Vietnam

26/04/2026

Todays goal was to visit the Lung Cu Flagpole, then I was staying at Chi Pau Bungalows. Both the road and the view through Tu San Canon from Meo Vac is truely impressive. It was cool seeing the boats on the Song Nho Qua River from such a high viewpoint too. The only downside is the number of endless bike tour groups and amount of people frequenting the area. But I guess with so much traffic, one good thing is it prevents anyone going crazy with the throttle.

The famous Ha Giang Loop is essentially road QL4C where nearly everyone does it clockwise. Thus I saw 2 police blocks for traffic going that way, but my luck ran out when I hit the police road block going both ways. "Random alcohol check" he said and held a machine to my face. I blew into it, he looked at it, and with a smile he said "ok". "Ok, thank you" I said, and left before anyone asked any questions.

I woke up at 4am to the noise of traffic on the main road. The street view room may have been the best room in the homestay, but the noise was ridiculous. When I arrived at the bungalows, no one was around and then 30 minutes later a guy showed up. This has become typical with both homestays and resturants, but I have since found if you look around you will often find them sleeping somewhere. He had an issue with the amount of money I paid. On Angoda I paid $VND440000 but he wanted $VND500000. After telling him via Google translator I'm not paying him $VND500000 and it's not my problem, he ended up saying "ok, ok". He showed me to the bungalow, which is a cabin in the rocky outcrop of the mountain. It was rudimentary but fine. It smelt like rats.

It had a kettle, so I boiled some water and WTF is that smell. Something is burning! For some reason the main power switch had melted. I went outside and looked around and noticed a guy near a house below me taking a piss. I yelled at him "Sing Chow" and he put his tackle away. I then waved him to come over here. Like a monkey he scurried up the rocks and onto the veranda of the cabin. I said "I have problem" and showed him the melted switch. He then pulled his phone out and made some calls. Two guys showed up and it was decided they would move me into another cabin.

They grabbed my bags and I grabbed what was left and when we finished transfering everything to the new cabin, he asked for the Google translator. He told Google "I want to ask you to my house for drinks". "Ok" I said. He lead me to his house, where we sat down, and the other guy I had an argument about money with then showed up. His name sounded like "Try". He bought out a water cooler of plum wine and glasses, and the three of us proceeded to drink this rocket fuel. It wasn't too bad until he tipped some plumbs out of the container and we ate them. They were super powerfull and my head soon started spinning.

I think we all mutually reached a point where we had had enough. Anymore and no one would be standing up. He tried to explain how he made the plum wine but Google Translator, although good, is still very cumbersome and somewhat inaccurate tool. The three of us parted ways, but later Try would cook me dinner. At the Meo Vac, I had walked past several resturants but they were all full of westerners and I just didn't want to be part of that, so I chose a resturant with only Vietnamese people. "Menu" I asked. The guy went away and a girl came over. "We don't have menu" she said. "Oh, what do you recommend then?" "I eat fried eggs and rice". "Ok" I said.

The rice with a fried egg was fine, and it was quite filling. But when I went to have dinner tonight, I said to Try, "what do you reccomend?" He didn't answer but instead said "ok" and disappeared into the kitchen. 15 minutes later he returned with a proud smile and put a plate of fried eggs and rice Infront of me. As I ate, I thought WTF, is that all people in the North eat?

Back at the room, I went to the toilet, and it didn't flush. No water. How the hell am I going to clean my ass now! No bum gun. I hiked it back to the cafe where Try was and told him, "new problem, no water". He followed me back to my cabin, and after a couple of calls had the water working again. I started my relationship with this guy arguing, then we had some crazy drinking/cuddling session (Vietnamese have to hug you for some reason), then he cooked for me, and now he was fixing the water. If I didn't like the bloke so much, this dump would get 2/10 but since he was a great guy, I give it 6/10.

Lastly I must mention the Flag Pole. This is a very popular tourist destination in historic town of Lung Cu, and when I was there they performed some type of ceremony that I didn't understand. For the Vietnamese who read this, it's a long way, but if you have the opportunity then I recommend you visit the flagpole - it will make you proud. They are also building a massive Pagoda opposite the flagpole which will also be very impressive when completed, although I got the vibe this was very controversial as they have removed half the mountain for it

27/04/2026

There was only one objective today. Get off the Ha Gaing loop and head towards Sapa. I'm simply over the traffic on this road, it's insane. Cars are the worst, they will try and overtake 20 bikes at a time and come straight at you. There has to be, and I'm not exaggerating 2 or 3 thousand tour groups on this road. Last time I looked it was about $US500 to sit on a bike through this loop, so someone is cleaning up.

Some of them don't mess around either. My biggest problem is they will all go fast on the straights and slow in the corners. Whereas I need to keep the momentum through the corners because I don't have the power on the straights. This means I will pass them in the corner, but they will pass me on the straights. It's a game of cat and mouse that soon becomes tiresome as concentration maxes out.

There was one session where this was going on along the Song Lo River. This is a lovely stretch of road that is flat and winds in and out next to the river. I was eating every one up on the little 50cc Donkey and was thinking "you cant corner like Stevie people!" Then God decided to put me back in my box. Some fat chick with a pony tail flapping around came past me like a rocket, went around the the corner and disappeared into the distance. I was particularly impressed she did the whole manoeuver one handed, while the other hand was holding a cigarette. Talk about being smoked!

I only stopped a couple of times, and also stopped in Gaing 2. This is a large town, and the first with traffic lights for a long time. It felt good to be back in civilisation where shops had glass windows.

When I arrived at my hotel at Bac Quang, I found the receptionist asleep out the back and was given a pink room, which makes me wonder what sort of hotel is this?

28/04/2026

Jon from Tigit Motorcycles had said Sapa is an overrated tourist town that isn't worth visiting, and yet I had heard from others including the boys Grandmother that Sapa was simply wonderful. I decided to book 4 days to find out for myself and this morning basically put the headphones on, turned up the volume, and headed to Sapa with the only stop being a coffee and fuel.

It took me about 5 hours to get to Sapa and the road was nice and flat for the most part. However, after the last fuel up Donkey seems to be down on power. It just wont pull like it was, and a few times it seemed to completely die. I'm just hoping it's bad fuel. I think it's been running a bit rich and I've been wanting to drop the needle a notch, but there's no where suitable to pull the bike to bits. I was thinking about asking a bike shop, but then I'm not sure the conversation is worth engaging with.

Bao Yen was about the only town I liked today. I passed several different schools where the kids pile out of the front gate on scooters. It's a real experiance because they are all in the same uniform and all the bikes just swarm you. I tried unsuccessfully to capture some on camera, but it's weird to be suddenly swamped by hundreds of bikes. My understanding is kids can ride 50cc and below, but some were definately riding more powerful bikes.

I entered Sapa via Lao Cai. This is a big town in it's own right and I thought surely this place has a Banh Mi seller. I was successful in finding a place in the middle of the town, which was ok, but not fantastic. It's interesting the food I could easily find in DaNang is nowhere to be seen in the North. You can't find Pho or Banh Mi or BBQ anywhere. You can get chicken and pork with something (usually rice), but you will definately not get a Americano or an Egg Coffee or a Mango Smoothy. It seems to me, once you leave the bigger tourist focused cities, the Vietnamese Food that westerners rave about simply disappears.

On the way today I stopped at your typical Vietnamese cafe, and they were unsure about what a black coffee hot (ca phe den nong) even was. This is common, and yet they all know what black coffee (ca phe den) is, but this comes served cold. The western style cafes and resturants (that I need to be comfortable. In fact, I wouldn't live in a Vietnamese town without a KFC and McDonalds) is simply not the authentic Vietnam and not what the Vietnamese people eat or drink. This is exactly how I feel about Sapa.

Coming into Sapa it looks like an industrial waste land. Mountains have been carved away for terrace fields, and the hills have been stripped bare. Freeways and roads traverse everywhere, and it is honestly the worst looking part of Vietnam I have seen to date. It looks and feels "raped". Where I have been in the North East, the hills have been terraced, but only in part, and they are mixed in with the natural environment. What's even more mind blowing about these bare hills is at my homestay I watched a couple taking photos and saying how wonderful the view was.

The other thing I immediately didn't like is the wind. As soon as I hit the bare hills of Sapa the wind hit me like a handbrake. I commented to a lady selling scarves that it was so windy, and she replied "it's always windy". In all my travels so far I have had no wind, and I'm sure its because the landscape has been so rich with vegetation, trees, and jungle.

Thus, coming into the Sapa region I already had bad vibes, but they only got worse when a scarf lady came up beside me on her motorbike and started asking where I'm going. I told her Ban Su Homestead and she said "my home village, follow me". She took me to the homestay, and if I'm honest I wouldn't have found it easily without her. But she then hung around until I checked in and even followed me into my room. I started wondering, how do I get rid of her, when she said "you look at scarves now?". "Ok, I look" I begrudgingly replied. To get rid of her and in a way to say thank you, I bought a $VND300000 (AUD$15 ) scaff which given the fact is equivalent to a full nights accommodation was just not proportional, and what am I going to do with a scarf? I think if I see someone nice on the road I will stop and give it to them.

The homestay has a Daylesford Hot Springs/Retreat about it, which is all fine if you are a loved up couple with deep pockets, but regardless of being a single male, it's just not my vibe. Part of that is I hate tourist bullshit. Sue, the host told me that the people of the community are too poor to afford doctors or go to hospital, so they have to use herbs for medicine, and it's therefore important they bath in herbal baths to prevent sickness. This is why for $VND200000 I should also have a herbal bath. Given the amount of money this region is milking out of tourists, not going to the doctor or hospital sounds like first class, number one, horse shit to me!

For dinner I jumped on Donkey and went into town for a Hawaiian Pizza for VND$250000 (AUD$13). The only problem was ridding home I nearly froze and Donkey wouldn't pull in the headwind.

29/04/2026

Hoang sent me a txt reminding me to get the bike serviced, so this became the goal for the day. What turned out to be a simple service turned into a complete engine overhaul. I had the bike serviced by Durong Motor Services. I had expected I would need to leave the bike, but he said I stay and he did everything in 10 minutes. Changing the oil was interesting. He had a compressed air sucker contraption and sucked the oil out. Not sure if that gets all the fillings, but seems to be the way it's done in Nam.

I asked him replace the chain and sprockets because the chain has a tight spot in it, but he insisted that it is in very good condition. The bike hasn't been idling properly and he adjusted the screw but it still seemed a bit rough. He changed the spark plug but didn't have an air filter for it. In total he charged VND$170000 (AUD$9) 8/10

Because he didn't have an air filter, I took it to another bike shop that had rave reviews on Google. He also didn't have an air filter, but I asked him if he could adjust the idle. Instead of get his screwdriver out, he dicked around with the spark plug, then he looked at the colour. Then he disconnected the fuel and looked at that.. meanwhile I just stood there frustrated that he was doing everything but adjust the idle

After revving the bike and kicking it manually he told me "it seems to have fuel contamination fungus. We have that a bit around here". Well, that made sense because ever since the last fill up at a Petrolmex, it seemed to run differently. He then told me "it's low on compression". I asked him if it was piston and rings and he seemed to get excited I knew something about bikes. I asked "can you fix?" He said yes and it should be ready by same time tomorrow morning. Cost VND1800000 (AUD$109).

I agreed but was worried that he didn't realise it was 100cc, and tried to explain it had been modified, but he didn't seem to understand what I was saying. I guess he will find out when he pulls it apart. As long as it doesn't come back 50cc I will be happy! I told him I would see him tomorrow, so hopefully he does an excellent job.

For the rest of the day I walked around Sapa and tried to waist time. It's really a town of hotels, a market, some agriculture shops, and the lake. I found a good chocolate donut at the Sapa Bakery, and had a Americano at a coffee shop. It was nice to have a half decent coffee after nearly 2 weeks. I ordered a Grab and noted how the Honda Wave worked hard to get us both up the hill back to the homestay. The Wave has only 10 more cc than Donkey, so something is definately wrong with the my bike. With two on Donkey we wouldn't be going anywhere.

Ariving back at the homestay, the only excitement was a snake had found his way into the bedroom area. I spent the rest of the afternoon stewing over going to Malaysia. The monthly homestay I had booked had cancelled, so I booked a different Airbnb. But this pushed my budget when they also added on the MYR$10 tourist tax you have to pay for each night. A tourist tax? What horse shit. The Govt should be encouraging tourists, not be ripping them off. This and the fact that I like Vietnam made me wonder maybe I don't go there?

I've only been on the road for 11 days, but the North Vietnam has all started to all become the same. This is the same issue why I stopped travelling around Australia. At the end of the day it doesn't matter where you go, it's all the same really. Places just become something you tick off a list. It's true you have different experiences, but I'm strongly starting to feel the need to stay put in one place for a while. I miss my daily routine in DaNang.

My ticket to Penang is already booked and paid, so maybe I just do a visa run and return to Vietnam. I'm thinking I should live in DaLat for a couple of months and then see how I feel about riding the rest of Asia.

30/04/2026

Time to get the bike. I hadn't slept much, and kept having a dream that my 100cc bike would be changed back to 50cc! I tried to stay in bed until 8.00am because even though I had been told it would be ready by then, I didn't want to get these early only to be told it wasn't fixed yet.

I ordered a Grab, but seemed the homestay was too far from Sapa because no one responded, so I started walking. As I walked along the road, the mist rolled trough and the rain started to spit, It was miserable, but I felt it's weather that fits Sapa well. With no helmet along came a kid on a bike and stopped beside me. He motioned I hope on and when I did, he he said "Sapa?" "Yes" I responded, and we were off. He rode like a kid that didn't valve life, but that was ok. I had already convinced myself while on the back of someones bike, what will be will be.

The trip was about 20 minutes and he dropped me close to the repair shop. I tried to get him to go further but he couldn't understand why. Grab had told me the fare would be VND$85000. So I gave him VND$100000 and he was very happy. A smile from ear to ear.

As I walked up to the shop, I could see Donkey parked outside. That's a relief. As I got closer I noticed dirty handprints all over the plastic and I thought "Well, they've done something". I inspected the engine because my biggest fear was they would just replace the cylinder, but it was still the original. Looking at the bolts I could see it had been apart. He showed me the valves and pictures of a scratched up piston. I manage to communicate he had changed the valves, piston, and rings. I couldn't ascertain what the cylinder state was, but he told me this problem was because no air filter in the bike. WTF! What rubbish is that? In truth I knew that because I had watched the first motor mechanic pull the lid of the air box and it didn't look like there was any filter there, but he said nothing about it. Trying in vain to understand through Google Translator if he had put one in or not, I couldn't get an answer I could understand. Translator just kept repeating stupid stuff like "wine goes inside tires". Google did however translate "you have a good car now".

I paid him VND$1800000 (AUD$94), gave him a hug and said "Camoon". After finding a place to wash all the grease prints off, I had a coffee opposite the market and then decided to find some lunch. One thing I've learnt is all hell breaks lose if you try and park your bike Infront of shop. I pulled up Infront of a restaurant and was immediately was greeted with "no parking!". I looked up and said "I want to eat here". "Of course sir, your bike is ok here. Nice bike". I'm sure when they see my bike, they all know it's some cheap junk, but as soon as they see foreigner then it becomes a "nice bike".

Everything in Sapa is priced for the western tourist and the only thing that was slightly interesting was the roller coaster. I put it in the GPS and Google Maps said it was 33 minutes away. It ended up taking 2 hours as Google took me around and around in circles. But the good thing was I ended up on these narrow cement roads full of western tourist hikers and more souvenir shops. The trouble with these shops is they all try and sell the same shit. The other thing was I saw a part of Sapa I wouldn't otherwise have seen. But I still say it's a disaster. The hills are simply an over developed mess.

Finally I got to the Roller Coaster. Donkey had struggled to get up a few hills, but it definately wouldn't have got up them before. The roller coaster was 5/10. So many videos on YouTube and rave reviews, but for VND$350000 it was not worth it. It just shows the bullshit reviews are. The first run, I used the brakes and videoed it, but the second I did no brakes. No brakes makes it an 8/10 but it's not long enough, and there are too many slow people. My fast run was cut short by 50 meters due to a woman going so slow, which pissed me off. When we disembarked she was telling the staff how wonderful it was.. Fuck me, some people have no idea.

When I got back to the homestay I decided to check if there was an air filter in the bike, and yes he had put one in it. What a champ! Then I was telling Grok I reckon the bike is running too rich. Grok asked me why I thought that and then told me I'm wrong, it's too lean. Grok suggested I raise the needle a notch. This resulted in two things. 1. People would just turn up from who knows where and ask "are you ok?" and "why are you doing?" Several people suggested I take it to the motorbike repair shop. "They will fix it! It became very evident Vietnamese might use a motorbike every day, but when it came to modifying, repairing, or servicing they have people for that. It's like everyone fits into a box and they can't operate out of that box. I was raised if you can't fix your own bike you don't deserve to have one. But I guess this is an old fasioned view, that doesn't relate to anything anymore. How many people know how to repair a phone?

And 2. It was way too lean and Grok transformed the bike. Well done Grok. The thing will actually accelerate in 2, 3, and 4 gear up hills now, something it's never done that since I've owned it. Happy with Donkey, that night I decided to lash out at repair myself with a herbal spa bath.

01/05/2026

When I left Sapa it was raining heavily and the fog made visibility hopeless. Meanwhile Donkey was climbing hills like never before, even overtaking cars uphill which I never thought possible. I made good time to Than Uyen, stopping briefly at the Glass Bridge. For VND$500000 (AUD$26) and given the only break in the clouds was at the entrance of this place, I weren't doing it. And it's not because I'm a tight ass, it's because it's totally disproportionate to everything else. VND500000 is 2 nights accommodation in a hotel. It's enough money for a local to eat at a restaurant for 10 days. How can this be worth a glass bridge walk? It's just a tourist wank.

I could tell the mountains in this area were extreme and visibility was 2 meters. As I came down the otherside of this mountain Police were along the road about every 2kms with lights flashing. I'm not sure what they were doing or if they were just trying to make sure everyone was going slow and safe. But of course Donkey wasn't going slow and out of nowhere I hit a chicken. It collected the front wheel just behind the fork. It was a solid hit and I didn't see it, but I certainly felt it. The reason I know it was a chicken was because of the chicken noise it made on impact. I thought about stopping, but I wasn't paying for no chicken or listening to a farmer tell me that was his number one breeder, and besides Donkey was still puring like a kitten.

I'm staying at a place called Love Hill, and it became very clear from the moment I received my room key that this is a place where loved up people come. It's a lovely room too set in the flatlands of the rice fields and is quite a lovely place. It's even better being a foreigner because as the only one here, every single female has said "Hello" and either shaken my hand or given me a hi five. They also always ask "What's your name?" If only they new I bought a shit tonne of Viagra in Hanoi..