|
South to North Vietnam (Feb to April 2025)
Will be flying into Saigon on 24/2/2025 and depart Hanoi on 13/4/2025.
This will be tour #10 and my third tour to Vietnam. I did the North East and Extreme North in 2022 and in 2023 did the North West. This will be my longest tour to date with 48 days and have a rough itinerary planned out. Will update report periodically on my rest days. Renting a Honda XR150 which was the bike I used for the last 2 tours in Vietnam. Meeting up with a friend I haven't seen in 10 years in Saigon and he might want to rent a bike and join me for a few days. Looking forward to ride again in VN. Among all the SEA countries I have ridden, Vietnam is still my favourite. bierbeer:D:scooter: |
Overview of South to North route starting from Saigon SGN and ending at Hanoi HAN.
I still want to go back to Ha Giang again since my last visit in 2022. I really love the views there! But this trip I won't be able to make it there but I will make another trip to Ha Giang again in the future. |
|
|
|
Enjoy the trip
Wayne |
Thanks mate!
:scooter: |
Sounds fun. Looking forward to your updates
|
Quote:
I've never been there before - would you mind telling me from where you are renting the XR150? |
Oh... give me a PM when you are in Saigon then!
Contact Dragon Bikes. Ask for Patrick. The other one I have never used and popular is Tigit Bikes. https://www.google.com/maps/place/Dr...oASAFQAw%3D%3D Hope that helps!:scooter: |
Thanks for that info! I'll PM you with my WhatsApp.
|
Arrived Saigon on 24/2 around 1600hrs.
Left my Kindle e-reader on the first leg of my flight and only discovered that I has left it on the plane when I was in the air on my way to Saigon. Felt disappointed with myself for being so careless. Anyway, once I arrived Saigon I went to the lost&found baggage counter and they gave me a QR code which lead directly to Malaysia Airlines (MH) lost items. I completed the forms and lodged the report that i left my Kindle on board the plane. Took a Grab to the hotel about 45 minutes away and then went out for dinner to meet a friend I had not seen in 10 years who is now based in Saigon. Good news was that just as I was preparing to go out for dinner I received a email from MH that they had the Kindle with them. Bloody good news! I replied thanking them and asked about the arrangements to collect back my Kindle since I would be traveling for about 7 weeks. I have to collect it back from KLIA airport but I am trying to see if they could courier it back to my home instead. Slept early after dinner as I was rather worn out from all the flying & anxiety about losing the Kindle. :scooter::mchappy: |
Quote:
Enjoy the trip Wayne |
Thanks mate!
Will start riding on 28/2 morning. bier:scooter: |
24/2 to 27/2
Did the usual touristy stuff and met up with a mate from NZ I haven't seen for 10 years. We had dinner on the 24/2 and also lunch on 27/2. On 25/2 I went to Tigit Bikes to try the LS2 Vento summer pants. It fit so I bought it as a second pair of riding pants. For riding pants, I have to try them as pants are difficult to get the sizing right. Jackets I can buy online. The Vento is CE A rated and comes with Level 1 knee armour. I'll swap them to L2 knee armour and hips I will add Level 2 protection too. I then had lunch with Patrick from Dragon Bikes. There I met a young German guy who wanted to ride from Saigon to Hanoi. It was his first rodeo and I offered him to join me for a few days so that he could get acclimatized to Vietnam's traffic etc. Then in the evening went to the Bui Vien walking street. The music was way too loud for me. On 26/2 went to the War Remnants Museum which was very interesting and there they had pictures of the effects of Agent Orange used during the Vietnam War. Those pictures put a lump in my throat and were deeply moving. Saigon Post office was touristy but it still functions as a actual post office and you can actually buy postcards, buy stamps and post it out. There was a queue though. The famous Notre Dame cathedral was still under renovation so there wasn't much to see. Had Indian curry for dinner on the 26/2 and after 30 minutes had to hurry back to the hotel as I felt like going to the toilet. I am used to eating spicy food and it must have not been very hygienic. Grab bike is a good way to get around Saigon traffic and it's also cheap and convenient. Also tried the Saigon metro which has been operational only for a few months. Has AC, clean, fast and even cheaper than Grab bike. But you still have to buy the metro tickets at the booth as the machines were all out of order. https://images2.imgbox.com/50/e7/TREAqE7G_o.jpg |
|
|
|
28/2/2025
Overview of route. https://images2.imgbox.com/aa/dd/xQoI2uLZ_o.png https://images2.imgbox.com/f5/2b/RqZSa26N_o.png |
28/2/2025
Saigon to Ba Ria, Vung Tau ATD 1040 hrs. ATA 1540 hrs Total time 5 hours including the ferries. Chose to depart around 10ish from Saigon to avoid the mad & chaotic traffic. Took another route for Ba Ria as it was recommended by my mate who lives in SGN and also the bike rental owner. It has less traffic and much more enjoyable to ride. So the route took us south of Saigon instead of east. There were 2 ferries to take. The Binh Khanh ferry was a small one whereas the Ben Pha Can Gio/Vung Tau operates every hour. When we arrived the Ben Pha ferry we had to wait for an hour as the ferry had just left. The ferry takes about 10 minutes for the small ferry and 40 minutes for the larger. The route was scenic with 3 lane highways but it is not classified as a CT (bikes are not allowed on CT highways and there are tolls). The young German guy tagged along with me for today's ride. I like to take it easy for the first few days of the tour to ease myself for a long tour. |
http://https://images2.imgbox.com/c1/b1/ZOI8dlMf_o.jpg
https://images2.imgbox.com/c7/1a/awqZaT9G_o.jpg https://images2.imgbox.com/97/df/xajWSdco_o.jpg https://images2.imgbox.com/bf/05/m2z3ZhWZ_o.jpg https://images2.imgbox.com/2e/b2/HSyLR8Zz_o.jpg https://images2.imgbox.com/a1/8a/S0ZDO4cH_o.jpg https://images2.imgbox.com/29/b3/M3FN8FrI_o.jpg |
|
ATD 0840
ATA 1200 Ride time 3.5 hours Coastal roads and lots of expensive high end resorts besides the sea front. Scenic but quite boring road. Nothing much in this town except for the Minera hot springs/mud bath. A unique experience in a classy resort. https://images2.imgbox.com/f8/45/LwPp8E1i_o.jpg https://images2.imgbox.com/f0/ff/wtmIjn0m_o.jpg https://images2.imgbox.com/bd/7f/IyytO83D_o.jpg https://images2.imgbox.com/ca/1c/rD1yXUGL_o.jpg https://images2.imgbox.com/a4/f3/KFftl8Ca_o.jpg |
2/3/2025
Binh Chau to Bao Loc ATD 0930 ATA 1430 Ride time 5 hours Mixture of quiet roads fringed by jungle on both sides of the mountainous road twisties. Weather was good if not a little hot. Noticed that the front tyre was installed incorrectly. The rotation was wrong and I was wary when taking corners. Would get it fixed later. In the evening the XR would not start for about 5 minutes. Played with the choke and it finally started. https://images2.imgbox.com/ef/56/mjLaF2Mi_o.png |
https://images2.imgbox.com/6b/77/HVPWh5Fj_o.jpg
https://images2.imgbox.com/da/95/WIlOYxSk_o.jpg https://images2.imgbox.com/34/bb/JxxrjI7w_o.jpg https://images2.imgbox.com/ef/db/qHz0xvwF_o.jpg https://images2.imgbox.com/ed/8d/5wSPlO2z_o.jpg https://images2.imgbox.com/0a/1d/4ijybUJB_o.jpg https://images2.imgbox.com/20/dd/f3syvosR_o.jpg |
3/3/2025
Bao Loc to Phan Thiet ATD 0940 ATA 1200 Ride time 2.5 hours XR would not start again in the morning. After playing with the choke for about 10 minutes it finally started. Drove to the Honda HEAD which was just down the street from the hotel. HEAD is Honda Vietnam's shop for bikes and they all over the country. The mechanic had a look at it and discovered that a hose at the carburetor had come loose. He then removed the spark plug and checked if it was good. They did not want any money for the troubleshooting. They also had a riding trainer which looked like fun to play with and I got free coffee too. Also my young German friend would go on his own route to Hanoi. He is headed to Da Lat while I am headed to Phan Thiet. The road was boring as there wasn't much scenery except for the section at Ham Thuan Lake which was nice. I didn't stop to take pictures though. Duh......:oops2: https://images2.imgbox.com/20/f8/3BGkzyPe_o.png |
|
|
Looking good after the mud bath:eek3::rofl::rofl:
Wayne |
ha...ha.....
:rofl:keepcalm |
4/3/2025
Phan Rhiet to Phan Rang ATD 0900 ATA 1330 Ride time 4.5 hours Nice ride especially on the coast where the water are turquoise green. Very beautiful! Lots of fishing boats and huge windmills. Enjoyable ride today. In hindsight should not have stayed overnight here. There wasn't much to see and the beach front had major construction work going on. https://images2.imgbox.com/3e/5e/coSZN3SF_o.png |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
https://images2.imgbox.com/38/43/Y2ePKdiE_o.jpg
Don't know why I can't upload multiple pictures in one post now. Only 1 picture will show in in each post. |
5/3/2025
Phan Rang to Nha Trang ATD 0800 ATA 1200 Ride time 4 hours. Ride at Vinh Hy was nice with the coast but I saw rubbish on the beach just like back home at my home city. Stopped for coffee and met a Polish couple who were touring on a bike too. We chat for about 20 minutes. Nha Trang is a touristy city with lots of foreigners which is not exactly my taste. Went to do some sight seeing. Mountain church was nice and the Ponagar temple was packed with tourists from China and South Korea. Did a walk around and quickly left. Wanted to go to the Vinpearl cable car but knowing that there would be tons of tourists also at the cable car I decided to skip it. I am all for experiencing the scenery but not with tourists shouting and vying for selfies. http://https://images2.imgbox.com/ee/d7/f1Mc6BOj_o.png |
|
|
|
|
pics
https://images2.imgbox.com/a7/0a/1w9mzWJj_o.jpg https://images2.imgbox.com/cd/f0/V6eA7VnA_o.jpg https://images2.imgbox.com/82/42/z8CTapD2_o.jpg https://images2.imgbox.com/37/30/r8DSkSyE_o.jpg https://images2.imgbox.com/e7/75/oVntLPJ1_o.jpg https://images2.imgbox.com/9f/a8/7lHDEb0v_o.jpg https://images2.imgbox.com/8d/4a/2Jv1DN3O_o.jpg |
|
6/3/2025
Nha Trang to Da Lat ATD 0800 ATA 1130 Ride time 3.5 hours Da Lat is located in the highlands of Vietnam and at a altitude of 1500m ASL. Temperature at night can go to 16 Celsius. Cool ride up to the mountains. Will be staying 4 nights here as have a few day routes planned. https://images2.imgbox.com/05/58/PBsC7jTX_o.png |
|
7/3/2025
Da Lat Went to a seamstress to repair my Clover jacket pocket. Done in 5 minutes. Did oil change for the XR150. Oil change is at every 1,000kms. Also serviced the rear brake which wasn't really effective. Went for a loop of the Lake route which took about 2 hours of slow riding. https://images2.imgbox.com/dc/63/U06oDJZs_o.jpg This was tasteless. https://images2.imgbox.com/f0/d1/7rtcGhaB_o.jpg https://images2.imgbox.com/34/7a/m2kVtWPE_o.jpg https://images2.imgbox.com/16/58/a65OcN7C_o.jpg https://images2.imgbox.com/76/74/s0wZ8jTA_o.jpg |
|
8/3/2025
Took another loop on the Da Lat mountain area and another 2 hours of enjoyable slow scenic riding. Went to get the side mirror fixed as the mirror wouldn't stay in place. just flapping around. Went back to the bike shop I went yesterday. This guy is good and experienced. If he was in my hometown he would be my regular mechanic to wok on my bike. Tomorrow I head to Buon Ma Thuot. But with the ride time I might stay overnight at a town named Nonh Truong Ro Mai. https://images2.imgbox.com/c4/7e/Hj7laLjU_o.jpg https://images2.imgbox.com/6a/90/sPXYYOqG_o.jpg https://images2.imgbox.com/63/50/VOtwkfDn_o.jpg https://images2.imgbox.com/7a/b8/JSJsF9rf_o.jpg https://images2.imgbox.com/fb/7d/t9UWuhbg_o.jpg https://images2.imgbox.com/54/c9/iau5YPkj_o.jpg |
9/3/2025
Da Lat Feeling lazy so no day ride today. The trip report is current now. Planning for tomorrow's ride. Time to head back on the road. Going for a cup of coffee later and look for a light lunch. :scooter::scooter: |
It's been raining since 1400hrs at Da Lat.
I didn't even go out for lunch. Just walked out 10 minutes for dinner and then back to the homestay. Tomorrow morning refuel the bike and on the road again. Hoping for better weather tomorrow. :scooter::scooter: https://images2.imgbox.com/a9/37/XVFRxvAL_o.jpg |
10/3/2025 Da Lat to Nnoh Truong Ro Mai + Buon Ma Thout
ATD 0840 ATA 1600 Ride time 7.5 hours Nice ride up the mountains. Supposed to stay overnight at Nonh Truong Ro Mai but when I had my lunch there it was a dusty hot town so I decided to move on to the coffee city of Buon Ma Thout. Booked a room using booking.com while having my lunch. After arriving at my hotel at Buon Ma Thout, I was told the room was not available. There is a coffee festival which started today. I kicked a fuss with the hotel that they could not simply accept my booking without ensuring that they had the room. They only apologized but would not give me a room. I left the hotel and spent the next 3 hours searching for a room. There were 2 hotels who had room but one wanted double the rate and another wanted close to triple the rate for the room. I finally found a room but it was below my expectation. I had to use a towel over the pillow as the pillow covers had hair and yellowish stains on them. The mattress was also thin AF but I needed a room to sleep as it was already about 1900hrs by then. Wifi was also intermittent. It did have hot water, bike was safely parked inside the hotel. I would check out next morning and leave BMT since there were no rooms in all the hotels due to the coffee festival and the traffic was also crazy with many roads in the main city closed. :thumbdown: I arrived BMT and left without seeing anything! https://images2.imgbox.com/e0/24/ZQns8HSo_o.png |
|
11/3/2025
Buon Ma Thout to Ninh Hoa ATD 0815 ATA 1215 Ride time 4 hours Got out of BMT and on the boring QL26 road except for the last hour which had some twisties. The hotel I booked here is a 180 degree over the accommodation at BMT. :rofl: Went for a 4km walk/run for some cardio exercise. My belly is getting bigger. :helpsmilie::(:( https://images2.imgbox.com/df/61/PKuFwWBw_o.png |
pics
https://images2.imgbox.com/f6/36/jUf27MBs_o.jpg https://images2.imgbox.com/36/ab/a21QjJUG_o.jpg Tastes good but this would be most likely the root cause of my problem later on https://images2.imgbox.com/4b/f9/wyHVWqSq_o.jpg https://images2.imgbox.com/99/9d/VLI7ulUc_o.jpg https://images2.imgbox.com/9f/f7/DLIV2KUr_o.jpg |
12/3/2025
0200 hrs Woke up and rushed to the toilet! Fark! Having the diarrhea shits ........................ I know it's not a matter of if but when I will get diarrhea from all my travelling. This my 10th bike tour with each tour at least 3 to 4 weeks in duration. I had a slight discomfort in Saigon when I ate at the Indian restaurant for dinner but the next day was ok. In my other 9 tours I had not experienced any diarrhea and ate whatever the locals ate. This one wasn't so easy to shrug off. I had originally planned to stay a night only at Ninh Hoa but decided to stay another night to recover as I was feeling weak and might need to go to the toilet at any bloody time. :helpsmilie::helpsmilie: Most likely came from the unhygienic food I had for lunch. By my estimate I slept almost 20 hours. Had the hotel get me some fried rice for lunch but I couldn't finish it and skipped dinner. I carry some diarrhea medication when I travelled and it helped. |
13/3/2025
Ninh Hoa to Tuy Hoa ATD 0710 ATA 1010 Ride time 3 hours I still wasn't feeling 100% but I had already booked the hotel and would stay at Tuy Hoa for 2 nights to get more rest. Was another boring ride and the hotel allowed me to check in early. Quiet and comfortable hotel. I was hungry as I had only eaten a little fried rice the previous day and I wanted some English breakfast! Could not find any Western restaurant that served breakfast so I opted for a pizza and the taste was rubbish. LOL So much for good reviews on Google maps. Went back to the hotel to sleep some more as still wasn't feeling great. In the evening I wanted to go to a doctor but the hotel receptionist said there were no English speaking doctors and she recommended a pharmacy. The pharmacy staff could not speak English either but they were very helpful and used Google translate to patiently communicate with me. They prescribed Imodium. https://images2.imgbox.com/3a/8e/v3v4dJgw_o.png |
pics
https://images2.imgbox.com/16/65/LYMISCCW_o.jpg Rubbish pizza. https://images2.imgbox.com/82/e4/zZNm918b_o.jpg I liked pho but couldn't finish it as the appetite just wasn't there https://images2.imgbox.com/d1/2e/MhgYDUUF_o.jpg |
14/3/2025
Tuy Hoa Feeling much better after taking the Imodium and had porridge for lunch and bought some bananas. Tuy Hoa looks like a nice city as it's not too busy, has wide streets but I only go out to look for food and then back to the hotel to rest. Pity.............. did not have the opportunity to explore the city. View from my room. https://images2.imgbox.com/f0/82/tE3iRzON_o.jpg The beach/sea is just after the trees. They have a nice boardwalk along the beach and it would have been nice to take a walk. https://images2.imgbox.com/2d/17/TMikoaBq_o.jpg https://images2.imgbox.com/a0/91/HUIBvDEU_o.jpg |
15/3/2025
Tuy Hoa to Quy Nhon ATD 0810 ATA 1140 Ride time 3.5 hours Average road and boring for the most part except for the wooden bridge which crosses a lake. You pay VND10,000 to use this bridge. I did not stop to take a picture while riding on the wooden bridge as it's narrow and there were bikes coming the opposite direction. A unique experience! Quy Nhon looks modern with wide roads, lots of tourist buses, numerous resorts. The waters are also beautiful turquoise green and there are less rubbish in the sea here. https://images2.imgbox.com/f5/df/Kejr6Pmp_o.png |
pics
https://images2.imgbox.com/54/7a/D9NiLl6l_o.jpg https://images2.imgbox.com/4a/60/UBp1vwH8_o.jpg https://images2.imgbox.com/db/85/SnQQmpiJ_o.jpg https://images2.imgbox.com/fe/e5/s51OSj4X_o.jpg https://images2.imgbox.com/cb/cb/WKoX3PGv_o.jpg https://images2.imgbox.com/bc/81/stbMArtx_o.jpg https://images2.imgbox.com/d1/1d/kVargUQk_o.jpg |
I am a bit more careful of where I eat now after experiencing unhygienic food. LOL I have always ate whatever I like previously. Am more cautious now.
First time in Vietnam taking fast food! https://images2.imgbox.com/45/94/Kjglqyun_o.jpg https://images2.imgbox.com/46/7a/mAfdTy8T_o.jpg https://images2.imgbox.com/f4/7c/lt0Ozyms_o.jpg |
16/3/2025
Update: I have to return back home soonest possible as my Dad is hospitalized. Today I rode from Quy Nhon to Quang Ngai and tomorrow (17/3/2025) I will change the engine oil for the XR and then head back south towards Saigon. I am roughly less than half way into my tour at this point. At this juncture I am about 800kms back south to Saigon or 940kms north to Hanoi. It's closer for me to return to Saigon and return the bike and also Saigon airport has a direct non-stop flight to my home city. I estimate about 5 days for me to ride back to Saigon and then catch a flight home. Going to ride at my normal pace of about 4 to 6 hours ride time per day. Want to be able to concentrate on the road and not rush. :scooter::scooter: |
Not good, hope he's going to be ok mate
Wayne |
He's recovering and I already bought a flight ticket on 22/3 to fly home.
I guess I'll have to do the South to North Vietnam some other time. LOL..... Now..... making my way back to Saigon :scooter::scooter::scooter::scooter: |
16/3/2025
Quy Nhon to Quang Ngai ATD 0720 ATA 1320 Ride time 6 hours Long ride and beautiful scenery taking in the villages and back roads with minimal highways. Weather was good all the way to Quang Ngai except for the last hour where the skies went dark and looked like it was going to rain. Arrived hotel with no rain but the roads were wet. Supposed to go to My Lai massacre memorial after check in but with the dark clouds I put it off for today. Also received news that my Dad is hospitalized and I would have to return home soonest possible. I am roughly less than half way into my tour at this point. At this juncture I am about 800kms back south to Saigon or 940kms north to Hanoi. It's closer for me to return to Saigon and return the bike and also Saigon airport has a direct non-stop flight to my home city. I estimate about 5 days for me to ride back to Saigon and then catch a flight home. Going to ride at my normal pace of about 4 to 6 hours ride time per day. Want to be able to concentrate on the road and not rush. https://images2.imgbox.com/04/d7/paRTRfl9_o.png |
pics
https://images2.imgbox.com/20/45/ahn942OX_o.jpg beautiful majestic statue of Buddha https://images2.imgbox.com/44/22/pZfY1QRN_o.jpg https://images2.imgbox.com/38/29/IrFBZd7J_o.jpg https://images2.imgbox.com/0c/48/CUeRvL0u_o.jpg spaghetti for dinner. LOL.... still cautious with food https://images2.imgbox.com/1c/dd/8aIpWTm5_o.jpg |
17/3/2025
Spend the previous night planning for my return leg back to Saigon. Take the coast or take the mountains? Decided to take the mountains as I had enough of coastal roads with all the high end resorts. Quang Ngai to Pleiku ATD 0710 to Honda HEAD for oil change ATD 0740 on the road ATA 1330 Ride time 6 hours 30 minutes out it started to rain. Put on my rain gear for the first time on this tour. Scenery is beautiful but with the rain and fog I concentrated on the road. I was cold and miserable. After 4 hours the sun came out about 50kms away from Kontum. There were a few nice spots to take pictures but I didn't feel like stopping as I was cold! https://images2.imgbox.com/ff/10/tvSnEzC7_o.png |
|
18/3/2025
Pleiku to Buon Ma Thout ATD 0810 ATA 1200 Ride time 4 hours Beautiful weather and enjoyable ride. The first hour took me to a broken asphalt road (DT438) through villages where Googlemaps says only for motorcycles. If I used the car mode it would route using a different road. I can only assume that due to the large number of motorcycles in Vietnam they have specific routes for motorcycles. At one point it was chilly and I closed the vents on the Clover jacket. Screenshot might not be the actual route I rode https://images2.imgbox.com/4f/8d/emYlIdJB_o.png |
|
19/3/2025
Buon Ma Thout to Dak R Lap district ATD 0830 ATA 1200 Ride time 3.5 hours I want to be at the ouksirts of Saigon no more than 2 hours away on Thursday 20/3 so that on Friday 21/3 I can return the bike to Dragon Bikes in Saigon by lunch time. I wanted to ride further for 4 hours today but there were no accommodations I could find online. So I opted for this place which turned out to be not so great. The ride was nice and again it was chilly. The hotel said it had AC on booking.com but the room only had a fan. The receptionist could not understand what I was saying even with Google translate and kept on saying Agoda. A Vietnamese who spoke some English translated for me and I was finally shown my room but with no AC. I sent a email to Booking customer service but looks like I was ignored. The customer service by these OTA's are becoming really shitty. In the evening I didn't feel like riding out for dinner. As I was standing outside the guesthouse, a young Vietnamese staff appeared and I asked her whether they could cook me anything for dinner. She was very obliging and cooked me some noodles with eggs and vegetables. Tomorrow is a long ride to my final destination before Saigon. |
|
20/3/2025
Kien Duc to Thu Dau Mot. ATD 0710 ATA 1150 Ride time 4.75 hours Today is the second last day of riding my tour. It was a boring ride on highways most of the time. Didn't stop much. Today's hotel is much better! Comfortable and with AC! yeeha....... It's not so much the AC but what I don't like is being charged for something I did not get. It's the principle! After I woke up around 5ish in the morning I checked my email and there was no email from booking.com on my complaint. I send them another email again and I got a reply within a few minutes. Said that as the reservation was facilitated by a "partner company" and not booking.com directly they can't do anything. WTF! Reservation was made on booking.com's app and now they wash their hands. I am going to give a stinking review for the property I stayed in so that others are aware of this cheating tactic. Learned something new today, don't make a reservation on booking.com which says "partner offer" facilitated by booking.com partner company. My experience with all these OTA's not all positive. Agoda in Japan charged high foreign currency exchange rates. Booking "partner offer" is BS and you have no recourse if there are problems. If you see "partner offer" stay clear! Tomorrow will be a short ride to Saigon of less than 2 hours. I want to return the bike by lunch time. Going to stay at my mate's apartment for a night (21/3) and then leave for SGN airport on morning of 22/3. |
pics
https://images2.imgbox.com/d8/e0/kFH2AKHB_o.jpg https://images2.imgbox.com/2a/13/xT6w19uk_o.jpg https://images2.imgbox.com/3d/0f/fhGtgzQy_o.jpg Hotel I am staying at. Quiet nieghbourhood. No shops nearby. I asked the reciptioninst to order online chicken rice.:mchappy: https://images2.imgbox.com/18/96/nH4WD9MJ_o.jpg |
Quote:
The real problem is that there are no practical alternatives, since other booking agencies like Agoda, Hostelbookers or Airbnb are (IME) even worse, without the wide selection. You haven’t lived a full life until you show up for a pre-paid accommodation, late and exhausted, only to find they don’t honor the booking or pricing—this has happened to me about once out of twenty bookings at Booking.com. More minor issues, like no A/C or different rooms, bath or bed arrangements, are more common, at least in the places I travel. Wishing you good luck with the remainder of your trip and with your father’s health. |
@markharf,
I am trying to recall in my 10 bike tours all over Asia and with each tour at least 4 weeks, I don't remember encountering this sort of misrepresentation. Sure, hot water is a hit and miss thing but I guess i can make do with that. But the AC thing this is the first time I encountered it. Yeah, I hear you when you arrive at your hotel after a long ride and they tell you your room is not available. I mentioned my experience in the city of Buon Ma Thout and I had to hunt 3 hours till it was dark to look for a shitty room. In that hotel I put a towel over the pillow to sleep as the pillows looked yellowish and had hair! And the mattress was thin as fark. ugh.......:rofl: I concur that there are no real alternatives to the OTA's like Booking.com or Agoda. I did use Trip.com in Japan on 2 occasions but their selection is limited. And Trip.com's customer service was much more responsive though. Now at the tail end of my tour and I have unfinished business in Vietnam! But it will have to be on the backburner as my next trip is to Bali and East Java, Indonesia in July for 30 days. Thanks for the wishes! bierbier I don't normally drink beer but I am ordering a beer with my mate tomorrow evening! beerbeer :scooter::scooter::scooter::scooter: |
I find myself using Trip.com more and more as there is usually a pretty good selection and when the same hotel is listed on Trip and Booking.com, 9 times out of 10 it is cheaper on Trip. Just my experience. Agoda was the worst: turned up to my booked room, only to be told that the hotel had stopped dealing with Agoda some time ago as they never paid the hotel!
|
@ouroboros2015,
I will have to check Trip.com when I look for accommodations instead of just relying on Booking.com and Agoda. One thing I don't like about Agoda is that their reviews don't feel genuine and they use AI and I did not like their foreign exchange rates when I was in Osaka last year. Booking was my de facto choice until recently. Thanks for sharing your experience. |
21/3/2025
Thu Dau Mot to Saigon ATD 0830 ATA 1000 Ride time 1.5 hours Final ride today. Heavy traffic all the way to Saigon. Not a fun ride. :rofl: https://images2.imgbox.com/71/fa/ej6bFOnU_o.png |
Dropped by at my mate's place first to dump the bags and then lunch.
After lunch around 1330hrs rode to Dragon Bikes and returned the bike. Had dinner and beer with my mate in the evening and next day 22/3 took a Grab to SGN airport for my flight home. Total mileage 2991km and about 800 odd kms is making my way back to Saigon. https://images2.imgbox.com/81/8d/Yg6JMC8h_o.jpg View of Saigon from mate's apartment https://images2.imgbox.com/cf/16/p8BYZmah_o.jpg |
I would like to return back to Vietnam again and most likely start from North to South and then do the Ha Giang loop again.
I have heard reports that the Ha Giang loop is heavily policed and the cops will ask you for money even though you have the correct IDP for motorcycle. As I have been to Vietnam 3 times now, I prefer to do other countries such as: Bali & East Java, Indonesia Tokyo, Japan, Kalimantan, Indonesia India, Pakistan. China (have to get a local Chinese driving license though to be able to ride there) New Zealand (my mate in Saigon who is a Kiwi will ask if I can rent a bike from his brother. Maybe it will be cheaper than renting from a bike rental shop) I would also love to do South Korea though it is difficult to rent a bike there. And the ultimate...... South America :scooter::scooter: |
Looks like will have to scratch Pakistan off my bucket list.
Pakistan does not recognize the IDP for 1949 Geneva convention. So that means my travel insurance does not cover me in Pakistan. :( |
| All times are GMT +1. The time now is 14:14. |