A Vietnam Adventure – “From child hood dream to the ramblings of an old solo biker"

North to South OR South to North…decisions, decision!

Then…..once that’s decided, the next questions is whether to go down the coast (popular route with most tourists as you can stop at all the tourist resorts), stay inland and going through the mountainous regions (far more remote and much more of a cultural experience), or a combination of both?

My original thought was to fly into Hanoi (in the north) and head south (to Ho Chi Minh aka Saigon), sticking mainly to the coastline. However, after touching base with Tigit Motorbikes in Ho Chi Minh and speaking to Jonathan (owner), he not only provided some great advice but also provided me with his ‘perfect route‘ – based on his years of experience of riding, touring and working in Vietnam.

This route was going to provide the best inland and coastline sections that Vietnam has to offer and would also avoid some of the busiest tourist hot-spots. Jonathan also provided some great recommendations on accommodation, places to eat, travel advice and other helpful information.

At a leisurely pace (150km to 200km per day, it was going to take 12 days) BUT I am keen to do it in 10 days as I’d really like to spend 2 days on the Ha Liang Loop in the north of Vietnam. This means I need to find a couple of sections, somewhere on the route, to double up on.

Needless to say, I also rented my bike from him – the same bike I used in my trip to Nepal (which was a perfect little bike)…the Honda 150XL.