Day 1 – Out of Hanoi to Yen Bai
We were a group of twelve, average age early 70s, nine men and three women. Our route from Hanoi followed the Red River in a northwesterly direction to the Chinese Border then up to Sapa and over a range of mountains to Muong Lay and back down in a south-easterly direction to Ninh Binh. Eleven days of mainly back road cycling. Joe and his team in Vietnam, Biking Vietnam, organised our transport, guides, support team, accommodation, bikes, meals and planned our route. There was a mixture of e-bikes and non e-bikes. All good. This is a good place for a roll call of names: Bev (me), Chris, Allan, Mary-Ann, Hamish, John, David, Paul, Jennie, Graeme, Robert and Chris R.
Unfortunately the team had no control over the weather and the first few days had temperatures in the mid thirties with high humidity. There was a constant fog or smog trapping in the heat.
The drive out of Hanoi took us beyond the traffic chaos of the city and into semi-rural countryside. The first hour was spent sorting the bikes, adjusting seats, pumping up tyres and getting hotter even before we started peddling. Finally we were off, riding on smooth bitumen to start then a rough track around a lake, where people were camping, and then up and over an even rougher track into a forest of shrubby trees. It was dusty and hot and the roadside rubbish strewn, not the most beautiful introduction to cycling in Vietnam although the lake and hills were scenic. The day was not without mishap with two women down through a combination of unexpected rough surface and faulty brakes and gears. Also one near collision with a car. Riding unfamiliar bikes in a foreign country requires some getting used to. Lunch was a picnic beside the vehicles with a hamburger, juicy pineapple and cold drinks. We were sufficiently revived to ride a ten kilometre stretch of bitumen to the day’s pick up point. The air conditioned bus ride to Yen Bai was bliss.
Day 2 – Yen Bai to Lao Kai
Another hot and humid day although the 8.30 am start meant it was cool riding through the city of Yen Bai and out into the countryside. We became quite strung out along the road but with our guide, Ann, in the lead and Joe mostly on our tail, no one got lost. The locals in the villages were friendly, smiling, greeting us, waving, even riding alongside and chatting. Chris was given the reception of a celebrity when he stopped at a school gate! It was soothing on the eyes when the houses gave way to rice paddies, such a brilliant green. The area is known for producing cinnamon bark and this was laid out to dry by the side of the road. Morning tea was a highlight with icecreams, fruit, cold drinks and filtered coffee. An hour and a half later we were eating a full restaurant meal. Fortunately we only rode another 12 kilometres after lunch. In the morning, we’d done 50 kilometres of easy up and down along the fertile Red River Valley. After that it was a two hour drive to the Chinese Border for a photo opportunity before being delivered to our hotel in Lao Kai.
Day 3 – Lao Kai to Sapa Farmstay
The day began with an hour long drive. There was much talk of two options and much discussion and indecision about who would do which option. Option two sounded very steep and in the end Joe decided for us. ‘Everyone back in the van,’ he said decisively. We all did the easy option! This involved quite a bit of hot climbing and wasn’t easy at all. Lunch was delicious: grilled pork on sticks, grilled vegetables, a dessert of watermelon and filtered coffee Vietnamese style and enjoyed on the balcony of a house with a view across to the smog covered mountains. After lunch, we were again offered two options. I opted for option one which was going uphill until I didn’t want to go up anymore. Jennie, Graeme and Mary-Ann joined me, the rest set off to ride further and higher. Our group lasted another 4 kilometres before collecting Chris and Hamish in the next village. The others rode on and up and were not seen again until we were reunited in our homestay much later in the afternoon. We were in the hills all day with amazing views looking down to a huge dam and terraced rice paddies.
Our homestay – Sapa Homestay – was also amazing. High on the side of a hill, great views, an infinity pool, accommodation in huts, the best meal so far, friendly hosts and an excellent full body massage. Our host, Lang, told us she had helped her mother sell souvenirs in Sapa when she was seven, close to the time Chris and I were there in 1999! We found a photo of Owen with the souvenir sellers and she recognised her cousin in the photo as a young girl.
Day 4 – Sapa to Sin Ho
We left the luxurious Sapa Farmstay reluctantly and drove 10 km up to Sapa. What a shock. The sleepy village of 24 years ago is no more. It’s now glitzy hotels and restaurants. The only aspect we recognised from the past was the women selling traditional bags, hats and cloth. Joe kept us moving (he thought five minutes in Sapa was enough) so we were on our bikes and peddling upwards by 10 am. I accepted a lift in the truck when the pitch increased and my legs and gearing could no longer cope. Everyone else made it to the highest point at Tram Tom (Heaven’s Gate) Pass at 2000 metres. This was another group photo opportunity, wearing our team t-shirts against a back drop of steep, mist shrouded mountains and the statue of a hand representing the vital life force within all things. After the photo we dropped 1300 metres over 25 kilometres fortunately on a smooth two-laned road. It was an easy, breezy descent with some truck and bus traffic to contend with. Enjoyable. After a cafe lunch we had a hot ride up a boring hill through a town and its outskirts. Most of us bailed out after six kilometres leaving a few of the e-bike riders to do another ten. Then we were all in the bus for the long mountainous drive to the unremarkable town of Sin Ho.
Day 5 – Sin Ho to Muong Lay
It was much cooler for the ride from Sin Ho to Muong Lay. Unfortunately the haze persisted so the mountains were lost in the mist. The early riding for the day was up and down before another 25 kilometre descent. The road was rougher than yesterday’s descent but more scenic. We stopped mid-way for a roadside morning tea, a repair job on Jennie’s derailleur and a chance to regroup (we do get spread out) before continuing down to a larger town and a cafe lunch.
The afternoon ride was another 23 kilometres along the lake-like Nam Lay River to our hotel on the river. Despite a few short sharp sections, I managed not to succumb to the offer of the van and felt quite pleased, when the riding day was over, with my 62 kilometre effort and over 600 metres of climbing. Unfortunately the lake was shrouded in smog.
Day 6 – Muong Lay to Tuan Giao
We drove fifteen kilometres uphill and started the day’s riding from a high point. Each day is different. An enjoyable feature of this day, apart from the misty mountain scenery, were the farms and villages we passed through and the friendly greetings particularly from school children as it was Monday and a school day. I think we were all growing weary after six quite hard days of riding so it was a relief, soon after lunch, to retire to the van and be taken to our hotel in Tuan Giao. Three on e-bikes kept going!!
Our hotel in Tuan Giao provided some unexpected evening entertainment with karaoke and dancing.
Day 7 – Tuan Giao to Son La: no cycling
Our day of no cycling was pleasantly cool. More scenic driving then a visit a huge cave where weapons were hidden during the Vietnam War and also during the oppressive French colonial rule. A rough road went through the cave to a village on the other side and some traffic passed us as we stood in the cave. Later, we toured the notorious Son La Prison where the French imprisoned Vietnamese Communists. This was similar to the French prison in Hanoi. The conditions in both prisons were cruel but despite this they became places where communist ideals were honed.
Son La city has many French colonial buildings and many glitzy new hotels. We stayed in a four star hotel, our best hotel so far, and enjoyed the relatively peaceful pace of the streets. It’s hard to reconcile this with the barbarity of French occupation and the American/Vietnam War.
This is the end of Part 1 of Cycling in Vietnam. We still have five more days of riding and some sightseeing ahead.
Beverley Lello 