Another long ride around Vietnam on a motorbike. Originally i was going to Cambodia but decided on a repeat trip, trying new roads to me.

 

Day 1. Sunday 15 April.

I arrived at Saigon early afternoon, checked in at the hotel and went beer drinking.

Day 2. Monday 16 April

I collected the bike from Tigit Motorbikes, panniers and top box fitted and ready for the start of the tour Wednesday.

I had a night on the town and got totally smashed drinking vodka with a guy from Finland, this is not recommended! I fell flat on my face trying to find a taxi back to my room. It’s not often I get smashed like that.

Day 3. Tuesday 17 April

Recovering and wandering around Saigon. I found a sex shop near Walking Street, when I asked how much I was asked to leave!

Day 4. 18 April 123km

A ride down to Vung Tau today required a ride through the tunnel under the Saigon river and a ferry ride from Cat Lai Port over the Nha Be river.

The road QL51 was extremely dusty, dirty and busy. Not a pleasant ride at all.

Day 5. April 19. 108km

A day trip from Vung Tau to Nui Minh Mountain and Chua Hang Mai Temple today.

It started off very frustrating due to differing directions from everyone, but once I found the turning off of QL51 it was easy to find.

The road was extremely rough, rutted and steep in places, had it been wet impossible to ride, but well worth the effort.

Day 6. April 20, 38km

I stayed local today and went to the Christ of Vung Tau, 847 steps in the scorching sun, but worth it for the views. I also popped into another Catholic religious sight, but don’t recall the name. What was interesting was watching beer be delivered to the restaurant on site!

Day 7. 21 April

Vung Tau to Bao Loc. 284km

I started early as it was a convoluted route and I knew I would be delayed by taking wrong turns etc. It was worse than I thought and I was continually getting lost, and extremely pissed off. The map I had seemed to show the opposite of the phone map, which was again different to what the locals were telling me! Three hours after leaving a found a huge lake that turned out to be the sea, I had done a complete loop!

I decided to stop after 9 hours at Bao Loc because I was taking a back road through the mountains to Dalat and would have run out of light before finishing.

I did find some nice views and hopefully tomorrow I will find better.

Loc Bao to to Dalat. 328km

Off bright and early this morning, the weather was like a spring day in the UK, wonderful riding weather.
I backtracked to continue my back roads loop to Dalat. South of Loc Bao I stopped at a war memorial before trying to find the turning to Da Teh, this took a few wrong turns before getting on the correct road, then the wrong turns and un signposted roads took over. To cut a long story short 220km and 7 hours later I was back at my start point, due to a bad storm and the small road I was on being under construction and a mud bath,

I decided to count my loses and take the main road to Dalat.

Day 9. 23 April 43km

I stayed local today, more so than planned. I intended to ride to the view point near the top of Lang Biang Mountain, but they had decided that independent riding to the top was now not allowed and you must pay to go up in one of their trucks! Reminds me of another country!

As it happens they did me a favour, I just arrived back at the hotel when the sky’s opened, this carried on for 4 plus hours and on a mountain track would have been treacherous.

Day 10. 24 April

Dalat up the Pine Tree Road 137 km

The route and more information can be found here….

http://vietnamcoracle.com/the-pine-tree-road/

This is a great ride north from Dalat through (as the title says) pine trees. The road is in good condition and winds its way up the mountains up to the hill tribe village of Dung K’no. I filled up at the local shop here as I was going to follow the newly built road as far as possible. Due to being a dead end it was very quiet riding through beautiful scenery until I arrived at the road building site.

Off roading Vietnamese style!

Day 11. 25 April

Dalat to Nha Trang 382 km, 11 ½ hrs

I started “The Road East of the Long Mountains” today. The map and more information can be found here…..

 

http://vietnamcoracle.com/the-road-east-of-the-long-mountains/

 

This is a long and convoluted route, the run down to Nha Trang I added at the end because I like the city and good cheap food and beer is everywhere!

 

From Dalat I headed south on DT725 until QL27 where I turned west the north towards Buon Ma Thout. North of Lake Lak I turned east onto TL12, this is a slow road through great scenery. Unfortunately I took a wrong turn at Yang Mao which took me to a dead end where the road was still being built to meet up with the dead end road of yesterday.

I met a group of kids here who were delightful in their Vietnamese greeting of “Hello, <deleted> you”! Cheeky scrote’s hahaha

 

One of them took me down the mountain to the correct turning which was a very potholed road leading a rickety toll bridge. From there the road improved and I continued west and south to Nha Trang.

The rickety toll bridge!

Day 12. 26 April

Nha Trang to Ninh Hoa and back, 101 Km

 

A vey hot ride up QL1 today to look at the headland north east of Ninh Hoa, there are plenty of prawn farms here on the coast side with dry and brown rice paddies on the opposite side waiting for the rains and the planting season.

 

I rode out to the sea on the top of a paddy field bund, to take a few photos, then I returned to Nha Trang.

Day 13. 27 April. 284 km

Nha Trang to Phang Rang and back.

 

Another hot ride along the coast today and and a loop towards Dalat on the back roads.

I was a little upset seeing “Charlie” on the way to his final destination on the back of a motorbike!

Day 14. 28 April. 432 km 11 hrs

Nha Trang to Quy Nhon

 

The route north west to M’Drak was good up the mountain, turning north towards A Yun Pa the road was good but due to deforesting the views were not as good as I hoped. The new road was in places big enough to land a large plane for some reason.

Arriving at road QL19 it’s an easy ride, but quiet a long ride down to Quy Nhon. All good until I found all hotels were booked due to a public holiday. I wasted over an hour riding around to find a room.

 

Day 15. 29 April 399 km, 12.5 hrs

Quy Nhon to Quang Ngai

 

This was both a good and extremely frustrating day.

 

Great views and good roads, especially riding north from K’Bang. Besides an area where the road widens to airstrip size again, 165 km of small two lane road weaving through the countryside.

It was so hot at one time, then heavy rain and a storm cooled me to teeth chattering, but the locals just carried on as if nothing happened.

I missed my turn again, it would be helpful if sign posted! I eventually ended up at another dead end and will very little fuel!

I found fuel in a small shop selling phone cards, the whole village came out to say hi and take selfies, even giving me a baby to hold! I regret not taking some myself, but I was tired and there was at least 3 ½ hrs of riding to get to town, so left as soon as I could.

Anyone who has ridden at night in Thailand understands how dangerous it can be. Trust me Vietnam is on another level of craziness! Never try this unless you are in an area with street lights…..i was not!

Day 16. 30 April. Remained local

 

 

Day 17. 01 May. 149 km

Quang Ngai to Hoi An

An hours ride north along QL1, followed by a very pleasant ride along the coast to Hoi An.

 

Day 18. 02 May. My Son Temple

 

A good day out at the temple, but I got lost   in the mountains along the river.

On my trip back I picked up a hitchhiker, a beautiful 20 year lady, when I dropped her off she had aged terribly, can’t think why!

This 18 year lady, aged a lot riding pillion with me!

Day 19. 03 May 127 km

 

A very good trip today, north up to Da Nang and around the Son Tra Peninsular and Monkey Mountain.

Then I rode north over the Hai Van Pass making a detour to the radio mast at the very top where the best views are. Once I reached the railway at the north side I executed a “U” turn and returned to Hoi An.

Day 20. 04 May. 196 km

 

I rode south from Hoi An today before a right onto QL14E. This leads up to the HCM road, here I turned right and enjoyed a wonderful ride through the jungle on mainly very good roads.

When I got to QL14b I left the HCM road and headed back towards Da Nang and then Hoi An.

From this junction there was not one sign for Hoi An all the way back, it’s incredible how bad the lack of correct sign posting is. It seems to me the people in charge of the signage need some educating.

Day 21, 05 May walking in Hoi An

 

Day 22. 06 May. Hoi An to Hue, via HCM road.     311 km 10.5 hrs

I back tracked up to the Ho Chi Minh road today on road QL14B. The road was in good condition and there was hardly any traffic which made the ride very enjoyable. The views again were stunning but spoilt at times by the deforesting going on.

I got caught in a very fierce storm high in the mountains, the winds were extremely strong and the rain freezing. This followed me most of the way to Hue.

I spent a pleasant evening near walking street people watching, which even the monks were enjoying.

There's light at the end of the tunnel!

Day 23. 07 May

Relaxing and visited the Tomb of Khai Dinh

Day 24. 08 May.

Relaxing and visited the coast.

Dirty, not nice at all!

Day 25. 09 May. Hue to Khe Sanh 193 km I missed big storms at end of the day, shit food at the hotel, really dire!
But some great views along the way!

This idiot missed me by a few seconds, he was following me down the hill but lost it at the bend. I went back to laugh!

Day 26. 10 May. Khe Sanh to Phong Nha, home of the great cave complex here in Vietnam.

10 hours 278 km

Incredible views! I needed to use my spare petrol bottle due to lack of petrol stations on the route. Heavy rain at end of the day.

There were too many back packers who for some reason were walking around shoe less, very strange.

Day 27.11 May. Phong Nha to Vinh 8 hrs 290km

 

Great views in the morning sun riding north from Phong Nha mostly on the HCM road before droping down to Vinh.

Crap hotels here, as soon as you pull up the guards try to make you go and park in the staff parking areas, which I refuse to do until the bike is unloaded.

Then the bar was not open and the restaurant too.

Day 28. 12 May. Vinh to Tam Coc. 4 hrs 207 km

An easy ride to this tourist destination today straight up QL 1A and arrived with time to take some photo’s.

Day 29. 13 May.

A ride with the “foot rowers” today. I chose a quiet place and went early, so there were not any tourists except me.

When she tried to enter the cave my claustrophobia decided pop its head up, so we cut the trip short.

The two other sites I visited in the area i rode away from due to the parking mafia annoying me!