2019 Northern Vietnam Ride Part 3

Continued from Part 2.


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Day 8

Today I'm riding past the famous Fansipan mountain towards the less visited hilltop town of Sin Ho.

The morning was foggy & cold but luckily there were no rain. My hands though were aching from the cold wind and damp gloves from yesterday's ride as I rode on QL4D towards O Quy Ho pass which is the highest road in Vietnam at 2,014m. I stopped at a brand new cafe at the peak of the pass for a warm cup of coffee. There's another Heaven's Gate here- I wonder how many entrances are there to heaven? Must be many.

O Quy Ho pass climbs over the Hoang Lien Son mountain range that serves as the boundary between Lao Cai and Lai Chau provinces. There's a stark contrast in climate between the two regions- at Lao Cai side it's usually cold, foggy and wet, whereas Lai Chau's side is usually warm, clear and dry. As I continued on the pass the clouds suddenly all dispersed within minutes and I was offered a grand, panoramic view towards the valley below with great view of the pass itself snaking below into the distance. Mt. Fansipan in all its majesty is visible here high up in the clouds as well.

Mt. Fansipan.

QL4D O Quy Ho pass.

Some website claims that Mt. Fansipan at 3,147m is the tallest peak in Indochina but a quick google search will show you that there are a couple of mountains in northern Myanmar that belongs to the Himalayan range surpass 5,000m in height. Unless you're speaking of French Indochina (Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos only) then yes, Fansipan is the roof here.

Riding down the pass this road offered some of the freshest and smoothest tarmac of the trip, complete with gentle and smooth bends that made for some awesome riding. The imposing Mt. Fansipan was always visible on this stretch of road as well.

 

The road continued on to Lai Chau city which is has been recently expanded featuring mega 6 lane boulevards and big government buildings. It felt odd as population density seemed much lower than other cities in Vietnam and the city felt kinda hollow and soulless. You can't ride fast on the 6 lane roads here too with many people randomly crossing the road at every junction on their mopeds at slow speed. Continuing north on QL4D I rode past a beautiful valley with more good (fun) roads. At the small town of Phong Tho I turned left to QL12- a truly fantastic piece of road that runs along a gorge dotted with a few small dams and a large one. It has all the right ingredients for a great riding road: baking fresh tarmac, wide open road, almost zero traffic, never ending corners etc... it was an adrenaline-filled heck of a ride, easily one of the best riding roads of this trip. Heaven and hell when compared to yesterday's crappy roads.

1888.8km + 100m into this trip.

Just before Cha Nua I turned left to DT128 towards Sin Ho. It was a fine B road (Vietnamese standard, meaning occasional gravels and potholes) that slowly twisted and turned up to a plateau about 1,500-1,600m high. Just out of Sin Ho, limestone hills started appearing again and then I reached the town itself. It is a lovely, small township situated on the plateau with a small market street, football field and an artificial pond in front of few government buildings. Pleasant place to stay for a night. I checked in at Phuc Tho hotel (VND200,000/night) which has small basic rooms without heater.

After putting my luggage I went about to explore the surroundings. Just out of Sin Ho further down on DT128 there was a concentrated area of beautiful limestone peaks that transported me back to Dong Van for a brief moment. Riding on that road surrounded by round hillocks with their peaks disappearing into the clouds was a memorable experience.

 

As I explored aimlessly I ended up on this dirt track that leads to a faraway village beyond some hills. At first I was contemplating whether to proceed as I was alone and not great with off-roading. Then I saw a local on his small Suzuki with his kid at front slowly pottered out from the road, so decided to give it a try. I was rewarded with this expansive view of the valley and faraway mountains illuminated by the setting sun, the sky a shade of light pinkish glow. It was incredible, but also difficult to capture in camera.

 

 

On my way back to Sin Ho I explored a small single lane road serving several local minority houses before reaching back the town as the sun was setting.

I wandered around the town at night after having Bun Cha (Vietnamese meatball soup) for dinner. This town was quiet and peaceful at night.

 

Day 9

Today I'm riding past the famous paddy terrace of Mu Cang Chai as I slowly make my way back to Hanoi over 2 days.

Out of Sin Ho on DT128 the road slowly descended to Lai Chau. There's a section of pretty rough road about 10-20km out of town that's all dirt and gravel. In the dry like today it was alright however could be pretty treacherous in wet conditions. Still it was much better than the roads around Y Ty, as after that section the road was pretty much smooth with great view of the valley below.

Hello, Fansipan.

DT128 then reaches back to Lai Chau with its wide boulevards. I turned right to an unnamed road and rode across several limestone hills before joining QL4D for a short while. Then instead of continuing back to O Quy Ho pass I turned southwards to QL32 at Huoi Ke. The wide open QL32 was a comfortable ride with smooth surface throughout- seems like this part of Vietnam has better road infrastructure than Ha Giang province. QL32 then crosses into Yen Bai province where the paddy fields started to appear. It seems that this area is quite well known to domestic tourists as there was quite a few guesthouses and a large, sprawling new hotel being constructed.

After passing the small district capital of Mu Cang Chai, paddy terraces were literally everywhere and there were miles and miles of road surrounded by them. The hillside were all full of paddy fields and this is the main attraction of Mu Cang Chai.

 

To me the view near the villages of Lim Mong & Tu Le was particularly impressive, with a stunning view of terrace fields that covers the entire valley, illuminated by the warm golden light of the setting sun.

 

I continued on QL32 to reach the large town of Nghia Lo and checked in to the excellent value Sen Hotel at VND250,000/night for a large comfortable room.

Day 10

Today was mostly just boring ride back to Hanoi, though with good condition roads. The traffic steadily increased as I slowly made my way back to the capital. At Hanoi the road became slightly confusing and I accidentally went up a 'CT' road that was not meant for motorcycles. Well it was pretty crappy anyway, quite bumpy with potholes and lots of large trucks swerving around trying to avoid the potholes. As I rode into Hanoi's old quarter the traffic became pretty insane with literally hundreds of bikes everywhere in every direction, pedestrian & kids crossing the road like crossing a never ending stream of bikes, bicycles, cars, rickshaws. Surprisingly there was no contact with others at all, everyone just rode with the flow of the traffic and you plan your route in advance, try not to make any abrupt moves.

I reached my accommodation for tonight at the clean and comfortable Keypad hotel at the old quarter. Then I did some sightseeing at Vietnam's military history museum where there's a large amount of weaponry on display from their previous wars with the French and US. Particularly interesting are the aircrafts and tanks on display beside the flag tower- the components, including the radial engine of a downed aircraft can be appreciated up close in detail.

 

I visited Huu Tiep lake after, where a piece of wreckage from a B-52 shot down during the war remains to this day. At night I visited St. Joseph's cathedral, a faithful neo-gothic style church built by the French. Just in front of it a group of locals were kicking shuttlecock beside a large Christmas tree.

I returned my bike before walking around the old quarter to look for food. Had a fantastic Banh Mi with beef soup, paired with a can of beer while sitting beside a busy street people watching and reflecting on my trip. It was indeed an unforgettable 10 days.

Day 11

I took a 9am taxi to the airport for my uneventful flight back to Singapore. At Singapore airport the carpark was jam packed with bikes and I had trouble moving my Ducati Monster out, its woeful steering lock a true pain in the arse here. The paths at the motorcycle parking lot is so narrow that every single corner requires carefully moving back and forth 5 times to go through to avoid scratching my precious bike. I definitely shall avoid parking at Terminal 1 the next time.

Post-ride impressions: North Vietnam was one heck of a trip, the northeast offers jaw dropping scenery that's among the best in Southeast Asia, and the northwest offers some of the greatest riding road in the northern Vietnam. Dong Van karst plateau is the absolute highlight for me, its incredible scenery truly out of this world.

Food and accommodation here are quite inexpensive, although eateries can be difficult to find in the remote areas. The road condition in Vietnam... well let's just say that generally caution is needed- lookout for the occasional potholes, gravels and slippery surfaces as they can pop up anytime anywhere. That said some of the roads in northwest region are terrific- honorable mention goes to to O Quy Ho pass (QL4D) joining QL12 to Chan Nua. Although traffic around Hanoi city centre is pretty insane and can be terrifying to people not used to riding in developing countries, in the countryside it's pretty light and easy to ride. Weather in Vietnam can be cold! I'm talking about 5-15C up in the mountains, and when you factor in wind chill and rain (especially in northeast), warm weatherproof gear is essential.

I'd say that northern Vietnam is an incredible riding destination for its scenery. In terms of pure riding experience then nearby Thailand and Malaysia are way better, however in comparison they have nothing at all in terms of scenery. The next time I ride Vietnam again I'll probably be exploring the central highlands & Ho Chi Minh trail. Till then I shall say goodbye Vietnam, you've been magnificent.



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Memorable experiences

Dong Van karst plateau:

1. Mau Due - DT176 - DT192B - Dong Van

2. Mau Due - DT176 - Du Gia 

3. Meo Vac - QL4C - Ma Pi Leng

4. Ma Pi Leng skywalk

5. Muong Khuong- QL4D - Lao Cai

6. Sapa - QL4D (O Quy Ho Pass) - Lai Chau

7. Lai Chau - QL4D - QL12 - Chan Nua 

8. Off-road trail near Sin Ho: (22.3037538, 103.2161065)

9. Sin Ho - DT128 - Lai Chau

10. Muong Kim - QL32 - Mu Cang Chai - Nghia Lo

Sunday morning ethnic minorities' local market at Thong Nguyen

Special mention for the terrible experience: A Mu Sung - DT158 - Y Ty - Sapa

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