Asia - Riding partner at Ho Chi Minh City

Hi there. Anyone living in Ho Chi Minh City who needs a riding partner during the weekends? I plan to do a ride from HCMC to Cu Chi and back every Saturday or Sunday afternoon. Anyone interested, just let me know.

You should be able to catch some pretty good air crossing those bridges. :D

You should be able to catch some pretty good air crossing those bridges. :D
How is bicycling over there in japan?

How is bicycling over there in japan?
**** if i know..i cant find a ****ing bike in my size.:mad:

**** if i know..i cant find a ****ing bike in my size.:mad:

Yup, read about it in one of the threads.

I hope you find the bike that you like co'z your missing a good lot of riding.

Good luck.

I hear there are several cycling club in Saigon, can you find them?

I hear there are several cycling club in Saigon, can you find them?
I don't know where to look. If you have any info I would appreciate it.

Riding conditions in Saigon: wet in the morning and heavy rain in the afternoon and evening. So for those of you planning to ride in Saigon always bring extra change of clothes. No need to bring rarincoat, you'll get wet anyway and put fender on your bikes (very important!).

Do you know of any web links to finding work in Vietnam. I'm an American ESL teacher and speak Mandarin Chinese, and I've been looking for some info but can't find a lot online. I'd definitely ride with you. :)

There are 2 meeting points in Saigon

1. Tan Son Nhat airport
2. Hang Xanh intersection

They meet there around 5AM and start rolling around 6AM, I know they meet there everyday

Hi bobby I am new to Vietnam do you know of any bicycle shop in Saigon to purchase quality road bikes or mountain bike? if you can also how much would it be thanks

there are many shops in Saigon, you can visit this forum and ask them: www.xedap.org and you can also find riding partner there too.

My company opened a bike shop at 51-1 Skygarden 2, Phu My Hung,District 7, Ho Chi Minh City in September 2007. We have a range of bikes from entry level Mountain Bikes to top road machines such as the Specialized Tarmac.
Ph +84 84103114

I am a sponsor of the local district 7 bike club and the members ride every moring at 5.10am from the Franco Vietnam Hospital. We also do reasonably regular rides from the shop on Sundays.

Hi Rod - I will try to find your shop, do you carry spares / mini pump / inner tubes etc? Are there any accessible trails aroind Ho Chi Minh / Delta that can be done on weeeknds?

Cheers.

Hello I think the reply to the thread was a long time ago. But I know where the shop Rod owns is. Its very near my place in Sky Garden Phu My Hung. They do carry mini pumps and tubes. I bought a mountain bike from them last December. I am fairly new to Ho Chi Minh as well and trying to train for the Ironman Triathlon. If you want to meet up send me an email jpsgamboa@yahoo.com

on another note. anyone know of any other bike shops that sell performance road bikes? I have seen some locals on Giant carbon road bikes with Zipp carbon wheelsets. There must be a "real" bike shop somewhere in Ho Chi Minh

the link to xedap.org looks useful but everything is in vietnamese!

Hello,
Try to ring your tel, did not work.
Do you have a website something?

I am thinking to get a new bike (I am using a Giant BTM).
Any comment for me, say a Hybrids or Tri-bike or road bike?
I want to use it to ride in District 7 and Can Gio, and may also use it for Triathlon. So which one will be more suitable for me?

Cheers
Dao

That replay was a long time ago when we were only just opening the store. We are now the Vietnam distributor for GIANT and we do have some carbon framed bikes (like a real bike shop) in the store now.We have several GIANT TCR road machines coming into the store tomorrow 24.04.09
We are also the Vietnam agent for Eastern Bikes (BMX), Ridley Bikes and Cole wheel sets. Also stock Exustar and Shimano shoes, Topeak,Selle Italia,Itm,Limar and Bell Helmets etc. etc.We have a full workshop and will repair any brand of bike.

We are trying to get more like a"real" bike shop every day.

I was at district 1 last saturday and saw a lady on a ventoux frame triathlon bike. There must be a some triathletes in Saigon.
Anybody know where is a good place to do a long bike ride of around 50km out without having to ride a car with the bike? I live in Phu My Hung

if anybody is on facebook, I started a group there saigon tri, to try and connect with triathletes in ho chi minh

I hope it was not mine as I only picked her up in late Augsut There are about 14no. 848s over here now of which I think half are red
Hows the riding over that way with yours?

there is a group of guys from Singapore, Malaysia, and others countries, then they are riding every Sat and Sun either in Dist 7 or Can Gio road.
And amoung them, some is Marathon runner, is is OD Triathloner, some even are Half iron-man.
If interest to join practise, pls air.

there is a group of guys from Singapore, Malaysia, and others countries, then they are riding every Sat and Sun either in Dist 7 or Can Gio road.
And amoung them, some is Marathon runner, is is OD Triathloner, some even are Half iron-man.
If interest to join practise, pls air.

Hi Dao, where do they meet? I am very interested in joining these rides on weekends. My contact number is 0908597577 and email at jaigamboa@gmail.com

Hi there,
I am a Jamaican female in her mid forties, my husband and I will be moving to Ho Chi Minh at the beginning of September. I have been a road cyclist for over 12 years and have been cycling with a club for the last 4 to 5. I am an avid lover of cycling and while I am by no means an elite athlete I can hold a steady 18 to 20 mph over a pretty long distance. I ride 3, occasionally 4 times a week, covering about 120 to 140 miles, Sundays being the longer, slower paced more scenic ride. Twice a year I participate in rides over 100 miles. I compete in pretty much any races that are going on except for time trials as I really suck at sprinting. I generally participate in at least one triathlon a year, so as you can see I have a decent fitness level. I am used to getting up very early in the morning to ride with my club as the heat and traffic in the city of Kingston dictate an early start time, not to mention my first client is at 7.30am in the morning ( personal trainer ).
I am hoping to find a club or a small group of individuals to cycle with on a regular basis so if there is anybody out there already doing it or interested in starting, I would love to hear from you. Would like to get to Ho Chi Minh with the knowledge that I can be back on my bicycle ASAP. Thanks!

Hi Roachel,
I am looking forward to meeting you. We are quite similar in riding... but I haven't ventured into triathlons... yet.
Traffic is a challenge here, so where you live may dictate who you ride with. I live in District 7. We have some shorter loops that we do and for longer rides I will do them multiple times. It isn't exciting, but it gets the job done. There are some that venture out of this area and see some real scenery, but most do that by mountain bike. The road conditions are a bit primative in areas and this is still a developing country. That said, things continue to get better and better.

Once you get out of the city, there is some good riding. The locals aren't bothered by the traffic. I have two kids so many of my rides are confined to those areas I just mentioned. (30km loop, 43km w/ bridge, and you can add as many of an additional 6.5km loop you want).

The cycling community is growing all the time so I think cycling in Vietnam will be very different in two years then it is today.

I'll be gone for the summer but back August 6th. Let me know when you are in town and we can hook up. Unless I ride in the early morning (I meet a bunch of locals for a 30km loop) I ride after 8am. I have to take the kids to school. I'll be more inclined to find better routes if I don't go alone.

Oh... you can look at my blog if you want to see a little more. I started it when I lived in Taiwan where i started riding.

www.wretch.cc/blog/bikermom

Dear Tina,
The name is actually Rachel, Roachel is a terrible nickname I have been stuck with for many years. I can't tell you how excited I was to receive your reply. I am very excited about this new adventure my husband and I are about to partake in but riding is such a large part of my life I have been heartbroken at the thought of not being able to continue.
My husband has been made redundant from his job as a airline captain at Air Jamaica and has been hired by Vietnam Airlines to fly for them. He actually starts his job on May 31st but I will not join him till the end of summer when my big children head back to the US for university. My son will be starting his freshman year so I will go up with him to New York and settle him in and then come up to Vietnam. I figure that will be sometime between mid to end of August. I have no idea yet where we will be living as my hubby wants to wait till I arrive to look for a more permanent residence.
My time will be flexible as I do not have any immediate plans to work upon my arrival and my kids are big people who will probably only visit us during their Christmas holidays. I am a personal trainer and am hoping that within a few months of my arrival I will be able to pick up a few clients. I have never not worked so living the life of the idle wife will be completely new to me and not something I am really looking forward to.
As a Jamaican living in Kingston our capital city I have become used to living with a lot of violence and aggression, thus I am maybe a bit too comfortable doing a lot of things on my own, especially with a husband who is often away flying. I will be happy to go exploring outside of the city on my bicycle and with company it will be even more fun. One thing I don't have is a good sense of direction, so I am very cautious about mapping my routes very carefully.
I look forward to keeping in touch with you over the next few months and meeting up once I arrive in Ho Chi Minh. I'm off to work, talk to you soon.

Rachel.

Dear Tina,
I just looked at your blog, I have a feeling that I am way out of your league by just reading it. Your very serious about your competing, I definitely am not. I do a few races for fun and don't do particularly well in them, my cycling this stage is more for pleasure than anything else. I hope I will be able to fit in with your group. Good luck on your upcoming races, sounds like you've trained really hard. Later then. Rachel.

Dear Tina,
I just looked at your blog, I have a feeling that I am way out of your league by just reading it. Your very serious about your competing, I definitely am not. I do a few races for fun and don't do particularly well in them, my cycling this stage is more for pleasure than anything else. I hope I will be able to fit in with your group. Good luck on your upcoming races, sounds like you've trained really hard. Later then. Rachel.

OH... NO! I am not 'serious' about racing... when I train for a race, I am 'serious' about getting it done.... but it is only for fun and a focal point.... period. I really needed something 'big' to concentrate my time with. I work part time, active on the PTA, but left my career in the US. Cycling just takes up my spare time... oh, and a bit addictive too! ha! ha! I am really looking forward to exploring around on my bike.

The Tour was okay.... a lot of fun and really mentally quite tough. Now... I plan on doing some other things... swimming perhaps, mountain biking, road riding, but no more 350km weeks for a while!!!

I hope your husband will be happy at VN airlines! I LOVE them and always choose them when I fly. Even to Bangkok last week, it would have been cheaper on AirAsia.com, but by the time I pack my bike, spare wheels, luggage, etc... in the end, VN airlines turns out to be cheaper and they are really caring and nice regarding my 'fragile' items and customer service.

Really looking forward to your arrival!

Your description of riding is PERFECT for me!!! Except, I too have NO SENSE OF DIRECTION, but always a phone w/ driver name on hand!

Hello, HCMC to Cu Chi return, how many Km?
And how long it take you?
road bike or MTB?
what time you start in morning?

How about Can Gio?
Return about 120Km, use MTB, we start form HMC 5~5:30, try to come back before Sat moon time.

Dear Tina,
Sounds great! Cycling too is a huge part of my life and when I saw your reply on the blog I was hugely relieved, i just hope we don't end up living too far from each other. This move to Vietnam is quite an adventure for us as it definitely wasn't in our life plan up to a year ago but with the closure of Air Jamaica , my husband's employer of 26 years, one child completing 2nd year college and the other about to start we had to find another good source of income. They both go to school in the US and for international students college fees are very hefty.
All that being said we are excited and nervous at the same time. We are both looking forward to exploring that part of the world, Malcolm ( hubby ) will probably sign on for a 5 week on, 1 week off contract once I arrive, so that week he has off we hope to be able to do some fun exploring.
I too will be leaving all my clients behind :-( and am kind of hoping that I will be able to find a few people who would like to do some personal training. I now squeeze in all my training in the early morning before I start work. I swim twice a week at midday between clients and would love to keep that up if I can.
I have a friend who lives in the US who is an avid triathlete, he is trying to convince me to do Ironman China next year since I will now be a lady of leisure, ha, I told him I will really have to be super duper bored to consider that one :-) you never know though.
Please feel free to pass on any tips you may have that you feel will be helpful in our move to Vietnam, they would be greatly appreciated. As we are coming from a third world country a figure that there may be many similarities in terms of traffic, police ( bribes ) but of course the culture is hugely different so I am sure our first year will be a huge year of learning and settling in.
Anyway better start to get organized for work. Look forward to hearing from you again. Take care.
Rachel.

its funny, we have a family with my husband's business that is also a personal trainer. However, she moved to the other district. those of us in this district (District 7) were really bummed. There are two main districts, D2 (An Phu) and D7 (Phu My Hung). there are many more expat families in D2. We live in D7. I chose it because I really liked the school (but there was NO BAD CHOICE HERE!!!) and feel it is easier to get out of town on a bike. I knew my husband and I would really need to feel like we can get out!

Where to live will be a tough decision for you. I think. It is for most families... you are definitely closer to all the really cooll night life, etc in D2, but D7 isn't that far from it either. Of course... I say D7! ha! I think it is very wise to wait until you get there before you chose permanent housing.... You may feel very strongly one way or another. Cycling from one district to the other seems a bit dodgy, but like you said, you are used to that kind of thing....

When your husband gets here, he will know what is best for you. There are a lot of folks that ride from D2, though haven't actually met many of them.

There are a lot of triathletes here.... I tried swimming, but I just got my hair colored so I decided I don't have to get in the pool again for a while! Lame... I know.

Dear Tina,
Did a nice 85 mile ride yesterday with my club. Very hilly, very scenic, very hard but good. Came home, ate, bathed and passed out for an hour :-)
Well my hubby starts work in Ho Chi Minh on the 31st May and will rent a one bedroom flat till I arrive at the end of August. Now that I know you are in District 7 I will start looking at housing there first :-) and keep my fingers crossed.
Will be back in touch soon but got to get ready for work, long day ahead, also trying to help hubby get himself organized, we leave here this Thursday to go to my son's graduation in Masachussets, I return home with my son on the 25th May and Malcolm ( hubby ) heads to China to spend a few days with a friend, then from there to Vietnam to start work, so as you can imagine there is lots to be done.
Take care. Look forward to your postings.
Rachel.

Dear Tina,
Did a nice 85 mile ride yesterday with my club. Very hilly, very scenic, very hard but good. Came home, ate, bathed and passed out for an hour :-)
Well my hubby starts work in Ho Chi Minh on the 31st May and will rent a one bedroom flat till I arrive at the end of August. Now that I know you are in District 7 I will start looking at housing there first :-) and keep my fingers crossed.
Will be back in touch soon but got to get ready for work, long day ahead, also trying to help hubby get himself organized, we leave here this Thursday to go to my son's graduation in Masachussets, I return home with my son on the 25th May and Malcolm ( hubby ) heads to China to spend a few days with a friend, then from there to Vietnam to start work, so as you can imagine there is lots to be done.
Take care. Look forward to your postings.
Rachel.

Rachel, if you have facebook.....find me there!!! just type in the key things you know about me. My profile pic is me riding a bike....shocking!

Dear Tina,
I have not yet become a member of the famous facebook club yet even though my son, daughter and husband are. I suppose I will have to once I arrive in Vietnam to stay in touch with my friends and family.
I am currently in NY, my hubby and I attended my son's high school graduation ( boarding school at NMH school in Massachusets ) and he heads to Vietnam tomorrow and we head home. Jamaica seems to be a rather dangerous place to be right now so I'm not sure how much riding I will be able to do in the next few days. The international news always makes it seem worse than it is but it's not a lot of fun either. We have been through it before and came out the other end unscathed so I'm sure it will be fine this time too.
Will see if my kids will help set me up on Facebook and then we can correspond that way as well. Take care for now.
Rachel.

Dear Tina,
Well my date for leaving my beloved home Jamaica draws closer and closer. I leave Jamaica on the 14th August and head to NY, settle my son into university and then head over on Cathay Pacific on the 17th, arriving on the 18th. I am sending my bicycle air freight in it's traveling case and am hoping it will arrive there before I do.
I have been riding 3 days a week on a steady basis but am finding more and more that the older I get the less I enjoy the hard core speed demon rides that average 22mph with many surges thrown in on a regular basis. I suppose the fact that once I get home I have to rush around to get ready for work ( starting with a 7.30am client ) and I'm on my feet most the day so there is no rest or recovery time after the ride. My favorite group to ride with is a small group of about 5 or 6 of us, each taking regular pulls with an average speed of about 19 to 20 mphs. Love the longer more chill rides, anywhere from 50 to 80 miles with lots of beautiful scenery. I sincerely hope our riding styles will mesh as cycling is such a big part of my life I can't imagine giving it up.
My hubby tells me that where we are living is about 10 minutes from where you are, I will pass on the exact address to you once he gives it to me.
I will also pass on my hubby's cel number as well closer to my arrival.
Hope you've been having a great summer, I am correct to say you are home for summer? Mine has been pretty good but I do miss my hubby terribly and while my kids are here they are 18 and 20, have their own transport so they don' exactly need their mother too much anymore. They are still lovely though and the thought of being so far from them is scary.
Anyway, I'm off for a jog with my running partner. Look forward to hearing from you.
Rachel.

Dear Tina,
Well my date for leaving my beloved home Jamaica draws closer and closer. I leave Jamaica on the 14th August and head to NY, settle my son into university and then head over on Cathay Pacific on the 17th, arriving on the 18th. I am sending my bicycle air freight in it's traveling case and am hoping it will arrive there before I do.
I have been riding 3 days a week on a steady basis but am finding more and more that the older I get the less I enjoy the hard core speed demon rides that average 22mph with many surges thrown in on a regular basis. I suppose the fact that once I get home I have to rush around to get ready for work ( starting with a 7.30am client ) and I'm on my feet most the day so there is no rest or recovery time after the ride. My favorite group to ride with is a small group of about 5 or 6 of us, each taking regular pulls with an average speed of about 19 to 20 mphs. Love the longer more chill rides, anywhere from 50 to 80 miles with lots of beautiful scenery. I sincerely hope our riding styles will mesh as cycling is such a big part of my life I can't imagine giving it up.
My hubby tells me that where we are living is about 10 minutes from where you are, I will pass on the exact address to you once he gives it to me.
I will also pass on my hubby's cel number as well closer to my arrival.
Hope you've been having a great summer, I am correct to say you are home for summer? Mine has been pretty good but I do miss my hubby terribly and while my kids are here they are 18 and 20, have their own transport so they don' exactly need their mother too much anymore. They are still lovely though and the thought of being so far from them is scary.
Anyway, I'm off for a jog with my running partner. Look forward to hearing from you.
Rachel.

hey everyone,

I just got me self a Scott mountain bike as my birthday gift this May in Saigon. I am now usually ride 2 or 3 times a week during the evening. anyone out there interested in riding with me? or maybe I shall join you guys?

p.s. I really want to wake up early and attend the 5:00 am ride, but the thing is..... it's almost impossible for me (at least recently). :p


Cheers,

William

Well here I am in Ho Chi Minh City. I am living in a place called Sky Gardens, District 7. Not sure if my bicycle has arrived or not yet. I haven't received any notification from the shipping company. Hope it gets here soon as I am having serious withdrawal symptoms. Still trying to imagine how one rides here with all the traffic but where there's a will there's away. Arrived last night from New York where I spent a few days settling my son into university. The jet lag is killing me, hopefully it won't take me too long to settle into Vietnam time. Look forward to meeting lots of wonderful people during my time here. Hoping to go for a slow jog this afternoon. Hopefully the rain will allow for that later. Take care all.

Brainstormer, I just moved to HCMC and can't wait to get out Mtn Biking! I would love to join you. Unfortunately, I am still waiting for my bike to be shipped here. I'll get in touch with you when it arrives. Thanks!

Well here I am in Ho Chi Minh City. I am living in a place called Sky Gardens, District 7. Not sure if my bicycle has arrived or not yet. I haven't received any notification from the shipping company. Hope it gets here soon as I am having serious withdrawal symptoms. Still trying to imagine how one rides here with all the traffic but where there's a will there's away. Arrived last night from New York where I spent a few days settling my son into university. The jet lag is killing me, hopefully it won't take me too long to settle into Vietnam time. Look forward to meeting lots of wonderful people during my time here. Hoping to go for a slow jog this afternoon. Hopefully the rain will allow for that later. Take care all.
Welcome...Welcome.... welcome!

I know sky garden very well. We live ont he other side of Nguyen Van Linh very naer SSIS school. Yes, the traffic....aauugghh...today I went home early with my tail between my legs nearly in tears. I hate teh traffic and oh... I just hate it. Plus I am still not feeling well (you read my blog... ) I have suddenly become more skittish in the traffic then before. My husband thrives on it! Wish I was him...

I'll send you an email. We can hook up and we can have coffee at least until your bike gets here.

Have you had Vietnamese Coffee yet?

Welcome! Welcome...

Ssava... Cool! will it be able to arrived here before next week? I will spend like 3 weeks in Canada from next week. but don't worry, I will be back soon. :p

hey Tina and Roachel, traffic here is okay..... just remember walking or biking "slow and firmly'. that will do the trick.


Cheers,

William :)

Ssava... Cool! will it be able to arrived here before next week? I will spend like 3 weeks in Canada from next week. but don't worry, I will be back soon. :p

hey Tina and Roachel, traffic here is okay..... just remember walking or biking "slow and firmly'. that will do the trick.


Cheers,

William :)

riding slowly.... that's exactly what we don't want to do! ha ha ha.... seems most of the riding is just sprints from one light to the next when I ride w/ D7 and D4 teams....

Dear William,
The name is actually Rachel, Roachel is just an old nickname from high school;). Well I have been here in Ho Chi Minh for almost 2 weeks. I have ridden 3 times since I've been here. The traffic is a little daunting I must admit but I have that aggressive Jamaican mentality that seems to work in my favor where traffic is concerned. I have done 2 rides with Tina who is a very talented cyclist and I am having a hard time keeping up with her, on Saturday morning I rode with 4 triathletes, all men , the plan was to do 2 loops of the highway and 2 of the big bridge, I just about made it to the bridge with them where I got dropped like a hot potato and that was pretty much the last I saw of them, I happily did the 2nd loop on my own and as luck would have it I bucked Tina up at the end of the second loop and we did another round of the bridge. I have already figured out that I will be doing a lot of solo cycling here but it's no problem because other than the traffic I feel a whole heap safer here in Vietnam than I do in Jamaica. I was very spoilt in Jamaica, I rode with a club of at least 40 plus members. Our weekday rides had 2 cars to follow and because we were of slightly different levels you almost always had someone to ride with and if that didn't work out one of the cars would stay behind you all the way to the start point. Our Sunday ride was always a longer more scenic ride, again the different levels of riders would pair up into comfortable groups. That being said I am still thrilled to be able to ride and am happy to adapt to whatever comes my way. It is so good to be back on my bicycle!:D Hope you have a fabulous time in Canada. Rachel.

alright alright........ riding firmly then. be safe~~ :)

Thanks Rachel,

I would like to ride with you guys after September. I just arrived Taiwan this afternoon and already broken a handlebar of my sister's bike. (just for updating)

See you guys around October.


Cheers,

William :)