Hello Steemians!
I am going to cover my 3 week drive across Vietnam on a motorcycle over a couple of posts with all the pictures from along the way, I hope you enjoy it!
Riding a motorcycle across Vietnam has become a backpackers tradition in the last 30 years for good reason, it's an amazing way to experience the culture while avoiding a lot of the tourist pitfalls. The ride is dangerous, dirty, and utterly exhausting but in all my travels I have never had a more exhilarating adventure and I cannot recommend it enough. The traffic is horrendous and the days can be long and hot but having the ability to stop in small towns and villages along the way and enjoy authentic food and meet the locals is what makes this adventure so unforgettable. With all that being said, let's get into the specifics.
One of the many beautiful views along the way.
This was the route I took and I will cover all the stops over the next few posts.
Where to Start
There are a few things you will need to take care of before you leave on your journey in order to make sure you stay safe.
International Driving Permit (IDP) - Vietnam does recognize the IDP and if you are caught without one you will be forced to pay off the police.
Travel Insurance for Motorcycles - This is not standard for travel insurance, most do not include motorcycles so make sure to find a good policy
Any Riding Gear - Vietnam has extremely lax safety laws when it comes to bikes, the only requirement to ride is a helmet. However there are no safety standards for helmets so the quality of the helmets are very poor. When I bought my bike, it included two bicycle helmets that had chipped foams and no plastic, so bringing one from your home country is definitely a good idea.
I had to look for a few hours to find quality helmets in Hanoi but they turned out pretty well
Buying the Bike
Buying a motorcycle in Vietnam as a foreigner has become an incredibly simple process in recent years and there is a whole industry devoted to just this type of trip. You have three options:
Take a Tour - There are many agencies that will lead you on a guided trip across the country or just for small trips around the tourist hot spots. It's a bit expensive but definitely a safer alternative to jumping into traffic yourself. In Da Nang I also saw people taking rides on the back of a big motorcycle through the mountains which I am sure would be fun as well.
Rent a bike - There are a lot of companies that will rent a bike in Ho Chi Minh City to be returned in Hanoi. The price is higher but the bikes are new and less likely to need repairs.
Buy a new bike - You can also buy a brand new bike for around $1000USD and have the same assurances as renting but as soon as you leave the resale value drops fast.
Buy a used bike - This is what I did and I really recommend it, I bought my bike from a shop in Hanoi with luggage racks, phone holder, bungee cords etc... for only $225USD after negotiation. I spent a few more dollars on repairs along the way but the value of the bike remains and you will be able to sell it for near the same price. You can also buy a bike from another backpacker, there are a lot for sale outside every hostel.
The used Honda Win I picked up after a few days of looking in Hanoi.
When you buy the bike be sure to take a good look top to bottom to check for any obvious damage and make sure the bike comes with a blue card. This is the registration card and if you don't have it you cannot resell the bike later. Okay, enough of the planning, let's get to the trip.
The mad traffic of Hanoi, it looks crazy but there is a method to the madness, I promise.
Day 1 - Hanoi to Mai Chau
The classic route starts in Ho Chi Minh City and ends in Hanoi, but I was traveling near the beginning of rainy season in the north so I opted to get out of the north before it came. The ride to Mai Châu started off completely terrifying! Hanoi has some of the most insane traffic I have ever experienced but once you get out of the city the ride is quiet and beautiful. It takes about 4 hours to get there on a really smooth road through some small mountains. Mai Châu is a quiet little farming village that is really quite beautiful, you can spend your time walking through the village and seeing the beautiful sites that surround the village. Mai Châu has a few hotels but the main draw there is home stays, I stayed at the Mai Chau Family Home stay, the food was amazing and the family treated me like one of their own.
The rice fields of Mai Chau.
A market in between all the homestays in Mai Chau.
The dinner we had at the homestay in Mai Chau.
We stopped at a waterfall for a swim on the way out of town the next day, it was beautiful and the water was just right.
I will continue the journey in the next post and will complete the whole trip in 3 or 4 posts total so if it's something you are interested in then watch over the next few days. If you like this type of post then check out my other posts @travelstheworld and thanks for reading!