A starting point to our sixteen day cycling trip in Northern Vietnam was a few days in Hanoi. This was an opportunity to revisit a city first experienced in 1999 soon after the country was opened up to tourism. Was the young woman riding the bicycle laden with plastic souvenirs the daughter of the woman riding the streets then with similar wares for sale? Some things didn’t seem to have changed. There were many more motor scooters weaving and dodging and clogging the narrow roads of the Old Quarter and more night life, but the impression is that the lives of people has changed very little. They still cook meals on the street and crouch on small plastic chairs to eat them, peddle mass produced goods, fruit, vegetables and flowers from carts and bicycles and ferry enormous and unwieldy loads on ancient bicycles.
May De Ville Hotel & SpaA laden bicycle Constant traffic A rare quiet moment in the Old Quarter Dining out Sunday night market Sunday night market
A Taste of History and Culture
A self-guided walking tour of the Old Quarter of Hanoi and beyond gave us a superficial glimpse of the history and culture. Maison Centrale was a French prison built to incarcerate Vietnamese political prisoners. Conditions were brutal: prisoners shackled to hard wooden benches or kept in dark isolation cells. Later it was used by the Viet Cong as a prison for captured American pilots. Their treatment was better. They could move about more freely and were given more comforts. We later visited Son La Prison in Son La Province where the French also imprisoned Vietnamese Communists. Cruel treatment didn’t stop the inmates from disseminating Communist philosophy.
We also visited the Temple of Literature built in 1070 at the time of Emperor Ly Thanh Tong. This place of peace and contemplation is in stark contrast to The purpose of Maison Centrale. It is one of several temples in Vietnam dedicated to Confucius, sages and scholars. Other places in Hanoi also offer peaceful retreats from the chaos of the city streets: small temples, museums, galleries and a stroll around the central lake.
The French Prison The Vietnamese prisoners were shackled to the benches Temple and flower vendor Statue in history museum Beside the lakeChildren like to practise their English Street scene in the Old Quarter A gallery inside a restored house – Old Quarter Garden in Temple of Literature – HanoiTemple of Literature Confucius and packaged offerings
Dining out
Culinary adventures are part of the travel experience. ‘Do you like frog?’ asked the Vietnamese waitress after we’d boldly ordered the set banquet written, unlike other parts of the menu, completely in Vietnamese. I remembered frogs’ legs as an entree at a long ago French restaurant in Melbourne and said, ‘Yes.’ The others nodded. We were fine with a bite of frog. When the multiple dishes arrived, we got what we’d asked for: deep fried frog, frog in chilli sauce, raw frog to be cooked in the hot pot simmering on the table, frog in the vermicelli salad and deep fried battered frog. It was an extravaganza of frog and we devoured it all! (Unfortunately, no photo).
Other meals were tasty and varied. We particularly enjoyed making our own rice paper rolls with a Vietnamese omelette as the main ingredient. Salads, seafood, stir fried tofu, noodles and, of course, rice, so much rice.
Getting help with the rice paper rollsCucumber and mango saladBaked fish Stir fried seafoodNoodle SaladStreet food
Wandering the streets, dodging the traffic, strolling around the lake were all enjoyable ways to experience Hanoi. Our time in the city, after our bike ride, was brief. A final meal and a drink in a rooftop bar and it was goodbye to Hanoi and Vietnam.
Our cycling tour in Vietnam continued with the twelve members of the group becoming fitter and cooler as rain brought relief from temperatures in the mid-thirties. In Moc Chau we awoke to rain. Our departure was delayed as no one wanted to ride through traffic in the rain and our luxury hotel was too nice to leave. Anyway Joe cracked the whip and had us riding through the streets of Son La by 9.30 am. The rain had stopped. The city traffic wasn’t too bad and the roads were wide. It was up and down then up and up. Spectacular scenery: misty mountains, rice paddies in the valleys, coffee bushes and banana trees on the precipitous slopes, villages and farms clustered close to the road. It was a steady climb and I kept peddling. It’s a given the others on the tour will make it! After some pleasant down hill and gentle up and down the road climbed steeply and my legs rebelled. Tung, one of our guides, suggested he call the van to come back and I agreed. Chris rode on. Soon after, there was confusion about direction and everyone, including the vehicles, wound up on the wrong road. A restaurant provided us with a meal, the usual selection of stir fry, and a new route to the main road was selected.
This turned out to be quite beautiful: a back road down a narrow valley populated by Tay people. The Tay women are particularly striking. When they marry they twist their hair into a topknot. This is often concealed by colourful scarves and, when they’re riding motor scooters, by helmets perched up high or helmets with an extra dome to accommodate the hair. Many of the houses looked quite prosperous. I had opted to stay in the van but regretted it as the riding was consistently flat and scenic. The day ended with a two hour drive to Moc Chau where we were accommodated in a homestay.
Leaving our luxury hotel at Son LaSon LaInto the countryside Looking down The first long climb upFarms and rice paddies Our guide, AnhTay farmers off to work Young Tay girl
Day 9 – Moc Chau to Mai Chau
A stormy night. The plan was to drive for half an hour to the top of a hill and ride from there. As we drove up, the mist became thicker and thicker to the point where we could hardly see the truck in front. No one was keen to ride. We drove on until Joe declared it was safe. Our riding jackets were oranges and lemons so we felt confident we could be seen and there was virtually no traffic. Tung did say, ‘Buffalo are worth more than a scooter so don’t hit a buffalo.’ Good advice. The descent was long and not particularly steep, about 25 kilometres. Then a 200 metre climb up and 10 kilometres on the main road followed by a narrow side road to our homestay accommodation. The mist cleared as we descended so we could enjoy the lush vegetation and, lower down, small roadside villages and rice paddies. Anh rode with Chris and I at the back and she did say my husband takes lots of photos.
We were at the accommodation in time for a late lunch. Most of the group went for a walk around the rice paddies and village where knick-knacks, clothing and weaving were for sale in abundance. In the evening we were treated to a concert of traditional music and dancing before dinner.
Reluctant to rideAfter being convinced we could ride Riding downAnd aroundThings became clearerDownhill Our room in our homestay Foot loom weaving Traditional dancingTraditional dancing Leaving our homestay
Day 10 – Mai Chau to Pu LuongHomestay
Some days are better than others. This wasn’t one of them for me. It started well with a racy slightly down hill stretch on a main road. We misplaced Hamish so had to hang about on the corner of a busy thoroughfare until he was located. All was well although confusion ensued about the road we would take. In the end it was a back road connecting to another back road before a long seemingly endless grind uphill. The compensation was that we were mainly riding through lush rainforest with only a few isolated farms and small villages. We stopped for a picnic lunch half way up but this was a hurried affair and we still had way too much climbing afterwards. When Chris and I finally reached the high point and descended a kilometre or so, we caught up with the group who set off straightaway. Two options were on the table and we had to decide quickly. I’m not sure whether we made the right choice but our long smooth ride descent was almost enjoyable. Unfortunately, to get to our homestay we had to go up and down on a very busy narrow road. The van picked us up after four kilometres, thankfully. The homestay looked very picturesque, tucked into the jungle but was crudely built. Soft beds and a good meal salved our aching limbs and the awareness that we’d ascended over a thousand metres became a source of pride.
Not all villages are attractive Street scene The bamboo harvestBamboo forest Roadside flowerChris and fernery Steeper than it looks
Day 11 – Pu Luong to Tam Coc (Ninh Binh region)
Another moist and misty morning. Sixty kilometres. Joe assured us it would be flat with ‘small up and down – no big hills like yesterday.’ He was right. Our bodies are a mixture of fitter but wearier. At least we kept together today and enjoyed a sociable morning tea and then a picnic lunch by the side of the road where the crew barbecued hot dogs. The riding was mainly in a lush river valley with much to see: goats, geese, roosters, chickens, ducks, a buffalo pulling a cart, people carrying bamboo, lemon grass, banana tree trunks and, because it was Saturday and no school, children so many of them wanting to wave and say hello or do high fives. Not a single one asked for ‘lolly’ or ‘pen’. The mothers also wanted to wave and greet us. The vans picked us up just on the 60 kilometre mark and from this point it was a long drive to the Ninh Binh area and four star accommodation at Tam Coc.
Pu Luong Homestay On the road to the homestay Thatched roof house The things they carry Another day begins A view through the bamboo Riding the concrete roadA load of bananas and banana tree trunks Jennie heading into limestone karst country A tranquil lakeGeese out for a walk Robert – valley riding One of so many children Finished for the day
Day 12 – Tam Coc
Excellent accommodation at the Golden Rice Hotel with very nice rooms, a swimming pool and great banana pancakes and omelettes for breakfast. Our final day of riding was around Tam Coc Lake and the river. Easy and flat but misty and wet. The mud and water on the road sent up spray. The result, stripes up our backs. It was pleasant though and more of a sightseeing tour with a visit to the Hoa Lu Ancient Capital, established during the 10th century during the Dinh and Le dynasties and later a pagoda complex set into a hill. At the capital there were hundreds of school children learning their national history and being drilled in team building. Chris and I had a go on a newish e-bike on the return to the lunch spot. Flat roads aren’t much of a test but my comment would be, ‘Too easy.’ We farewelled the bikes, the mechanic and one of the drivers. No more pedalling!
In the afternoon, Joe organised for us to partake in the major tourist attraction of the area, being rowed up a tributary of the Hoang Long River through the spectacular limestone karst country. The rowers alternate between using their hands and feet! The monolith-like rocks rise straight up from the rice fields fringeing the river. At several points the river drifted through caves in the rock. Spectacular. In the evening we organised our own dinner. Some of us chose a massage instead of food, some opted to have no dinner as a late lunch had been substantial. Four of us opted for Indian cuisine – a delicious change.
Gateway at the Hoa Lu Ancient Capital Dinh Bo Linh, founder of the old capital Team building Vietnam style PagodaAnh and JennieThe final stretch in Tam Coc The last wave Boats at Tam CocAllan and Mary-AnnInto the caveInto the caveAn unusual rowing style Heading backComing out of the caveTam Coc night life
Day 13 – Ninh Binh to Cat Ba and return to Hanoi.
The riding now over, we went by bus to Cat Ba. This involved a ferry crossing and a lot of driving. Hazy, as usual. Cat Ba was no longer the sleepy fishing village of our memory. Multi-storied hotels dominated and restaurants, catering for tourists, lined the waterfront. Our hotel was huge and in need of an upgrade and the beds, plank hard and unyielding. (We’ve had several such beds).
Our boat tour in Cai Beo was pleasant but the ever persistent haze/fog/smog limited visibility. The amount of floating rubbish also detracted from the beauty of the bay. Fish farming has become profitable and was definitely contributing to the pollution of the water. Six of us went out in kayaks and Dave took Anh for a paddle as she’d never been in a kayak before. She has been such an asset on the tour. At 25 she is defying the standard path for Vietnamese women of marrying young and bearing children. We were served an exclusively seafood lunch on the boat: prawns, oysters, shrimp, stir-fry squid and fish. It was hard not to think of the polluted water but all of it was delicious.
Back on land, back on the bus and back to May De Ville Premier Hotel in Hanoi. The journey over.
Ferry crossing to Cat BaPlenty of seafood Cat Ba waterfrontDwellings and fish farm in Cai Beo Life on the water Cai BeoKarst formation Traditional boatFish farmGroper being fattened for the marketDave and Anh kayakingChris R, Bev, Paul & Anh The groupBack in Hanoi
All journeys come to an end. It was a strenuous ride of about 500 kilometres, often on bumpy and broken back roads with 6,700 metres of climbing over eleven days of actual riding. Thanks to Joe Nguyen and his team at Biking Vietnam for a great experience in an amazing country.
Beverley Lello 