Vietnam
Like all my posts dated before 2006 (when I bought my digital camera), the posts on Vietnam were written in 2020/21 but contain scanned photos from many years before. In this case between September 2001 and June 2003. During that time I was a teacher working for the British Council in Hanoi. I have to say Vietnam was one of the best, if not the best country I have lived in. Writing these posts has been a real trip down memory lane and what has immediately struck me are the huge changes that have taken place certainly in Vietnam but also the world in general.
Most of the posts detail motorbike trips I made throughout the country on my trusty Russian built Minsk. In those days there was certainly no internet available, or even decent maps. I often had no idea about the state of the road/track or whether there would be a hotel at the end of a long day’s ride . However, now, as I revisit these places, there is a wealth of information available and I have enjoyed trawling through new websites which are available to today’s visitor to Vietnam and have included links within the text to sometimes highlight the changes which have occurred.
North West Loop
12 Nov 20013 Nov 2001. I’d been in Vietnam for almost two months. I’d bought my Minsk motorbike and now was its first big test – the North West Loop. The plan was to leave Hanoi and go west to the village of Mai Châu. It was a popular weekend getaway and a place that I had been to before. Then head North West past Son La to Điện Biên Phủ, a place scorched into the collective memory of all Vietnamese –…
Weekend to Ninh Binh
27 Nov 2001One of the joys of living in Hanoi was the ease of getting out. I often used to hop on my Minsk for weekend trips into the countryside and this was one such trip. My ultimate destination were the caves and rivers of Tam Coc but much more important was the journey. Although in winter, northern Vietnam can often be miserable but this weekend the sky was clear and the air fresh as I headed South West from Hanoi on…
Central Highlands
5 Jan 200222 Dec 2001 For our second bike trip in Vietnam, me and Alan decided on the Central Highlands. Like up north we were expecting to meet many ethnic minorities, or Montagnards as they were known here, and although we knew they didn’t wear the flamboyant clothing of those up north they did live in some interesting houses. Also the landscape promised to be impressive and hopefully not as cold. Rather than waste a couple of days driving down the very…
North East Loop to Lang Son
7 May 200228th April 2002. I’d been to the North West of Vietnam and the Central Highlands. This time I was venturing North East to the Chinese border. Little visited by foreigners, I wanted to spot some new Ethnic Minorities and also experience the wonderful karst scenery. I first headed north on the main road to Thai Nguyen. It was the worst case scenario – the road was pretty bad but it was also busy with lots of smoke belching buses. Just…
Central Vietnam
18 Jun 2002Hanoi 8th June 2002 I’d already undertaken motorbike trips to the North and to the South, this time it was Central Vietnam’s turn. Not so big on Ethnic Minorities but the trip was centred on the ancient capital of Hue. It was also quite novel as I wasn’t taking my trusty Minsk as I wasn’t travelling around much. However, it started, as ever, with an overnight train trip from Ga Hanoi (Hanoi Railway Station). I woke up fairly fresh on…
The Far North
18 Nov 2002This was the fourth of my bike trips in Vietnam. I’d been down to the Central Highlands, up to the North West and the North East and now- the Far North. Although I was getting used to the protocol, it never got any easier. The first problem was getting train tickets and getting the bikes on the train to Lao Cai. It was always a real hassle and this was no different, perhaps more so as I saw the blokes…
Hoang Lien Son Mountains
4 May 200326th April 2002 Day One Hanoi to Mai Chau My two years in Vietnam was coming to an end but there was time for one last big bike trip up north. Looking at the map, I had been to most places but there was a gap, the spine of the Hoang Lien Son Mountains. I hadn’t heard much about it but there was a road marked on the map (no doubt just a track in places) and there would be…
In and around Hanoi
15 Jul 2003A whole mish mash of photos of in and around Hanoi taken between 2001 and 2002.