Motorbike travel around Vietnam

[chrissables]

1 minute ago, Mangkhut said:

I love the smell of napalm in the morning.

 

"Apocalypse now"' was filmed in The Philippines - so definetively not there... ;-)

 

Anyhow - thanks a lot for sharing this nice roadtrip with us. Fantastic and enjoyable story and photos.

 

May I ask how much the cost of the bike was? And how is the general price level in Vietnam compared to Thailand?

How to get a 90 day visa to Vietnam?

 

 

I stand corrected about  Apocalypse no. But i think it was depicting China beach at Da Nang?

 

Thanks, it was fun to go!

 

I used Tigit motor bikes http://www.tigitmotorbikes.com/

They have many offers from memory i paid $500 for three months, which was ok for me as the bike was guaranteed. I have just noticed the offer a lower deposit and they keep your passport. That is not a good idea. Every hotel want to see your passport on check in. 

 

Vietnam is cheaper than Thailand.

 

Visa's, here in Thailand you have to use an agent for 90 days. The embassy will not let you go direct to them. But no problem at all.

 

 

[klauskunkel]

I just read all 8 pages, once I started I couldn't stop. Great trip report, thanks for sharing your experience and cool, cool pix!

[chrissables]

Just now, klauskunkel said:

I just read all 8 pages, once I started I couldn't stop. Great trip report, thanks for sharing your experience and cool, cool pix!

Many thanks.

 

A few of the best photo's i could not download which was a shame. But i think the photo's show how beautiful the country is.

[12DrinkMore]

Great Trip!

 

[zd1]

Really enjoyable thread and some fantastic photos thank you.

I would love to do something similar but on a slightly bigger bike with gears.

 

[Wake Up]

Thank you for posting. Great read and photos. Great attitude about issues and problems. I travel a lot of places alone and understand the pros and cons of single travel.  If you ever need a sidekick on a journey I am interested in going. ?

[ddotmark]

Thanks for sharing your trip! Great photos!!

 

One thing I noticed in your photos was a lack of trash.  Is Vietnam cleaner than Thailand.  Thai's seem not to care about all the trash that is every where in their country.  I even noticed the photos of the Vietnam beaches looked void of trash.

Edited January 13, 2017 by ddotmark

[mrfaroukh]

I hope you knew that no license is allowed in Vietnam, you can drive even with International license , they accept only Vietnami's license or only temporary Vietnami's license which only be given to someone with 3 months visa.

[elgordo38]

On 1/12/2017 at 6:48 AM, chrissables said:

Day 4. Sunday Sept 18. 11 ½ hrs approx 372km

Buon Ma Thuot to Kon Tum. I Left with high expectations this morning. No rain and better scenery to be seen weather permitting.

Just out of Buon Ma Thuot about 20 km, there was a war memorial for the men lost in the war with America. These places always make me think the <deleted> up Politian’s should be leading the countries forces from the front.

 

The war memorial near Buon Ma Thuot

 

 

When it comes to wars and politicians and generals its like the end of a bad movie. They fade to the back while the lads with guts and glory die at the front. Never changes. When will we ever learn as the song goes. 

Edited January 13, 2017 by elgordo38

[ddotmark]

On 1/11/2017 at 11:37 PM, chrissables said:

The reclining Buddha at the top of Ta Cu Mountain 

 

Did you notice the Swastika on the chest of the Buddha. Any idea why this is here?  Any special meaning?

[elgordo38]

Enjoyed your presentation very much. It is about as close as I will ever come to seeing Viet Nam. Thank you very much. I know things were rugged with hotels having not food or ice and you were upset but think of how lucky you were to see these places before masses of tourists flooded in and trampled it down. I thought about living in Viet Nam but I will stay in Thailand. It has just enough creature comforts to suit my aging body. 

Edited January 13, 2017 by elgordo38

[thedemon]

38 minutes ago, ddotmark said:

 

Did you notice the Swastika on the chest of the Buddha. Any idea why this is here?  Any special meaning?

 

It is an ancient symbol going back way before it was hijacked by the Nazis.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastika

[ddotmark]

21 minutes ago, thedemon said:

 

It is an ancient symbol going back way before it was hijacked by the Nazis.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastika

Thank you for the link.  Interesting reading.

[Mansell]

I enjoyed your write up and pictures. What was the bike and engine size? I have been to many of the places like Hanoii, Hue, DaNang, Nha Trang. Hue was my favorite by far. Hanoii I got a motorbike for the day for five dollars and rode out into the countryside. I had one of the first Garmin GPS and that guided me through the city pretty well. 15 years ago China Beach was jungle all the way up to the sand....but it has all been removed to build hotels, though most are not built yet. Servicemen from the war would not recognize it now....this was an R and R place. Took the train from DaNang to Nha Trang, it was 12 hours and a fun journey along the South China Sea.

i was surprised by your difficulty finding food in the mountains etc. did you carry much food with you? Otherwise you sounded like you spent a lot of your time very hungry. Good write up.

[Randell]

Fantastic post Chris. Well  described and documented with excellent photographs. I commend you. The trip was well thought out in the broad reaches and still  accommodated spontaneous side tracking. Your presented it very well in your posting thank you so very much.

Randell

[khunken]

I very rarely read all through 7-8 pages of a thread but I did with this one because it was so interesting.

 

Well done Chris and more kudos for all the work you put into posting so many great photos.

[hobobo]

Very interesting, especially as I am thinking of something similar in a few months' time. Thank you very much!

[chrissables]

4 hours ago, zd1 said:

Really enjoyable thread and some fantastic photos thank you.

I would love to do something similar but on a slightly bigger bike with gears.

 

Thanks, the Winner was big enough for the roads, unless you want to rush up the main South to North road, 150cc 6 gear manual. Perfect for the whole trip. 

[chrissables]

2 hours ago, Mansell said:

I enjoyed your write up and pictures. What was the bike and engine size? I have been to many of the places like Hanoii, Hue, DaNang, Nha Trang. Hue was my favorite by far. Hanoii I got a motorbike for the day for five dollars and rode out into the countryside. I had one of the first Garmin GPS and that guided me through the city pretty well. 15 years ago China Beach was jungle all the way up to the sand....but it has all been removed to build hotels, though most are not built yet. Servicemen from the war would not recognize it now....this was an R and R place. Took the train from DaNang to Nha Trang, it was 12 hours and a fun journey along the South China Sea.

i was surprised by your difficulty finding food in the mountains etc. did you carry much food with you? Otherwise you sounded like you spent a lot of your time very hungry. Good write up.

Thanks!

150 cc 6 gear manual Honda Winner.

 

The country is developing really quickly, Thailand needs to pay attention to their competition, i think.

 

There was food available, but total lack of obvious refrigeration stopped by trying anything, so the first few weeks were a nightmare. But i took a kettle with me and had noodles some day, but beer worked well for me too!

[chrissables]

4 hours ago, elgordo38 said:

Enjoyed your presentation very much. It is about as close as I will ever come to seeing Viet Nam. Thank you very much. I know things were rugged with hotels having not food or ice and you were upset but think of how lucky you were to see these places before masses of tourists flooded in and trampled it down. I thought about living in Viet Nam but I will stay in Thailand. It has just enough creature comforts to suit my aging body. 

Thanks,

 

I really enjoyed the whole trip, the good parts made the frustration of less good acceptable. I can deal with it, but better to write as it is :)

 

The tourist areas have all the comforts required, i like to mix the two.

[chrissables]

4 hours ago, mrfaroukh said:

I hope you knew that no license is allowed in Vietnam, you can drive even with International license , they accept only Vietnami's license or only temporary Vietnami's license which only be given to someone with 3 months visa.

A Thai licence is acceptable.

[chrissables]

4 hours ago, Wake Up said:

Thank you for posting. Great read and photos. Great attitude about issues and problems. I travel a lot of places alone and understand the pros and cons of single travel.  If you ever need a sidekick on a journey I am interested in going. ?

Thanks.

 

Funny, some people don't like my attitude hahahaha 

 

But you need to be a certain kind of person to get on the road for 3 months alone. I moan and then get on with it. After the army picked me up after my accident i just laughing at myself for being so daft!

[chrissables]

1 hour ago, hobobo said:

Very interesting, especially as I am thinking of something similar in a few months' time. Thank you very much!

For more info check www.vietnamcoracle.com 

 

He has extensive knowledge of all of Vietnam.

[chrissables]

5 hours ago, ddotmark said:

Thanks for sharing your trip! Great photos!!

 

One thing I noticed in your photos was a lack of trash.  Is Vietnam cleaner than Thailand.  Thai's seem not to care about all the trash that is every where in their country.  I even noticed the photos of the Vietnam beaches looked void of trash.

It was a lot cleaner than Thailand.

 

Also which i forgot to mention there was no obvious double pricing. The place had a set charge except Hue Citadel which was free fro locals.

 

The last cable car ride was cheaper than getting into a Thai national park!

[PeeJay1959]

Excellent report, many thanks.

[Bulldozer Dawn]

Thanks Chris for you thread and the link to the location of jungle beach.  I have since found some youtube footage to confirm there are definitely some surfable breaks in that area.  What month was your trip?  And thanks also for the link to tiggit motorbikes.  You have planted the seeds for my next trip with my girl.  I think I will take her on a tour like you have done.  Is there any roadside food available in the back blocks.  What does a basic meal in a plastic chair restaurant set you back.  How much is a large bottle of water?  I am not interested in the prices in the big tourist centers but very interested in the costs of the rural areas compared to the rural areas of Thailand.

 

I also have a lightweight tent and titanium micro gas stove set up for bike touring.  I like to wild camp where possible.  My current girl has grown to like it as well.  I am very interested in what your perceptions of safety are in the back blocks.  If you wild camped in the mountains somewhere...with a girl...do you think you would be in danger?  I am the same age as you and have travelled the world over.  So this is not a newb question.  I am just interested in your perception of the locals and the local risks.

[connda]

8 hours ago, ddotmark said:

 

Did you notice the Swastika on the chest of the Buddha. Any idea why this is here?  Any special meaning?

That sign was around millennia before Nazi Germany.  I has it's origins in ancient Hinduism.  Buddha was from Northern India.  It has nothing to do with Nazism. 

Edited January 13, 2017 by connda

[connda]

I've probably killed about an hour going through your entire trip.  Thanks kindly for sharing.  Beautiful place, wonderful trip!  Kudos!!! 

[chrissables]

10 hours ago, Bulldozer Dawn said:

Thanks Chris for you thread and the link to the location of jungle beach.  I have since found some youtube footage to confirm there are definitely some surfable breaks in that area.  What month was your trip?  And thanks also for the link to tiggit motorbikes.  You have planted the seeds for my next trip with my girl.  I think I will take her on a tour like you have done.  Is there any roadside food available in the back blocks.  What does a basic meal in a plastic chair restaurant set you back.  How much is a large bottle of water?  I am not interested in the prices in the big tourist centers but very interested in the costs of the rural areas compared to the rural areas of Thailand.

 

I also have a lightweight tent and titanium micro gas stove set up for bike touring.  I like to wild camp where possible.  My current girl has grown to like it as well.  I am very interested in what your perceptions of safety are in the back blocks.  If you wild camped in the mountains somewhere...with a girl...do you think you would be in danger?  I am the same age as you and have travelled the world over.  So this is not a newb question.  I am just interested in your perception of the locals and the local risks.

Hi Bulldozer, i was there at the end of November/early December. The actual date is on the original posting.

There was food available even in the remotest of areas, but only one time did i eat in those places. Dingy and no light suggested no fridges too, to i would not eat rather than be on a bile trip with an iffy stomach. Water, no idea, i never bought any. But as a rule, the same or cheaper in Vietnam than Thailand.

 

Camping should not be an issue if that's your thing. For more info on that check out www.vietnamcoracle.com  The guy who writes it actually does camp there on his trips sometimes. 

 

I never at one time felt threatened or worried about my safety. In the rural areas they are so happy to meet foreigners and if they have English skills they really want to chat and learn about you and your trip.

[chrissables]

18 hours ago, mrfaroukh said:

I hope you knew that no license is allowed in Vietnam, you can drive even with International license , they accept only Vietnami's license or only temporary Vietnami's license which only be given to someone with 3 months visa.

ASEAN driving licences are accepted in ASEAN :)

 

http://www.bangkok-business-supplement.com/bkk-local-news/Thai-driving-licences-recognized-within-ASEAN