A little bit of background:
In 2015, my brother and I went out and got our motorbike license as it was something we had meant to do for a while. The aim of the license at one point was to buy a bike in Singapore, but ultimately, we ended up using it for travel shenanigans. One such shenanigan you will be seeing in this trip reflection. Before the pandemic, my brother and I would go on trips, most being in and around South East Asia, except for a trip to the US back in 2016. With 2022 being the year of revenge travel (thanks to loosening regulations), we decided to plan a trip to one of our favourite countries, Vietnam. We would focus on Central Vietnam rather than the popular destinations of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. The two of us would fly in and out of the city of Danang and would spend most of our time in the idyllic seaside locale of Lang Co. Our highlight of this trip would be a self-drive motorbike tour on one of the most famous biker roads, the Hai Van Pass. The Hai Van Pass gained some newfound fame in the 21st Century when Top Gear visited the road back in 2008 as part of what I think is their best road trip episode, The Vietnam Special. While this is not my first time in Vietnam riding a motorbike, this trip (spoiler alert) is the first time I’ve gone on a self-drive motorcycle tour without having any incident.
My last trip to Ho Chi Minh City involved a self-drive motorbike tour to the Viet Cong tunnels, and it ended up with intense off-road riding and an injured wrist. This time, I decided to be more sensible with my riding (age has mellowed me) and not to agree to any crazy off-road riding. The central part of the trip would be riding side-by-side with my brother, which to me, is a bucket list item. However, about a month before the trip, my brother had a mild foot injury and had to pull out of the tour but thankfully not the trip. As you will see, the views on the trip were distractingly spectacular, but I wish I could have enjoyed it with the big brother. The trip was still easily one of the most enjoyable trips the two of us have ever been on.
Highlights from the trip:
As is the norm with most of my trips, one of the highlights was easily the food and drink. Vietnam is known for its food, but historically it was not known for being the most vegetarian-friendly place. This time, however, my brother and I were in for quite the treat as we managed to sample a wide range of Vietnamese food that was indeed vegetarian-friendly. While Pho and Banh Mi are everyday staples that most foreigners associate with Vietnam, we managed to try a variety of dishes not commonly known. While we enjoyed some pho, my favourite out of the ones seen below was a tofu-based dish wrapped in betel nut leaves that was lightly grilled.
While I enjoyed some excellent beer that Vietnam is known for, we enjoyed some delightful cocktails made with locally made spirits that hit the spot without imbibing us too much.
(I regret not taking the hat……)
However, what made this trip was, without a doubt, the motorbike tour I took from Danang to Lang Co. It was a one-on-one tour led by the brilliant people at Easy Riders. My guide met me in the morning, providing me with my ride for the day, a thirty-year-old 125CC Honda Motorbike pictured below that I called the Little Rascal. I called it the Little Rascal since it had an iffy clutch and a mildly convoluted gearbox. Still, it had its charm and a great engine, and since I was riding a considerable distance, I was thankful that it had a good ride.
(Ignore the green strap)
Though the initial learning curve of the bike took place in the occasionally terrifying traffic of Danang, I eventually got to grips with the Little Rascal. While the main part of the tour was the Hai Van Pass, the guide also took me to other temples and shrines in and around Danang.
The first temple we visited, the Non Nuoc Pagoda, offered stunning views of the city. However, getting there involved an altercation with my arch nemesis, stairs. 300-plus stairs stood between me and the top.
I made the arduous journey to the top, paying my respects at the shrine and taking a chance to admire the view. I lucked out on the weather and had clear skies for miles.
After this temple, my guide took me to Tượng Phật nằm, which featured a Lady Buddha statue. The statue was an impressive sight, towering over us at 67 metres (220 ft), and it stood tall on a base of roughly 20 metres (65 ft). I was keen to explore more of this complex, but two things happened. First, I got distracted by some of the Long-Tailed Macaques which called the complex home. Second, I was slightly deterred by the large crowds that had gathered that day to visit the temple, so I did not do too much exploring out of risk of exposure to COVID. This effort in social distancing was, spoiler alert, ultimately fraught.
Soon it was time for the main event, the Hai Van Pass. I was getting excited, and I imagined myself riding along to multiple songs in my head, one such example being the song Voodoo Child (The Jimi Hendrix version). Since the first pagoda offered some incredible vistas, I knew the pass had a tall order to impress me, and it delivered. Despite having to weave in and out of other tourists flocking to the pass, the real miracle was the fact I did not crash while getting distracted admiring the vistas. Like my Sri Lanka blog, I feel it’s time to let some photos do the talking as one can only use so many words to describe picturesque beachfront vistas. After the pass, my guide took us to a waterfall, where we caught some rest before bringing me to the hotel where I would be reunited with my brother. At the end of the tour, I was somewhat sad about having to bid farewell to the little rascal. Having spent the whole day with the bike, I grew fond of it despite all its faults.
Final thoughts:
Vietnam proved again that it is a viable destination for weekend trips from Singapore, and my brother and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. My brother and I were blessed with great weather, barring some rain that only occurred on the last day. We enjoyed the stunning beaches and great food and paired it with decent cocktails to wash it down. Not to sound like a cliché, but I found the best way to explore the area was on a motorbike. However, self-drive motorbiking should be done when you have some experience. The chaotic traffic in and around Danang is undoubtedly not for the faint-hearted. My one regret about this trip was that I could not visit the ancient capital of Hue and the citadel, which is the ancient castle. I suppose that will be for the next excursion to Vietnam. As my brother and I boarded our flight home, we were looking forward to sharing our stories with mum as she was keen to know how the trip went and to see photos. Thankfully we had plenty of time as the three of us, in one fell swoop, came down with COVID. While we have since recovered, I am thankful our symptoms were not more severe (power of vaccines, people). Personally, I was glad I did not lose my sense of taste since, throughout the isolation period, I still found myself to be hilarious. I am eager to go back to Vietnam as every trip I have been able to take there has been absolutely fantastic.