Stage 5: Vinh to Ha Tinh (50km)

Stage 5: Vinh to Ha Tinh (50km)

Waking up to thunderstorms and the sight of wet roads, we decided to aim for Ky Anh and noted the city of Ha Tinh as a possible stopping point.  Upon checking out, the friendly receptionist wished us luck on our journey and we mounted up in our waterproofs.

As we left Vinh, the dampness added to the general downbeat feeling but I remembered the humour and energy of the local ladies at the night market and it made me smile.  We rode out of the city alongside fellow waterproofed riders on bikes and scooters and along the way we encountered some strange sounding horns.

We pushed on past Can Loc with about 12km to go to Ha Tinh when the rainfall became a torrent.  Reaching the outskirts of the city at about 1530, the sky was dark with angry clouds and we decided to call it a day as it wasn't worth pushing on the further 50km or so to Ky Anh given the conditions.

Towards the city centre we found the Thanh Sen Hotel and the friendly woman owner let us wheel our wet bikes inside.  At the local market most stalls were closing up but we found a lady who still had some cold rice flour pancakes and spring rolls to sell us.  The covered part of the market had old rice sacks above to hold off the rain and there were plenty of leaks.

Further back towards the hotel we found a noodle soup place which had basic concrete walls and open windows of wire fencing with tarpaulin covers.  Ha Tinh is one of Vietnam's poorest provinces and it showed in the provincial capital's broken streets and ramshackle buildings.

Stage 4: Cau Giat to Vinh (58km)

Stage 4: Cau Giat to Vinh (58km)

It was a cloudy start with the roads drying from early morning/overnight rainfall.  We had woken to the honks of trucks and other vehicles as they approached the major junction opposite our hotel.  There was also the sound of g*vernment agenda being played through loudspeakers on trucks driving up and down the roads (we first encountered these in Hanoi).  There were also banners with statements encouraging the development of the province for the general good of society.  The odd luxury car we saw driving past locals struggling on overladen bicycles suggested that for some, personal economic development was a long road ahead.

The first 15km flew by as the roads had dried by the time we'd set off after breakfast.  The roads were fine apart from a few early sections of roadworks which disrupted our smooth progress.  Green paddy fields passed by under cloudy skies which became ominously darker as we went through Dien Chau and to within 40km of Vinh.

Soon after, we received our first taste of riding in the wet as rain started to lash down hard.  After a few kilometres of riding through the downpour and spray from traffic, we dripped into a trucker rest station which had a restaurant for lunch and gave us a chance to dry off.

We had a good chat with the waitresses who had the Hue influenced accents of the province (Nghe An).  As usual, they thought we were mad to ride from Hanoi to Saigon and asked why we didn't do it by motorbike instead.  Our replies that we preferred the challenge of cycling the route and that we could enjoy the landscapes more at our sedate pace made them laugh.

After donning waterproof jackets, we pushed on along the final sodden 26km to Vinh.  We reached the city outskirts, marked by ladies offering corn for sale by the roadside - obviously a staple crop of the local region.  After riding towards the centre, we found a small hotel with decent rooms for a good price and checked in.

The friendly receptionist recommended the local specialities of 'chao luon' (eel congee) and gave us directions to the night market where we would find local food stalls for dinner.  We headed there and noted that Vinh had big ugly concrete buildings (it was apparently rebuilt in an Eastern German/Russian style after after being bombed during the war).  There were also some newer tall buildings which all seemed to be banks and hotels.  Overall, the place had quite a downbeat feel which I attributed to the bright spark who thought modelling the city on concrete eastern bloc architecture would be a good idea.

We found the night market and sat down at a food stall run by a loud and formidable looking lady who took her food seriously when we asked what dishes she offered.  After ordering the local speciality we ate and watched on in awe as she prepared orders for other local diners like a whirling typhoon.  After plenty of banter, by the time our meal was over we were firm friends!

Stage 3: Thanh Hoa to Cau Giat (80km)

Stage 3: Thanh Hoa to Cau Giat (80km)

We were up at 0900 and went for breakfast at a nearby noodle soup place.  The girl who served us was very curious about our trip and about life abroad in general.  She told us that she'd travelled within Vietnam but didn't think she'd ever go beyond.  Most people we'd met so far asked about the quality of life abroad and more directly about money.  She also wondered how much people earned in the west and we explained that earnings and also the cost of living were generally higher.  We also explained that differences in quality of life also lay in social services, which were non-existent in Vietnam.  She spoke of people she knew who had married in order to live abroad and we concluded that being in a relationship for money and not love was probably not a happy place.

Graham had left us a note saying he'd departed early at 0500 to press on to try to reach Vinh 140km away.  Our plan was to push on towards there and see how far we could get before it got dark around 1800.  After loading up our panniers, we left the hotel in hot sunshine around 1000.

Riding out of Thanh Hoa, we stopped by a roadside shop to buy some 'nem chua' (fermented pork roll) which was the speciality of the region.  A snack to go with the beers we'd treat ourselves at the end of the day.

A quick roadside pitstop

Some of the roads had broken surfaces and the hard shoulder was basically a dusty strip by the side of the road into which we were pushed from time to time by charging trucks and coaches.  They sped up behind and warned you with a horn blast to move out of the way before steaming past.  The use of the horn was not to let you know of their position, but rather a warning to move as they were coming through at speed.

On the straight and narrow

We stopped at a small roadside place for lunch and found the owner friendly and open.  He told us how he'd lost his leg in a road accident in his previous job as a truck driver.  He spoke about the lack of insurance in Vietnam and the dangerous disregard for traffic laws.  We'd already seen how the drivers of larger vehicles along Highway 1 drove as if nobody else on the road existed.  His experience highlighted the lack of social services and compensation in Vietnam for victims.

Lady frying sweet potato cakes for our lunch

Transportation even slower than us

We saw children riding bikes in their tracksuit like school uniforms, many under shade from the sun.  It was common to see people covered up to save themselves from becoming darkened by the sun.  In Vietnam, darkened skin is indicative of lowly jobs such as farming and pale skin is considered much more attractive.  Those we passed whilst playing in front of their homes waved and shouted enthusiastic hellos.

With about 75km to go to Vinh, we stopped for a drinks break.  It was about 1630 and after checking our bearings we realised that we wouldn't reach Vinh before dark.  The drinks stall owner told us that we could reach Cau Giat about 15km away.  She was friendly and we spoke to her at ease, comparing the number of people in our respective families.  Like almost everyone we met she was curious about us, our trip and our lives abroad.  I noticed that she spoke with a Hue influenced accent.  In fact, the accents had changed noticeably since we'd left Thanh Hoa, one of the last northern central provinces.

We reached Cau Giat's paddy fields under cloudy skies which meant slightly cooler conditions.  Linh, a 13 year old schoolgirl who was keen to meet foreigners and practice her English followed us as we stopped to check our bearings.  She had lofty ambitions of becoming the President when older and spoke very good English for her age.  We asked her about local hotels and she directed us to the Quynh Luu Plaza a little further down the road.  We debated if she'd even get to ever leave this small town despite her potential as we continued on towards the hotel.  I had the sad feeling that her provincial life would probably hold her back but we had wished her luck all the same.

That evening we saw the first instance of a Saigon beer, an indicator that we were moving away from the northern provinces perhaps.  The short walk back to the hotel along the road showed that nightfall didn't slow the traffic flow of trucks and their near constant horn blaring - Highway 1 did not sleep.

Stage 2: Ninh Binh to Thanh Hoa (63km)

Stage 2: Ninh Binh to Thanh Hoa (63km)

Our second ride was a less ambitious 63km down the road to Thanh Hoa.  After a hearty fishcake noodle soup ('bun cha ca') breakfast to set us on our way, we joined the traffic on Highway 1 and rolled out of a cloudy Ninh Binh at 0930.  The plan was to push on steadily with the hope that our cycling fitness would soon catch up with our aching bodies.

About an hour later we stopped at a small roadside drinks stall for a break and had a friendly chat with the lady owner about our trip.  Further down the road we had a few gradients to go up as we headed through Bac Son ('Son' became an ominous word for us at it means mountain) which was a bit testing on my legs which were feeling the effects of our first big push.  The usual blaring traffic streamed past us as we encountered locals on their way to market.

A few kilometres further on we were joined on the road by a fellow cyclist doing the Hanoi to Saigon run.  Graham turned out to be from Manchester and was also heading for Thanh Hoa.  We rode on together along patchy sections of road, but the going was noticeably better than the chaos caused by the roadworks around Phu Ly.  Some sections of the road even became a proper dual carriageway with a central reservation but they were depressingly short.

The three of us reached Thanh Hoa and we set about trying to find a hotel.  A quick internet search threw up a few choices and we headed to one.  There, we spoke to a grumpy manager who told us that he didn't want the hassle of a western guest without giving any real reason!  We promptly left and found another hotel which was much more welcoming (Duc Anh Hotel).

We left Graham to relax in his room as he planned to leave early in the morning and headed to the nearby beach resort at Sam Son.  It was low season and the place had a downbeat feel to it as the clouds rolled in over the empty beachside seafood restaurants.  We sat over some beers and grilled squid watching a group of local kids having a game of beach football.

As darkness fell, we found a small place for dinner.  A lady was cooking fresh 'banh cuon' (steamed rice flour pancakes) and we sat down to a few plates.  The family were curious about us and where we were from outside Vietnam.  We chatted about our family and they told us about theirs.  The lady was amazingly adept at steaming the pancakes, filling and rolling them quickly as locals came to eat. 

It seemed that these 'binh dan' (common people) were left to their own devices by central g*vernment.  Subsistence was the name of the game for them and generally they did what they could to make a living and put their children through school.  Having spoken to others on the road about education, there was a belief it was key to a better life, but even then there was no guarantee that good students would graduate with the grades they deserved.  Certain students would always come out on top as money and networking had greater weight.

They gave us friendly advice about the area (warning us of the inflated prices of the beachfront street hawkers) and even called a taxi to take us back to Thanh Hoa as the last local bus had long since departed.

Ninh Binh And Trang An Caves

Following our first proper ride we had a rest day in Ninh Binh.  It was fairly busy as we were staying on a road just off Highway 1, which ran through the city.  The same trucks and buses which shunted us into the hard shoulder the day before, now had traffic lights and traffic police to tone them down within the city.  There was plenty of traffic around including students on their bikes exhibiting various riding styles.  We also saw some kind of roadside building project and the sight of men having a tea break whilst women labourers worked.

We decided to visit Trang An, an area of natural limestone landscapes and caves just a few kilometres north of the city.  After buying tickets for the boat cave tour we joined another four young students in a boat rowed by an experienced looking guy.

It was peaceful just gliding along the calm river waters on our way to explore a series of thirteen caves in the area.  The landscapes were reminiscent of the limestone karst of Ha Long Bay except this was an inland river system.

As the sun set I thought back on the previous day's cycle, the chaos of leaving Hanoi and the tough
riding on the broken roads plus the manic traffic.  Somehow, my legs didn't ache as much as my backside.  On our way back some ladies displayed alternative rowing techniques.

That evening, after a meal of local specialities including grilled goat and toasted rice, we relaxed at a local street side drinking joint selling the local brew.  When we stood up my legs felt like jelly and I don't believe the beers were that strong; the cycling had caught up and we were due to ride on the next day.

Wheels In Motion - Stage 1: Hanoi To Ninh Binh (92km)

Stage 1: Hanoi - Ninh Binh (92km)

After returning to Hanoi we planned our first cycling stage and decided to try for the city of Ninh Binh which was just over 90km away.  We decided on an early start to get our gear together and to roll out of Hanoi before the morning rush hour.  However, once we'd prepared the bikes and loaded our panniers it was already 0800.  After our final breakfast in Hanoi, we rolled on our way at 0900 and weaved our laden bikes warily through busy junctions along with the rest of the southbound traffic.

It was slowgoing, chaotic and stressful just trying to ride down the road with trucks and buses blaring their horns as they steamed through causing everybody to shift lanes unpredictably.  Concentrating on just getting down the road without getting hit was as tiring as pedalling along the elephant I seemed to be riding.

We eventually reached the city limits and the road became Highway 1 (the main road which ran the length of the country between Hanoi and Saigon) as we cycled steadily alongside trucks, cars and scooters.  It was a clear and bright morning and the sun became stronger as we left Hanoi behind, riding out through the dust kicked up by trucks, buses and coaches along the sections of roadworks.

The few miles just outside Hanoi were full of broken road surfaces due to roadworks which meant the going was bumpy and slow.  Often the traffic would have to use only one lane as the other was closed.  Riding along a tight lane with contra-flowing traffic was not that much fun, especially with trucks and other large vehicles squeezing us into the non-existent hard shoulder.  We stopped for lunch at 1230 after about 35km in Phu Xuyen, a welcome break for our sore backsides (it would take several more rides for our sit bones to toughen up) and dust/diesel filled lungs.

The roads improved slightly and we pushed past Phu Ly which was about the 57km mark.  We stopped for a drinks break with about 35km to go to Ninh Binh at around 1600 and rolled tired and sweaty into the city at 1800.  We stopped at a cafe for a drinks break and to research accomodation.  It turned out that we walked into the right place.

The friendly owner was a sprightly and loquacious gentleman in his mid fifties who ran the cafe with his wife.  We had a chat about our trip and he told us about himself and his family, punctuating our conversation with the Vietnamese equivalent of 'Exactly!'.  He had been sent to Russia for 8 years on a g*vernment labour programme, in a place several kilometres from Moscow.  In that time he managed to learn Russian fluently.  Following his service, he had returned and set up a cafe to support his family.

He told us of a family run hotel just around the corner which had reasonable prices and recommended a local restaurant.  He also gave us a recommendation of things to see and do around Ninh Binh before we left to find the Ngoc Anh Hotel.  It was as he said, a friendly family place which was clean, basic and cheap.

We had covered about 92km in total, albeit fairly slowly due to the poor roads and our lack of cycling fitness.  It was the first proper ride of my bike and everything was intact at the end of the day.  I only felt a little sunburnt and even my legs didn't feel too bad (yet).  My sore backside was another story, the saddle felt like a blade all day and I was dreading having to sit down on anything.

NB - No cycling photos or videos exist for this first stage as I didn't manage to mount my camera adapter on my bike in the morning rush to try and get out of Hanoi.  Most of my thoughts and energy on this first day of cycling were concentrated on the road and I actually forgot about documenting it!

Ha Long Bay

The bus dropped us off at 7am in Hanoi's Hoan Kiem district.  We waited for our hotel pick up and presently one of the guys came by on his scooter and all three if us sputtered into the Hanoi morning rush hour.  Our driver, nonplussed by the extra load of two passengers plus baggage, was diligently using a toothpick whilst weaving through the mire of traffic one-handed.

Back at the hotel we checked that our bikes and panniers were still secure, then went for a quick noodle soup breakfast before waiting for the Ha Long tour bus.  We didn't have to wait long and once it had picked everybody up, our guide introduced himself in good but accented English.  He told us that his name was 'Hoang' but that he should be called 'Tony' for ease.  Our itinerary was explained and we settled into the four hour journey, broken only by a half hour stop at what I'd describe as a roadside tourist supermarket.

Outside were displayed marble sculptures which could be shipped to anywhere in the world.  Inside were rows of girls working on embroidery and it looked like some kind of souvenir sweatshop.  There were all other kinds of paraphernalia which the multitudes of sales assistants offered to eager tourists blinded by this souvenir nirvana.

Our bus driver was a man in a hurry, weaving out into the opposite lane to perform tight overtaking manouevres and slotting back into gaps just before oncoming trucks thundered past.  Honking the horn seemed to stand for 'out of the way, I'm coming through' and almost everybody was at it.

On reaching Ha Long we boarded our tour boat and were taken out into the bay for our first look at the amazing limestone karst scenery.  There were hundreds of limestone islands in the bay and also seemingly hundreds of tour boats.  Ha Long Bay translates as the Bay of the Descending Dragon and the legend goes that the limestone islands were created by Dragons who assisted the King of Vietnam to resist warring invaders.

 

 

We moored and were given time to explore the bay further in kayaks, which allowed us to visit the floating villages.  These were basically collections of floating shacks and huts where people lived and farmed fish as well as selling goods from the front of their homes or from boats.

Our evening entertainment turned out to be squid fishing by lamp from our boat and then a beer-fuelled karaoke session, which seemed to be what all the other tour boats were doing by the cacophony drifting across the bay.