I always thought I would travel Europe more thoroughly before exploring other parts of the world. But when my desire to do a bike trip and the realities of my schedule collided, I expanded my thought to find where I could have a good adventure in good weather in November. The Hill Tribes of Vietnam seemed like a great choice, so I booked it!  I’m glad I did.

Hanging Out in Hanoi

Our tour commenced in Hanoi and I arrived 20 hours before meeting my group.  I had a full day to spend in this vibrant city of approximately 8 million residents.  They all seem to have motor scooters, there are very few traffic signals and yet traffic seems to move in a zen like fashion. I found it mesmerizing. If everyone had an SUV the city would grind to a complete halt! I was impressed by the variety and selection of goods available for sale. Traditionally there are 36 streets that each has a specialty. For example one street is filled with shop after shop of kids toys, another has hardware, another bamboo, another Christmas decorations, another jewelry, another flowers, another silk, etc.  Wandering around the old quarter isn’t a relaxing stroll. Each street crossing requires the underrated combination of a child like faith in your fellow man and the practiced calculus and timing of a double dutch jumper. The sidewalks are actually motor scooter parking areas which need to be navigated with the acuity of a slalom skier. I loved the ingenuity of the scooter drivers. Scooters were loaded down with furniture, families, huge boxes, windows and washer/dryer sets (see photo above).

Out of the City and Onto the Bike (and Boat)

Before we started riding we first needed to ride in the van approximately four hours.  Here are some things I saw during the van ride: above ground graves similar to those in New Orleans, tall skinny houses, a huge Samsung factory, rice fields, duck farms, tea plantations, sugar cane, red soil, limestone mountains.  I also started learning the language of honking. 1 honk – “I’m here” or “move over” or “be careful”.  Multiple honks – either a more serious “get out of the way!!” or a scolding “move over you jerk I’ve already given you a warning”.  I got honked at a lot during the trip but it always felt like a courtesy.  But there was never any road rage. By early afternoon we were finally on the bike for an easy afternoon of riding before taking a beautiful bike ride on lake Ba Be. After a beautiful boat ride we stayed in a homestay on the river.  A homestay is something like a B&B without windows. Our homestay was originally a traditional family home and now serves the tourists near the National Park. As I settled in under my mosquito netting enjoying the sounds of the night through the open eaves, the karaoke from the locals gathering spot right next door really got cranked up! I have to say that despite the noise, I did appreciate the spirited duet that had a great feel for the extended crescendo.

The Group

Our group was a good one! There were five of us plus a riding guide, a van driver and a truck driver who transports our bikes and gets everything set up for us in the morning. Three of us rode conventional mountain bikes provided by the tour company and two riders were on e-bikes. In the end we were remarkably well matched and the guide said we were the strongest group he has ever led. Once we started climbing, he couldn’t keep up. Many times he jumped into the truck as we racked up the miles.  To our guide’s credit, it wasn’t about him and he planned our days to our ability, adding miles and hard climbs, especially when it would be memorable for us. But as we started our first big climb I found myself riding behind by group and rode most of the first morning alone.  From my journal “The good news is that I’m riding into shape. The bad news is that I’m not sure the tour will last long enough for me to fully feel the effects”.  In the end I definitely wasn’t the strongest rider but I kept up just fine. We were also a well suited group off the bike.  We enjoyed each other’s company, had great conversations at meals, and shared lots of laughs! We were all laid back, grateful to be there and appreciated the beauty surrounding us and all that our guide was doing to make it a great trip.  I never heard a complaint about the food, the lodging, the route, the weather, the sleep, my aching legs etc. It was a joy to be around other positive people who were taking it all in with gusto. We were up in the rural north of Vietnam toward China for 10 days. Many of the towns we visited were small and had the feel of a frontier boom town – a mix of rural supply town, new capitalism, scooters, Iphones, water buffalo’s, an open air market, and new yet incomplete infrastructure.  Dust, neon, chickens, karaoke, speeding company trucks and wandering village dogs.  I loved it! Never knew what I would find around the next corner. Speaking of dogs. The first day out I learned that dogs didn’t hold the same place in society that I was used to. I learned that dogs were mainly on their own and that they were a common source of meat.  There were dogs being sold from cages on the backs of scooters (see photo below). We came across a construction site where a hot dog dinner was part of the compensation.  That along with a bucket of local moonshine. It’s always an adjustment to visit a different culture. We were in North Vietnam. During the Vietnam War (or as they say The American War) the north was our enemy. We were trying to liberate the South and help the spread of capitalism and stop the spread of communism.  It’s now the unified People’s Republic of Vietnam, technically a socialist republic in structure. But I found that it was a hotbed of capitalism, unfettered by many regulations.  If you wanted to turn your front room into a restaurant, put up a sign. Sell, Ban Mih sandwiches from a cart, go for it! There didn’t seem to be a big “protect the public from itself” department.  I found it energizing and refreshing. There was poverty but no begging. People were busy getting things done. The photo below was of a typical meat market stand. Fresh meat for sale without refrigeration. Butchered today, sold today, eaten today. The landscapes we were riding through were characterized by terraced fields clinging to steep mountainsides, small villages perched on the skinny roads with good vistas out the back doors, and steep climbs with good vistas.  It was very rural (low population density) but I still got the priceless “hello’s” dozens of times a day from the kids passed along the way.  When I slowed down and gave big waves and hello’s back sometimes the kids would squeal in delight.  I loved them and never tired of waving and saying hello.  In some towns where the English teacher was especially good, we would get follow-up questions, “where are you from?”, “what is your name?”.  One time when I was walking I was following a bright faced young lad. He saw me behind him and confidently strode toward me with his hand extended. Obviously a member of the international relations committee at school.  Just as I closed the gap and reached my hand out for an earnest shake he used his right hand to comb back his hair.  I was had! And he was delighted! He looked back three times with a huge grin after he caught up with his friends. Kids have a lot of responsibility in Vietnam. Just outside of a town I saw a girl about 7 or 8 years old carrying her little sister on her back and shepherding three cows up the side of the road so that they could get some good grass before dark. Others were helping in the fields before and after school and riding motor scooters (many times with multiple passengers) at a very young age.  They were very confident drivers, undoubtedly from the training that comes with hanging over the handlebars starting as soon as they could hold up their head.

Fertility everywhere! As I rode I didn’t think too much about the miles that were passing (be it slow or fast) because it was a cavalcade of life passing before me. Mother hens with broods of chicks, puppies and piglets were learning the rules of living on the side of a road and human babies (and babies soon to be) were everywhere.  I almost hit a baby chick being chased by a kitten.  I almost had a head on collision with a piglet going “whee, whee, whee” all the way home (literally!).  Dogs played with kittens and the novelty of the chase, even of bright costumes on bikes, had worn off.  I rode past hundreds if not thousands of dogs on this trip and there were only two who wanted to chase.  One was chained up (maybe that’s why) and as I past by the second I was being covered by my guide throwing rocks to distract.

Among the Hmong

The Hmong people came from China 600 years ago. They were forced out of their land by a conqueroring tribe. This proud tribe fled to the highlands of China and came south to the highest land they could find in Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Laos. They found remote areas “close to God”. They are still living on the high hillsides of this area, known as amazing climbers and still wearing their traditional clothes.  It was amazing to look toward the top of these mountains and see homes, villages and terraced fields.

The Landscapes

Over and over again I was awed by the beauty of the landscapes. I love traveling on a bike because the land moves slowly by. I can hear the sounds and smell the smells and see the small details.

The People

I took quite a few photos, but I missed more good shots than I took. Most of those missed shots were of the people.  They weren’t hid behind windshields or office buildings. The people were on the street, sitting in front yards, working the fields in plain view.  Here are some of my favorite images of the people of Vietnam.

Here is my barber. Shave and a haircut two-bits is still alive in Vietnam.

Market Day

We spent our last night of our trip in Bac Ha. The next morning was market day and people came from near and far to buy, sell and trade goods.  There was a wide array of produce, clothing, moonshine and food.  There were also areas to buy puppies, pigs, chickens, ducks and a large water buffalo market.  There were also booths for haircuts and you could also buy python by the inch for fertility.

Junior!

As we were at the top of a pass I saw a fully loaded biker nearing the top from the other direction.  I quickly moved into position to greet him and he greeted me back with a huge smile. He said that he had been on his bike for quite some time.  After more pointed questions I found out that “quite some time” was actually seven years! He was from France and his name was Junior. He said that this area had the biggest hills he had encountered and the best hidden camping sites. His biggest challenge as of late was the short visa lengths given. It’s hard to explore China properly by bike in 90 days.  He had a sparkle in his sapphire blue eyes and wanted to hear about what we were doing.  Good for you to get on your bike, he said. Our “little” vacation took on a whole new perspective.

Here is a video of the trip I created using some of the photos and some additional live video.  I hope you enjoy it!

Thanks for reading!