Alex's Vietnam Cycling Tour - Final Summary

I have been back in the UK now for one full day and Ho Chi Minh City, never mind Hanoi... seams like a long time ago already, but there will certainly be memories from my time in Vietnam that I will never forget as long as I live. I have been asked a couple of times already since I arrived back in the UK... ''So, what was the one thing you liked best about Vietnam then?''.... The city's/tourist areas spring to mind, Da Nang, Dong Hoi, Hue, Hoi An and of course Hanoi and Saigon where all amazing places. The real remote sections of the Ho Chi Minh trial where also spectacular, Water buffalo being used to plow fields, our little bee hive discovery on day 4, crossing Phong Nha-Ke bang national park, coffee and tea plantations galore... the list is endless with lots of answers I could give but the best bit about Vietnam for me was an easy answer -  The people. So friendly, so helpful and seemingly and maybe a little surprisingly, so happy too. The children especially where a highlight. The more remote the villages we passed through, the louder and more meaningful where the ''hellooowssss'' and laughter from the local children. They certainly managed to bring a smile to our faces as well as memory's I dont think either myself or Stuart will forgot in a hurry.  



If our blog as inspired any of you readers to think about doing this trip yourself, the journey down from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh overall is very achievable if you have a good level of fitness and some cycling experience. There are a few tough days, long rides and some climbing to do in the middle of the country but nothing that is too horrific for a regular cyclist. The planning of your route and route alternatives on a daily basis is essential though as it does get pretty remote from time to time, but as long as you do plan though there is always somewhere to grab a bite to eat and lay your head for the night. I would definitely advise not to be on the road during the night as It gets pitch black very quickly and as Stuart as mentioned in previous blog posts, as much as Vietnamese people are so friendly and nice, there standard of driving at times could be questioned to say the least. I would also suggest to try and stay in Hotels/Motels/ Homestays over camping out at night too. 

I am a dog lover, but as we have covered in a few of the days over the course of the blog that if I was to do this trip again I would definitely think about taking something to protect myself a bit more from the few dog chases we did get, as it can get pretty hairy at times. I must say it was a very small minority of dogs that did chase us but it only takes one bite for trouble to start. We where on edge when entering or leaving villages after the first chase on at the end of the second week as this seemed to be prime dog chasing territory. I wouldn't let this put you off doing the trip at all though, it is just something to be mindful of. 

My bike mechanically performed really well with no issues, however, I now know from experience, I wouldn't use it again to go 'touring' on. With the nature of the bike being a cyclo-cross, sturdy yes but built for more speed, my more aero  riding position on the bike became uncomfortable at times after 5-6 days of riding. I certainly enjoyed the extra rest days because of this. The issue was with my hands funnily enough, because of the more 'bent over' position the bike places your body in, I had to much pressure/weight being applied down my arms and it really effected my left hand badly at times throughout the journey to the point I couldn't even change gear sometimes. Not so good when you have two dogs either side if your back tyre haha. I would definitely opt for more comfort than speed if I was to do a trip this long again using my bike. 

Finally I would firstly like to thank Stuart and Susan for the planning and time that went into this trip, and also for the encouragement in the first place 7/8 months ago for me to take part in this tour. Something I will always be grateful for. I would like to  thank everyone who has donated so far to St Catherines Hospice, every donation is greatly appreciated and is going towards a fantastic charity. It spurred us on at times for sure.  And lastly I want to thank the people of Vietnam who we met along the way for making our trip so memorable. 

Thanks again and I really hope you enjoyed our blog posts.