The Road:
Highway 1 is a narrow fairly busy road, which the tandem shared with many other bicycles, motorbikes, buses, trucks and the occasional private car. The surface varies from good to very rough. There is a lot of roadwork going on so it should improve each year. It is flat or undulating except for the area around the Hai Van pass before the city of Danang. Vietnam is heavily populated, many people living along this main artery. The life of the rural people is spread before you as you cycle past villages and small towns.
Accommodation:
Hotels and guesthouses are found in all the larger towns where we stopped.
The Route in Detail:
The Lao Bao border crossing into Vietnam was simple. Our visa allowed us to enter Vietnam on the 3rd of March and we had been told that we could not attempt to enter any earlier. It also stated that we could cross at any border post including the land crossing at Lao Bao. We had checked this at the Vietnam Consulate in Savannakhet as we had heard that people had problems. Our guidebook also stated that we should have a doctor's letter for any medical drugs we brought into the country but we were not searched at all and nobody asked us about drugs we were carrying.
Many young Vietnamese women wait at the border to sell you the local currency, the dong. We found that their exchange rate was poor and waited till we found a bank. US$ are acceptable everywhere in the larger centres and hotels.
It was amazing to see how Vietnam was different to Laos. The weather changed and became cloudy. The people were more aggressive and ready to make a fast buck out of tourists. The homes are no longer built on stilts and for the first time we saw tiled roofed houses surrounded by neat gardens. Everything looks much more prosperous and the countryside more populated. Even better, the Vietnamese use Roman script although we soon discovered that communication was still very difficult because it is a tonal language. We soon resorted to flash cards because even when we thought we knew how to say something we were not understood! The Lonely Planet, Vietnamese Phrasebook is an essential buy.
There is quite a stiff climb out of Lao Bao to Khe San where a government hotel and a private hotel are available.
Day 1: Khe San to Dong Ha (65 km on Highway 9)
A very pleasant mainly downhill ride to the coastal plain. It rained: the area from here south to Hué is the region that records the highest rainfall in the country. Dong Ha is a large, busy market town and the centre for visiting various Vietnam War sites some of which we had seen on our way from Khe San. Having realized that that the Vietnamese language would prove problematic we were able to buy cheap dictionaries. We spent a day here getting used to a new language, new food and a different people. The big market is worth a visit. There are a number of hotels (Krach San in Vietnamese).
DAY 2: Dong Ha to Hué (72 km on Highway 1).
Our first taste of Highway 1 which we shared with hundreds of cyclists, many motorbikes and some trucks and buses. The shoulder was narrow and we became familiar with a basic rule of the road here: 'Watch out for everything in front of you. Those behind are watching out for you.' In practice this meant that cyclists and motorbikes simply drove into the main road from side roads without a backward glance!
After the dryness of Laos it was wonderful to cycle through green gardens and rice paddies. Hué's walled Imperial City, the many pagodas and temples and the tombs of the Emperor's in the countryside are well worth visiting. We spent two nights there.
DAY 3: Hué to Lang Co (55 km)
We had planned to cross the Hai Van Pass to Danang (108 km) but at Cai Ha it started raining. For two hours we sheltered at a small café, watching the torrential downpour. The only other people on the road were 14 Canadian cyclists who didn't mind getting soaked. Their luggage was transported for them! Before Lang Co, two very steep climbs on appalling roads and a blow out decided us. We spent the night at the Lang Co resort before tackling the pass.
DAY 4: Lang Co to Hoi An
(70 km on Highway 1 to Danang and a minor coast road to Hoi An) The Hai Van Pass should have given us stunning views of the South China Sea and its pounding surf. Instead we biked uphill for one hour forty minutes in rain and mist and saw nothing. Danang is a large city where we stopped to change money and, with help, found the delightful minor road which brought us to Hoi An, a small gem of a town well worth exploring.
DAY 5: Hoi An to Quang Ngai (114 km)
A good ride typical of many on this tour. Rice was being harvested here and we watched people at work in the paddies and along side the road where the rice was threshed and then laid out to dry on the hard shoulder! It was just another hazard and one of many items drying by the roadside.
DAY 6: Quang Ngai to Hoai Nhon (88 km)
The road here is badly in need of repair. We had a bone shaking 20-30 km ride out of town before it improved. It became very hot and we realized we needed stronger sun protection. The road also began to climb up and down small hills.
DAY 7: Hoai Nhon to Qui Nhon (86 km)
The road wound through and up and down hills all day. It was overcast and a little cooler.
DAY 8: Qui Nhon to Tuy Hoa (118 km)
A hard long day on a very hilly road often badly in the need of repair The stoker's rear end suffered! However the road also wound along lagoons and passed fishing villages. This area is famous for its crabs and prawns farmed in the lagoons.
DAY 9: Tuy Hoa to Nha Trang (120 km)
After biking over a pass about 30 km out of Tuy Hoa, bumping over bad roads and suffering as temperatures rose, we gave up and threw the tandem on a bus. The ride in the overcrowded bus with friendly people carrying all sorts of goods to local markets provided us with another view of life in Vietnam. At Nha Trang we were back with other tourists, good reasonably priced hotels, western food and hustlers of all kinds. This is a beach resort and diving center. It is a good place for a few days of rest.
From here we took the night train to Saigon, travelling on soft seats in an air-conditioned coach. The tandem travelled separately in another train. It is a good idea to check details of train journeys. The tandem had to be delivered early in the day. On arrival in Saigon it is necessary to hand over the receipt for the bicycle in order to get out of the station with it.