Vietnam: summary and route

Oh Vietnam. We'd planned to cycle in the North, but reports of a typhoon put us off. So we though ok, we'll head for the South Coast.....and another Typhoon arrived! A lot of agonising and plan-changing ensued. So we don't quite feel like we made the most of it. We also found the country quite overwhelming - although did grow to appreciate its incredible character and kind, interested people. We even got used to people standing right by us and staring while we were loading panniers / having a snack / fixing a puncture....

We did not have the best weather in the North/Central regions, but every account I read suggests that rain in Vietnam is common! Things dried up considerably in the delta. We did miss having wow-factor scenery on a daily basis (Phong Nha being the exception), but the cafe culture and prevalence of excellent vegetarian (chay) restaurants almost made up for it. We were surprised at the size and modernity of many towns - Vietnam is really quite developed, yet definitely retains its character. We thoroughly enjoyed the popular destinations of Hue, Hoi An and Ho Chin Minh City, but were also particularly charmed by Dong Hoi.

We didn't spend much time on Highway 1 but, when we did end up on it, we found it to be fine for riding - there's a good shoulder, and Vietnamese traffic is very courteous to bikes. We rode a portion of the HCM Highway, some of which had a fair few trucks, but other than that it was pretty quiet. The great thing about Vietnam is the network of tiny backroads, all of which seem to be paved. We had some great days surprising the locals in small villages, even if we did get a bit lost at times! The delta provided decent cycling, but was a lot busier than we expected. The ferries were a real highlight for us, highly recommended.

Interestingly, despite the scare stories, I am not sure we were ripped off once. We found the attention a bit hard to take at first (and did not enjoy being followed and heckled by some school kids for many kilometres on one of the days), but in general we found Vietnam to be warm and welcoming. People just couldn't stop themselves from helping - think tiny Vietnamese ladies hauling Ed's heavy (and filthy) panniers up flights of stairs...!

Might have to return to get to the North and maybe brave the western portion of the HCM highway. Our hearts really are in the hills!