Vietnam - Hanoi to Hoi An (and a New "Motorcycle")

Arrived in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam and the new hipster paradise for lost college-aged kids living via the International Bank of Mom and Dad.   Walking though the old quarter there were more westerners than locals, all of them getting quite upset with the number of straws and plastic bags that are being utilized.  Hanoi can be summed up as clean dorms for $7 a night, $0.60 beers, cheap pot, and cute girls, as a result the place has become overrun with young people trying to discover themselves.  To be honest, sounds like it would of been fun in my college years, but now, since I am no longer young, nor lost, I decided to pick up a bike fast and head south.

The new bike is a Chinese ripoff of a Honda or as I call it, a Chonda.  This awesome piece of machinery is 120cc of carburated, fire breathing, raw unadulterated power that can tackle hills at over 50 km/hour and achieve the breakneck speed of 80 km/hr on the flats (actually a slight decline...and a bit of a tailwind).  The Chonda was later bestowed with the name "Timmi" (think South Park), therefore making his full name ... Timmi Chonda, which coincidentally enough is one of my favorite Mexican dishes.

2018 Chonda aka "Timmi"

The ride down the coast was excruciating at first.  Long, boring and dangerous (I will get to the dangerous part later). While riding, I kept wondering why they choose to build the road with an alignment that results in absolutely no view of the sea.  My question was answered around Vinh, the coast was a bit uninspiring and the beaches a bit unwelcoming.   That all changed around Hue.  The City was nice, and the beaches were white sand and the ocean was a vibrant blue.  The road started winding though the mountains to reveal the most amazing shoreline and at that point, all was right with the world.  

The first major city south of Hanoi was Da Nang, a city I was only familiar with via movies, and a city that revealed some very nice surprises.  Da Nang was lively, exciting, varied, very clean and is experiencing a renaissance via its local scene and an economy that is bolstered by it tourism and foreign investment construction projects.  The construction money is coming primarily from the Chinese, but the cultural footprint being developed is allot less obvious when compared to other countries such as Cambodia.  Tourism appears to be coming from everywhere.  Talking with some expat locals revealed that numerous westerners are moving here to teach English, a job which pays decent, especially considering the cost of living here. Many backpacker of setting up shop here for 3-6 months to refill their coffers before they head back out on the road.  

The Dragon Bridge - Da Nang

Da Nang

Just south of Da Nang lays the gem of the Vietnamese coastline, the once French provincial city of Hoi An.  The French influence is still here in terms of architecture (and baguettes) with the City's only permissible colors being yellow with white or natural wood trim.  I quaint river runs through the center of the old section and is famous for people placing floating candles on rafts just after dusk,  The candles slowly move down the river, lighting it up in a very firefly kind of way.  Hoi An is a great little town and perfect place to spend a couple of days.

Hoi An

The dangers of driving in Vietnam are very real.  I hear allot of people complaining about the city traffic, but the traffic density is not that bad, it is lighter than most major European and North American cities.  The problem is the quality of the driving and the total disregard for traffic laws.  Red lights, one-way roads, speed limits are all pretty much disregarded, especially in the north.  When the road gets full. the sidewalk becomes an option and pedestrians have to start dodging oncoming scooters.  The real dangerous part comes when the buses are entered into the mix, they speed, run lights, and honk until they can scare you off into a ditch.  If you do not move, you can rest assured with the notion they will move you in a manner you would not appreciate.  This total disregard for safety results in many accidents, some minor, some severe.  In a matter of 24 hours, I witnessed four accidents,  two deaths, a number of broken bones, scrapes, and plastic motorcycle parts littering the streets, With regards to the two deaths (scooter vs. bus), the oddest thing is that no one seemed to care about the bodies.  Traffic cut through and around the bodies as they lay on the street, people in the local village seemed un-phased by the accident scene, and other motorcyclists stopped with the apparent goal to socialize.  I guess life is cheap in this country.  I spent three years in Afghanistan, I understand that one has to develop a shell when tragedy strikes, but this was a bit much ... for me anyway,  

Route

Leg Distance: 490 mi (791 km)

Total Distance Traveled by "Motorcycle:" 35,055 mi (56,541 km)

Countries/Territories Visited: USA, Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Uruguay, Canada, Portugal, Spain, Morocco, Gibraltar, France, Monaco, Italy, Vatican City, San Marino, Slovenia, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Czech Republic, Poland, Ukraine, Transnistria, Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia, Greece, Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, China (for 20 seconds), India, Nepal, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam