Vietnam
We visited Vietnam for the final stop on our tour of southeast Asia. Starting from Hanoi, we travel by motorcycle for a week south to Da Nang on the Ho Chi Minh Road and then continue on our bicycles to explore the east coast.
Hanoi
We traveled to Vietnam on a red-eye flight with a short transfer in Deli. Somewhere along the way, I acquired a stomach bug and spent the first couple days in bed while Caitlin valiantly nursed me back to full health. Eventually, I recovered enough to stomach solid food again. And it’s a good thing I did because there is no shortage of delicious food in Hanoi. The complex history and culture of Vietnam shines through in their local cuisine—such as their delicious Banh Mi sandwiches which blend traditional Vietnamese flavors and toppings with soft and crunchy mini French baguettes. Caitlin and I celebrated my good health with a wonderful dinner at a rooftop Oasis cafe followed by a trip to the eclectic Hanoi Social Club for some live music.
Based on numerous recommendations from fellow travelers, we knew we wanted to spend time in both Vietnam’s Northern capital of Hanoi and its central city of Danang.The question was - how do we make the 750 mile trip from Hanoi to Danang? I proposed that we take the scenic Ho Chi Minh Road, a week long road trip… on a motorcycle. To her credit, Caitlin was extremely accommodating of this idea even though it would not have been her preferred mode of transportation. I worked with a motorcycle rental shop in Hanoi to rent a very capable Triumph Tiger enduro motorcycle with cargo boxes. And they helped facilitate sending the rest of our bags ahead to our hotel in Danang!
The Ho Chi Minh Road
Our motorcycle road trip began with a day of riding west from Hanoi to catch the northern tip of the Ho Chi Minh Road. As opposed to the Ho Chi Minh Trail that was made infamous during the Vietnam War, this modern road is simply a small concrete highway that snakes through the mountains along the country’s western border. It is known for traversing some of the most remote and beautiful terrain in the country.
In the late afternoon, we cruised through miles of pristine rural farmland with golden light pouring into the valleys from the setting sun. Darkness eclipsed the landscape as we started climbing into the mountain while burning through fuel way faster than anticipated. We were not ready for how difficult it would be to find a gas station amongst the extremely remote villages. With darkness already upon us, our fuel gauge on E, and over an hour and a half of hard mountain riding ahead of us, we flagged down a random group of locals on the side of the road for help finding gas (by gesturing toward the bikes fuel tank). One helpful young man jumped on his motor-bike and led us to a random house where they poured several plastic soda bottles of gasoline into our tank through a funnel. The very kind lady gave us our bill by showing us a number on her phone’s calculator app. We paid up and thanked them profusely. We arrived at our bungalow hotel with just enough time to eat dinner and shower before quickly falling asleep after a long day.
Since we arrived at night, we had no idea what the morning had in store. When we awoke, we feasted on some of the most stunning landscapes encountered throughout our travels - like scenes only meant to be enjoyed in a Planet Earth documentary. The bungalow homestay featured a distinct tree-house feeling with raised wooden platforms on skinny stilt legs and straw roofs. We were surrounded by rolling hills, calm lakes, and neat rows of tea bushes.
Back on the motorcycle, we progressed south on the narrow concrete road that led us on winding routes over misty mountains and along thick jungle valleys. When we encountered an unsupervised herd of cows casually crossing a highway bridge, we were reminded of how very remote we were. The rest of our week-long road trip was filled with delicious local food, relaxed afternoon kayaking, and lots of refueling one liter bottle at a time.
Central Vietnam: Da Nang, Hoi An, and Hue
We arrived in Da Nang after 5-days on the Ho Chi Minh road. Da Nang is a beautiful beach town with white sand beaches and tropical vibes that reminded me of Thailand. Unfortunately, our bike trip was delayed because I came down with a second bout of fever which eventually landed us in the emergency room of a Vietnamese hospital. After several hours of shivering in a hospital bed and a negative COVID test, I was diagnosed with a lingering non-specific infection and sent home with a general antibiotic and a bottle of heavy-duty Tylenol. It took another 48 hours and a couple trips to the Korean bbq restaurant until I recovered enough strength to start the cycling trip.
We began our trip heading south from Da Nang to Hoi An. It was a day of easy and sunny riding. We reached our hotel located in an old town area and adjacent to a small river in the early afternoon. By the time we had showered and made it back out for dinner, night had set in and transformed the street into a beautiful lantern-lit river walk. The surprisingly busy and bustling streets made for an evening of fun exploring. The river was also crowded with festive long boats, adorned with their own paper lanterns, slowly navigating their load of passengers up and down the river. The joyous atmosphere, lively streets, and beautiful lights made it feel like we might be scouting a scene for a new James Bond movie.
We soon turned north to double back past Da Nang and towards Hue. This section features a challenging (and famous) 10km mountain Hai Van Pass section with about 500 meters of elevation gain. We planned a 90 km ride for the day with the steep climbing set to begin at 70 km. Excited and a little bit nervous, we got an early start to the day with the aim to hit the climb past the hottest part of the day but while there was still light out. We slowly made our way up the mountain, taking breaks frequently to catch our breath and hydrate. Just before the summit, we arrived at a big sweeping bend in the road with a panoramic view. The corner was a popular resting spot for Vietnamese riders traversing the pass on moped. We hung out to enjoy the reward for our hard work before finishing the road to the summit and bombing down the 30-minute high speed decent on the other side.
The next 2 days of coastal riding north of Da Nang became more remote and absolutely stunning. We took a winding path on a thin peninsula wedged between the ocean and lake which featured beautiful vistas on either side. Some large bridge crossings in this region, many completely void of traffic, offered some of the best views of the entire trip. We spent the night in the city of Hue which featured a central, square shaped, old-town district surrounded by the ruins of ancient defensive walls and moat.
For the last night of our bike trip on the way back to Da Nang, we booked a stay at a nice resort hotel that was offering steep discounts. We were excited for the nicer quality hotel because our choice of accommodations typically prioritize affordability - and we were in for a very pleasant surprise. It turned out to be a stunning 5-star oceanfront resort. Our room was a beautiful modern bungalow at least 3 times the size of my apartment in Seattle, and a bathroom twice the size of our typical hotel room. Our stay came with a complimentary couple’s massage at the spa bungalow built on stilts over the ocean. Needless to say, we felt quite pampered. The breakfast buffet the next morning was one of the best meals we ate in all of Vietnam! We felt recharged and revitalized for our last day of riding and one more trip up and over the Hai Van Pass on the way back to Da Nang.
Our trip to Vietnam exceeded all of the expectations we had accumulated. Hanoi was rich with culture, history, and food. The rural and mountainous country was stunningly beautiful. And finally, central Vietnam was a paradise of beautiful beaches. Our only regret is not having more time to explore the southern part of the country…next time!
