Motorcycle Diaries - on 2 wheels through the north of Vietnam

Route:

Lang Son - Cao Lang - Bao Lac - Dong Ven - Yen Minh - Ha Giang - Lao Cai - Sapa

Now it should go 2 weeks through the north of Vietnam. We rented a moped and fought our way through the notoriously chaotic traffic of Hanoi, heading east. One basic rule seems to be that the bigger and louder honking vehicle has priority and wins. That's why cars and trucks often appear in oncoming traffic... Then it's "eyes closed and go"... You have to develop a bit of a kamikaze mentality quickly, otherwise you'll never make it...

Our first destination was Lang Son, a city near the Chinese border. When we arrived, we were so frozen that our teeth were chattering... it was f***ing cold! Here in the province, we felt like exotics once again. We didn't fit in anywhere and apparently we were the highlight in the only restaurant near the hotel... there was giggling, smiling and greeting. A group of Vietnamese men spontaneously joined us at the table, watching and entertaining us. The only words we understood were "Thank you" and "Angela Merkel". English didn't help us much, so we had to rely on gestures and "Google Translator". Whatever this program spits out in Vietnamese... somehow it's helpful... and we would have been lost without it!

Despite the cold, we remained determined and continued our planned route... to the north... always along the Chinese border. It wasn't the best time of year, and the usually lush green fields and meadows were only colored in barren shades of brown, but there were still so many great impressions of the surroundings. Passing many terraced fields, through beautiful mountain landscapes with serpentined roads that wound their way up and down, demanding a lot from our poor moped! Much of daily life takes place along the road, we passed many market stalls with food... vegetables, meat, grilled dog (nicely arranged, head next to body... grrr)... Here the proximity to China is also reflected on the menu, which is definitely more focused on the big neighbor... from camel to dog to all kinds of creepy-crawly stuff, the menu promised it all! Mhm... a culinary delight. Well... in Laos, we were told, grilled rat snacks are waiting for us... a dream... we're really looking forward to it 😉

The journey also took us through countless mountain villages where people from different ethnic minorities live. There are still some tribes that came mainly from the north long ago and still lead a (from our point of view) simple, arduous and deprived life. Just by passing through, you get insights into everyday life, trade, traditions, work, but you also see many beautiful colorful costumes, which are specific to each of the different minorities.

Actually, because of the many impressions, you could continuously take pictures. But we had set ourselves quite a distance through the north, and surprisingly it was so cold that most evenings we were glad to have reached the next destination. The general problem, however, was that you never found a place to warm up. The hotels generally do not have heating. The restaurants (or dining options) are almost all open to the outside, and we really didn't have many clothes with us and had already put on everything we could. Many evenings we went to bed very early and tried to warm up with self-made hot water bottles. Daniel even stopped drinking beer and switched to warm tea... it was really cold!

At the warm cups of tea, we also had a few nice encounters. The people here live in very simple conditions, but they are incredibly hospitable, often inviting us for tea or a puff from their "pipe"... it was literally "strong tobacco" 😉

By the way, on the 2nd day we already had our first breakdown... right in the middle of nowhere! But no problem... these unbelievably friendly and helpful people here always impress us! A lady explained with hand gestures where we could find a workshop, and it took less than half an hour for the journey to continue. The fast repair guys really know their stuff and always joke around with us (we never know for sure 😉).

As the last stop on the route, we reached Sapa, a tourist highlight and popular destination. For us, however, it was a bit disappointing precisely because of that. Although the scenery was also great, Sapa seemed almost artificial compared to all the things we had seen before in the north. The ladies of the mountain tribes spoke better English than any receptionist here. It reminded us a lot of an experience at Lake Titicaca in Bolivia when a group of indigenous people living there suddenly started dancing a choreography to "Vamos a la Playa". Somehow surreal!... well, money rules the world even in these areas. Well, there was one highlight though - the electrically heated mattress pad in the bed!!!! We were so excited! :-)

In the end, we and the moped calmly took the night train back to Hanoi... it couldn't have been more comfortable! The German railway can definitely learn a thing or two from the Vietnamese trains!

The result of a long and winding moped trip: three flat tubes, a completely new front tire, an incredibly painful butt, and many new impressions. We have no regrets and can only recommend this part of Vietnam... but definitely in a warmer season!