Apr 18-19 2024 |
The first leg of my Vietnam motorcycle journey. Just my luck, it was raining in Hanoi the morning of my departure. Not a deal-breaker level of rain though, so I headed out at 9:00 am, destination loosely targeting That Khe, Lang Son or nearby, towards the north-east of Hanoi. After making a decision en route, I ended up in Bac Son (Quing Son, as shown on the map is part of Bac Son region/town).
The ride out of the city was pretty much as expected, low-lighted by the rain. After about 2 hours of riding, things suddenly got "wow", as I reached the edge of a range of karst mountains, the same type of stunning scenery found in many places in SEAsia and China. I stopped for lunch and gassed up at a junction at Ba Nang, then turned off the main highway, commencing a 2-hour ride into the mountains of north Vietnam.
Bang Na to Bac Son
I called it day at a place called Bac Son. Booked a place to stay at Duong Cong Chich Homestay on Agoda. Homestays in Vietnam are basically a local that open their house to travelers, shared accommodation, kind of like a Japanese ryokan, where you get a mattress, and curtains to privatize your space - all for about $5.. Now, my dorm days are well behind me - but I thought, why not, it's low season, I will probably have the place to myself. One other person did arrive, a young Dutch rider on the same bike as mine and on a similar path. The place was immaculate - like, eat off the floor level clean.
I cruised around Bac Son a bit. Honestly, not much there. There is a good hike to the top of a local mountain, famous as a photo point, but I didn't attempt it due to a healing big toe. Had dinner at a local cafe, the owner is a spunky lady who speaks decent English.
A few scenes around Bac Son
All-and-all, it was a good first day and night on the road.
Ride: 160 km / 4 hrs
Stay: Duong Cong Chich Homestay $5 / 4/5
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