Vietnam: Moped tour through the north of Vietnam

A bus with reclining seats took us from Hanoi to Ha Giang, which is only about 300 km away, in just 6.5 hours. At times, we wondered if the bus driver had gotten stuck on the horn as it kept blaring. Vietnamese people with rice hats and water buffalos occasionally worked in the barren winter fields, and the landscape became increasingly hilly and green. Mountains joined in on the horizon.

In Ha Giang, we rented three mopeds, one with 125 cc and two with 100 or 110 cc. But before the engines could warm up properly, the police were waiting for us right outside the town. Driver's licenses, please. Thanks to our international driver's licenses and Germany's confusing motorcycle license regulations, they quickly became bored and let us go. Lucky us.

In the first four days, we took a 385 km round trip through spectacular karst landscapes. The further north we went, the narrower the winding roads became, leading up to passes and along mountainsides high above the valley, often without guardrails, and further into incredibly beautiful panoramas.

We took a tea break on the first pass, as we were a bit chilled. On average, the narrow, winding roads, combined with the ups and downs and the crazy bus and truck drivers, only allowed for a speed of 35 km/h. The maximum speed limit is 60 km/h, which we could rarely achieve. We made slow progress, but it would be sacrilege to rush in this magnificent landscape. With widened eyes and slightly tense bodies from the wind (10°C air temperature and wind are not a good combo), we explored the Ha Giang Loop. Luckily, in every settlement, there was cheap tea and Pho (noodle soup).

The helmet kept our heads nice and warm. The locals sometimes ride with a helmet in the shape of a cap, including a cut-out for their ponytail. I wonder if good karma is enough in case of an accident? Luckily, we didn't see or have any accidents.

In Tam Son, we were greeted by socialist posters and many Vietnamese flags along the roadside.

Just a stone's throw away is the Lung Khuy Cave. The Harz stalactite caves would fit in here. Incredibly long and high, full of stalactites, fans, and other formations. It was only discovered in 2015, and we were almost alone there.

After a few meters, Cerina realized that the moped was riding vaguely. Flat tire... In the village, we pumped up the tire, and then she had to ride up and down the hill with the pedal to the metal to reach the workshop 6 km away. No stopping and pushing for ages... Done! We had the mechanic repair the rear wheel for €5.80.

Did we mention the magnificent landscape yet? Simply spectacular.

In Yen Minh, we got 5 beds for the price of 3 in one room. Nicole and Cerina were happy about that, as the two extra blankets served as mattress toppers for the rock-hard mattresses.

In the evening, we strolled along the main street. A seemingly typical scene here: food stalls on the sidewalk (corn on the cob, soups, grilled chicken feet, snails...), bright flashes from the welder working there, an open house event at the dentist, and so on. Posters, flags, neon lights everywhere.

We drove to the northernmost point of Vietnam, Lung Cu. The flag flying there covers an area of 54 m² and is said to symbolize the 54 ethnic minorities of the country. Looking over to China, the landscape there seemed the same.

A bit further south, we could go directly to the Chinese border, which was more exciting. There was only a sign and fence posts marking the border. No guards, no physical barrier. Behind it, a Chinese road was visible. We heard a harsh voice from China, and we quickly got away from there!

The twilight descended too quickly, and so we drove the last half an hour in the dark, not a pleasant experience on the roads, some of which were unpaved. Finally, the bright neon lights of Dong Van appeared, bringing us relief!

The mopeds carried us over the Ma Pi Leng Pass and to Meo Vac and Du Gia, picturesque places.

Du Gia is still a very rustic mountain village. Apart from exactly one bar and some homestays, everything remains the same. A family was grilling a pig's head, there was noodles and rice everywhere, no sidewalks or street lights, and people were carrying baskets and sacks that we probably couldn't lift. We slept in a homestay (locals offer hostel-quality sleeping places in their homes). Rooms that are windproof, have heating, or even closed doors are rare. So instead of cheap cocktails, we ordered hot chocolate with rum at the only bar. The bar owner left us her bar for a whole 20 minutes to pick up guests. We had been the only ones for the past hour and hadn't even paid yet. When she finally came back, we got an employee discount.

At 6 am, we were awakened by seemingly terrified squealing pigs; it was market day. People from all mountain villages flocked to Du Gia to buy piglets, chickens, whole cattle, puppies, colorful fabrics, clothing, tools, raw meat, and other food. The women wore different traditional costumes, but they all had one thing in common: they were colorful. The men only wore subdued pants and jackets.

We decided to abandon the route via Ban Loan. If even the locals avoid this route due to the road conditions, it must be terrible. The 40 km longer east-west connection took us back to Ha Giang. The distance measured 111 km, the longest stage so far. Too bad that Cerina started experiencing severe stomach problems at 5 am. But she still had room to go down. In the middle of nowhere, with the next village being 30 km away, Cerina had another flat rear tire. There were no kamikaze trucks or buses in sight that could have given her a lift. She rode on the rim for 1-2 km, and then a mountain settlement appeared! The first house was a workshop. This time, the repair cost €2.30, including a new tube, and the culprit, a small pointed foreign object in the tire, was removed!

Back at the starting point, Ha Giang, we finally had accommodation with pleasantly soft mattresses. Until then, we had only encountered rock-hard mattresses in Vietnam, which only sank the body about 1 mm. We slept long and woke up refreshed.

Spontaneously, we drove to a waterfall, relaxed on the meadow in front of it, and then went to an official Chinese border crossing. Contrary to our host's statement, it was not interesting at all. But we could take another look across to China. We returned the mopeds, happy that we had survived everything unscathed and were very satisfied with the trip.