Anyone who is passionate about traveling probably desires to travel across Vietnam at least once. The dream is always in their hearts, but not everyone can do it because of many barriers regarding time, finances, and personal safety. Luckily, finding a travel companion, 28-year-old girl from Thai Binh - Ly Nguyen realized her dream of traveling across Vietnam before the age of 30 during the recent April 30 - May 1 holiday.
Ly Nguyen took photos at Ca Na beach, Ninh Thuan.
What to prepare for a trip across Vietnam?
First, your “steed” must be “specially cared for” before the trip. The vehicle needs maintenance and repair to operate at its best during the trip. Basic repair tools, electronic tire pumps, and chain cleaning tools also need to be “ready” to handle problems when the vehicle encounters problems. Because large displacement vehicles often move at high speeds, attention should also be paid to the outfit when traveling, including: helmets, thick jackets, armor (knee pads, elbow pads).
Ly Nguyen and her boyfriend chose the Triumph T120 for this trip across Vietnam. Because they chose the route across Vietnam from South to North, the couple had to send the motorbike 9 days before the trip from Hanoi to Saigon for 3.5 million VND through a specialized shipping company. This cost is quite high compared to other shipping companies, so you can also refer to the North - South railway with a cheaper price.
Beautiful Vung Ro Bay along the pristine Dai Lanh coast, stands out with its emerald green water.
The weather on this trip was very nice, sunny and dry most of the time so the couple did not bring many clothes. They chose to bring just enough, and in the evening they washed and dried their clothes right after resting at the hotel so that the clothes would be dry the next morning. Some basic medical equipment and medicines in case of accidents or illnesses were also indispensable on the trip. Finally, indispensable for the couple were filming equipment and cameras to record the 8-day, 7-night journey across Vietnam.
Flexibility in eating, sleeping and resting is also a "privilege"
Although she is a freelancer, Ly Nguyen also has to arrange her work for the trip across Vietnam, unlike many people think that "she can go whenever she wants". However, she is allowed to "rest whenever she wants", "eat when she is hungry" during her trip, as long as she can balance time, distance, health and personal experience.
The "privilege" of backpackers is probably to go anywhere, rest and eat there.
Even though she has a destination in mind but is not sure where she will go, she usually only books a hotel room about 10 minutes before stopping. This is also a way for the couple to check out the rooms before deciding where to stay. "After a day of driving, I prefer to stay at a hotel or resort to feel as comfortable as possible. However, you can optimize this cost by choosing a motel, homestay or budget hotel," Ly Nguyen shared.
Luckily, the accommodation is quite close to the local residential area, so walking to explore the cuisine is one of the special experiences for this couple on the trip. On this journey, she had the opportunity to meet and chat with many local people, feeling their warmth. Just by "signaling" to find a nearby place to eat, she can immediately find a delicious, affordable restaurant without necessarily having to use the help of Google.
"Draw" the ideal route - enjoy the breathtakingly beautiful roads
She and her boyfriend decided to choose the Ho Chi Minh trail for their journey across Vietnam from South to North. The couple "avoided" national highways as much as possible, because vehicles moving at high speeds are prone to traffic accidents.
Choose the road to "avoid" trucks, follow the coast to enjoy the beauty of the ocean.
"On the road, there are countless unexpected situations that can put you in danger, such as people crossing the street without looking, trucks passing in the opposite direction unsafely, dogs, cats, and cattle roaming freely, sometimes even chasing you, so those who want to travel across Vietnam by motorbike need to be observant, alert, and handle situations well," Ly Nguyen recounted.
With the expected speed, the couple estimated that they could run 250 - 350 km / 6 hours continuously. In addition to choosing a beautiful route, they also had to adjust their actual running speed to be able to stop overnight at famous tourist destinations. Thanks to that, they realized that their country has many beautiful places that not many people know about.
She said that for those who take the opposite route, from North to South, they usually choose the Western Truong Son road. On one side is the immense ocean, on the other side are the rolling hills, the beautiful scenery gradually appears during the days of wandering across the country, making Ly Nguyen "just wish that she could always travel on roads like that".
Addictive roads for backpackers in the Central Highlands.
The couple was fascinated when adventuring on the sunny and windy roads in the coastal areas of Phu Yen and Ninh Thuan, then continued to sway on the beautiful winding roads of the Central Highlands, making her exclaim: "Why are there such beautiful roads!"
Many times, when witnessing the enchanting beauty while passing through the roads along the S-shaped strip of land, they can only feel and save it in their memory, unable to stop to take pictures. Entering the forests of Pleiku city (Gia Lai), a pair of white butterflies fluttering gracefully, standing out in the cool green space of the vast mountains and forests - "a charming beauty that cannot be described in words!"
The most impressive are the beaches that stretch along the entire South Central Coast. The more they travel, the more they realize the wild, fresh beauty of the clear blue beaches, sometimes just a few steps away. Following the coast, they find simple restaurants, chatting with the coastal people who live in the sun and wind, warm, sincere, enthusiastic and lovely.
"Without this trip, I would never have been able to embrace the beauty of the country in my mind, meet the simple, friendly people. To know that our country still has many beauties, the Vietnamese people are hospitable and lovable. Any fear can disappear when we start doing them, my friends," Ly Nguyen shared with Travellive readers.
She hopes that through her lens, you can begin your journey of discovery across Vietnam in your own personal way.
The route that this girl traveled mainly ran along the coast of the Southern and South Central regions and the Ho Chi Minh road through 20 provinces and cities. The total cost of the trip was about 25 million VND.
Sample itinerary for an 8-day Cross-Vietnam trip:
Day 1: Saigon - Dong Nai - (Vung Tau) Ba Ria Vung Tau - (Mui Ne) Binh Thuan
Day 2: (Mui Ne) Binh Thuan - Ninh Thuan - (Cam Ranh - Nha Trang) Khanh Hoa
Day 3: (Nha Trang) Khanh Hoa - Phu Yen - (Quy Nhon) Binh Dinh
Day 4: (Quy Nhon) Binh Dinh - (Pleiku) Gia Lai - (Mang Den) Kontum
Day 5: (Mang Den) Kontum - Quang Ngai - Quang Nam (Hoi An) - Da Nang
Day 6: Da Nang - Hue - Quang Tri - (Nhat Le) Quang Binh
Day 7: (Nhat Le) Quang Binh - Nghe An - (Sam Son) Thanh Hoa
Day 8: (Sam Son) Thanh Hoa - Hoa Binh - Hanoi
