MOTORCYCLING VIETNAM | Riding 2,000 KM from Ho Chi Minh to Hanoi through the Old Ho Chi Minh Road

All the time people message me or comment asking what I route I took, how I prepared for the trip, what licenses I had etc.
Instead of replying to them one by one, sign up here and I will share tips & tricks on navigating Vietnam via motorcycle when I finish writing up my experience!

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My friend and I bought two bikes at the southern end of Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh), strapped our belongings to the back, and motorcycled everyday to reach the northern end (Hanoi).

A year ago we took a 4 day motorcycle riding course. We did this because we thought some day we would do an adventure tour through the infamous Ho Chi Minh trail through Vietnam. It was a beautiful 2,000 KM stretch of open road through the mountains and jungles of Vietnam. I legitimately thought we were going to do this YEARS from now, because then we would actually be 'ready' and 'capable' of doing something like this. The timing just didn't feel right. I was comfortable in my post-grad 9-5 doldrums and put off a trip like this into the 'someday' bucket, using the future as a phony fantasy to justify the present. You and I both know these were just the everyday lies we tell ourselves. In truth, I was scared shitless. I knew that there would be a time when I would do this trip in my life, 100%, but this felt like it was way beyond my comfort zone. I've backpacked through Eastern Europe and slept on stranger's floors before, but I was hesitant to loosen the grip I had on my domestic certainties -- mostly because I would have to hop on a statistically dangerous deathmobile.

Thanks to my friend Russell, that "someday" happened the same year we got our M1's. I probably timed out of the final confirmation screen multiple times while booking the tickets. But the rest is history: we did it, made it out safe, and only had one (minor) accident. In hindsight everything took care of itself, and the most challenging part of the whole trip was honestly dealing with the rumination before we took the plunge, and that's including running out of gas, breaking down (nearly everyday), and getting ripped off. Unfortunately we did this trip during the rainy season.

What was amazing and literally saved us multiple times were the locals. We had to make it to Nha Trang but broke down in the middle of a mountain at 5 PM right before sunset, right when the fog was rolling in. (Visibility was only 2 meters ahead) Locals nearby took our bikes to the back of their trucks, strapped it on with our bungee cords, and siphoned the gas themselves with their mouths to prevent any leakage on their trucks. They took us to Dalat which was along the way.

One time, my chain flew off 50 M behind me and snapped completely. We were stuck on the Ho Chi Minh Road where a bike/truck passes by every 5-10 minutes. Our third attempt to hail someone down resulted in two local farmers who got down on their knees and spent at least an hour using their scythe that was for crops as a way to re-attach the chain. After failing to do so, the other farmer eventually rode off to the nearest village and secured the parts from a mechanic to actually re-attach the chain. They wouldn't even take our money, but eventually we repaid them for the parts and many gracious goodbyes were made :)

Видео MOTORCYCLING VIETNAM | Riding 2,000 KM from Ho Chi Minh to Hanoi through the Old Ho Chi Minh Road канала Anthony Huang