Vietnam – Cycling the back roads & villages of Ninh Binh – the waterway

The day started with a jolt – other than waking at 5am due to dehydration – my alarm kicked into gear for the first time this trip, stirring me to an unwanted consciousness. The hard bed provided my fellow travelers and myself with a deceivingly great sleep.

A two-egg omelet and three plates of food filled my breakfast stomach before we hopped on our bikes for the countryside and local farms of Ninh Binh.

The sky remained grey with fog and light cloud – as the day matured the sun strengthened and blue skies attempted to force their way through.

We visited the ancient capital of Vietnam – it survived for some of a century in around 900-1000BC before moving on. The Vietnam War had pretty much destroyed any heritage of the country yet we visited two temples – including that of a king with a thing for playboys.

 

We navigated small road and dirt pathways between limestone hills and vivid green rice paddy fields. In fact it was the Vietnam we see in the storybooks, travel guides and TV documentaries. I suddenly felt swept up by the country.

Lunch was hosted by a local family – traditional Vietnamese in their former wooden shack built in 1963; so it survived the war!

Mid-afternoon we took a trip across the river; a woman rowed us for two hours through the slow moving river frames by dykes and ornamental limestone hills. Here peace, relaxation and a true slow-pace of life revealed itself.

Evening came, 9.30pm and I boarded my first sleeper train. The 1920’s diesel engine rolled in some minutes late. It was due to pause in Ninh Binh for little more than three minutes – the crew of nine ran for carriage 9 bumbling up the stairs before squeezing into tight dormitories. It was a dream come true.

I felt like Indiana Jones – just in the wrong decade.

We ordered our beds and supplies for the 13-hour journey to Hue and prepared for sleep. I, in my silk sleeping bag from Hanoi.

 

EXPLORE ITINERARY: Day 5: Exploring rural scenesof Ninh Binh by bicycle. Overnight Reunification Express to Hué

Cycling the back roads to Hoa Lu this morning, we visit the country’s ancient capital. Once the political and cultural centre of Dai Co Viet (Vietnam), the city ruled over the region’s first centralised feudal state. Whilst many of its ancient monuments are long gone, we will get a chance this morning to visit the temple of King Dinh Tien Hoang, the man who unified the country and founded Vietnam’s first feudal dynasty. From here we cycle along narrow concrete paths through picturesque local communities on to the 12th century Nguyen Saint Temple. After a break at the temple we head through rural countryside towards the spectacular limestone karst formations of Van Long, and finally on to the nearby village of Vuon Thi, where we enjoy a delicious traditional lunch. There may be an opportunity to try some traditional farming and fishing instruments in the yard. After lunch we cycle the short distance to the nearby dock for a tranquil sampan journey around the stunning caves and Karst scenery of the Van long Reservoir. Returning to Ninh Binh later this afternoon by bus, there will be some free time in the city and to freshen up in our hotel dayroom before we board the Reunification Express for the overnight journey to Hué.

Vietnam - Heading to Hy Long Bay, direct but rough

We packed up and left our short stay in Hanoi, I felt I could have done with a few more hours. I actually was quite keen to see the dead body of Ho Chi Minh, but we really didn't have time. It was time though for our onward journey Easy,  heading to the coast for the sea of 1,969 islands - Hy Long Bay.

The journey was just a few hours by coach, so we made ourselves comfortable for the onward drive. Not long after leaving Hanoi on the grey, bleak highroads the heavens opened and the driver forged through torrential rains but this wasn't as bad as the way Vietnamese drive. The roads are full of potholes, and while they are meant to drive on the rightm if the driver wants to get somewhere fast he will take centre location between the two lanes and at full speed (of around 50km) swerve around Tuk Tuks, mo-peds, cars and lorries and should an even bigger vehicle be coming in the opposite direction will swerve right at the last minute to avoid a collison. I couldn't figure out if they are excellent drivers or totally insane.

We were being thrown left and right and it wasn't worth looking forward outside the drivers window - so I buried my head in a book.

We arrived in Hy Long Bay around 7pm as the sun was setting, it was very much dusk. The skies were a purple grey and the islands smoothly jutted out from the water, as was described, like "a dragon's back spikes as it descends into the sea." On the beach it was quiet, and romantic, not somewhere for a lone single man to be gazing into the placid evening sky. The water rippled gently and tourists were making their way to dinner. I had to wait to the morning to discover the true adventure in those 1000's islands.

The evening we dined on local fish, another 12-dish experience, giving me chance to explore as many different varieties of fish as I could for the first time in my life. Following food, there is little to do in Hy Long Bay. Walk along the bay, it's quiet yet warm. Stop and gaze at horrendous Vietnamese karaoke, burn your ears and move on. Shop in the tourist markets and barter to get a good deal. Head back to the hotel for an early night.

Next day, we hopped on a boat and headed out to the bay. Another overcast day made it somewhere cool, a mild 21/22 degrees. We made our way to some caves between the maze of jutting islands. Admittedly if the weather was clearer I would have been in my element, the water was an exciting green and the rock formations did put me somewhat in awe - but the weather lost the sparkle it would otherwise have. Keen to take photos, the images that were coming out weren't so impressive either - so I resided to chill out and follow the tour.

We cave walked, deciphered stalactites and stalagmites and the limestone interiors that at one point had also been submerged in water and battered by the sea. Stopping at a manmade beach we got the chance to swim - my first time in Asian sea. I had really wanted to jump from the boat, but that wasn't to happen. Instead I had to tiptoe in from the sand, surrounded by washed up debris and rubbish, to wade into waist height, quickly bathe, just to say I had been in. But it was hardly clean, very unfortunately.

Dinner was served on the boat, the boat that had been painted white under orders of the Government. Apparently a government minister had visited Europe and liked the look of all the white boats, and ordered for them to be painted in Vietnam - as you can imagine the owners were unhappy with it - and as you can further imagine, these wonderful wooden boats looked nothing as glamorous as the super-tanked 007 Sunseeker variety in Europe.....

Vietnam – visiting the Village of Dong Ho, the great cycle of West Lake

The deeper you delve into Hanoi the more that comes to life. It’s not the shabby city I thought it was on arrival, the Old Town, the Old French Quarter, the West Lake and beyond this city is expanding by the day.
 

Land is the price in Vietnam, explaining why buildings a slender and going up by the month. Families are using the space to the max, adding new floors to expand their home. In some areas these brightly coloured rendered home fronts show a very cosmopolitan feel, while in other areas it looks disheveled. But it very much reminds me of Europe.

Building appears to be the life of Vietnamese. It is obvious they WANT people to build, for the people to prosper. As we escape the city towers of bricks line the roads, huge clay craters tell the tale of construction. Hanoi is stretching for kilometers. House after house, fresh, new and simply designed. The year of construction firmly, proudly labeled affronts the roof. This is real brick, not cheap wood design.

Day two we take a cycle out to the Village of Dong Ho, about an hour from the city centre. Here we are dumped in rural Vietnam, surrounded by acres of paddy fields and banana plantations. We come across the home and business of artist Nguyen Che who produces original hand drawn designs from Papyrus paper, which is still handmade today. Colours made from the stone, leaves and seeds of the soil.

The landscape has been built in response to the local habitat, the villages have been protected from the over-flooding Duong River – as we cycle the great dykes that feels like a fortress of the city. Yet the river runs drier each year in response to the dam in China.

Day three we cycle the West Lake, the leisurely 23km ride takes us around the city visiting paragodas and temples along the way. The lake is the meeting place, where lovers canoodle, and friends while away their time – motorbikes and cycles line the road, dogs roam the streets. The backdrop a very dusty grey city sat upon a muggy sky, the people in modern designer brands clutching cigarettes.

I’m in the North and hear I see change on the horizon. Hanoi is about culture, people, community and family. There is much traditional here, and there is an obvious split between town and country. Market traders cycle or bike into town every morning to sell their goods, sometimes hours of commuting a day with their bikes stacked high with trade. How long can this last? How much more can this city sustain this dual lifestyle?

I leave Hanoi with questions in my mind as we climb aboard the mini-bus for Hy Long Bay

 MORE PHOTOS of HANOI

Vietnam - Day One. Arriving in Hanoi

Arrived at hotel: 7.30am - Check-in not until 11am.
3 hours to kill
First day, 2 hours of disrupted sleep and here I am in a strange city, in a foreign land. Now What?

I dug my heels in and went for it. No time to mess around, but dull grey skies made Hanoi look pathetic. After 15 minutes of walking and I became easily used to cross the road - just walk, don't stop, don't mind the other traffic, it will move around you - but where now?

A motorbike tour guide picked me up. With my rubbish bartering skills I agreed to $12 per hour for a tour of Hanoi. Seriously what was I thinking? I didn't know Asia at this point, let alone the value of money here. But it should be more like $12 per day. So on the back of his bike I hopped.

I ordered to be taken to the main tourist city sites and for coffee and lunch. And the tour began.

The friendly guide trapsed me across Hanoi in good time, stopping at places I didn't know the name or significance of followed by a strong Vietnam coffee then we perched at a side street food vendor. I hesitated at first, in case my stomach should churn later, but the BBQ minced pork balls in noodle soup was too good to resist.

The tour lasted 2.5 hours and I managed to barter him down to $20 - still stupidly expensive. But he bought the coffee and my lunch so I didn't feel so bad about that first experience.

11am: back to the hotel, shower and nap.

4.30pm the orientation of the old town of Hanoi - the markets, food stalls and realising that Hanoi is not about beauty, architecture or history, but it's people and culture. I had a theme, and I wondered what the rest of the country was going to show me.

7.30pm: dinner. The Vietnamese eat early, try going for food post-8pm and you might have problems finding somewhere that serves. As a group we had a multi-plate meal consisting of 12 dishes at a cost of $25, or 245VND.

It was an eventful dinner, the Vietnamese (especially in the North) seem to keep their Christmas trees out and decorated all year round. Apparently something to do with bringing good luck. Bit peculiar since their faith isn't Christianity. However on this first rather exhausting night, as we sat on the second floor of this small family owned restaurant the waiters hurriedly served us. In such a rush a naked flame fell to the floor and set the tree on fire. Welcome to Vietnam - I was about to be cooked alive. The staff fumbled around trying to douse the flames, unfortunately with materials that soon caught on fire. One of them grabbed a huge bucket and three it over the tree. That was it - the tree's life was over - or so I thought. 15 minutes later another staff member started to readorn the tree. In all this time, we just sat - still - wondering if we should flee for our lives.

Following dinner I made my way to the local gay bar - Golden Cock (GC), a relatively discreet venue with western pop music, pool tables and plenty of vodka and gin being knocked back by the Vietnamese. In the two hours I was there they would polish a bottle of spirit between 3 of them and stumbled out of the bar.

Vietnam - welcomed to a home of a local for lunch, Ninh Binh

Cycling or motorbiking can truly get you to the heart and soul of Vietnam. Cities have modernised and adopted many international and cosmopolitan attitudes but the countryside of any country will show you how people really live.

35km from the centre of Ninh Binh we're welcomed for lunch with a local farming family to enjoy a traditional meal. 5 days into the trip and every meal has been Vietnamese and delivered with enthusiasm with each chop stick load delivering a brilliant pang in the mouth and settling easy the stomach.

So to ensure you see what has been enjoyed check out the collection of photos from the traditional wooden house (built in 1963 before recently building a much larger place by brick).

The meal consisted of:
- spring rolls
- BBQ fish
- stewed pork
- sweet and sour beef and pineapple
- rice
- steamed vegetables
- watermelon

Vietnam, Hanoi - discovering the gay life

Being gay is as much a Western disease as it is a Southern and Eastern, and well pretty much actually a part of life across our great planet. Vietnam is not immune from being fantastically rainbow and while this communist county may not flaunt it - it's here!

First stop Hanoi - first thought Grindr! Where else to find local gays and like-minded travellers? Where else to get the inside knowledge? Apart from being full of horny Vietnamese, it provided a wealth of knowledge and this came in the shape of 3 gay hangouts.

GC Bar otherwise known as Golden Cock seemed the most obvious - located by the Great Lake in old town Hanoi, local lads referred to this as the 'meeting place'. So I arrange a meet with a fellow traveller to check it out.

Other than having to interpret the map and road signs it was relatively easy to find - much simpler than crossing Hanoi streets! Arriving at 9.30pm it was relatively quiet, but it offered a friendly and welcoming atmosphere - no overt gayness about it, mild with drinks and a pool table.

The decor was reminiscent of most European bars and the music, the classic Western pop where the volume was notched up throughout the evening. By 10.30pm the place was rammed and at unmanageable decibels, with the traveller and I struggleing to hold a conversation.

The local boys covered the pool table with a plastic sheet before bringing out their drinks. Bottles of spirit - gin seemed to be the popular choice, with cans of tonic stacked high and plates of lemon. These boys know how to drink.

No matter how vibrant the music or how loud the sound system there was not a single bouncing body in the joint - these in Hanoi don't dance. The talent was pretty good, well kempt and sociable they welcomed us with warm smiles. As they left, they thanked us for our company - even though few words were uttered between us.

GC Bar was empty by 11.30pm - the night was over! They don't last long, but all gin bottles and tonic cans were finished and the music a low dull.

Address: Bao Khanh street

Also other places are
Adams Spa (Sauna), Vu Thanh street - entry 80,000 Dong
Solace Bar (don't have address)

Packing - backpacking. A cycle trip through Vietnam

Packing is probably the most exciting part of preparing for any trip - but it can sometimes seem the most difficult. Deciding what can take can take hours. While preparing for my cycle trip through Vietnam I had to think long and hard of what I would need, especially as I am heading to a part of the world I have never visited before. What I have chosen maybe wrong, but I won't know until I get there. However based on my backpacking experience and reading into the conditions of Vietnam at this time of year I am pretty prepared. 

Not only have I packed the essentials (you know, the underwear, socks, deodrant, soap, tooth brush, change of shorts and t-shirts) but I have also bought some exciting new accessories. 

However how do you approach packing? This is my little guide:

1. Open all drawers and wardrobes, I have a bag I store all my holiday gear, this makes it quicker and more simple

2. Get your track sac - which luggage is going to be best for your trip?

3. Pull out the neccessities and lay them on a floor or bed, think being back in cubs/scouts for the weekly "Kit inspection"

4. Choose all the clothes you'd like to take

5. Write a list

6. Check your list

7. Double check how much you are taking - do you need that many t-shirts and shorts? OR can you wash some in the sink on the way?

 

8. Packing itself, everything you need immediately should be at the top and that you don't think you need at the bottom, my sac (as pictured) is mixed - I packed some t-shirts, then shorts, then t-shirts then shorts again, saves having to empty the whole back

9. Make sure you have room to buy new things while travelling

10. Check the weight.

ITEMS PACKED FOR MY TRIP: 2 trainers, 1 Havana flip flops, 8 pairs of underwear and ankle socks, 7 t-shirts/vest, 4 shorts, 2 cycle shorts, 1 helmet, 2 sun caps, mosquito sweater, sweater, mosquito net, face mosquito net, cycle top, waterproof, umbrella, 3 long light trousers, first aid kit, 2 shirts, hidden money pouch.

Suppliers: Evans Cycles, Craghopper, Cycle Clothing, Trail Finders, Blacks