January 15th to 22nd - Central Highlands and the East Coast

Modes of transportation: bike, bus

Places visited: Dalat, Hoian, Hue

Costs of things: Beer (65 cents), Meals ($3 to $7), hotel ($15 to $25)

Roads travelled on by bike: new highway from Dalat to Nha Trang, National Highway 1.

Bloody Tourist trap! Okay, okay, it wasn't that bad. Minus the constant haggling, pesky moto drivers and often rude locals refusing to serve you, the natural scenery is amazing, and the historical monuments awe-inspiring. At least here in Vietnam the locals don't steal behind your back - they do it to your face. You can expect to pay triple or quadruple the going price. Compared to the Mekong, it was simply extortion.

It was a relief to get out of Saigon. The bus to Dalat was supposed to take 7 hours to travel about 250kms out of Saigon and into the mountains. It took almost 10 hours!!!! On the way, we met a french Canadian guy named Gabriel who planned to bike for 10 days from Dalat to northern Vietnam. He never cycled before, and bought a local bike for $30. No equipment except for a pump. He seemed pretty determined so we wished him luck. He had no idea what he was in for - hehe.

Dalat is like no other place in Vietnam. This city is nestled in the hills of central Vietnam and looks like the French Alps (or so they tell me). But bloody cold and wet. Dalat is known for what it produces which we made sure to sample including dried and candied fruits, strawberry preserves, coffee, and local Dalat wine. Adam and I went for a bike ride in what turned out to be very mountainous and very beautiful environs, although somewhat exhausting. We cycled through flower orchards and coffee plantations and managed to visit the Elephant waterfalls after 1 hour search. Unfortunately our camera broke so we don't have any pictures of our trip here. We did manage to visit a crazy house - literally. Opened in 1990, it was designed by a woman who must have been tripping on the same stuff as the author of Alice in Wonderland. The house has few right angles with unexpected twists and turns at every corner. The misshapen windows make it look like a fairy tale house, as friendly stone animals—a bear, giraffe, and spider—linger around the premises.

Ride to Nah Trang: The next day, we decided to cycle to Nah Trang on a brand new highway through dense jungle out of Dalat, linking two older highways (route 173) for 140kms. It was so new and so remote that there were no villages for 90 kms of the ride. Nothing but jungle and pavement. First of all, we rode 20 extra kms just trying to find the road. It was the best and the worst ride of my life. The best because we rode through the most magnificent jungle in the mountains, saw awesome waterfalls and was very hilly (I love hills!) with a 30km downhill near the end. It was the worst because we could barely see any of the scenery, there were waterfalls because of all the rain, it was more mountainous than expected and so freakin cold that we literally froze on the way down the 30km downhill. So cold in fact that we had to change all our clothes into something dry and we hitchhiked the remaining 68km into Nah Trang. In Nah Trang, we hopped right onto an overnight sleeper bus to Hoian.

Ironically, on one of the stops for dinner, low and behold who was there? Gabriel, the adventurous Quebec "cyclist". He was in quite a foul mood and kept us entertained with his hilarious story of riding the longer route of 220 kms from Dalat to Nah Trang. The first day he decided to ride 110kms through mountains and rice paddies. His $30 bike did not meet expectations as his brakes did not work, his headset was so loose that the handlebars detached from the front forks and his seat was so low that his knees almost hit his chest. He told us of the pain and anguish he experienced most of the day, able only to go on by counting every fourth pedal stroke and focusing on nothing else. It took him just over 10 hours of riding, and a very sore posterior to reach the eastern coast of Vietnam. Now that is one determined french dude!

Hoian is a picturesque town and was an important international trading port from the 16-18th century, connecting Asia and the rest of the world. Today Hoi An is a living architectural museum, one of the best-preserved ancient towns in Vietnam and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Hoian is also known for some of the best deals for accomodations in all of South East Asia. We stayed in this beautfil hotel, our room surrounded in teak furniture, our balcony overlooking the inner courtyard including the pool and the best buffet breakfast - all for $25 USD! We stayed here a couple of days exploring the quaint cobblestone streets, excellent handicrafts, and eccentric building styles that mix Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, and French influences. The best part of Hoian is the cheap cheap beer - only25 cents a glass.

Ride to Hue: On this ride we cycled through rice paddies, by the Marble Mountains in which we visited their caves, the South China sea, and to Adam's chagrin, over a moutain pass over 500 meters high over a rather short steep distance. What a spectacularly beautiful ride. It took us 8 hours to cycle 135 kms including a stop to visit the Marble Mountains.

Hue is the ancient capital of Vietnam. Hue is perhaps best known for its historic monuments, which have earned it a place in the UNESCOS World Heritage Sites. We visited the Citadel, which occupies a large, walled area on the north side of the river. Inside the citadel was a forbidden city where only the concubines, emperors, and those close enough to them were granted access, the punishment for trespassing being death. Although not much of it remains, it is still a majestic place to visit. After 2 days here, Adam and I took an overnight bus to Hanoi, our last major stop in Vietnam - thank god.

We made the mistake of booking the bus through a shabby tourist office and got stuck on a grungy bus with bunks so small you had to hold your arms in otherwise they'd hang over the side and locals smoking while enroute. The windows were sealed shut so we couldn't even get fresh air. I wasn't feeling very well so this infuriated me even more - I couldn't wait to leave Vietnam and made my feelings heard loud and clear, to the chagrin of our fellow bus travellers and Adam (he had to put up with me). We finally made it to Hanoi - where our treatment by the locals was to only get worse.

January 10th - 15th - Ho Chi Minh City

Modes of transportation: bus, cyclo and of course bicycle!

Places visited: All of central HCMC (Saigon), some of the outskirts and Cu Chi tunnels.

Costs of things: Beer (65 cents), Meals ($3 to $6), guesthouse ($12), excruciatingly long cyclo ride (we suggest not approaching senior citizens to pedal two people across town)($2).


As we rode into Ho Chi Minh City, the traffic became increasingly heavier, but we had the luxury of a bicycle/moto lane, so as usual, it did not bother us. It was definitely loud and the fumes were none too pleasant, but it did not take long for us to hit the more central part of the city. Ho Chi Minh City was by far the largest city we had been to since Bangkok (there are about 9 million people there including the suburbs) and the incredible mass of motos could give one a serious feeling of claustrophobia while riding amongst them. History-wise, it was the main port of Cambodia (then called Prey Nokor), before being annexed by the Vietnamese in the 17th century. Renamed Saigon, it was the capital of the French colony of Cochinchina, and later of the independent state of South Vietnam from 1954 to 1975. In 1975, Saigon was taken by the communist forces of the North, merged with some surrounding regions and renamed Ho Chí Minh City (although the name Saigon is still frequently used, particularly by its citizens).

After a long, frustrating couple of hours looking for a place to stay (basically don't bother going to any places listed in your guidebook if you're traveling, because unless you've booked ahead, they're all full), we finally found a nice little family run place outside of the backpacker area. After settling in, our day of frustration continued, as we decided to walk over to a cool sounding restaurant a couple of km's away. The walk to way longer than it should have been and after going up and down the street, we finally came to the realization that the restaurant was just not there anymore. Another lesson learned; guidebooks, as recent as they may be, are not necessarily 100% reliable. The night ended with an unspectacular meal at a restaurant on the main backpacker street.

We spent the following day getting our bearings and seeing some of the town on foot as walked to the Laos embassy to get our visas for that part of the trip. Unfortunately, we were using a one year old Lonely Planet to guide us and it turned out that the embassy had relocated. Verifying with a newer book we picked up from a street vendor, we saw that the embassy was nowhere near where we were, so we decided to check it out another day. Dinner led to more frustration, as the restaurant we had picked from the guide was no longer there, but luckily the large luxury hotel we had chosen for a rooftop drink was still around.

The next day was a day of fun and games. We decided to go to a local waterpark, but of course the one we originally wanted to get to was closed, so we headed for our second choice. It was Sunday, so when we got there it was packed with children, but it was a beautiful day, so we paid for our tickets (all of $3!) and headed in. They actually had a separate tanning and changing area for tourists and we were not even allowed to use the locker facilities for the general public. We had a great, relaxing afternoon and were actually pretty impressed with the size and quality of the waterpark. After a nice dinner (good quality restaurant that was actually in the guide book!) we went to a club that sounded it like it might be alright, but once again, the guide book let us down. Full of sad looking tourists (mostly middle-aged males) and young looking local females, the vibe was not at all what we were looking for. Wandering the streets, we ended up following our ears to a dance club in a fancy hotel full of happy, partying groups of locals, with only a few other tourists to account for.

We switched back to tourist mode on the 13th of January, as we had a booked a day trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels, a 250km long network of connecting underground tunnels located in the Cu Chi district of Ho Chi Minh City. They were the location of several military campaigns during the American War, and were the National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam's base of operations for the Tet Offensive in 1968. The tunnels were used for multiple purposes, including hiding spots, supply routes and even hospitals. We were able to actually go in some that had been widened for the purpose of tourism, but even they were tight and very claustrophobic. We could not comprehend how the soldiers were able stay in there for months at a time. Also of note: we had a crazy tour guide who kept giving up guilt trips for not staying with the group the whole time. On the way home, we stopped at the Reunification Palace, which was the main government building for South Vietnam before the communists from the north stormed the city and took over in 1975. It serves mainly as a museum now, though the government does hold large meetings and conferences there from time to time.

The 14th of January was supposed to be our last day in Saigon....SUPPOSED to be. We wanted to stay away from the price gouging of the tourist buses, so we went for some local transport at the bus station. Well, the price of tickets was slightly lower than the tourist bus, but they wanted us to pay over three times the price of a ticket for each bike! They would not come down to anything ressembling a reasonable price, so even though we had missed the scheduled departure of the tourist bus, we left the local bus station out of principle and checked back into our guesthouse for one more night. The remainder of the day was spent buying tickets for the tourist bus (they made us pay for two tickets each to cover the cost of the bikes, but it still came out to less than the local bus) and then visited the War Remnants Museum, which depicted the American War from a much different angle than we are used to in the West. Well, they did win it after all. Of the many displays, the most distressing was the tribute to all the people who were and continue to be affected by Agent Orange, a chemical defoliant used by the Americans as a weapon in the war.

Finally we left Saigon on the 15th for Dalat, in the central Highlands of Vietnam...

Januray 6th - 10th - Cycling the Mekong Delta

Modes of transportation: The best way to ever travel - by bike!
Places visited: Hatien, Long Xuen, Vinh Long and Mytho.
Costs of things: Beer (50 cents), Meals ($1 to $3), hotel ($12 breakfast included)
Roads travelled on by bike: 80, 91, 1, some quiet road sort-of parallel to the 1 (through fruit orchards).

The Mekong is everything they say it is, full of lush beauty and filled with fruit orchards; the pancake-flat rice bowl of southern Vietnam. What we weren't prepared for what was the bustling cities of Long Xuen and Vinh Long, the super cheap, diverse and tasty meals and the relaxed and very friendly Vietnamese. We took 4 days to cycle from the border, Ha Tien to the fast paced city of Ho Chi Minh.

We cycled into Ha Tien from Cambodia - a nice 40 km ride from the sleepy colonial town of Kep - through lush rice fields on mostly a dirt road. The first thing we noticed when crossing into Vietnam was that children could actually be children. Whereas kids as young as 3 start working in Cambodia, it's "richer" neighbour Vietnam afforded some parents to let their children be kids - playing, going to school, or just hanging out. Ha Tien is a famous town in Kien Giang Province, a seaside resort. Since it is a relatively new boarder crossing, there were barely any tourists there. We spent our first night in this town - basically gorging ourselves on the local street delicacies. Noodle soup, pastries, deep-fried somethings, fruit shakes and beer. Our first meal cost us less than $1.5 per person! Compared to the bland and simple meals of Cambodia - this was a culinary paradise!

The next day we cycled from Ha Tien to Long Xuyen. Luckily, while spending our last days in Kep, we met a couple who just cycled through Vietnam and very generously gave us their very good, very detailed Vietnam atlas. With this atlas, we found roads off the major highways to avoid the famous Vietnam traffic. We were going to take this one road out of Ha Tien but some locals told us it was mostly a bumpy dirt road. So we opted to take the 80 and take a chance with the traffic. Oh, what wonderful pavement! What a nice relief from Cambodia's dusty, bone jarring roads. We then took the 91 into Long Xuyen. The traffic was light, and the scenery full of rice paddies and slow moving Vietnamese. 125 km in total that day.

We couldn't believe how big and cosmopolitan this city was. It's population is around 100 000 and we didn't see one other white person! As we were cycling in - we could believe our eyes - other road cyclists! So we stopped and had a drink with them and inspected their bikes. Full carbon fiber, campy and shimano components - sweeeet! Obviously very rich men - not something we would have seen in Cambodia. The best bike we saw in Cambodia was something you'd find at a garage sale. Again, we gorged on local food, especially the pastries and shared some of it with some local kids who followed us around for an hour hoping for some money.

The next day we cycled on the 80 to Vinh Long - a nice relaxing ride. Vinh Long is a nice city, very relaxed. There were cafes everywhere - full of locals simply enjoying themselves. Again, we gorged ourselves on street food and relaxed at the cafes enjoying yummy fruit smoothies and ice cream. There was even a nice amusement park for the kids, full of rides and games. What a nice town! Reluctantly we left early the next day for Mytho, a sleepy city of 100,000 and a popular hit-and-run destination with package tourists wanting to see the Mekong. Pff! Compared to our experience cycling the last three days, Mytho was nothing like the Mekong we saw. It was much more touristy: full of seedy motels, tourist offices all over the place and motto drivers hounding you on every corner. This was our introduction to the "Tourist Trail" or better named "tourist TRAP" of Vietnam.

Our last day was spent cycling to Ho Chi Minh City (former Saigon) - a short but diverse ride with lazy rice fields and lush fruit orchards to increasingly heavy traffic and a fast-paced feel. We first took the famous National Highway 1- very loud and very busy. Except for the loud traffic, it was find to ride on as cyclists and mopeds have their own lane away from the trucks and cars. We only had to dodge people and cyclists as we rode through little towns every 5 kms or so. We decided to take another route for a quieter ride parallel to the 1. A particularly memorable part of the ride occurred when we stopped for a break amongst the fruit orchards. A nice little old lady came to us with an armful of tasty lichee-like fruit - fresh from her garden! It nice cooling treat on a very hot dry day. Such nice people! Little did we know that we were to experience something very different once we reached Saigon and got on the tourist trail.