Vietnam advise please
 

Hi,

planning to have 3 weeks in Feb next year starting from Hanoi working down to Saigon.

Has any one done this trip and have any advise as to the best routes or places to avoid?

also the maps on Amazon don't seam to get very good reviews, making reference to missing info and poor quality etc, any advise as to route planning too?

thanks in advance, Damo.

I don't know if any of these will help but here are 5 links to information about bike touring in Vietnam.

I would suggest checking out cgoab as you will be able to find past and.current trip stories.

i did the entire route from hanoi to saigon, much of it on the main highway.
it was not enjoyable. way too much traffic, and the constant air horns will
drive you insane. the section hoi an danang and over the pass was nice, tho.
as i flew out of hanoi, i promised myself i'd nevernevernever return to vietnam.

i'll be back this summer, but will do hcmc-hanoi by train. riding will be in
the south from cambodia, and in the north thru the hills to china.

Popular route form Hanoi to Saigon based on national highway 1A, It is 1 of Lonely Planet's top 10 cycling routes

You can check this topic, it talks about cycling in Vietnam

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...ing-in-Vietnam

You can pm VictorPhung in above topic for more information, He's living in Vietnam. Good luck.

p/s another helpful site

thanks for all the advise and links so far, some of it seam of be a bit negative about the main roads in Vietnam.

i come from a MTB back ground and will be using a hybrid MTB for the trip, so was planning t make use of the smaller roads and go in country if poss, should we fail to ride the whole way, thats not really of too much interest to us, rather having some days in remote places well away from modern life.

with this in mind do you think i should be looking at different options like Laos?

thanks d

Main National Highway is the easiest route. But there are some harder route if you want to try :) Check this and this.

As I say, pm VictorPhung if you want to know different route, he is very experienced. He's the guy in this photo :D

http://farm2.staticflickr.com/1036/4...bfeffd28f4.jpg

Yes, I think you should consider Laos. I haven't biked in Vietnam, but I have biked in Laos & Thailand. I biked with a cyclist in Laos who had biked in Vietnam, and I've spoken with several others. From all of the first-hand accounts I've listened to, the only areas of Vietnam I think I'd consider for touring are the mountains of the north and the Mekong delta in the far south.

Cycling in the northern halves of Laos and Thailand is wonderful, especially from Dec-Feb when temperatures are much cooler, as well as it being the dry season. You might even have a few chilly days in the mountains of northern Vietnam, in particular. The ride from Luang Prabang to Vientiane is outstanding, especially if you're seeking "remote places well away from modern life". Traffic is light, the roads are generally quite good, scenery is gorgeous, and people are friendly.