Xin Chào!

11/05 to 11/23/2018 – Another awesome year of marriage meant an another honeymoon bicycle tour. This time, Grete and I met up with her Uncle Mike in Hanoi to go for a backroads tour of Northern Vietnam. We pulled the trigger on this trip nearly 6 months beforehand (WAY early for us) after a great chat with Uncle Mike discussing where we needed to go next. He had ridden many pieces of this tour over the past decade on a variety of personal trips that criss-crossed the China – Vietnam – Laos boarder area. Reiterating his experiences with the friendliness of the people, the beautiful mountain riding, and the affordability of the trip easily persuaded us that Vietnam would be a great introduction to traveling in Asia. He wasn’t wrong.

“Pleasant” was a word that continually reverberated throughout our pedal as we wove a path through the incredibly mountainous Cao Bang and Ha Giang districts of Northern Vietnam. We spent full-days on the bike, climbing and descending pass after pass through small villages and farm lands. Around every corner, there were kind smiling faces and cheery greetings. There were colorful and lively local markets, tasty “street-meats”, vibrant sweet fruit, and many bowls of pho enjoyed.

Grete and I wanted to be respectful representatives of American tourists, and to be cognizant of our country’s history in Vietnam we read up quite a bit in the months leading up to the trip. Despite the effects of the “American War” on these small mountain communities, the people of Vietnam have seemed to let the past be the past. The only mention of the war was when some friendly diners approached us, poured shots of rice wine, and exclaimed that the war was the past and we were here to be friends for the future. With a happy cheers – Mot! Hai! Ba! Do! (One! Two! Three! Drink!) – the past was laid to rest with flush faces, more smiles and hugs… then I ate some local-specialty horse (quite tasty).

Uncle Mike had planned the route well in advance, leading to very little route-finding or questioning throughout the day. Instead, we had the opportunity to exist wholly in the present and enjoy every moment of the trip. Accommodations were never planned in advanced, never expensive ($6-12 USD), and never hard to find. Food was slightly more challenging as Grete’s tastes are fairly specific, but we found options with a bit of creativity (or just buying expensive Oreos). The weather was perfect for long days in the saddle – temperatures lingering in the low 70s with only a couple days of rain. Sharing winding mountain roads with scooters and occasional local bus or truck is wonderful; they honk around blind corners and offer plenty of space. Similarly, one of our favorite experiences of riding was in the river-like ebb and flow of rush-hour Hanoi traffic; where bicycles fit naturally into the seeming chaos of scooters and where instinct and commitment are key to riding success.

Another very memorable moment of the trip was an evening spent touring a small highway town, Pho Rang, with a giggling group of 13 year-old girls as tour guides. They were kind, ecstatic to practice their English, proud of their town, and couldn’t stop asking about our “love story.” Oh, and they knew Taylor Swift’s music by heart… so Grete fit right in with them too! They were a perfect example of the emerging free-woman in Vietnamese society and of the comfortable, safe communities that are the norm throughout the country.

Given these experiences and compared to the trips we had taken in the past, this trip was no-doubt challenging. Although when simply boiled down, the word “pleasant” continues to rise to the top. After spending three weeks wandering though the mountainous northern reaches of Vietnam, we couldn’t more highly recommend a place to bicycle tour. Our only complaint was that we needed more time to continue to explore this lovely and friendly country. Thank you Uncle Mike for the incredible ride and the wonderful company throughout much of our tour! Hopefully these photos tell a bit more of the story…