RIDE NORTH VIETNAM

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This topic contains 11 replies, has 0 voices, and was last updated by  Craig Bernard 13 years, 10 months ago.

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  • #99706

    Hi all

    Just got back from the week of my life with a mate Mark and 7 others ( including our Aussie guide Travis boss of Wide Eyed Tours , based in Hanoi )

    I’m sure there are plenty of Old Bulls that would lap this sort of adventure up. I have talked to Trailboss about it but I thought I’d throw something on the forum and see if it goes anywhere. As some of you know I’m a bit of an Old Bull sleeper, I have a look here and there on the forum but don’t get out for many rides with you guys so here goes…

    I will try and keep it short but there is so much to tell. Wide Eyed are trying to get these motorbike tours off the ground, they do bicycle tours , trekking and many other types of tours. http://www.wideeyedtours.com Tarvis the owner and tour leader is married to a Vietnamese girl has kids and lives there, he speaks the language and knows the culture.

    If you google a map and images of towns like Ha Giang, Yen Minh, Meo Vac, Dong Van you will get some idea of the terrain and the people. We rode step through Honda Future Neos which sounds gay but they were perfect for the job. We started with a night on Halong Bay swimming, kayaking , sight seeing, drinking eating etc which was a great way to kick off or end the tour. You need 4-5 hour bus rides to get in and out of traffic of Hanoi before riding

    Traffic is bloody crazy you need insurance just in case but once in the remote areas near the Chinese border its much safer. Wet weather gear was needed at times and a warm enduro jacket some guys bought cheap ponchos and threw them away at the end.

    We made it to a little old town named Pho Bang 5km from the boom gates to China and no mans land, had a cuppa with the locals then rode to the border wher the soldiers and officials didnt like cameras or any jokes. Great to make it there but. Overall we did something between 600-1000kms there was too much to look at to worry about stuff like that. Roads can be crap but we were mostly on tar, buses and truck dont give you any love so off road experience is a big bonus !!!! We only had one guy lay it down as his front had deflated a bit, several had close calls but nothing too bad.

    Highlights ? so many and hard to narrow it down

    The panoramic views at every turn
    The local childrens smiles when you wave and say hello
    The times when we could are a go in the mountain bends
    Eating food in places you would never dream of
    Being in such remote places and seeing how the people live ( bloody mobiles worked most of the time !)
    Speaking to my mum and wife standing on what seemed like the top of the world then giving my phone to alittle mountain kid who has possibly never used a phone or seen a telivision
    Our night and day arvo at Pan Hou Village Eco resort after riding over a suspension bridge to get there, followed by beers, hot tub, massage, great food, open fire. http://www.panhou-village.com
    Doing it all with a great bunch of blokes

    Cost wise these are approx $1100 airfare $700 for monday to friday ride bike hire accom. Extras …. additional nights $38 double, fuel for bikes $20 for the week?, drinking money $?, Halong bay overnight $90 for a high end boat ( much nicer ) and 4 hour bus ride to the bay. Breakfast , Dinners and Lunches $5 max each meal brekky maybe $2? Insurance for us was $120 approx with bike coverage with flight centre/ covermore insurance
    ( do your own research there not sure the best coverage ).

    Gunna try and put some pics up havent done that before , if you want to see more I am on facebook message me if you want

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    #198827

    Greg
    Member

    That looks very much like a must do Craig, the photos look awesome and we all know photos do no justice :ohmy: Its cheap as well it would be a fantastic boys holiday :P more pictures please mate, your enthusiasm on the phone was very contagious :)

    More please more

    #198836

    Greg
    Member

    I just looked at the picture of the high end boat and where you went incredible :ohmy: how many days were you on the boat

    #198837

    sorry got a bit going on and some people ringing me to see how it was, we spent 1 night on the boat at halong bay but its a moring to get there from Hanoi and an arvo to get back so you need 2 days to enjoy it, some people had two nights. I reckon 1’s enough if your on a shedule

    will try to put more pics up later tonight

    #198838

    Mick Pilgrim
    Member

    Gday Mr Cee,
    looking at your photos brought back some fond memories of when we went over there with friends about 4 years ago. I have similar photos of Halong Bay and as you say the high end boats are good. They may look a bit Junky but it surprising how well they are fitted out inside.
    My wife and I got doubled back to our hotel from the docks on bikes in Ho chimin city – the scariest ride of my life. Its bad enough just trying to cross the road, but when the lights go green(thats if they even stop for the red light) its like the start of a moto GP race.
    The scenery over there was great, the people friendly and the food was fantastic. Would love to go back again sometime.

    Mick

    #198828

    Adam Rodgers
    Member

    [/video]

    Mr Cee wrote:
    ,

    Traffic is bloody crazy you need insurance just in case but once in the remote areas near the Chinese border its much safer.

    The Boss and I did Vietnam in February and took this video whilst having a couple of Hanoi beers.

    It’s an intersection near a lake in the middle of Hanoi.

    Maddness prevails :ohmy: yet no roadrage :huh:

    [video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zbhBJqjPpY[/video]

    Adam.

    #198871

    Greg
    Member
    adam wrote:
    [/video]

    Maddness prevails :ohmy: yet no roadrage :huh:

    [video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zbhBJqjPpY[/video]

    Adam.

    That’s bloody nuts :ohmy: :woohoo:

    #198896

    That about somes it up and you have to cross that bedlam all the time

    will try and add some video riding and more pics

    #198911

    A little hand held video of some of the riding

    #198829

    Scott
    Member

    Awesome pics…thanks for sharing them. I’ve had Vietnam and Cambodia on my “maybe do” list for a number of years. I love picturesque natural landscapes and your post has encouraged me to consider even more seriously an adventure there.

    Question for you…in that pic where you are sitting on the red and white striped concrete block you look like it is pretty cold, what sort of altitude was that?

    Glad you enjoyed the trip so much. Cheers.

    #200463

    TONY.
    Member

    vietnam is an awesome place to ride the roads can only be described as systematic chaos
    if you walk straight out in front of that traffic they wont actually hit you.
    we did a 10day tour on klx250’s through the northern regions of thailand through forrests and jungles up to the golden triangle last year pretty amazing stuff
    i will post some pics

    #200464

    Sorry Mate dont get on the site much, I think it was around 3000 feet, near Yen Minh, Dong Van, Pho Bang, Meo Vac if you wanna google it.

    I looked at some google images before we went and there are some good pics to get an idea of the landscape.

    Have a go it was awesome and I’ve never done anything like it before and sure hope I do again

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