CYCLOTOURING
IN VIETNAM
It
has been more than ten years that Vietnam has opened itself to
international tourism, and still Westerners who have not been
there entertain a number of preconceived ideas. Sometimes these
notions are exactly the contrary of what you will find out if
you go there. A good example of this is the attitude that Vietnamese
people have towards us Westerners. Although obviously not all
Vietnamese share the same opinions, you can expect to feel welcome
in this country. As a matter of fact, very few countries I have
been to have managed to make me feel welcome that much.
There
is a mood in Vietnam. Westerners tend to equal Vietnam with war,
but that war has been over since 1975. That means many people
there haven’t gone through it themselves (because they are simply
too young), although they have been all too aware of its consequences.
But a withdrawal from the wider international relations, if not
for links with the Soviet Union and its Eastern Bloc, has made
the Vietnamese people in general eager for contacts with people
from abroad.
Add
to that a very strong relation to tradition, in the form of the
Buddhist religion and the Confucean philosophy, and you end up
with a very spontaneous population that considers life in society
as not a necessary evil, but rather an occasion for pleasure and
redemption.
But
what does that mean to you as a westerner cycling through Vietnam?
Rarely will you see a country where contacts with the people are
so easy. Not because they always want to sell you something, or
even steal away from you. But rather for a variety of reasons
that can be more or less foreseeable, like speaking the English
they might be learning as a second language. Of course big city
dwellers will be a bit more blasé towards foreigners (and maybe
also towards anything else for that matter…), but you will in
general, have numerous occasions of not only coming in contact
with people very different from you, but also remain very spontaneous
yourself and have fun in the process. It may come as a surprise
to you, but to me Vietnam is very much about having fun. Not only
with my personal preferences, but also sharing that with perfect
strangers that do not withdraw themselves in their own bubble.
As a matter of fact, you might find you don’t own yourself anymore
the minute you step out of your hotel room. Vietnamese tend to
not do much alone, but rather in small or large groups, and they
seem to expect the same availability from you. It makes for days
with encounters of all sorts, derailled plans (if you accept to
see them derailled) and lots of smiles. I personally make it a
point of cultivating playfulness when I am there, enjoying the
fact that you don’t need to be introduced to somebody before you
share a good laugh.
We are organizing a trip for cyclists in Vietnam for February
2004. It will be my fifth trip over there (actually I got married
in Hué) and I will personnally plan the route, as well as accompany
the group on the road. I have cycled in and out of different cities
in Vietnam, mainly Hanoi, Hue, Danang and Hoi An, and also a little
bit in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). As a cyclist, you will not be
marginal in Vietnam (being from the West will take care of that).
On the road you will see tons of two-wheelers, 50- or 100-cc Hondas
and bicycles of mostly Chinese or Vietnamese origin. The rest
will mostly be buses and trucks, although there are a few personal
cars to be encountered. But let’s not forget the rickshaws (cyclos
as they are called there) in the cities and buffaloes and tractors
in the country.
You
will bring your own bicycle there, as what is available on site
is not very appealing. The trip will consist of a short stay in
Hanoi followed by a bicycle trip from the center of the country
(Hué) to the South (Saigon). We will be going from city to city
in a series of approximately 80-km per day rides that will all
be ridden on rather flat roads, except for two hilly days that
will spice up things. The direction has been chosen to let you
enjoy dominant winds that will push you North to South. Those
that prefer to avoid the challenge of hills or urban traffic will
be able to get on board of the support vehicle that will also
be there to transport the luggage and respond to any need that
could arise. Also, those that are used to bigger challenges need
not fear, since Vietnam is a great place to explore on your own
or with friends if you wish to extend your daily mileage.
The price of the trip is pleasantly competitive and will include
flight, meals and hotels. People will be able to ride either in
groups, large or small, or alone as they wish. The navigational
aspect will be easy, since we will essentially be going down National
Road No. 1 all the way most of the time. Racing tires such as
700x20 or 23 are not recommended as the roads are in a varying
state that is representative of what you will see in many Asian
countries, although the No. 1 highway is generally among the best
of what you will see in Vietnam. At the other end of the spectrum,
big knobby mountain bike tires will be too much, slowing down
your bike more than necessary. If you want to use a mountain bike
with us, you will prefer 26x1.25 or 1.5 tires that will be less
demanding while still providing adequate contact with the road.
A variety of optional activities have been added to the program
in order to widen the scope of experiences you will bring back
home. And don’t forget your bathing suit as we will rarely be
very far from the sea. Beaches are enjoyable and will provide
good entertainment for those of us who enjoy that. Seafood is
part of life in Vietnam and it is fresh and varied. Most of you
have had some contact with Vietnamese cuisine and so you know
you should expect rice or noodles to be the basis of your meals,
along with a variety of meats or even vegetarian food. Fruits
are readily available in a variety that goes from oranges and
bananas to others whose flavours are easier to remember than their
names.
In
February, only Hanoi and Hué could give us cool rainy weather
if we are unlucky. Cool means 12 to 17 deg. Celsius. But as we
get beyond Hai Van Pass between Hué and Danang at the beginning
of the trip, you can expect little rain and day temperatures between
22 and 32 degrees Celsius, warming progressively as we get closer
to Saigon.
Cost of living is remarkably low in Vietnam. In general, only
imported goods are about the same price as in the West. So it
is a great place for shopping, both in goods or services. Salaries
are very low by international standards and tips are not part
of the culture, although people that work in the tourist industry,
such as your bus driver, are used to receive tip at the end of
the trip, albeit a small one.
The trip we are organizing will last three weeks. Tour de France
three-time winner Greg Lemond was in Vietnam in the late nineties
and said that when he looked through the plane window upon leaving,
he felt like he was leaving a lover. So don’t be surprised if,
like me, you want to go back there at least once. It’s that kind
of country.
Paul
Trépanier
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