So I made back from Cambodia in one piece ready to start what would be much more challenging part of this journey. Vietnam is a different beast when it comes to riding a motorcycle. Due to its huge population and relatively small size of the country roads are incredibly packed especially in such congested cities like Saigon and Hanoi. It's often regarded as organized chaos. I was ready to dive into it.
Over these past couple of days in Saigon I had maintenance check done on my motorcycle to prep it for the upcoming trip. I also needed to do some research on potential routes to take. I was always aware of the appeal to travel in Vietnam on a motorcycle but I had no idea it offers so many incredible routes to choose from. There are many, many amazing roads to take so I needed to do more extensive research before jumping on the road.
Decisions
The night before leaving I was having drinks with a bunch of people at my hostel and this one dude taught me a lot of useful stuff about motorcycles. We also discussed our routes. He settled on taking a coastal road going through Mui Ne, although very popular and beautiful it poses a huge risk of running into police in Mui Ne. They are notorious for engaging international riders into giving them huge bribes in order not to strip them of their motorcycles. I really couldn't decide but I ultimately chose the lesser known route that goes through the countryside up to this beautiful jungle park called Cat Tien National Park.
On The Road Again
The next day I woke up around 9 am in order to smoothly make it out of Saigon. I was feeling great and ready to roll despite chugging like 10 beers the night before. I had a friend joining me on the trip and we set off.
I really loved this day of riding. The weather was beautiful and once I got out of Saigon and off the highway the ride was beautiful. Vietnamese small country roads are a pure joy to ride on. They are incredibly well maintained and there's much less traffic on them. It still was a long day nonetheless and after 6 hours in I couldn't wait to reach the destination.
Somehow I lost my mate but he rejoined me in Cat Tien. Turned out his tire blew while on the road and he fell going 30 km/h. Fortunately he was alright and locals showed him some love with tea and food. I felt lucky having made this far without any incidents.
Cat Tien was really nice. I booked a riverfront shack that had a balcony with a nice hammock. Only for 6$, ridiculous. It was a very laid back and chill place so we stayed there for 3 days. I spent one day exploring the jungle but the other days just laying in my hammock playing guitar. Good times.
Not What I Was Expecting
The next destination was Da Lat. It was far away and I wanted to do the small mountain roads so it was going to be a long day. This was a day when I almost crashed going over 60km/h on a highway. It was not due to being reckless or not paying attention to the road but because some locals on a scooter suddenly decided to make a u-turn and seeing me they froze in the middle of the road. I was headed right at them, there was no way I could stop in time, they weren't moving, I thought this is it. As I was speeding towards them I was fully expecting the worst possible outcome.
Somehow, miraculously I manage to go by them, the very moment I was passing by them I looked down seeing literally an inch of space between us. I couldn't believe I managed to go by them. I stopped for a moment to calm my nerves and gather my thoughts. This was the most terrifying experience of my life. Somehow I managed to put it away and continue on this journey. It made me much more alert and aware on the road. What doesn't kill us makes us stronger - I can finally relate to this saying.
I really loved Da Lat during my first visit in 2017. It's a very popular town that sits at much higher altitude so it's somewhat cold and doesn't even seem like Vietnam, pine trees everywhere, clean and organized. There is a lot to do and see in the area however since I had done everything before I wasn't consumed much by doing anything this time around. Either way I took two days there and I also decided to swap my motorcycle - for exactly the same kind that had a meaner look to it, flames throwing out of exhaust and overall felt a little bit sturdier.
Going Coast
We decided to change up the scenery and do some riding on the coast. Our first stop was rather far, despite this we started late. It looked like it was going to be a beautiful riding day but the weather turned to shit. We were high in the mountains and the road down was really steep, we were completely swallowed by clouds and heavy rain. On top of that we had to dodge potholes and avoid countless big trucks. The visibility was non-existent. I was freezing like crazy. This was one of the most challenging days.
Somehow we made it to the night stop. It was a random town most people pass through. We had no intention of staying there for more than one night. We checked in a very sketchy looking hostel and went to sleep.
The next day was looking good. We were ready to start the coastal drive with the first destination being Qui Nhon.
To be continued.