Riding north east out of Hué we are headed for the narrow strip of land between a long lagoon and the sea. Fish farms line the north western banks. We watch children play in long boats from a road bridge. Agriculture and fishing are the main industries here. Wooden fishing boats are built by hand…
Neither words not photos can do justice to the bends, views and road quality of the ride from Prao to Hué. For the first hour we follow a river that cuts a swath through the mountains. Wide at first, it becomes gradually smaller as we ride ever higher. Enterinf the Vietnam-Laos border region the road…
Leaving Hoi an we wriggle our way west through dusty townships. Quiet mountain roads beckon but first we must battle roadworks and road users who scored highly on the “drive without looking” exam. It’s all worth it. QL14 is an amazing mountain road with almost no traffic. It winds effortlessly upwards into and through jungle-clad…
It’s 4.30am when we arrive in Da Nang. We’re still asleep on the bus and no one wakes us (nor the other sleeping passengers). Bleery eyed we face the throng of taxi and moto drivers. Danang Bikes is right near the beach. As we step out of the taxi we are greeted by the most…
Having taken the scenic route to Kon Tum we opt to ride the more direct AH17 back. It’s a fast ride and after just one hour we have covered the 50km route. The scenery is pretty and much of the road passes through wild highlands country without the need to navigate wild roads.
Kon K’tu is a hill tribe village on the banks of the Bla River. Access is along an unsealed road that winds between the mountainside and river. On the return leg it is bucketing down and the road turns into a series of washouts and deep puddles. Kon K’tu is surrounded by jungle. The village…
Being unable to take a bus from Pleiku to Kon Tum we do as the locals suggest: ride the scooters. We could ride 50km down the highway but opt for the more scenic 80km route along DT671 and DT670. Chůr Đăng volcanic crater is a 20km side trip off our intended route. The crater is…
We spend three nights in Pleiku, which is known locally as Gia Lai. The town only has a population of about 250,000. Few foreigners visit and, it is said that most who do only pass through en route to somewhere else. But Pleiku is a delightful base from which to explore the surrounding highlands. Food…
Lake Bién translates to Sea Lake and is sometimes called the Gem of Gia Lai. It’s easy to see why. We arrive early to find the perfectly calm lake surface reflecting the sky. Later, when we return to eat our packed lunch, locals will be roasting chickens for their picnics over open fires. We spend…
A short 12km ride takes us to Lake Ea Kao. Crossing the dam wall we are surrounded by beauty: reflections of sky on water, green rice and brown mud, men fishing under umbrellas and skinny cattle grazing. Across the lake there is a lovely park. For 3,000VND we park our scooters with the guard and…
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