of rain but I think I missed most of it because I was a little in front.
We carried on and the rain didn't really happen so the next time I stopped for a photo they took their waterproofs back off. More nice roads and a few more bits of roadworks and we made it to Ba Be lake. I took a few photos and I chose a homestay.
I decided to get away from the main road and find a place a bit more relaxing.
It was a couple of Kms down a narrow concrete path. It was a little bit away from the main lake which was a shame.
But when we got there I went up the stairs for a look. What a lovely place. Greet setting. Lovely rooms and even a pool.
Chris and I went in for a relaxing swim. The water was a little cold but once in, it was quite refreshing.
We had a lovely evening meal as well.
This place has so much outside space with big open huts and sofas. It's so nice to be able to just sit outside and enjoy the lovely evening as opposed to staying in a motel where there's not really this kind of option.
As I said another great day. Let's see what tomorrow brings .
Some mire
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It really was a lovely place to stay last night. Good food last night and I had pancakes and honey whilst the other 2 opted for fried eggs for breakfast.
It started off a little cloudy this morning when we left after breakfast. There was the usual mix of roadworks. Big trucks on narrow roads and the first 30kms or so were slow going as per usual. Then all of a sudden we ended up on a new road over the mountain pass which was wide and flowing. Even Google maps didn't know about it.
Still many big landslides that are semi cleared that we had to negotiate. Back onto the smaller roads again after a while. These meandered up and down mountain passes with fresh views after every peak.
I was heading for a cave/tunnel that I'd heard about, it's a full km long or so and you can ride through it. I found the entrance quite quickly. Stopped for a photo outside and we entered tentatively. It actually has a concrete path all the way through.
It was quite astonishing, in the very first part it was huge with derelict buildings which were apparently used in the war for storage. The path meandered through the cave with more and more caverns all the way through. We came out on the other side and rode through the valley a little then turned round to ride the tunnel in the opposite direction.
I managed to snap a few pics using my headtorch for light. Some quite amazing stalactites and stalagmites. It is pitch black inside with just our dismal headlights and my torch to see but I'm so glad I took us there.
After this we carried on heading south towards Hanoi as we needed to change Chris's bike as it had blown a fork seal. They don't have another 500 available so he is getting a versys 300 which is what had 2 years ago.
We will get an oil change at the same time.
I found a nice homestay for tonight about 3 hours from Hanoi so we should be there by lunchtime.
The weather actually improved as the day went on with periods of sunshine too.
At a couple of stops the locals were very friendly and lots wanted pictures with us and we of course obliged. Great fun.
Some of the younger ones love it when we give them some sweets. It's so nice to see.
A superb day out again.
Not looking forward to hacking into the middle of Hanoi tomorrow but needs must.
It started off a little cloudy this morning when we left after breakfast. There was the usual mix of roadworks. Big trucks on narrow roads and the first 30kms or so were slow going as per usual. Then all of a sudden we ended up on a new road over the mountain pass which was wide and flowing. Even Google maps didn't know about it.
Still many big landslides that are semi cleared that we had to negotiate. Back onto the smaller roads again after a while. These meandered up and down mountain passes with fresh views after every peak.
I was heading for a cave/tunnel that I'd heard about, it's a full km long or so and you can ride through it. I found the entrance quite quickly. Stopped for a photo outside and we entered tentatively. It actually has a concrete path all the way through.
It was quite astonishing, in the very first part it was huge with derelict buildings which were apparently used in the war for storage. The path meandered through the cave with more and more caverns all the way through. We came out on the other side and rode through the valley a little then turned round to ride the tunnel in the opposite direction.
I managed to snap a few pics using my headtorch for light. Some quite amazing stalactites and stalagmites. It is pitch black inside with just our dismal headlights and my torch to see but I'm so glad I took us there.
After this we carried on heading south towards Hanoi as we needed to change Chris's bike as it had blown a fork seal. They don't have another 500 available so he is getting a versys 300 which is what had 2 years ago.
We will get an oil change at the same time.
I found a nice homestay for tonight about 3 hours from Hanoi so we should be there by lunchtime.
The weather actually improved as the day went on with periods of sunshine too.
At a couple of stops the locals were very friendly and lots wanted pictures with us and we of course obliged. Great fun.
Some of the younger ones love it when we give them some sweets. It's so nice to see.
A superb day out again.
Not looking forward to hacking into the middle of Hanoi tomorrow but needs must.
Lovely start today on the road south from our homestay. Rural road. Rough bits in places and broken concrete in others.
Absolutely stunning views of the limestone mountains for mile after mile.
My bike has had an iffy fan for most of the holiday. It comes on often and is very noisy. This morning the bikes temperature gauge went off the scale and the fan was on constantly. I was searching for the header tank for the coolant and Richard decided to try to pull some panels off. A few broken lugs later and the panel pushed back on, and I found the expansion tank for the coolant just above the gear lever. I put a bottle and a half of water into it and the temperature then stayed constant. I think it may have been low on coolant for some time.
We then arrived at the awful AH1, Asian highway one.
Hundreds of lorries cars and busses.
Dusty. Straight and deadly. We needed to use it because we had to get to style motorcycles workshop to get the bikes serviced and to swap Chris's over for a versys 300. The traffic in Hanoi was atrocious. So was Google maps effort to get us to the workshop. Absolute chaos. I lost the other 2 after going up a very narrow alley. Anyway by the time they found the workshop my bike was in bits. Sorting out the fan and oil change,
They removed half of the bike to get the radiator off to change the fan.
Eventually it was done and the pressure washed all the accumulated mud from the radiator as well. Chain adjusted and lubed. The other two found their way there and Chris got his bike and Richards was serviced too. Getting out of the city was as bad as getting in. We headed south on the main roads to get to nimh binh. I stayed here last year and knew of a good homestay a short walk from the restaurants and bars.
Lovely place and great rooms again.
Chris and I had a dip in the pool on arrival again. Nice and refreshing.
We wandered down to the town, it's a bit too touristy for me but I had a lovely burger and we had a chap playing guitar and singing which was entertaining.
It's getting very warm here. Especially in the heavy traffic.
Though I shall be starting on the Ho Chi Minh trail tomorrow to head south. It won't be busy at all.
Absolutely stunning views of the limestone mountains for mile after mile.
My bike has had an iffy fan for most of the holiday. It comes on often and is very noisy. This morning the bikes temperature gauge went off the scale and the fan was on constantly. I was searching for the header tank for the coolant and Richard decided to try to pull some panels off. A few broken lugs later and the panel pushed back on, and I found the expansion tank for the coolant just above the gear lever. I put a bottle and a half of water into it and the temperature then stayed constant. I think it may have been low on coolant for some time.
We then arrived at the awful AH1, Asian highway one.
Hundreds of lorries cars and busses.
Dusty. Straight and deadly. We needed to use it because we had to get to style motorcycles workshop to get the bikes serviced and to swap Chris's over for a versys 300. The traffic in Hanoi was atrocious. So was Google maps effort to get us to the workshop. Absolute chaos. I lost the other 2 after going up a very narrow alley. Anyway by the time they found the workshop my bike was in bits. Sorting out the fan and oil change,
They removed half of the bike to get the radiator off to change the fan.
Eventually it was done and the pressure washed all the accumulated mud from the radiator as well. Chain adjusted and lubed. The other two found their way there and Chris got his bike and Richards was serviced too. Getting out of the city was as bad as getting in. We headed south on the main roads to get to nimh binh. I stayed here last year and knew of a good homestay a short walk from the restaurants and bars.
Lovely place and great rooms again.
Chris and I had a dip in the pool on arrival again. Nice and refreshing.
We wandered down to the town, it's a bit too touristy for me but I had a lovely burger and we had a chap playing guitar and singing which was entertaining.
It's getting very warm here. Especially in the heavy traffic.
Though I shall be starting on the Ho Chi Minh trail tomorrow to head south. It won't be busy at all.
Pics
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Slightly later start today but we were on the road by 09.30.
It was a pleasant place to stay at last night.
The 1st 90 Kms or so were a mixture of main roads at the start through a heavily industrialised area with appalling air quality. Then we hit some small roads heading south west towards the ho chi Minh trail.
The first part of the trail was mostly straightish main roads with a lot of traffic and many lunatic truck drivers trying to shove us off the road. It was quite scary in places. Eventually we rode onto a slightly quieter stretch of road mostly because there was a quicker route south for the trucks and cars. But as we could cruise along at a constant 70kph we did make some progress.
I didn't take many photos really today. There were some reasonable views of the mountains surrounding us but the air was so hazy it didn't look that good in a photo.
I took us to the Tea tree islands for a look. Some lovely plantations there and the immaculately manicured trees look fantastic. We attempted to stay at a homestay there but were told they had no rooms.
So off we set in search of a motel for the night as there weren't any homestays on Google maps in the area. Tried one and there were not enough rooms.
10 Kms later and another huge hotel which was right on a main road junction was a bit too isolated. We eventually found a town with a number of hotels and settled on one for the night as it looked like there would be food nearby.
It's a little bit rough and ready but it will do. We had another wander to the other end of the town and back then ate at a small restaurant about 50 metres from the hotel.
The weather though hazy with the air quality was dry and warm and we had some sunshine.
Let's see what tomorrow brings.
It was a pleasant place to stay at last night.
The 1st 90 Kms or so were a mixture of main roads at the start through a heavily industrialised area with appalling air quality. Then we hit some small roads heading south west towards the ho chi Minh trail.
The first part of the trail was mostly straightish main roads with a lot of traffic and many lunatic truck drivers trying to shove us off the road. It was quite scary in places. Eventually we rode onto a slightly quieter stretch of road mostly because there was a quicker route south for the trucks and cars. But as we could cruise along at a constant 70kph we did make some progress.
I didn't take many photos really today. There were some reasonable views of the mountains surrounding us but the air was so hazy it didn't look that good in a photo.
I took us to the Tea tree islands for a look. Some lovely plantations there and the immaculately manicured trees look fantastic. We attempted to stay at a homestay there but were told they had no rooms.
So off we set in search of a motel for the night as there weren't any homestays on Google maps in the area. Tried one and there were not enough rooms.
10 Kms later and another huge hotel which was right on a main road junction was a bit too isolated. We eventually found a town with a number of hotels and settled on one for the night as it looked like there would be food nearby.
It's a little bit rough and ready but it will do. We had another wander to the other end of the town and back then ate at a small restaurant about 50 metres from the hotel.
The weather though hazy with the air quality was dry and warm and we had some sunshine.
Let's see what tomorrow brings.
Pretty rough motel last night. Dirty and damp. But it just about did the job.
Richard was up early which was a bonus.
Anyway, we set off back to the ho chi Minh trail.
As I pulled away Richard noticed my rear tyre was a little flat, I thought the bike felt a bit strange over the last 2 days, I just put it down to the roads. Stopped at a tyre place over the road and the guy put some air in for me.
It must have been quite low, the bike felt much better for the rest of the day.
I'll get it checked again in the morning.
Headed south and were making a little progress as it is quite a flowing road further north. Loads of lorries again and muddy sections of road. We were back into the limestone mountains proper again.
Beautiful views.
Many tea plantations and areas of dense jungle covered mountains.
After an hour and a half or so it started to spit with rain. As it was getting heavier we stopped to put on waterproofs.
Pressed on for a while and the rain was getting heavier. I pulled into a little restaurant for a break and we had some breakfast/lunch. A nice bit of food for about £1,70 each again. It was still raging hard but we had to carry on. I stopped again a bit later for a break and a bit of shelter. The road by now was getting twistier as it headed over a few passes. Still some great scenery if you dared look at it.
And plenty of kamikaze lorry and car drivers.
I got us down to phong nha and found a very nice homestay for the night. We had some food and the other 2 are having G+T and beer .
A good day's ride despite the monsoon rain. Every time I've been In this part of the country it has rained heavily and more is forecast for the next few days.
We will be on the really interesting part of the ho chi Minh trail tomorrow too.
One of the most isolated roads in the country.
That'll be fun in the rain.
Richard was up early which was a bonus.
Anyway, we set off back to the ho chi Minh trail.
As I pulled away Richard noticed my rear tyre was a little flat, I thought the bike felt a bit strange over the last 2 days, I just put it down to the roads. Stopped at a tyre place over the road and the guy put some air in for me.
It must have been quite low, the bike felt much better for the rest of the day.
I'll get it checked again in the morning.
Headed south and were making a little progress as it is quite a flowing road further north. Loads of lorries again and muddy sections of road. We were back into the limestone mountains proper again.
Beautiful views.
Many tea plantations and areas of dense jungle covered mountains.
After an hour and a half or so it started to spit with rain. As it was getting heavier we stopped to put on waterproofs.
Pressed on for a while and the rain was getting heavier. I pulled into a little restaurant for a break and we had some breakfast/lunch. A nice bit of food for about £1,70 each again. It was still raging hard but we had to carry on. I stopped again a bit later for a break and a bit of shelter. The road by now was getting twistier as it headed over a few passes. Still some great scenery if you dared look at it.
And plenty of kamikaze lorry and car drivers.
I got us down to phong nha and found a very nice homestay for the night. We had some food and the other 2 are having G+T and beer .
A good day's ride despite the monsoon rain. Every time I've been In this part of the country it has rained heavily and more is forecast for the next few days.
We will be on the really interesting part of the ho chi Minh trail tomorrow too.
One of the most isolated roads in the country.
That'll be fun in the rain.
Sounds like a great trip - I’m flying in to HCMC on 7th Jan and have a flight booked out of Hanoi 6 weeks later but, other than booking a one way bike rental, haven’t sorted an itinerary yet.
Thought I might spend the first week around the Mekong Delta and a chill out on Phu Quoc before setting off north, but might use some of your routes for guidance.
Trying to get everything I need into a 70ltr rolltop bag, which is challenging considering there’ll be everything from 35 degrees and sunny in the south to wet, cold and misty up north…
What did you do about helmets? I was planning on taking one from over here, but not sure whether I can take it as cabin baggage or not (no room in my bag for it).
Thought I might spend the first week around the Mekong Delta and a chill out on Phu Quoc before setting off north, but might use some of your routes for guidance.
Trying to get everything I need into a 70ltr rolltop bag, which is challenging considering there’ll be everything from 35 degrees and sunny in the south to wet, cold and misty up north…
What did you do about helmets? I was planning on taking one from over here, but not sure whether I can take it as cabin baggage or not (no room in my bag for it).
yes. long as its in a helmet bag they wont care
took a full kriega 30 also and also they didnt care - it was still a smaller footprint than some peoples cases - more flex on a long haul
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Pics
The bike shop have shipped the cases from Hanoi to ho chi Minh for us pick up when we arrive.
What bike are you getting. That makes all the difference to how you pack.
I can suggest you go to style motorcycles web site, if you go into routes in the drop down menu you can download all their routes into Google maps . They are very handy to have an idea of places to visit and many highlights are scattered all around the routes that you can click on for information. I have adapted some of the routes to use other very good roads that are sometimes much less busy. Hense my posing a screen shot of my days riding.
You will probably find it very hot in the south. Wet and warm in the midlands. And cooler in the north in the mountains but not overly cold except high up.
We only had one wet day out of 10 in the north this year.
I put mine in a large suitcase with all my gear. 2 pannier liners with clothes. A tail pack for on the rear seat.
The bike shop have shipped the cases from Hanoi to ho chi Minh for us pick up when we arrive.
What bike are you getting. That makes all the difference to how you pack.
I can suggest you go to style motorcycles web site, if you go into routes in the drop down menu you can download all their routes into Google maps . They are very handy to have an idea of places to visit and many highlights are scattered all around the routes that you can click on for information. I have adapted some of the routes to use other very good roads that are sometimes much less busy. Hense my posing a screen shot of my days riding.
You will probably find it very hot in the south. Wet and warm in the midlands. And cooler in the north in the mountains but not overly cold except high up.
We only had one wet day out of 10 in the north this year.
Very mixed day today.
I had to put some air in my rear tyre again this morning as it was very soft again, luckily there was a mechanic 3 doors from the homestay.
It started off quite fine but with wet roads heading out back to the ho chi Minh trail. Narrow concrete roads which are a bit slippery when wet.
About half an hour later we were back on the trail.
Now this part of the ho chi Minh is along some of the most isolated roads in the country among mountain passes surrounded by dense jungle covered mountains.
It's quite extraordinary.
We trundled along at about 40 kph on a fair bit of it. I'll post a couple of screen shots of the map. It has to be one of the twistiest roads on the planet. Corner after corner after corner.
It was still fairly wet on most of it so it was a little slippery.
Once again when the sat nav says 2hrs 15 minutes to do about 70 Kms you know it's going to be interesting.
Some beautiful views again and the jungle is amazing. After a while it started raining heavily again so we waterproofed up. Some of the passes were very high and in the clouds which meant visibility was a little bit compromised.
Bit good with my dark visor on and I had to keep it down or the rain would be all over my glasses.
As we descended the other side we were back out of the clouds and visibility improved.
We stopped at a very nice view of a river valley and the sun came out again so mine and Chris's waterproofs were removed. We had many more light showers and moments of sunshine as we pressed on.
There were very few settlements along this route. Though at one point there was a random row of newish houses in a hillside in the middle of nowhere. It was very surreal.
After about 250 Kms of riding we had been looking for a fuel station that we hadn't seen once since leaving this morning. We did spot 2 or 3 but they were all shut down. We had no choice but to carry on. We had covered about 370 Kms by this time since the last refuel and we were all getting a bit low. Still no fuel stations appearing. In the end we got all the way to khe sanh before we found one. Just in time really.
I used about 13 litres to cover 420 Kms. Richard used a couple of litres more and Chris's little 300 used 3 litres more than mine. Unexpected.
After getting fuel I checked the area and found a nice farmstay. Just a posh homestay really where we secured 2 rooms. Me and Chris sharing and Richard on his own. It means me and Chris pay less because the price was for the room not per person.
We had a pretty good meal tonight as well.
All in, it was a good day's riding.
It's still quite wet out so we will see what tomorrow brings.
I had to put some air in my rear tyre again this morning as it was very soft again, luckily there was a mechanic 3 doors from the homestay.
It started off quite fine but with wet roads heading out back to the ho chi Minh trail. Narrow concrete roads which are a bit slippery when wet.
About half an hour later we were back on the trail.
Now this part of the ho chi Minh is along some of the most isolated roads in the country among mountain passes surrounded by dense jungle covered mountains.
It's quite extraordinary.
We trundled along at about 40 kph on a fair bit of it. I'll post a couple of screen shots of the map. It has to be one of the twistiest roads on the planet. Corner after corner after corner.
It was still fairly wet on most of it so it was a little slippery.
Once again when the sat nav says 2hrs 15 minutes to do about 70 Kms you know it's going to be interesting.
Some beautiful views again and the jungle is amazing. After a while it started raining heavily again so we waterproofed up. Some of the passes were very high and in the clouds which meant visibility was a little bit compromised.
Bit good with my dark visor on and I had to keep it down or the rain would be all over my glasses.
As we descended the other side we were back out of the clouds and visibility improved.
We stopped at a very nice view of a river valley and the sun came out again so mine and Chris's waterproofs were removed. We had many more light showers and moments of sunshine as we pressed on.
There were very few settlements along this route. Though at one point there was a random row of newish houses in a hillside in the middle of nowhere. It was very surreal.
After about 250 Kms of riding we had been looking for a fuel station that we hadn't seen once since leaving this morning. We did spot 2 or 3 but they were all shut down. We had no choice but to carry on. We had covered about 370 Kms by this time since the last refuel and we were all getting a bit low. Still no fuel stations appearing. In the end we got all the way to khe sanh before we found one. Just in time really.
I used about 13 litres to cover 420 Kms. Richard used a couple of litres more and Chris's little 300 used 3 litres more than mine. Unexpected.
After getting fuel I checked the area and found a nice farmstay. Just a posh homestay really where we secured 2 rooms. Me and Chris sharing and Richard on his own. It means me and Chris pay less because the price was for the room not per person.
We had a pretty good meal tonight as well.
All in, it was a good day's riding.
It's still quite wet out so we will see what tomorrow brings.
Bike-wise, I’m going simple and using an XR150 through Tigit motorcycles - don’t intend on doing big daily mileage and wanted something that’s easy to pick up when dropped…
There seem to be similar route planners on the Tigit website, so will be doing some rough planning over the next week or so.
Tigit website also has a decent video review of all their bikes & the guy on the link seems to have something like a 70/80ltr bag strapped to the back of an XR150, so I’m going to go down that route
. Might do a practice pack just to see what I can fit &, if it all looks a bit dodgy, I guess I could throw it all in a case & ship stuff up to Hanoi for the north & collect it when I arrive up there.
