of Backpacks and Beards
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Vietnam by Motorcycle – There and Gone to Saigon Well, after 10 major stops, open roads and congested traffic, a new exhaust, clutch, front & rear brakes, tons of new friends, and 2158km through torrential downpour, scenic mountain ranges, beautiful rice fields, and beautiful beaches we made the trek by motorcycle from Hanoi to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City). We’ve had bumps, bruises, wrong turns, bad roads and worse directions. But after… Read More
Day 12 After spending much more money than anticipated due to the purchase of a suit and some other odds and ends we knew we’d better set our sights on the next location, Nha Trang. Now, talking to a few other backpackers we’d heard mixed reviews about this city. Some people thought it was a blast, had great nightlife, a fun amusement park, and a beautiful beach to soak in the sun…. Read More
Day 7 After two incredible days in Phong Nha it was again time to set our sights on the next destination, the historical city of Hue. We’d met a cool Scottish couple in Hanoi and for the first time we were in the same location so we figured we might as well ride as a squad. As we pulled onto the HCM highway I felt the first few light drops of rain…. Read More
Day 1 After taking the A1 from Hanoi south, it was time to head to a more scenic, traffic free, and rolling road – the Ho Chi Minh Highway (HCMH). We had the entire afternoon to head west from Ninh Binh to the HCMH so we figured that we could gain a bit of distance southbound as well, however, we weren’t prepared for every outcome. As we didn’t have any form GPS… Read More
We woke up around 6:30am with our bags packed and ready to go. We’d bought a map, had helmets that fit, and were ready to hop on our bikes and take to the road. Obviously the day started with a few more delays and we hit the road around 8:30am. We’d decided that we’d travel down to Ninh Binh by at A1. Normally, I wouldn’t every recommend taking the A1 highway when… Read More
Whether you land in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City you’ll be painfully aware of the mass use of motorbikes. In major city mecca they literally will crowd every alleyway, every curb, and sometimes every sidewalk. This is because in Vietnam, not only are bikes relatively cheap, but they’re easy to fix, and they run for many hours on just a few litres of gas (which runs for about $1/L). You basically… Read More
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