Thanks again safe journey to your home
Vietnam Xmas 2024
- Thread starter TLSgazza
- Start date
Thank you very much for fuelling a fire that will not be extinguished until I get to do this for myself. Safe travels home.
Tòa nhà đó là gì?
Great write up thank you. 
Fabulous!
Thank you.
Fantastic, well done for the effort. 
Home for just over a week now.
I'm just about back in the UK timezone.
Back to work and not enjoying the freezing cold weather
I had a great trip. And I made a lot of good memories once again.
It really is quite an amazing country.
Though it does have its problems.
A couple of observations.
The air quality is not very good over most of the country and obviously worse in the big cities.
Anyone with any respiratory problems should think about how they will cope. A large majority of people wear a mask daily especially in the big cities and towns .
The traffic is mental. If you are not a confidant rider in these situations especially in the cities it could be very intimidating.
Even in the sticks you have to be very aware of what is going on around you. Cars, lorries and busses will expect bikes to move out of their way even if you are on your side of the road doing nothing wrong they could be heading straight for you coming from the other direction flashing their lights and banging on the horn button.
I had to brake hard or almost dive off the road on many occasions. Especially in towns and on mountain roads.
It is very cheap travelling there and I don't really go for big posh hotels, so a small homestay or motel is my choice of accomodation. This may not suit everyone.
There are plenty of places to get food but some are quite basic especially out in the middle of nowhere, if you are fussy with your food you may have to search around a bit.
Many of the homestays will sort you an evening meal though and you get a lot of choice for your money too. Some even do a breakfast.
I took a thermos flask with me. Filling it with hot water in the morning to make soup or a coffee whilst out on the road is nice in the middle of nowhere, just sitting and relaxing enjoying one of the magnificent views.
Cash is king. Take cash.
Don't expect to pay using your phone or cards in the vast majority of places. There are cash points around in bigger towns and sometimes in smaller ones. I had some us dollars last year as well as my dong. They can be used occasionally to book excursions but on the whole you are better off with just local currency. I tried to exchange US dollars last year and even the bank in a large town wouldn't do it. They sent me to a jewellers down the road who did a money exchange.
There are thousands of small shops everywhere selling snacks and cold drinks. Even in the smallest of hamlets.
The people are great on the whole but some older residents can be a little grumpy.
The road conditions are terrible in many places. Especially in rural areas. They are doing lots of roadworks in many areas to improve the roads but it's a long term problem I think.
The amount of landslides in the north hasn't helped but they are facing a monumental task to fix all of the roads.
Though to be honest some of it actually added to the fun of my adventure, but if you don't want to be riding on rough and extremely isolated roads this may not be for you.
Don't expect to ride 400 miles a day out here. I think I barely managed to average 30-40 kph most days. It isn't a place to ride fast and cover great distances especially in the north. And I was riding faster than 99% of the traffic I came across out there. I only had just a handful of people overtake me.
This is my 3rd trip to Vietnam though the first was just a 2 week trip to phu quoc island in the south with a couple of days in ho chi Minh city.
I love the place. It is so fascinating with so many beautiful places to visit. I love riding all day and just being out in the countryside.
It can be a little cold in the winter especially in the northern mountains but I'd have this over the searing 30°c plus temperatures in the south even in the winter. Though most of the time I found It quite comfortable . It is very hot in their summer.
There are organised tours but that's not for me. In the north I saw many large groups of tourists on small bikes trundling along at 30 kph. I'm sure they all had a great trip too, but I'm very happy on my own and just enjoying planning my own routes and stopping places.
Would I go back again?
Yes I probably would, though there are also other places I would like to visit at some time.
If you want an adventure go. You won't be sorry
I'm just about back in the UK timezone.
Back to work and not enjoying the freezing cold weather
I had a great trip. And I made a lot of good memories once again.
It really is quite an amazing country.
Though it does have its problems.
A couple of observations.
The air quality is not very good over most of the country and obviously worse in the big cities.
Anyone with any respiratory problems should think about how they will cope. A large majority of people wear a mask daily especially in the big cities and towns .
The traffic is mental. If you are not a confidant rider in these situations especially in the cities it could be very intimidating.
Even in the sticks you have to be very aware of what is going on around you. Cars, lorries and busses will expect bikes to move out of their way even if you are on your side of the road doing nothing wrong they could be heading straight for you coming from the other direction flashing their lights and banging on the horn button.
I had to brake hard or almost dive off the road on many occasions. Especially in towns and on mountain roads.
It is very cheap travelling there and I don't really go for big posh hotels, so a small homestay or motel is my choice of accomodation. This may not suit everyone.
There are plenty of places to get food but some are quite basic especially out in the middle of nowhere, if you are fussy with your food you may have to search around a bit.
Many of the homestays will sort you an evening meal though and you get a lot of choice for your money too. Some even do a breakfast.
I took a thermos flask with me. Filling it with hot water in the morning to make soup or a coffee whilst out on the road is nice in the middle of nowhere, just sitting and relaxing enjoying one of the magnificent views.
Cash is king. Take cash.
Don't expect to pay using your phone or cards in the vast majority of places. There are cash points around in bigger towns and sometimes in smaller ones. I had some us dollars last year as well as my dong. They can be used occasionally to book excursions but on the whole you are better off with just local currency. I tried to exchange US dollars last year and even the bank in a large town wouldn't do it. They sent me to a jewellers down the road who did a money exchange.
There are thousands of small shops everywhere selling snacks and cold drinks. Even in the smallest of hamlets.
The people are great on the whole but some older residents can be a little grumpy.
The road conditions are terrible in many places. Especially in rural areas. They are doing lots of roadworks in many areas to improve the roads but it's a long term problem I think.
The amount of landslides in the north hasn't helped but they are facing a monumental task to fix all of the roads.
Though to be honest some of it actually added to the fun of my adventure, but if you don't want to be riding on rough and extremely isolated roads this may not be for you.
Don't expect to ride 400 miles a day out here. I think I barely managed to average 30-40 kph most days. It isn't a place to ride fast and cover great distances especially in the north. And I was riding faster than 99% of the traffic I came across out there. I only had just a handful of people overtake me.
This is my 3rd trip to Vietnam though the first was just a 2 week trip to phu quoc island in the south with a couple of days in ho chi Minh city.
I love the place. It is so fascinating with so many beautiful places to visit. I love riding all day and just being out in the countryside.
It can be a little cold in the winter especially in the northern mountains but I'd have this over the searing 30°c plus temperatures in the south even in the winter. Though most of the time I found It quite comfortable . It is very hot in their summer.
There are organised tours but that's not for me. In the north I saw many large groups of tourists on small bikes trundling along at 30 kph. I'm sure they all had a great trip too, but I'm very happy on my own and just enjoying planning my own routes and stopping places.
Would I go back again?
Yes I probably would, though there are also other places I would like to visit at some time.
If you want an adventure go. You won't be sorry
I have been watching Joe Ryan on tube. He did a trip around Vietnam last year too.
In the the first 8 episodes he rode many of the same roads I did, though in a few places I did get a few more loops in to explore a little more.
His videos will give you a better idea of the roads and views than my photos ever could.
Interesting trip and if you do fancy a trip over there it will give you a couple of ideas.
In the the first 8 episodes he rode many of the same roads I did, though in a few places I did get a few more loops in to explore a little more.
His videos will give you a better idea of the roads and views than my photos ever could.
Interesting trip and if you do fancy a trip over there it will give you a couple of ideas.
