24/11/2018 - 21/12/2018
One of the most eventful adventures we've had so far on our globe trotting trip has been in the beautiful country of Vietnam. With the trials and tribulations of traveling by a cheap motorbike rental, the countries dramatic landscapes, rich culture, dark history, EPIC food, extremely friendly people and the pulsating energy of the cities our visit to Vietnam undoubtedly electrified all of your senses and opened your eyes to a world we never knew existed (Paul would also tell you that it made him an expert collision dodging motorbike driver!). There are endless reasons to hop on a flight to Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh city and explore the amazing country by train, plane or bus but for those looking for a bit more of an adventure, motorbike should definitely be your preferred method of transport BUT only if your confident enough that you could manoeuvre through the helter-skelter motorbike traffic (of which I was certainly not planning on trying to attempt once we arrived in Ho Chi Ming city, a melting pot of all things completely crazy!) and don't mind being completely drenched from head to toe by rain (this happened to us way too often!).
So because I am a total wimp at driving in foreign countries (I think in Vietnam, that fear was completely justified btw!) and usually happy to sit on the back enjoying the scenery while Paul does all the hard work, I of course got my way and this road trip in Vietnam would be no different! Researching where to buy or rent a bike in Vietnam can be quite overwhelming as bikes are so commonplace here that it’s hard to know what motor bike shops are the genuine ones but after a lot of research Paul found a reliable motorbike rental company called 'Tigit' who offered a good deal for three weeks and could put a bag rack on the back for us to put our backpacks. When we went to collect our bike however, we quickly realised that this road trip was going to be a tighter squeeze than we initially had envisaged as the rack was only going to be able to hold the weight of one of our backpacks and the other, after a lot of fiddling around was going to have to fit between Paul's legs at the front of the bike!
As you can imagine, driving like that for three weeks was really not going to be ideal, and in fact perhaps a little dangerous. Also, when I was sat on the bike, it really was a tight squeeze with Paul being over 6ft tall taking up much of the seat and my backpack on the rack taking up even more room but at this stage in our life I feel we have become pretty hardy travellers so of course we excitedly went off on our merry way, two backpacks, helmets and ponchos for the unpredictable Vietnamese weather in tow knowing that we would somehow make it work! I also forgot to mention that to drive a motorbike in Vietnam it's required by law that you have an international driving licence (Yeeeeah....Paul didn't have that) so of course as luck would have it, as we drove an hour out of the city, thankful that we had managed to survive driving through the millions of bikes traversing through every side street all at once, a policeman in a light brown uniform instantly recognised us as foreigners (How could you not really with Pauls big beard!) and quickly beckoned us over to the side of the road. He asked us to show our international driving license which of course we didn't have. I've never been stopped by a policeman before, being the good Irish citizen that I am so was just a little bit scared thinking we would be put in jail never to be seen again (dramatic I know!) but we quickly realised that the guy didn't care we had no international licence but rather the fact we were 'rich Westerners' (clearly not!) so demanded, as a bribe to let us go, that we hand over 3 million dong, the equivalent to 150 euro.....EHHH NO! We told him we would give him 300,000 dong (15 euro), what the locals usually hand over to these corrupt bunch according to the motorbike rental shop we had just come from. He initially completely shrugged us off as if we were the ones being totally unreasonable but after a while of standing around at the side of the road like two lost puppies, not budging on our 300,000 dong offer he gave in and reluctantly accepted. We were pissed at the fact we had to give this guy our hard earn money but glad we could just get on with our motorbike venture. We quickly made our escape, making sure to cover our white foreign faces and Pauls big bushy beard from then on in!
That was our first eventful day in Vietnam, and from then on in, the adventures continued but thankfully no more bribes to the Vietnamese policemen! There are endless memories from our month long road trip in Vietnam and it would be impossible to relay them all here so I wont write any more than I have to (mainly because I’m currently writing this on a 13hr flight to Chile and pretty dam tired after drinks last night with a fellow Irish man in Melbourne, but that’s for a separate blog post when I can find the energy!) and instead just mention the most memorable events…. the good, the bad and the ugly!
The first thing that struck us when driving the highways was the array of interesting things we saw. Families of four and five on one single scooter, huge masses of building material tied to motorbikes and everything from ducks, chickens and piglets (all for human consumption I can only assume) in cages at the back of scooters tied in ingenious ways. The second thing we quickly learned in Vietnam was that the food was absolutely delicious and even better…. insanely cheap (We get VERY excited when the food is cheap!). We ate so much of it crouched down on tiny little plastic chairs at the side of the street (Paul struggled a bit with that part with his big legs).
There was one day we decided to try an English breakfast down south in a town called Rach Gia and it was the first time we both felt really sick so after that not so pleasant experience we swore not to eat any Western food again in Vietnam and adapted the phrase ‘it’s plastic chair food today’. There was many a day we didn’t even know what food we were ordering due to the language barrier but we knew that everything we would be handed would be yummy and perhaps as, this is Vietnam, a little strange (like that one night we tried pig's brains....which was actually pretty tasty I must add!).
There was one day in Ho Chi Minh that really comes to mind when I think of the food here in Vietnam when we sat down in a buzzing street food joint again on tiny plastic chairs where we were handed a bowl of…....something. I noticed a weird looking leg thing with tiny claws looking up at me through the brown sticky sauce and realised that it wasn’t your normal piece of meat but instead, after a few gasps and poking with our chop sticks it was in fact frogs legs we had been given. Not something we would usually order but in Vietnam we figured that you only have one choice but to embrace the wacky food here and so we dug in and enjoyed our tasty little amphibians!
Our first stop in Vietnam was to the Island of Pho Quoc located in the Gulf of Thailand off the south of Vietnam. To get there however would require a few long days ride (And can I just emphasis how sore our arses were by the end of each day after sitting on a cramped bike for hours on end!) through the culturally rich Mekong Delta. This is an area of flat fertile ground divided up by an endless maze of rivers, swaps and islands and home to many fascinating floating markets. Life rotates around one thing in the Mekong and that is of course, food. Most of the countries rice is produced here alongside a huge array of delicious fruit, much of which I had never even heard of before and of course fresh fish from the rivers. The main form of transport in the Mekong is by boat so to give ourselves a well deserved rest from the bike and to experience the fascinating life of the Vietnamese people that live along the Mekong we decided to do a boat tour. With my Asian conical hat in toe that I borrowed from our lovely female boat driver to shield me form the burning sun we spent the next 3 hours from early sun rise floating through the seemingly endless array of small rivers and streams all the while darting our eyes to look at all the goings on of the local people and their incredible vibrant way of life. Along the way we were also treated to a delicious fresh Pho (noodle soup) for breakfast while we reclined in our wooden seats and afterwards we paid a visit to a family run chocolate and rice noodle factory. A culturally rich and extremely tasty morning well spent on the Mekong!
Having the bike allowed us to explore the quieter villages in the Mekong where the day-trippers/bus tours from Ho Chi Minh wouldn’t venture. We drove by endless fields where farmers could be seen tending to their crops, some knee deep in water on the rice paddies while the women boasting the iconic Vietnamese conical hats were selling fresh fruit and fish produce along the side of the road.
There a few days that stick out a lot in our memories of these little villages where we got the opportunity to get up close with the locals. We would usually get a lot of stares, mostly from the children who were completely fascinated by us and would often shout the only English word they knew, ‘HELLO’, before running away in embarrassment. There was an exception however as one evening in the little village of Hoang Hoa after a long day on the road we bumped into some children with some rather impressive English. After speaking with them for a few minutes, their English teacher approached us and invited us for an impromptu English lesson where they read out a little about themselves and their families for an upcoming event in school. We went through their little stories to correct any mistakes (of which there was very little!). It was great to see these kids so enthusiastic about learning a new language where it will hopefully open some doors for them later in life.
By and large, the majority of people in the Mekong had little to no English however it didn’t stop them trying to communicate with us. On one hot day as we pulled into a local market in a village close to the Cambodian boarder to rest our sore legs and arses from sitting on the bike for hours, we were walking by one of the first stalls selling an array of blankets and all of a sudden we were greeted with a hail of Vietnamese calls and shouts from a family sitting outside their stall enjoying beers and lots of strange looking food. In the blink of an eye we found ourselves sitting on two tiny plastic chairs with two beers in our hand. We definitely could not refuse two cold beers after the long drive we had just endured and if that was not good enough, they offered us up some of the food they were cooking up on a little stove. This is Vietnam so of course the food was a little off beat and included squid, fish, crab meat and beef. With no English the best we could do was hand gesture to try and say thank you. We had little conversation other than the word 'Yo' meaning cheers but there was plenty of laughing, giggles, food, beers and of course hand gestures. After even more beers and food we did recognise one word they spoke to us and that was Karaoke! This is Asia and if you've never been to Asia, other than food, their next favourite thing is karaoke. So there we were on a hot Tuesday afternoon finding ourselves singing in a dingy karaoke bar at the back of a side street with enough food and beer to feed an entire football team. Paul and I don't have two singing notes between us but gave it our best shot while leaving the real singing to the Karaoke pro's. It was definitely the most random, surreal travel experience we had in Vietnam and the one that we will be sure to remember.
Another unique experience that comes to mind on our epic road trip was a night in the city of Tan Ky where again I'm convinced we were the only foreigners in town. It was the final of the 'Suzuki Cup' (Ye we never heard of it either but it's a football tournament in Asia if your curiosity is getting the better of you!) and luckily for us Vietnam were in the final against Malaysia. To soak up the atmosphere we were brought to the centre square plaza by a lovely phone shop worker where we watched the match on a huge big outdoor screen. Well...when I say we watched the match, we didn't really get the chance to as so many people wanted to take a photo with us but of course we happily obliged. To top of the night Vietnam won and just as you would expect, the city completely erupted with horns, fire sparklers, shouts and beeping horns. Not only were the locals ecstatic at winning the final but also at the site of two foreigners celebrating with them. It was nothing less than electric!
Other than the amazing unique experiences we had with the Vietnamese locals we also got the opportunity to visit some stunning places throughout the country. Trying to get to these places on our bike through boat trips, a night train, copious amounts of flat tyres, heavy rain, ripped ponchos and dodgy petrol from barrels at the side of the road lead to a whole other path of adventures. As much as I was on the verge of tears at each flat tyre we seemed to get, it always seemed to work itself out just fine with most local men seemingly experts at fixing motorbikes and always somewhat fascinated by the tall beardy man standing in front of them. One man who kindly opened up his mechanic workshop for us of a Saturday afternoon to fix our mangled wheel was not only fascinated by Paul's beard but also seemed to have an interest in Paul showing him his chest to see if it matched the impressiveness of his facial hair growth! So moral of the story is, if you are a tall foreigner in Vietnam and have a hint of facial hair, you will be sure to get a lot of attention and it will most certainly lead to many interesting stories to tell!
Some of our favourite places we visited throughout Vietnam on our motorbike road trip include the island of Phu Quoc, an island off the coast of Cambodia in the Gulf of Thailand known for its white sand beaches, resorts and clear blue waters. We didn't do much on the island other than lie back on the recliners of a private beach in an upmarket resort we stumbled upon one morning while riding around the island on our bike. We asked the lady at reception could we go down the steps to the beach to get a closer look but instead of coming back up after a few minutes like she said we had to, we instead decided to chance our arm and set our towels down in the hope she would forget about us. Luckily for us I think that was the case as we spent the day lounging on the beautiful white sandy beach while admiring the view pretending we were upmarket rich tourists with the luxury of being able to afford to stay in such a place (we wish!). The next day instead of riding around the island to see what else it had to offer, we decided to go back to the same private beach at the resort. Luckily again for us, there was nobody manning the reception so we quickly made a dart for the steps leading down to the beach and again spent the day sunning ourselves at the beautiful beach only fit for royalty.
Working our way up from the very South of Vietnam and the island of Phu Quoc, we visited many more beautiful destinations along the way including the city of Hoi An, an ancient trading port cut through with many canals and dotted with a huge array of many beautifully coloured lanterns. Now unfortunately for us the weather Gods were not on our side on our visit to this romantic little town. It was quite frankly, a complete washout with nothing other than heavy rain down pours. One evening when driving our bike back to our airbnb we found ourselves and our bike knee deep in water up a little alley way. Hoping the alley way would lead us away from the ever rising rain water that was accumulating on the main roads out of the town, it instead nearly destroyed our bike and left us both soaking to the bone but thankfully after a little panic by me and a few heavy revs of the engine by Paul our little trooper of a bike managed to get us out of the flooded laneway. Despite the adverse weather we both endured in Hoi An we still managed to enjoy our time here enjoying the lantern display and mix of ornate architecture styles.
Phong Nha was another area we visited, which like most places in Vietnam, was really beautiful even despite the continuing cloudy days. It's a protected area in the north-central part of the country squeezed between the Laos border and the South China sea characterised by green covered mountains, tropical forests and huge underground hidden caves. We spent our time here (more often than not, through the rain) whizzing through the park enjoying the immense rock formations, green tropical forests and rolling hills. We couldn't leave the area without paying a visit to one of the many hidden caves. Paradise cave was first discovered in 2005, stretching for 31km and boasts impressive limestone stalactite and stalagmite formations that reach in some parts, a height of 72m.
One of our final stops in Vietnam before it was time to say goodbye to our little motor, which by this stage we had it driven to within an inch of its life and in which we were sore arsed, weary eyed with only damp smelly clothes to our name, was to the scenic landscape complex of Tam Coc located in Ninh Binh province. This dazzling area consists of a flooded cave system with limestone outcrops amid serene rice paddies. The UNESCO-listed area has also grown in popularity when the rugged terrain was used as a location for the Hollywood blockbuster Kong: Skull Island. The area is best appreciated on a small rowing boat meandering through the Ngo Dong river so we decided to take a boat tour along the river system through the rice fields, dumpling-shaped karst hills and through a kilometer long cave where Paul nearly gave himself a concussion by banging his head on one of the low lying rocks. The scenery here is something very special and it was hard not to be won over by its mystical watery beauty.
Our trip to Vietnam really was a true adventure and I feel a unique authentic experience. There are so many memories from that time from the beautiful souls we met along the way (except the policemen!), the deliciously cheap food, the stunning scenery and of course the many mishaps with our bike and the crappy weather. I feel there is so much more I could tell about our time in Vietnam but quite frankly I'm tired and my hostel dorm bed awaits me. The memories will have to just sit happily within this brain of mine to ponder over for years to come. See you again Vietnam!
Our driving route:
Day 1: Ho Chi Minh - Hong Ngu
Day 2: Hong Ngu - HaTien
Day 3: HaTien - Phu Quoc, (Stayed in Phu Quoc for 3 nights)
Day 6: Phu Quoc - Can Tho
Day 7: Can Tho - Ben Tre
Day 8: Ben Tre - Vinh An
Day 9: Vinh An - Dalat
Day 10: Dalat - Na Trang, (took the night train to Danang)
Day 11: Danang - Hoi An (stayed 2 nights in Hoi An)
Day 13: Hoi An - Hue (via Hai Van Pass), (stayed 2 nights in Hue)
Day 15: Hue - Hoang Hoa
Day 16: Hoang Hoa - Phong Na (stayed 2 nights in Phong Na)
Day 18: Phong Na - Tan Ky
Day 19: Tan Ky - Tam Coc (stayed 2 nights in Tam Coc)
Day 21: Tam Coc - Hanoi
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