North to South, A Girl and Her Bike
Vietnam and its motorbike culture
I have a lot of favorites and this experience is definitely one of them, this was a special one. I won’t say it's a super popular thing to do, but lots of people do it. Vietnam in its shape and culture is built for a trip like this.
I lived in Hanoi for a year and a half. For those who don't know, Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, is located in the North. In the South, you have Ho Chi Minh, or formerly known as Saigon. This city used to be the capital and you’ve probably heard the name ‘Saigon’ in reference to the Vietnam War- it was the capital at that time. These two cities are the largest in the country.
Vietnam is a total bike country, it is without a doubt, the #1 mode of transportation. Vietnam is estimated to be home to more than 50 million motorbikes. In relation to a population of 96 million, that’s a lot of bikes. You see it too, bikes are absolutely everywhere - especially where I lived, in Hanoi and in most major cities.
No license? No problem
The thing about Vietnam is almost no one has a license to drive. The locals start driving bikes when they’re 11, 12 or 13 and they’re on them as infants- people are riding with babies in arms. This includes the expats; I knew very few, if any one, with an actual drivers license for a motorbike. You can rent them and buy them with no issues, it's just how it is.
The roads in Hanoi are equally as laxed when it comes to laws and regulations. In the city, you pretty much drive where you want and how you want. Up on the sidewalk, in between traffic and cars- it looks like total chaos but there really is a system at work. After being there a while, you begin to play by their rules or I suppose you could say their lack of.
HA GIANG
A portion of the Ha Giang motorbike loop, one of the best in all of Vietnam.
There are many famous motorbike loops and drives, like the Ha Giang Loop and Hai Van Pass. Traveling by bike and for long distances is common and something that a lot of expats and travelers do in Southeast Asia. I downright love being on my bike, it’s a thrill. I just like doing fast and exciting things... sorry mom.
When I heard about a route from North to South, Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh, I thought ‘Oh **** Yes’. I made a promise with myself that I would drive the country before I left. I created a general route in my head, but left it flexible and booked places to stay along the way.
I drove 2,500km in 3 weeks. Just me, my backpack and my bike; and it was one hell of an experience.
3 weeks to drive
I preferred to take my time on the drive, but I kept my trip capped at 3 weeks due to a flight home for Christmas. I would recommend taking your time and staying as long as you'd like in each place. I find it's best to enjoy the ride without a deadline. In my opinion, 3 weeks is too short for this kind of a trip.
Tam Coc, Ninh Binh
Go Solo
The majority of my traveling has been done solo, so the idea of doing this drive alone didn't scare me too much. I was a confident driver at this point and I felt I had a good handle on the country after living there for over a year. With that being said, I can still remember the knots and butterflies in my stomach as I drove out of Hanoi.
Those three weeks felt so free. I explored on my own, did what I wanted and when I wanted to. I shared sunsets, beers and moments with strangers- some became friends and some didn’t. There were many long segments on the road where it was just me, I was the only one in sight. It felt incredibly intimate, as though the landscape and the road were my very own. It can be difficult to explain, but those kinds of moments almost felt like my very own dirty little secret- with no one around, no one to witness what I had seen, nor a friend or stranger to share it with. If I never told a soul, it would be only mine forever.
Solitude in nature offers a unique feeling. As cheesy and delicious as it may sound, you feel connected to the world and deeply rooted in the earth.
It’s such a liberating feeling too, knowing that you can take yourself anywhere you want to go. You can depend on you and in time, you build complete trust within yourself.
Cat Ba Island, north of Vietnam
Ups and downs
There were some ups and downs, as there is anytime you're on the road. Traveling isn't always so glamorous or impactful, there can be a lot of discomfort. Some days, the drives were very long, the weather changing from hot to cold to rainy. Often roads were full of dust, gravel and big ol’ trucks. I was pretty filthy at the end of every drive. The bridge of my nose- the only part of my body exposed- would always be black with dirt when I finally removed my mask and sunglasses. My longest drive was 8 hours on the bike and at that point, my bum had numbed past the point of return. That’s all part of it though-
you have to be comfortable with being uncomfortable.
I find that as I write about my experience here, I can’t quite encapsulate it all. I will do my best to paint the picture and describe the feeling, but let’s be honest - for the best things in life, there really are no words.
Along my journey, I had some run-ins with the police, that was fun and they’re great stories now. To read about them, click in the related posts below or check out ‘The Unexpected’.
Reference of Size
To gain some perspective on the size of the country- Vietnam is pasted on top of a map of the United States. I basically drove from Detroit, MI to southern Georgia.
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