NorthWest Vietnam RoadTrip By Minsk (2006)

[FB666Y]

Flew into Hanoi and rented a Minsk for USD8 for a week.

The Minsk has a reputation for tackling the mountains of Northwest Vietnam:

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m308/FB666Y/vietnam/minsk.jpg

 

Evidently it also has a reputation of being slightly unreliable - I got a rectifier, alternator, spare plug and toolkit along with the bike:

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m308/FB666Y/vietnam/minsk2.jpg

 

The route, totalling about 1000km:

Hanoi - Mai Chau - Son La - Lai Chau - Sapa - Yen Bai - Hanoi

 

Outside of Hanoi it was bitterly cold and wet, the bike on some mountain, enveloped in mist:

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m308/FB666Y/vietnam/maichau1.jpg

 

Finally found the village of Mai Chau, and spent the night in a Thai stilt house:

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m308/FB666Y/vietnam/maichau2.jpg

 

 

[FB666Y]

The view from the room:

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m308/FB666Y/vietnam/maichau3.jpg

 

Padi Fields:

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m308/FB666Y/vietnam/maichau4.jpg

 

Other pics from Mai Chau:

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m308/FB666Y/vietnam/maichau5.jpg

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m308/FB666Y/vietnam/maichau6.jpg

 

[FB666Y]

The wheather improved the next day on the road to Son La:

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m308/FB666Y/vietnam/sonla1.jpg

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m308/FB666Y/vietnam/sonla2.jpg

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m308/FB666Y/vietnam/sonla3.jpg

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m308/FB666Y/vietnam/sonla4.jpg

 

 

[FB666Y]

Some pics of Son La:

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m308/FB666Y/vietnam/sonla5.jpg

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m308/FB666Y/vietnam/sonla6.jpg

 

The next day on the road to Dien Bien Phu, the wheater was bitterly cold even though the sun was out:

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m308/FB666Y/vietnam/db1.jpg

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m308/FB666Y/vietnam/db2.jpg

 

 

 

[FB666Y]

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m308/FB666Y/vietnam/db3.jpg

 

More mountains, more roadworks. Went through 10km of roadworks, loose sand - I can imagine how bad it'll be in wet wheather:

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m308/FB666Y/vietnam/db4.jpg

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m308/FB666Y/vietnam/db6.jpg

 

Road works - a traffic jam in the mountains as the diggers moved some bits of moutains from one side to another:

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m308/FB666Y/vietnam/db5.jpg

 

[FB666Y]

Decided to forgo Dien Bien Phu and decided to take the road from Tuan Giao to Lai Chau. Gorgeous sceneries of vista and mountains as the road dipped and rose through the mountains. The first 20 or so kilometres was fine, but the road started falling apart such that the last 60 kilometres or so it was dirt and gravel and huge portholes. It took 4 hourse to cover 90 kilometres:

 

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m308/FB666Y/vietnam/laichau1.jpg

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m308/FB666Y/vietnam/laichau2.jpg

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m308/FB666Y/vietnam/laichau3.jpg

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m308/FB666Y/vietnam/laichau4.jpg

 

[FB666Y]

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m308/FB666Y/vietnam/laichau5.jpg

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m308/FB666Y/vietnam/laichau6.jpg

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m308/FB666Y/vietnam/laichau7.jpg

 

The next day, struck out across to the top of Vietnam, through Tan Duong into Sapa and the highest mountain pass in Vietnam, the Tram Tron Pass before the hill station of Sapa:

 

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m308/FB666Y/vietnam/2pass1.jpg

 

[FB666Y]

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m308/FB666Y/vietnam/2pass2.jpg

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m308/FB666Y/vietnam/2pass3.jpg

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m308/FB666Y/vietnam/2pass4.jpg

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m308/FB666Y/vietnam/2pass5.jpg

 

[Simon Soh]

wonderful trip..! very nice scenery..!

[fooz]

wow. beautiful man...

[oldphantomist]

very nice and well taken pics of the route winding curves whereby can see the opposite side of the mountain this time no pillion with you ?

[Demon]

Originally posted by FB666Y@Feb 22 2006, 11:47 AM

Flew into Hanoi and rented a Minsk for USD8 for a week.

what a way to tour, you have my utmost respect, a true biker to the core.

 

wow, only USD8 for a week ?

 

[FB666Y]

Haha - I wish - maybe I wrote it wrongly, its US8 per day for a week = 56USD.

 

Yeah - we rode two up - the significant other came along as well.

[whyh]

Wa.. respect.. great adventure u had....

[Guest cheeko]

u are much more hardcore then those other riding clubs or group around

[BlackHonda]

Nice view u capture there!

 

Waiting for more updates

[takumi18]

[wait4me]

wow kudos to u for going alone

 

 

plus . how u find yr way around?? u speak vietnamese??

 

i onli ride in the city never at the remote areas

think next trip must try liao

[FB666Y]

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m308/FB666Y/vietnam/2pass6.jpg

 

Windy as hell, the scenery was awesonme, conical mountains that sprout around you as you tilt the bike round the bends, and there were a LOT of bends:

 

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m308/FB666Y/vietnam/2pass7.jpg

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m308/FB666Y/vietnam/2pass8.jpg

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m308/FB666Y/vietnam/2pass9.jpg

 

 

[FB666Y]

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m308/FB666Y/vietnam/2pass10.jpg

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m308/FB666Y/vietnam/2pass11.jpg

 

The Tram Tron Pass:

 

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m308/FB666Y/vietnam/2pass12.jpg

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m308/FB666Y/vietnam/2pass13.jpg

 

Edited March 28, 2011 by FB666Y
relinking pics

[Guest cheeko]

by the way, just curious, Mr FB666Y, are u a retired personnel ? how i envy u seems to have a lot of days off per year for such trips

[frazki]

Fb666

U r a pathfinder here.........ride to nobody has been before

[FB666Y]

Retired?

I wish - Im only 34 and that would mean I still have about 30 more years of work to go before I can retire.

 

As for leave, I spent most of it on road trips. Since I dont weekends, I can take 5 days and be gone for 9 days!

 

To answer a few questions, no i dont speak vietnamese. I have a road map, a lonely planet guide and road markers to help me along the way. Sign language helps to communicate with the locals.

 

Most countries once youre out of the city or town there's usually only one road leading to your destination. Its only in cities when you start getting lost.

[FB666Y]

Another thing I ought to add:

 

We are lucky enough to be living in South East Asia and our Sing dollar gives us the added advantage.

 

Though the roads may not be what we're used to, its definitely worth looking at all the other countries like Vietnam or Cambodia and Indonesia. So if you dont have the time to get your own bike, you can always rent, and thats half the fun - trying out a bike that you have never ridden before.

 

With the internet you can do a lot of research and plan in advance. Its out there waiting and youre not getting any younger.

 

Teaser -

Instead of riding up to Chiang Mai and doing the MHS Loop, how about shipping the bike to Dumai Indonesia from Melaka and riding through Sumatra into Java and Bali. And those with a bit more time - carry on to Timor and then onwards to Australia?

[Guest bomerman81]

Teaser -

Instead of riding up to Chiang Mai and doing the MHS Loop, how about shipping the bike to Dumai Indonesia from Melaka and riding through Sumatra into Java and Bali. And those with a bit more time - carry on to Timor and then onwards to Australia?

 

 

:giddy: