It's been silent on the blog for a while - as we were traveling with our children through Vietnam, not by bike, and the good family time meant that the blog was left alone a little. Meanwhile we have already left Vietnam, and as the title of this post suggests, we've not continued our bicycle journey. Read on to find out why, and what we're doing now. Let's get started with the final Vietnam stories and summary.
Basically, there have been 3 main parts in our Vietnam trip: 1/ the Mekong Delta, 2/ the trip north on the coast and 3/ the vacation with our children, traveling from Hoi An to Hanoi.
We loved the Mekong Delta, and it definitely exceeded our expectations. It was very different from the rest of Vietnam too. Mostly flat, very lush and fertile, lots and lots of water everywhere. People were so friendly and genuine, and we also really liked the way they enjoy being outside. The street side coffee shops were everywhere, well filled especially in the evenings, people socializing with friends and family. All the coffee shops also meant: always nice Vietnamese coffees, and an enormous choice of delicious fruity smoothies and juices. The Mekong Delta was also clearly cheaper than everything that followed in Vietnam, both in terms of food and accommodation. Finally, for cycling it was a real treat, with a good choice of small roads and tracks, usually with little or no traffic on them, and flat so very easy cycling. In short: the Mekong Delta was great!
We then moved on to the coast, skipping Saigon - which we're really happy we did. It might be an interesting, bustling city to some, but it definitely is a big, busy city which we just don't like... Once we arrived at the coast, we arrived at a different Vietnam. Firstly, it was way more touristy. It was also more "modernized", with good infrastructure. Along the coast, long stretches of coastline with lots of huge resorts, existing, under development or sometimes... crumbling. Until Mui Ne, the cycling was fine but nothing special. From Mui Ne onwards there were some parts on the boring and busy N1, and some parts on probably beautiful coastal roads but... the bad weather prevented us from doing most of these. So, while the cycling was less fascinating than in the Mekong Delta, it was also a less pleasant part because of the bad weather we encountered. Strong headwinds and relentless rain is not the kind of weather you cherish on a bike... Leason learned: avoid heading straight into the monsoon winds!
Our last destination on the bicycle, Nha Trang, was a bit of a disappointment. Nha Trang used to be a very nice, sleepy fishing and beach town, but now it's a very busy, chaotic, commercial tourist city. We didn't like it... It was the end of our cycling trip as well, from there we took a night bus to Hoi An, where we met up with our children. Hoi An is still very beautiful. The old town is marvelous, although it is a tourist circus for sure. We stayed a bit outside of town, amid the rice fields, in a quiet and peaceful area. So we had lots of nice things to do around Hoi An - cycling through the rice fields, visiting the beach, day trip to the My Son ruins - which were very nice and well above expectations, going for a basket boat tour (now, while beautiful, this really was tourist circus!) and in between, finding great places to eat and drink something. We went several times to the old town, and it was always nice to stroll around for a little while, but were also happy to stay away from the hustle and bustle of it.
From Hoi An we continued to Danang, and also Danang was beyond expectations. A nice city, deservedly the most livable city in Vietnam and apparently even one of the top 20 cleanest cities in the world! We liked it much more than Nha Trang, and it was certainly worth a day or 2. Then onward to Hue via the Hai Van Pass; we did this by car, maybe it's even nicer to do it by train as the trajectory along the coast looks impressive. Hue was again a bit more busy, but still a nice place for a few days, especially to visit the Imperial City and some of the tombs around town - on a motorbike.
Initially we did not have a plan after Hue; somehow, we found out about a place called Phong Nha, still a bit away from the beaten path, and in an astonishing natural setting at the edge of a national park. So we decided to spend a few days in this place, and what a fantastic choice that was! The area is just incredible, with impressive limestone mountain formations and raw beautiful nature. It's also known for its caves, several huge and spectacular caves, many of these easy to visit. We visited the Phong Nha cave, by boat (the only way to visit), and the Paradise Cave on a motorbike trip. Both absolutely worthwhile! Tourism in Phong Nha was only started about 5 years ago, it's still low key with mostly some small homestays, the atmosphere and attitude of the people is extremely friendly and sympathetic... In short, not exaggerating, one of my favorite places ever - anywhere! (for now, not sure how long this will last)
After Phong Nha we had a few more days left before going to Hanoi. We were hesitating between Ninh Binh and Mai Chau, and decided on the former. There are 2 main places to stay near Ninh Binh (if not staying in the city itself, which we obviously didn't want): Tam Coc - a well established tourist destination - or Trang Na, much less known. We opted for Trang Na, and again it was an excellent choice. First of all, we found ourselves a really fantastic Homestay, Ha Lan Homestay - a great place to stay with incredibly friendly and helpful hosts. But again, the scenery around Trang Na - amid the limestone mountains as well - was so impressive, and the atmosphere so nice (while Tam Coc looked much more like a busy tourist town)... We stayed the 4 nights we still had, and only continued to Hanoi the last day.
And then Hanoi, what to say. A bustling city, with lots of truly interesting places to visit, nice areas to hang out and walk around, but... a very big city, with lots and lots (and lots) of traffic, air that is more exhaust fume than oxygen, and noise always, everywhere. So while it was nice for a few days, we did not regret leaving. And that was the end of our Vietnam trip! Wrapping it all up, we definitely liked Vietnam, and while we had been there quite some time many years ago, it exceeded our expectations and we'd love to go back and continue our journey to include more of the north of the country. Of what we cycled this time, the Mekong Delta was absolutely marvelous while the stretch from Vung Tau to Nha Trang was a bit less... That's also because the weather didn't help, and we had several days of really bad and unpleasant cycling weather that forced us to change our plans and leave some of the nicer roads out of our journey.
And finally, why mission aborted? The plan was to travel together with our children, up to Hanoi, spend some time together there with all of us and Sander's girlfriend (who is originally from Hanoi); the children would then leave from Hanoi, and we would go back to Hoi An where we left our bicycles and fly from there to... Taiwan! All of that had been planned and booked, and normally we would have been on the road in Taiwan now. However, it all changed. Vere had already been sick for some weeks before coming to Vietnam; it was not too bad to travel, but while traveling it worsened and by the end of our trip she was feeling really unwell. So it was best for her to travel back "home" to Australia (instead of going to Belgium, which was her plan) but as she was feeling so bad, we decided it was better we'd join her and stay with her for a while in Tasmania! And that's what we did; so, unexpectedly, we're in Tasmania now instead of Taiwan! Nothing wrong with that, it's very nice here too, and while Vere is still not 100% - must be a very nasty virus... - she's slowly recovering as well. So we'll now stay in Australia for a while, don't know exactly until when yet, and take things as they come!
Thanks for following and reading, and until we write again! Cheers!
Basically, there have been 3 main parts in our Vietnam trip: 1/ the Mekong Delta, 2/ the trip north on the coast and 3/ the vacation with our children, traveling from Hoi An to Hanoi.
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| Very Vietnamese: rice fields, ready to start planting again |
We loved the Mekong Delta, and it definitely exceeded our expectations. It was very different from the rest of Vietnam too. Mostly flat, very lush and fertile, lots and lots of water everywhere. People were so friendly and genuine, and we also really liked the way they enjoy being outside. The street side coffee shops were everywhere, well filled especially in the evenings, people socializing with friends and family. All the coffee shops also meant: always nice Vietnamese coffees, and an enormous choice of delicious fruity smoothies and juices. The Mekong Delta was also clearly cheaper than everything that followed in Vietnam, both in terms of food and accommodation. Finally, for cycling it was a real treat, with a good choice of small roads and tracks, usually with little or no traffic on them, and flat so very easy cycling. In short: the Mekong Delta was great!
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| A market in Vietnam, with - exceptionally - hardly any people or vehicles, except the omnipresent motorbike |
We then moved on to the coast, skipping Saigon - which we're really happy we did. It might be an interesting, bustling city to some, but it definitely is a big, busy city which we just don't like... Once we arrived at the coast, we arrived at a different Vietnam. Firstly, it was way more touristy. It was also more "modernized", with good infrastructure. Along the coast, long stretches of coastline with lots of huge resorts, existing, under development or sometimes... crumbling. Until Mui Ne, the cycling was fine but nothing special. From Mui Ne onwards there were some parts on the boring and busy N1, and some parts on probably beautiful coastal roads but... the bad weather prevented us from doing most of these. So, while the cycling was less fascinating than in the Mekong Delta, it was also a less pleasant part because of the bad weather we encountered. Strong headwinds and relentless rain is not the kind of weather you cherish on a bike... Leason learned: avoid heading straight into the monsoon winds!
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| A lot of Buddhism in Vietnam, although officially only 12% of the population is Buddhist |
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| And a surprising number of churches and other catholic signs, related to the supposedly 7% catholics. It seems way more for both religions in reality. I would not be surprised if people even "combine" religions. |
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| Agriculture is an important source of income, and a lot of the work is done manually, with some limited tools or... buffaloes. |
Our last destination on the bicycle, Nha Trang, was a bit of a disappointment. Nha Trang used to be a very nice, sleepy fishing and beach town, but now it's a very busy, chaotic, commercial tourist city. We didn't like it... It was the end of our cycling trip as well, from there we took a night bus to Hoi An, where we met up with our children. Hoi An is still very beautiful. The old town is marvelous, although it is a tourist circus for sure. We stayed a bit outside of town, amid the rice fields, in a quiet and peaceful area. So we had lots of nice things to do around Hoi An - cycling through the rice fields, visiting the beach, day trip to the My Son ruins - which were very nice and well above expectations, going for a basket boat tour (now, while beautiful, this really was tourist circus!) and in between, finding great places to eat and drink something. We went several times to the old town, and it was always nice to stroll around for a little while, but were also happy to stay away from the hustle and bustle of it.
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| Hoi An, the lantern capital of Vietnam, with a lot of beautiful heritage well preserved in the Old Town |
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| Family life in charming alleys in Hoi An Old Town |
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| Tra Que gardens, just outside Hoi An, for some nice scenery, and fresh, organic produce |
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| The impressive ancient ruins of My Son, an hour drive from Hoi An |
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| There was some heavy fighting in the My Son area during the Vietnam war, here you see bomb craters amid the heavily damaged ruins |
From Hoi An we continued to Danang, and also Danang was beyond expectations. A nice city, deservedly the most livable city in Vietnam and apparently even one of the top 20 cleanest cities in the world! We liked it much more than Nha Trang, and it was certainly worth a day or 2. Then onward to Hue via the Hai Van Pass; we did this by car, maybe it's even nicer to do it by train as the trajectory along the coast looks impressive. Hue was again a bit more busy, but still a nice place for a few days, especially to visit the Imperial City and some of the tombs around town - on a motorbike.
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| A nice little "adventure" near Hoi An, the basket boat tour. Going out in a basket boat - a coracle - through the nipah palm. Beautiful and nice, until you get to the... circus... |
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| The circus! Full of tourists in basket boats, loud music, people dancing in the boats and on platforms, Korean karaoke; not our cup of tea, but people seemed to have fun! |
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| Linh Ung Pagoda in Danang, well worth a visit, with very nice views over Danang city |
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| On the way to the Hai Van Pass, with the railroad snaking on the mountainside |
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| Lang Co lagoon between Danang and Hue - where delicious oysters are grown!!! |
Initially we did not have a plan after Hue; somehow, we found out about a place called Phong Nha, still a bit away from the beaten path, and in an astonishing natural setting at the edge of a national park. So we decided to spend a few days in this place, and what a fantastic choice that was! The area is just incredible, with impressive limestone mountain formations and raw beautiful nature. It's also known for its caves, several huge and spectacular caves, many of these easy to visit. We visited the Phong Nha cave, by boat (the only way to visit), and the Paradise Cave on a motorbike trip. Both absolutely worthwhile! Tourism in Phong Nha was only started about 5 years ago, it's still low key with mostly some small homestays, the atmosphere and attitude of the people is extremely friendly and sympathetic... In short, not exaggerating, one of my favorite places ever - anywhere! (for now, not sure how long this will last)
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| Inside Hue Imperial Citadel |
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| Charming small stores in peaceful parks |
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| At Khai Ding imperial tomb near Hue |
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| And at Minh Mang tomb |
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| Beautiful and fascinating woven boats on a beach near Hue |
After Phong Nha we had a few more days left before going to Hanoi. We were hesitating between Ninh Binh and Mai Chau, and decided on the former. There are 2 main places to stay near Ninh Binh (if not staying in the city itself, which we obviously didn't want): Tam Coc - a well established tourist destination - or Trang Na, much less known. We opted for Trang Na, and again it was an excellent choice. First of all, we found ourselves a really fantastic Homestay, Ha Lan Homestay - a great place to stay with incredibly friendly and helpful hosts. But again, the scenery around Trang Na - amid the limestone mountains as well - was so impressive, and the atmosphere so nice (while Tam Coc looked much more like a busy tourist town)... We stayed the 4 nights we still had, and only continued to Hanoi the last day.
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| Our homestay in Phong Nha, so perfectly located at the riverside with a magnificent view over the limestone mountains |
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| It was raining heavily on our way to the Phong Nha cave, which gave it an extra dramatic feeling |
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| These people are harvesting weeds from the river, to be used as fish feed |
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| Near Phone Nha village |
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| You can only visit Phong Nha cave by boat; the boatsmen will row inside as it would otherwise be way too noisy. Thanks to the rain probably, we were almost the only visitors at that time |
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| The cave is huge! |
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| And the stalactite formations are very impressive |
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| A typical view inside the national park |
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| More beauty inside Paradise Cave |
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| You would sometimes imagine you're somewhere in another world |
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| And it's just all so beautiful, every turn you take, the view changes and is impressive again... |
And then Hanoi, what to say. A bustling city, with lots of truly interesting places to visit, nice areas to hang out and walk around, but... a very big city, with lots and lots (and lots) of traffic, air that is more exhaust fume than oxygen, and noise always, everywhere. So while it was nice for a few days, we did not regret leaving. And that was the end of our Vietnam trip! Wrapping it all up, we definitely liked Vietnam, and while we had been there quite some time many years ago, it exceeded our expectations and we'd love to go back and continue our journey to include more of the north of the country. Of what we cycled this time, the Mekong Delta was absolutely marvelous while the stretch from Vung Tau to Nha Trang was a bit less... That's also because the weather didn't help, and we had several days of really bad and unpleasant cycling weather that forced us to change our plans and leave some of the nicer roads out of our journey.
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| More limestone in Trang Na - you're probably tired of these pictures now. As a photographer, it never stops in these places! |
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| On a boat trip through Trang Na's natural wonderland, it's also called "Halong Bay on Land" |
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| Fantastic view, but as you can clearly see, a thick (and smelly) haze hung over this area for several days |
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| That same haze, with the rowing boats of Tam Coc down below |
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| Not only natural beauty, but also charming villages and beautiful temples |
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| Farm with a view |
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| OK, promise, this is the last one |
And finally, why mission aborted? The plan was to travel together with our children, up to Hanoi, spend some time together there with all of us and Sander's girlfriend (who is originally from Hanoi); the children would then leave from Hanoi, and we would go back to Hoi An where we left our bicycles and fly from there to... Taiwan! All of that had been planned and booked, and normally we would have been on the road in Taiwan now. However, it all changed. Vere had already been sick for some weeks before coming to Vietnam; it was not too bad to travel, but while traveling it worsened and by the end of our trip she was feeling really unwell. So it was best for her to travel back "home" to Australia (instead of going to Belgium, which was her plan) but as she was feeling so bad, we decided it was better we'd join her and stay with her for a while in Tasmania! And that's what we did; so, unexpectedly, we're in Tasmania now instead of Taiwan! Nothing wrong with that, it's very nice here too, and while Vere is still not 100% - must be a very nasty virus... - she's slowly recovering as well. So we'll now stay in Australia for a while, don't know exactly until when yet, and take things as they come!
Thanks for following and reading, and until we write again! Cheers!