Motorbiking the coast of Vietnam has been on my bucket list for years. I have always said I wanted to do it. But, stepping out onto the streets of HCMC I swiftly changed my mind. How we didn’t witness any accidents is beyond me. The roads are chaos. That doesn’t mean the dream was gone, I was just put off. Especially after my first experience ever riding a scooter from Chang Mai to Pai.
Taking the Plunge
By the time we got to Dalat, the roads were much quieter and we decided to make the bike thing a reality. We rented a couple of scooters from a man in a flower shop (only in Asia). He was willing to let us drive his bikes one way. We would leave them at our next destination, Nha Trang. There, we would pick up our official rented bikes for the rest of the journey, from Motorvina.
To say I was nervous would be an understatement. I was pooping. My. Pants. I had never ridden on the wrong (right) side of the road before and here I was, about to do it for the first time, in Vietnam of all places. I know what it’s like to be a pedestrian here and that is enough in itself. But to be the person dodging those terrified, dear in headlights walkers? That was a bit too much for me to handle.
Our Bikes Loaded
Getting Started
After a nervous, wobbly start… Whilst the bike owners look on with an expression I can only assume was a deep look of concern. We were on our way. Me following Toby swiftly up the rear. I have a local SIM with internet usage so we had Google Maps on our side. Toby used one of our gadgets and some duct tape to secure the phone in place for directions. All I had to do was follow him to our destination.
The Views
It didn’t take long for my nerves to dissipate. Vietnams scenery took care of that.
What’s really great about motorbiking is that you’re in control. You can pull over whenever and wherever you want, to admire the view. Trust me, I have sat on enough buses with fellow passengers who shut the curtains and lay back to get some shut-eye. Before you know it, a six-hour drive through the countryside leaves you wondering what you might have missed.
The road from Dalat to Nha Trang did not disappoint. It was gorgeous. Similar to our journey to Pai, we started off by going around winding roads up and down mountains. Rather than the jungle either side, this road gave us steep cliffs to one side, with the occasional waterfall and then rolling hills on the other. Until we reached Nha Trang, there were barely any other travellers on the road which made for a peaceful, enjoyable ride. All in all, the journey took us around 4-5 hours with stops included.
To Drive? or Not to Drive?
I had weighed up the pros and cons of having a scooter vs public transport. You see, I would usually use my time on a bus to write a blog post or read a book. I obviously can’t do that whilst driving but the difference is you arrive at your destination and you feel like you’ve achieved something. Like you’ve done a tour and seen the country. It is most definitely not time wasted and if you’re comfortable riding, I recommend everyone do this.
