Motorcycle Diaries of Vietnam

We know the pictures of masses of scooters and cars in the busy cities of Vietnam, now you just have to add lots of honking and you have really arrived here.

As soon as you leave the city and drive out into the countryside, you realize that riding on a motorcycle in Vietnam would be the perfect way to discover this country, for there are many winding roads through a beautiful, lush environment. Therefore, it was perfect that we also had a day on a motorscooter on our 3day/2nights tour to Mai Chau.

The perfect way to discover nature’s beauty is to ride a motorcycle in Vietnam!

When our guide arrived in the morning I was very nervous, since I had only driven a scooter once before in Bali and only for short distances and already there I didn’t feel very comfortable. And now on these roads with those insane drivers? I wasn’t so sure about that. After my scooter training, which consisted of explaining how I turn the scooter on and then sending me down the dirt road on my own and try to come back, I still wasn’t convinced that this was going to be a fun experience but the seat behind the driver was already taken by Lauren and since I had successfully passed the training, we were off driving through the small roads of Mai Chau. The next obstacle waited already in form of a narrow and wobbly bamboo bridge but even that was no problem and I felt  more confident about the main road that was coming.

We climbed bend after bend to the top of the hill and had a wonderful view over the green valley with all the rice fields. The saver route then would have been to drive back down and take the same back country road twice but since we didn’t know where we were going, we followed our guide 10km on the main road. Somehow in Vietnam it’s possible that a truck, two SUVs and three motorcycles can pass next to each other on a narrow two-way road.
Anyways, I was glad when we were back on smaller and bumpier roads and were only overtaken by other honking scooters from time to time and just had to pay attention not to run over a chicken.
Again, we drove past so many pretty rice fields with stilt houses. Some places looked like they could be a painting.
Eventually, our destination showed up in another valley and we had a beautiful view onto a lake with small green islands in it. By then, we were much overdo to cool down in the water. But we had to wait a little longer. First, we parked the scooters INSIDE somebodys house (maybe it was the local bar because there were two pool tables) and then we walked 2min through the forest to another house, where we were welcomed with cold tea. The stilt houses usually just have two rooms, a big one where the family sleeps and plays and the kitchen, where the grandparents sleep and the women are during the day. There were no chairs and the beds are wooden planks. Really made us appreciate the luxury space we have at home once more.

Then we walked further down in the forest and our guide cut a Jack fruit for us from the tree which he also brought down to the lake. All around the lake there just is muddy red soil, so that wouldn’t be so nice for swimming but luckily, a boat was waiting for us already. Now it was the three of us, our guide and two Vietnamese guys from the family home before and this vast lake. The guide cut the jack fruit for us, which tasted like some kind of candy. They drove to the place where they had left a thread with fishing baits in the morning to now retrieve the catch of the day. Unfortunately, they only caught one little fish, so no fish for our lunch today. Then, finally, it was time to swim. The lake was apparently 130m deep but that didn’t mean that the first 1,5m were any colder than our overheated bodies. But it definitely felt good to wash the sweat and dirt off and enjoy being the only people within eye sight.
During the boat ride back we could dry off and then it was time for lunch which we were served back in the stilt house. This was a very authentic experience, eating on the floor and drinking cold water and some medicine ice tea which they once had boiled over the wooden fire (it tasted like smoke). We were so thirsty that I just drank it, hoping our stomachs would take it and it was no problem. Like always, the food did not disappoint and we received about 6 different plates with delicacies on them, which we shared.
The heat made us tired and we tried to have a nap on the wooden plank we had just eaten on but we wanted to see a waterfall too, so we walked back up to our scooters. The road that followed then, was the best part for the scooter. There wasn’t one other car or scooter and the road itself was just fun to drive on with its many bends trough that beautiful scenery.
The waterfall that suddenly appeared was bigger than I expected and since it was possible to swim in the pool, we also climbed down the slippery and muddy path. The water was still warm but at least somewhat more refreshing than the lake and the spray from the waterfall very agreeable. Unfortunately, we didn’t see the dark thunderclouds from down there and so, when we got back to the scooters, we knew we had to hurry back but most likely would get wet. It felt a bit like a chase on a scooter fighting a few lost big raindrops and mud puddles that had formed from the rain that had already passed by. It was quite fun and I definitely developed some skills for scooter driving. We almost made it back. Almost, for when we were already back on the small path between our rice fields, it started pouring really hard and it was difficult to fight the wind. I already saw myself falling into the mud of the rice field but somehow, we all safely reached our homestay. We all had the same thought: too bad we didn’t have a GoPro.

What an adventurous day! I am really glad we got to do this.
The scooter tour was part of a package we  booked at the Golden Charm Hotel in Hanoi and we stayed at Nature Lodge in Mai Chau.