Vietnam reminds me of my former home state, California. Both are a single state/country and yet each offers rich geographical and lifestyle diversity. In Saigon you can smoke Cuban cigars from an elegant rooftop bar on Monday night and then hop a short flight to explore the caves of Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng.
With some friends in town, my girl and I flew from Saigon to Hanoi and gradually worked our way South, back to Saigon. While in Huế, located centrally in Vietnam, we all decided to rent motobikes to take the trek further south to a relaxing beach town – Hội An.
We got a guide, which I’d recommend. Navigating through Vietnamese streets can be a bit daunting at first. Also, the guide handles the logistics of setting you up with a motobike and he will know how to keep you out of too much trouble.
The drive itself could take you two hours (if you sped) or six hours (if you stopped to smell the roses).
The map from Huế to Hội An.
The guide arrived to the hotel with motobikes and took us on our way.
I would look cooler on a full-sized motorcycle, but these motos’ get you around swiftly while in ‘Nam.
Vietnam is the 13th most populous country in the world, and there’s no California Clean Air Act here. The air inside denser areas like Huế and Saigon can be nasty, which is why we look like bank robbers in this pic below.
Face masks are a necessity.
Once outside the city, the air was clean.
As we drove up the mountainside, we were greeted with views like this.
After a long ride, we arrived safely in Hội An.
I hid out in the shade.
Others enjoyed the sun.
Do you enjoy these travel updates? If so, I’ll keep posting them. I’m keeping a travel journal, anyhow, so I can share it with you all or keep it to myself. Either way I’ll be writing.
(For more travel pics, check out my Facebook and Instagram.)
Nice new site man.
Very cool pics. I’d love to see more of them in the future.
In your opinion-
do any of those SE Asia beaches have the raw beauty of Newport Beach or Malibu?
The beaches themselves, yes, but they don’t have the mountains nearby as in Malibu. Nha Trang reminded me of the beaches in Cabo and Miami.
Great photos. Thanks for the updates on your travels. I had the opportunity to spend a few days in Hanoi, fun city, people were friendly, restaurants were excellent. I will be exploring more of this country soon. Traffic was intense though. You are a brave man on that bike. Have fun, stay safe.
How’d you like Hanoi? I spent Tet there. https://www.cernovich.com/happy-tet-2015-from-hanoi/
I had a great time there with family. I only had 2 full days in Hanoi and 2 days in Halong Bay. Halong Bay was gorgeous. I had a time to kayak around some of the little islands. I brought my snorkeling gear but the water was very polluted and wanted no part of that. I’m glad I went to Halong Bay but crowding was a drawback.
Tet in Hanoi must have been wild. I went in August, very hot, I liked the city a lot, can’t see much in a few days so I’ll go back. Food was great, even better than in Thailand and Thai food is delicious. Saw the water puppet theater and enjoyed just walking around getting a feel for the city. Walking across the first busy street was a leap of faith. I found the people to be gracious and friendly.
Enjoy your travels in SE Asia!
Awesome pics. I intend on going there in the next year or so. You have really opened my eyes to Vietnam potential. I always thought it was a bad place to go, but there is so much life going on there.
Your friend,
Dylan
Hah, maybe I should seek a sponsorship from the Vietnamese government.
Mike will you make available for sale the t-shirt you are wearing in this post? I saw the Gorilla Mindset shirt you released but would also love to have the D&P shirt you sport here.
We can’t do the jerseys with our current supplier, but in the future yes. Thanks for asking.
Mike, did you stop in Mui Ne on your way south? I was there for a couple nights last week and wanted to know what you thought.
No.
“Which is why we look like bank robbers in this pic below”. Hahaha!
Looks like fun!