Distance today: 68km
Total distance to date: 921km
Temperature (max): 30°C
View the stats on Strava

The moment we stepped out of our hotel this morning we were dumbfounded by what lay directly in front of our eyeballs—Where the heck did those amazing awesome mountains come from? They weren’t here yesterday!  Perhaps obscured by a layer of clouds, they were now revealed in all their shocking glory and it was a spectacular way to start the day.

The Hai Van Pass—10km+ up, up, and up into the mountains. Switchbacks and steep inclines. Honestly, they should give out medals to those who cycle it. There are buses to take you up, or you can rent motorbikes. For efficiency you can pay to transport you and your bike through the mountain tunnel.  But we didn’t come to Vietnam to take the easy way out so we climbed that beast, oh yeah! Push! push push harder!….drip drip sweat! Grip those handlebars cuz we were sharing the two lane road with buses, motorcycles and vans. Of course we didn’t see a single other cyclist, though we know at least one tackled it earlier—Dane, of course. Plenty of motorcyclists were out to experience the Pass, capturing it on their iPhones as they climbed and climbed. Many gave us big thumbs up and more than a few captured us on camera too, sweatin’ our brains out.

Many times we wanted to stretch our necks long & tall to peer at what lay beyond the guardrails but the elevation made it impossible—take our feet off the pedals, we might not be able to get moving again. Touring bikes are heavy & roll like a freight train—slow like molasses uphill but fly like snot down a mountainside.

Huffing & puffing and legs screaming, we reached the top and discovered I sprung a flat tire. In mid-repair the wind suddenly began gusting, practically blowing the hair off our heads and effectively engulfing the top of the mountain in a misty cloud. We prepped for the downhill—slow, controlled, squeezing the heck out of our brakes. Swish, swash, wheeeeeeee! A few times we screeched to a halt just to take in the spectacular earth’s surface that spread out before us—jungle greenery, rocky jutt-outs, salty ocean and white sand below. And in the distance—Danang.

Mountain pass over, we approached Danang by hugging the coast, happy as clams. At the edge of the city we paused to step onto that beautiful white sand that stretched for miles—it was completely, utterly deserted at that point. We whizzed right through the heart of the city along with gazillions of motorcycles, marvelling at its world-class pristine beach with big rolly waves on one side, big luxury hotels glistening on the other. We both agreed it was a pleasure riding across Danang

We made our way to Hỏi An.  The old part of the city delights us with tiny alleyways and street food everywhere—but we broke down and went to a Craft Hamburger restaurant that we were told is owned by a Canadian. Hamburger, onion rings and pulled pork sandwiches for us!!

Today was an epic day. The further south we head, the more we love Vietnam.

The view right outside the front of our accommodations last night.

There’s the tunnel…the one we didn’t take, opting to go over rather than through.

About two thirds up the Hai Van pass—sweating like crazy, leg muscles like jelly.

Heading into the heart of the city of Danang

Distance today: 71km
Total distance to date: 853km
Temperature (max): 26°C
View the stats on Strava

We had some of everything today. Leaving Hue was a madhouse of motorcycles headed in every which direction—literally. Entire families crammed onto motorbikes, farmers transporting cages of chickens layered on top of each other (chickens no longer squawking…we’ll leave it at that), mountains of boxes, bags, trees, coolers of squishy seafood, wire cages transporting piggies to market, chest freezers, furniture and other goods piled sky high on their motorbikes. There’s potential for a reality show here—Motorcycle Wars—Vietnam.  We were part of the hairy traffic lunacy—weaving in and out like basket-weavers—fittin’ right in. 3-feet space? Hardy har har! It’s 3-inches here!

Sometime you gotta ride on the highway with the evil-gargantuan-tyrannical-buses and transports. After sharing a long tunnel with those fast moving metal beasts we felt vulnerable, like little ants—enough was enough. We skedaddled off that route and hung a right (or was it a left?).  No matter—it was the right choice. Green & glorious, tranquil and still—our inner selves delighted in the fresh new direction. The lush, vast mountainsides painted a beautiful picture in our memories. Google Maps pointed us down miles & miles of pristine road surface. We saw more cows & goats lingering on the road than motorized vehicles or human activity. There were vast stretches of formerly grand hotel complexes looking post-apocalyptically abandoned—not a soul to be found. Our own little slice of never-never land pie.

Our little coastal resort is located in a quaint little village where locals harvest messy mussels from the muddy salt-water floor, seafood restaurants abound, and a few handfuls of tourists stroll the street. Not long after we arrived, so too did Dane, having travelled a different route to get here.   Yep! Dane again. His little hut for the night is right next to ours, so we are neighbours. The three of us searched out dinner—fries, spring rolls, green spinachy-sautéed stuff, and seafood rice. No Pho! That alone made us happy. Afterward, newfound friends Randy and Dane retired to the proverbial cigar lounge to talk beer & bikes. Another Happy Day here in Vietnam.

Hue has everything. Historic sites, food selection for adventurous appetites, hustlers, and amazing culture.

We visited the Imperial City, a walled enclosure within the Citadel of the city of Huế, the former imperial capital of Vietnam during the Nguyễn dynasty. Within its walls are palaces that housed the imperial family. The decor on the walls, ceiling and floors are swirly, elaborate, and ornate—better told with pictures rather than words.

We sought out a bicycle shop only to find it closed so we headed to another. Only one other person was in the shop—Hey whoa! Is that you Dane?? (the cycle tourist we met the other day). In this country of millions, in this city of a half million, we manage to meet up with Dane once more, in a city almost a hundred kilometres away from where we first met! We also discovered ironically, that we are headed to the same location tomorrow.

As we sat at dinner tonight, a young man approached us looking for a monetary donation. We made a little contribution to alleviate his circumstances, whatever they may be. As he hobbled away, grateful for a little kindness, we noticed he moved with the aid of crutches and had only one leg. In a country where motorcycles rule, cars are beyond reach for many and public transit is poor, we could only imagine the mobility difficulties he must encounter. We are very aware of our own fortunate lives that allow us to adventure these far away places.

There are hustlers here. We have been offered taxi service on the back of motorcycles (both of us….on one motorcycle!), coaxed into bars, night spots and restaurants, and pressed to take rides on cycle rickshaws, propelled by petite Vietnamese people. (Really? Randy and I together probably weigh the same as three Vietnamese!)

Food—it’s always a topic of great interest to us and we are open to trying new things—but in our quest for some street food we found deep fried chicken feet to be out of our comfort zone. Just bein’ honest!

Distance (yesterday): 103km
Temperature (max): 28°C
View the stats on Strava (Dong Hỏi to Dong Ha)

Distance (today): 72km
Temperature (max): 21°C
View the stats on Strava (Dong Ha to Hue)

Total distance to date: 782km

Yesterday we had glorious sunshine, which has eluded us much of the time here. We made hay while the sun shone and covered big distance. Mid-day we rounded a bend in the road and spotted a fellow cycle tourist and wheeled  up to say hello.  We learned that we had a mutual acquaintance with Dane, in this country of 94.5 million. Ironically, he is the same individual that Michelle, who we met days prior, had told us about. It’s a small world, this bicycle touring one.

Today it was cool, grey & overcast. Then it drizzled. And it rained. And it kept raining. In fact, it didn’t stop. We were the only two people in all of Vietnam who didn’t have a rain poncho to wear. Coffee drinkers sitting under shelter eyed us with sorrow….shop workers smiled at us with pity on their faces. Motorcyclists exuded silent condolences our way. Bus drivers though—Bwahaha, not my problem, sucker!—as they barrelled by us hurling water, road grit, and grime from the sides. We have fenders—fenders are our friend—but NavCom guy (Randy) rides in front, while I ride behind where his wheel sprays grit & grime all up and down the front of me. Split, splat, splodge, spray. All day long. When we pulled into a service centre a man waiting with his family was enormously amused at my dirty appearance in particular and offered to hose me down with the nearby hose.

We checked into our hotel, acutely aware of  stares from lingering guests. To place our bikes in a secure location we would have to wheel them across a pristine, shiny lobby floor. With what remained of our dignity, we asked if we could hose ourselves and our bikes off before wheeling them in. Hotel Guy brought us to an alley where someone had a pressure washer. He offered to blast me down clean along with the bike, but I declined. Randy got his feet & shoes blasted clean, because he’s far braver than I am. And with that, we were able to hold our heads up high as we walked back through that hotel lobby.

We are in north central Vietnam, in Hue, a city of 455,000. Our room is in a little hotel on the 4th floor in the centre of the city. To get here we sloshed through puddles, veered lefts & swerved rights, weaved our way through oncoming vehicles in our lane, squeezed through the eye of a needle to make left turns and we came to a realization—we have assimilated to the traffic chaos and barely react to anything!

Let’s talk Food: We are Pho’d out so on the advice of a friend of a friend, we sought out a great restaurant tonight (Madam Thu Restaurant) that allowed us to sample some tasty regional foods we might otherwise have missed. We dined on a delectable variety that we’ll never be able to pronounce. Crunchy little rolls of veggie-fish-pork thingys, little round balls of squishiness, and long skinny meat on lemongrass sticks—all tasting exotic & new. Randy, being the food adventurer is responsible for eating all that I will not—so he had double portions of the white jelly-like substance (bánh bèo) and the strange thickened gel-suspended something-or-other wrapped up in a green leaf (bánh Lộc).

And finally, let’s talk public washrooms—or rather, let’s not—a single picture at the end will let you draw your own conclusions.

Distance today: 77km
Total distance to date: 520km
Temperature (max): 27°C, and soupy humid.
View the stats on Strava

We met the first cycle tourist since arriving. Michelle is travelling solo in the opposite direction so we stopped roadside to exchange stories, routes & experiences. When travelling the way we are, meeting like-minded cyclists lifts our spirits and brightens our day. Thank you Michelle!

After we said our goodbyes we had a stellar ride.  We caught great views of the ocean and while we stood roadside gaping, we noticed a few Vietnamese tourists gaping at us while sneaking in a little video. We suppose it makes us part of their scenery

When mountains & ocean drifted into our past, we then found ourselves riding on a flat, paved road along endless rice paddies that extended as far as the eye could see and might even  convince you the earth really is flat. Not only might it be flat but it’s also windy. Like, blowin’-the-hair-off-your-head headwind reducing our speed to 9 or 10km per hour. Then it drizzled. Wind and drizzle. Nevermind though—we were already saturated from the humidity so a little drizzle? Ha! We scoff at drizzle now

Today was all about scenery. Glorious, lush mountains, waves from the sea rolling onto shore, and green-on-steroids rice paddies. At  times we were all alone in the vastness of it and the beauty & the silence were brilliant. Water buffalo form part of that scenery. We saw them everywhere, loitering at the side of the road just like cows and random chickens do. Those big menacing horns are for show. They are gentle, docile spirits just minding their own biz.

We splurged on a hotel—$47–and are luxuriating in a splendidly decorated hotel with floors so gleaming & grand it feels like a palace. But most marvellous is their menu—Tonight  its hamburger & fries and pizza! No mo’ Pho!

Our fancy-pants hotel. It’s really spectacular! $50 goes a long way toward luxury.

Distance today: 64km
Total distance to date: 443km
Temperature (max): Don’t know—Humid. Really humid.
View the stats on Strava

We moaned. We groaned. We questioned our sanity and why we are here. We fantasized hopping on a flight to Thailand. The battle with big rigs on the highway combined with three nights in a row in a hotel-wasteland and the relentless search for some good solid food other than Pho, zapped us. Our mojo was gone. Enthusiasm depleted. There was an ocean literally in front of the hotel but we couldn’t see it for the foggy mist—or the construction torn road, the decaying relics of an amusement park, and dilapidated utility buildings. We consoled ourselves in a restaurant where we, along with four ratty rats, were the only patrons. We woke up in the morning with two options on the table—hop a flight to Saigon at the regional airport just 6 km away or continue our travels southward as planned. We needed a win.

We came here to see it all. We will not bail. With resolve and hope, we decided to roll on hoping for a sign from the universe that it was the right choice.

The road was bliss. Beautiful road surface, big wide lane to ride, zigzag, wibble-wobble on bikes at will with barely any vehicles. Frequently we had the entire road to ourselves. We found glorious frosty cold ice-cream, we saw lush green mountains—and when we rolled into town we stopped at the first hotel we happened upon and it was gorgeous! No searching. It just opened three months ago, and is manicured with lush tropical gardens—all for a measly $25. They are preparing for what appears to be a wedding party this evening. We will sit outside on lovely little cafe chairs watching the festivities with the interest of a small child.

PS. As we watch guests arrive for the celebration, situated in the far corner of the courtyard, little groups of young girls have discovered “the foreigners” and approach us very tentatively to look and to shyly say hello. They disappear only to re-emerge with a few more friends for some Show‘n Tell. It warms our hearts.

About the food
We are open minded and understand that in some countries you will see dog and cat meat on the menu. We withhold judgement but have memorized the words (thịt cho and thịt mèo) and take care to avoid them. But when we ride by an outdoor BBQ at the side of the street and there’s thịt cho rotating around a rotisserie it’s really hard (impossible) to unsee—no sign was necessary to identify it. We have also seen toads and eel at the markets, and have heard that pigeon is also a thing. We could really go for some pizza….

Is this a thing at home? Can you buy padded-bum shorts?

Distance today: 86km
Total distance to date: 379km
Temperature (max): 29.8°C
View the stats on Strava

Having cycled about 6,000 km in Cuba and Thailand on three different tours, we have never had a flat tire. Today we woke up to a flat. Like greased lightning Randy had the wheel off and located the offender—not just one, but two small pieces of metal embedded in the tire.

We rolled out into the misty morning fog—we’re talkin’ heavy, wet, make-your-handlebars-slimy mist that just hung in the air and made us drip. We couldn’t see the hills in front of us and we pretty much had the road to ourselves for while. A few kilometres later came an unusual looking motorcycle with a contraption on the back of it. We noticed a gigantic 6ft wide magnet was affixed to the back and was sweeping the side of the road for metal fragments. It was low-tech magnificence and we both appreciated the genius of it, wishing one of those would clean our roads at home!

Later, when the sun came out and the day really started heating up we took our chances on a dubious little road through a village just to escape some gnarly traffic mayhem. It was all lalalalala…until it wasn’t.  “Woof woof wooof arff arfff wooof what-the-heck!”  — Just keep goin! Look ahead! Don’t stop! OMG! Randy dismounted to stare the dog down but it was a war of wills. Randy won that battle. Not five minutes later the scene played out again. Then again. By that time we were unnerved and stood there paralyzed, mentally calculating how to escape this village of crazy dogs and return to the preferable highway mayhem again. As we stood there, wishing we could teleport ourselves away, out of the corner of my eye I spotted an older Vietnamese man standing in his doorway trying to snap some incognito shots of the crazy first-time-for-everything-foreigners-in-the-village.

People sneak pictures of us at every angle—passengers (sometimes the drivers) of passing motorcycles, teenagers lucky enough to have cell phones—and the ice cream guy. We stopped (rather, came to a screeching halt) when we noticed an ice cream parlour. We each ordered up a chocolate Sundae. Then another. Then another (for Randy). Five in total, to be exact. As we are slurping away, the ice cream guy tentatively approaches with camera in hand. We put on our biggest smiley faces and it became a paparazzi moment. Ice Cream Guy’s girlfriend saw her opportunity and she too came to snap a picture of The Foreigners.

But today wasn’t really about flat tires, dogs or ice cream. What really seared itself into our innards was the car honking. Little toots, bleeps & beeps we can handle. It’s the soul crunching booming, bellowing, heart-stopping blasts from every single passing truck and bus that penetrates the blood-brain barrier and traumatizes our eardrums. They aren’t just occasional thunderbolts into our sound-sphere. Every truck or bus lays on the horn as though they want to notify humanity that they are about to drive off the edge of planet earth. We get it—they want (need) to announce their approach from behind as they pass.  But when you get a transport, right beside a megalith bus and they are both passing you at the same time, blaaaaaaastity blast blaaaaaast—it feels like there’s about six tones of angry metal right above your head.

Maybe a few barking dogs on back roads aren’t so bad afterall…

Distance today: 74km
Total distance to date: 293km
Temperature (max): 28.6°C
View the stats on Strava

We spent time on the highway today (so did a random herd of cows, but we’ll get to that.). When possible, we seek out roads less travelled and today we found ourselves riding along the seashore’s edge, with barely another car or human into be found. We are a peculiar sight, and don’t go unnoticed. Five young men were out walking and in addition to the usual enthusiastic “Hellloooooos”  this group wanted to shake hands and get pictures with Randy (it’s that snazzy masterpiece haircut of his). In an instant, Randy became a celebrity! Laughter and smiles are a universal language—Tùng Sơn and I  became “Facebook Friends” before we continued on our way.

Our apprehension about busy intersections and crossing multi-lane roadways has disappeared. For safety reasons we have opted to not wear rear-view mirrors—the hazards are all in front of us and that’s where our attention must be—left, right, and oncoming in our lane. Knowing what’s behind might make us flinch and worse yet, stop. Traffic moves around us like a school of fish, and we are fishes too. And it’s beginning to make sense!

Cows here also understand traffic dynamics. Tonight while at dinner about 15 cows caught our eye as they were walking down the centre of a very wide road. They walked far, never veering out of the painted lines on the road. That alone is random enough, but these cows had no supervision, restraints, or guidance that we could see, yet they seemed to possess a sense of direction and hazard avoidance.

We came here to see everything, not just the pretty attractions. Today we saw industrial facilities and busy roads and admittedly it was a slog. We found a little gem of a hotel at the end of a very long stretch of an impressively sprawling steel manufacturing area. Tired and overheated (humidity is picking up!) we are thrilled to be off the bike and resting up for whatever tomorrow may bring

One of the tiny roads “Ride With GPS” thinks we should take.

Pho—for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Randy’s moment of fame