vietnam bicycle tour update: back home

The actual bicycle-tour ended the 12th of February when we took the train from... Da nang to Hanoi. Meaning, we changed our plans again. Basically because I very soon got tired of the highway 1 traffic. Instead of 1000 km, we ended up with a mere 800. Cycling day 6 from Hoi An to Quang Ngai was a disappointment and made me look for alternatives. I felt suffocated from the exhaust, and fortunately Lasse didn't protest when I wanted to go back to Hoi An. On the next day we continued south to Sa Huynh, enjoyed the beach, had lunch and waited for a bus to pick us up. The bus system in Vietnam is very efficient. No need for time-tables, just sit by the road and wait for the next bus to pick you up. I think we waited for about 15 minutes. Three hours on the bus and we were back in Hoi An. We never got to Qui Nhon and Tuy Hoa - instead we took a side-trip back and forth to My Son (90 km), a wonderful day, not too much traffic, a perfect distance for a day, and an interesting site to visit.

Bicycle tour tip #3: be flexible and open for alternative routes.

So would I recommend bicycling in Vietnam? Yes I would, but not the whole of national highway 1. Bao Loc - Da Lat -Phan Rang is wonderful as is Hue - Lang Co - Hoi An, and the trip to My Son from Hoi An. I'd recommend cycling different parts of Vietnam though. Taking the bicycle with you on trains and buses is very un-problematic, and you get to see more than highway 1.

What have we done since last Monday? We've seen a lot of Hanoi visiting Edle and Mathias, enjoying the mysterious scenery of Halong Bay, and experienced Singapore - a very different part of Asia, and rather comfortable I must say.

I will of course upload some photos to flickr.