18/02/11 to 03/03/11 - Hanoi to Sapa to Hoi An

Crossing the road in Vietnam is a thrill seeking event in itself, sometimes even a major tourist spectacle that often defies belief. Get it wrong and your another statistic. It could be in fact, a form of suicide, it is a genuine leap of faith. Hesitate and you'll be hit and at best, you may well be retrieving your limbs from 30 yards down the road. Panic and run, and you'll be sending hoards of speeding moped locals to their ancestral grave and you may well be checking in at new accommodation for the remainder of your holidays, namely a Hospital, whilst eating Vietnamese delicacies through a straw. Staying put won't help as you'll be certainly hit and maimed by the countless crazy locals who ride the pavements to avoid the road chaos and their own death. There are scant road rules in Vietnam, if any, the key however, is to not look at all; walk straight out into the road, without stopping or hesitating and put all your faith/trust in the locals who weave mere centimetres around you at breakneck speed.

Arriving from Hong Kong into Vietnam's capital, Hanoi, evoked many happy holidaying memories for both us. We absolutely love Vietnam, not just the jaw dropping scenery coupled with some of the friendliest people in South East Asia but the quirky things that make Vietnam the fastest growing tourist destination in the whole of Asia. We love the fact you can rent a motorbike without any questions/deposit/passport/address (you just need £3!), the fact that when we booked a tennis court it came with a local ball boy who even ventured over the fence to fetch one of my many racket shanks, the fact that you can buy any antibiotics over the counter for less than a £1 without seeing a doctor, the fact they will stamp your passport for a visa extension on street corners, the fact you have to bargain for everything from hotels rooms to street food to sun cream to clothes to train/bus journeys and finally, to the contradictory fact that riding three on a 125cc moped is actually illegal, however transporting 50 inch TV's, full size refrigerators, the carcasses of livestock, double beds and 30ft bamboo trees is quite alright!

From Hanoi we headed to Lao Cai in North West Vietnam aboard a train that chugged along agonisingly, at speeds just in excess of 10mph. We arrived 10 hours later with our senses and backsides completely numbed after travelling 'hard seat' (the lowest class of travel available in Vietnam!!) for the entirety of the journey. The wooden slatted seats were so bolt upright, they would have corrected even the harshest of spinal deformities. Even funnier, local men slept on the over head luggage racks and under the crammed seats, although what do you expect for a $4 ticket! This was a journey which saw Micki perfect the art of tutting, dagger eyes, and huffing/puffing as standing locals attempted, but dutifully failed to perch themselves, or their feet, onto the edges of our seats. Venturing or straying too far from your seat was not an option, Micki did on one occasion stray to visit the toilet, however she soon arrived back stating ''just don't drink a thing''.

After hitching an extortionate ride from the double denim wearing local mafia in Lao Cai we arrived in Sapa. The town itself is perched high and mighty in the mountains of North West Vietnam, but was drenched in hill fog and made for zero visibility, not ideal when your in one of the most picturesque regions in rural Vietnam. The surrounding villages are awash with the local H'mong tribes who all frequent Sapa regularly. H'mong women dressed in typical ethnic wear with babies strapped to their backs pound the streets all day unleashing their limited repertoire of 'sales pitch' English; ''Hello, where you from?, What your name?, Have you any brothers/sisters?, Buy from me? Buy from me later?, Why not, Why not?'' Trust me, the novelty of seeing the ethnic tribes people with their red headdresses, whicker baskets and medieval looks certainly diminishes after just a few verbal encounters. However, Sapa offers a lot more than solely the surreal experience of the Dzao and H'mong people. The surrounding landscape gives way to a patchwork of tiered cascading rice terraces that surpass any expectation; a stunning sight and an ingenious feat of engineering.

Our hikes to Cat Cat and Lai Chao villages were nothing short of breathtaking, a real photographers dream, with each shot eliciting iconic images of Vietnam. The villages, almost medieval in their makeup really were an insight into rural life. Watching water Buffalo graze in the shimmering waters that glisten off the cascading rice terraces, whilst the grubbiest of village children (who were also sporting machetes in slings!) jumped freely on their backs as if starring in a Wild West movie.

Our final day saw us rent a motorbike to attempt the famed single track highway that crosses the Tram Ton Pass. The road lies 15 km from Sapa, running north of Fannsipan and is the highest mountain pass in Vietnam at 1900m. On our ever so powerful 125cc mopeds we meandered through the Hoang Lien mountains which saw us cut through thick fog to enter clear blue bird skies on the other side, a very surreal feeling passing from temperatures of 5 degrees to 25 degrees in the short distance of 50m! This epic ride was as close to motoring nirvana as we thought was possible, that is until we were fortunate enough to ride, a la Jeremy Clarkson/Richard Hammond, on one of the worlds true great mountain highways; The Hai Van Pass.

From Sapa we ventured south to Hue via two exhaustive 12 hour train journeys and an 18 hour wait in Hanoi without any form of hotel over the two days. With narcolepsy imminent we managed to explore a very touristy Hue and its ancient citadel; a beautiful city that lies on the banks of the Perfume River, a city that is truly reflective of Vietnams imperial history. We rented mopeds and set on a trail of 60km taking us through to Thuan An beach which tracked us deep into the thick of the luscious landscapes of Vietnam. Another great ride, however, a 3km walk with the bike to the petrol station gave me an important lesson that ride, must remember to fill up regularly!

A night on the town beckoned in Hue so we firmly had a few local Larue beers and snake wine whilst hustling the locals on the pool table all night (managed to win enough for our night's drinks but then got beat 4 times a local 15 year old girl!!) before they keenly taxi'ed us on the back of their mopeds to a variety of food stalls at 5am in the morning. Ensue hangover from hell.

Our journey south allowed us to revisit Hoi An and finally gave us some much needed beach bumming time, to which Micki of course, was ecstatic with as she could add some colour to her translucent skin.

Hoi An really is the jewel of Vietnam's coastline. A quaint ancient town which, is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site famed for its French colonial architecture and the fact it was spared any devastation from the Vietnam war. Our three reasons for revisiting Hoi An were the beach, the food and the infamous Hai Van Pass. Just as Jeremy Clarkson et al did on their Top Gear Vietnam special, we hired mopeds and just got out there. This was, without doubt, complete motoring utopia, albeit on a couple of 125cc mopeds. Tight hair pin bends proceeded long and winding stretches of single lane highway that snaked through mountains jutting into the South China Sea. All this flanked by the ever presence of danger shown by the presence by countless memorials and graves of those who had perished on this mountainous stretch. A monumental ride!

Next stop; heading south to Saigon, stopping at Quy Nhon, Dalat and Mui Ne!

Til next time, much love

Tom and Micki