The lunch in SEA I found to be around 11:00 – 13:00. I learned to eat at that time because if I didn’t, then I could eat something hot only for dinner starting around 18:00. I was usually eating rice with meat and veggies or some soup like pho, though I quickly burned it, making me hungry again.
For snacks, I was eating nuts which are of normal price and a lot of fruits which are cheap. I was a big fan of white dragon fruit, which can be peeled just with your hands. Then you can enjoy a delightful, juicy bulb of delicate sweetness. Another one would be passion fruit combined with yogurt. This sour fruit has very high amounts of fiber, and with yogurt, I could boost my gut bacteria. Other than that, I often was eating small, thick versions of bananas, pineapples, grapefruits, and jackfruits.
For drinks, my favorite natural options were ultra-sweet sugarcane juice—when combined with ice and some lime, it was superb. Drinking milk like coconuts was also great. There was a lot of good coffee, especially in Vietnam. The two most popular options would be pure black dripped from the small metal ca phe phin drip or with the addition of condensed milk. Other than that, I usually had some 1.5L water and 0.5L soda drink on my bicycle.
**Negatives**
The biggest one for me was the beeping situation in Vietnam. In big cities, you could hear the constant sound of horns. When riding between towns, anyone passing you would beep loudly. Some beeps were not bad as the sound was rising gradually, but some of them were sharp and made me shockingly shake on my bicycle. One time, I saw a truck driver whose truck was beeping to a Baby Shark melody, though that made me laugh. Another one would be the huge motorbike scooters traffic in big cities, causing the breathing to feel unpleasant.
**People**
I’m very grateful to the people of SEA and also to fellow cyclists that I met on the way. The vibe in the countries I visited was chill, welcoming, and warm. I was invited to sleep in people’s houses, was invited and paid for meals or drinks, was invited to a jungle trek and cave expedition with an evening dinner afterwards. An Aussie friend taught me how to tie my backpack tightly to my rear rack. Another time, I received free bibs from a friendly cyclist. During a very rainy day, I could have a cheering conversation with a German and his friend who was suffering dehydration due to diarrhoea. In SEA, sometimes you can feel like a local celebrity when all the kids going back home from school want to talk to you or just say hello.
**Summary**
Averaging 70km per day, I cycled in 30-degree Celsius / 86F heat for many weeks. With some preparation, I could have this great and spontaneous experience for which I am grateful. I was never sure if I would make it to the end, but I did. I also felt lucky to very quickly sell the bicycle and be able to move on. Cycling in SEA was the biggest adventure for me so far. I was so happy to eat a lot of fruits, drink good coffee, and exchange greetings with locals every day. It was also hard for me, due to heat, pain, or loneliness. At the end of the trip, I felt like I was in a loop of cycling and then staying by myself in a cell-like hotel room. But I guess the hardship is what also makes it fun in the end. I’m also grateful for other people who described their past bicycle trips so I could learn based on their experiences and also felt encouraged to go on such an adventure by myself.
Thank you!
DongBanana13 on
**Part 1**
In 2024, I quit my job and went to Vietnam. I didn’t have any idea what I would do there. After one week of resting and sightseeing, when riding a rental bicycle, I realised I wanted to cycle from the capital in the north, Hanoi, down to Ho Chi Minh City. Starting in November, it took me 56 days, of which 38 I spent on a bicycle and 18 on resting and sightseeing. I cycled 2700km through Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and Cambodia.
**Buying a bike**
It took me around 5 days to get a bicycle I liked. Most of the professional shops were located around West Lake. I found a shop on Google Maps which turned out to be a young guy’s small apartment in which he had a lot of bicycles. I honestly didn’t think that I would get anything good from him and wanted to leave quickly. Though when looking through his assortment, he showed me a Triban RC500. He included a rear rack, mudguards, a helmet, and replaced brake discs and pads. All this for the price of 9,000,000 VND / 360 USD. We made a deal and in the process became friends.
With the bicycle, I shopped for some accessories like a pump, and I also got one pannier from Decathlon. The rest of my gear I put in a 40L backpack and strapped it to the rear rack.
**Rough Start**
The start was the most discouraging. I had pain in my butt, crotch, lower back, wrists, and knees. On the second day, I had a punctured tire and tube. I was sweating a lot in my jeans, which made it very uncomfortable to cycle. My front brakes stopped working after trying to tighten them. Though happily, all of those were fixed. The pains went away after switching saddles, stems, buying cycling gloves, and switching from SPD MTB shoes to sandals. Punctures were fixed with a patch kit, YouTube videos, and the encouragement of a Vietnamese grandfather. Another time, I met fellow cyclists. After mentioning my sweaty jeans, one of them gave me a pair of cycling bibs for free, which were so much more breathable and sweat-wicking. Another one of them suggested that I put some material under my brake pad so it contacts the disc rotor, and it actually fixed my braking.
**Route**
My big goal was to go from the capital city of Hanoi down to Saigon, cycling only in Vietnam. First, I decided to go and see the Cat Ba Island on the east, close to Ha Long Bay. After that, I cycled to one of the more scenic places—Ninh Binh. From there, I headed south following the HCM Trail, which I found okay as sometimes I could get some trees from the shade, and the road condition was good. The views usually weren’t any spectacular. After a bicycle shop visit in Vinh, I went to the most beautiful place of the trip, which is Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park. I wanted to continue south, but mid-Vietnam was supposed to be under heavy rain for a week. I wasn’t keen on waiting or cycling through rain, so I decided to go to Laos, where it didn’t rain at all. Anyway, I had to still cycle 3 days in the rain just to get to the border in Lao Bao.
There I made a Visa on arrival for 1,500,000 VND / 60 USD and cycled on a good condition, paved road straight (not a single turn) for 200km until Savannakhet which borders with Thailand. I crossed the Friendship Bridge to Thailand by bus as you cannot cycle it. There I could enter the country without a Visa due to the recent Visa Exemption Scheme which applies to nationals of 93 countries.
Viraus2 on
Phong Nha looks amazing. I never did make it out to the countryside in Vietnam, want to someday. Your trip sounds incredible, congrats.
Wushrooms on
Thanks for sharing your trip ! Looks super nice ! Im actually planning a touring trip starting this May. Starting from Ho Chi Minh and slowly going up to Hanoi taking time along the way. Maybe continue to laos and thailand because i have 6 months.
Cool to hear your experiences. But also frightning again to hear about the lonlyness. My last cycling trip this was the biggest problem. Such an incredible experience that is better shared maybe.
I think this time i look around if some people want to join me.
You have any next plans ? Back to normal life or planning a next big trip ?
5 Comments
**Part 2**
**Food and Drink**
The lunch in SEA I found to be around 11:00 – 13:00. I learned to eat at that time because if I didn’t, then I could eat something hot only for dinner starting around 18:00. I was usually eating rice with meat and veggies or some soup like pho, though I quickly burned it, making me hungry again.
For snacks, I was eating nuts which are of normal price and a lot of fruits which are cheap. I was a big fan of white dragon fruit, which can be peeled just with your hands. Then you can enjoy a delightful, juicy bulb of delicate sweetness. Another one would be passion fruit combined with yogurt. This sour fruit has very high amounts of fiber, and with yogurt, I could boost my gut bacteria. Other than that, I often was eating small, thick versions of bananas, pineapples, grapefruits, and jackfruits.
For drinks, my favorite natural options were ultra-sweet sugarcane juice—when combined with ice and some lime, it was superb. Drinking milk like coconuts was also great. There was a lot of good coffee, especially in Vietnam. The two most popular options would be pure black dripped from the small metal ca phe phin drip or with the addition of condensed milk. Other than that, I usually had some 1.5L water and 0.5L soda drink on my bicycle.
**Negatives**
The biggest one for me was the beeping situation in Vietnam. In big cities, you could hear the constant sound of horns. When riding between towns, anyone passing you would beep loudly. Some beeps were not bad as the sound was rising gradually, but some of them were sharp and made me shockingly shake on my bicycle. One time, I saw a truck driver whose truck was beeping to a Baby Shark melody, though that made me laugh. Another one would be the huge motorbike scooters traffic in big cities, causing the breathing to feel unpleasant.
**People**
I’m very grateful to the people of SEA and also to fellow cyclists that I met on the way. The vibe in the countries I visited was chill, welcoming, and warm. I was invited to sleep in people’s houses, was invited and paid for meals or drinks, was invited to a jungle trek and cave expedition with an evening dinner afterwards. An Aussie friend taught me how to tie my backpack tightly to my rear rack. Another time, I received free bibs from a friendly cyclist. During a very rainy day, I could have a cheering conversation with a German and his friend who was suffering dehydration due to diarrhoea. In SEA, sometimes you can feel like a local celebrity when all the kids going back home from school want to talk to you or just say hello.
**Summary**
Averaging 70km per day, I cycled in 30-degree Celsius / 86F heat for many weeks. With some preparation, I could have this great and spontaneous experience for which I am grateful. I was never sure if I would make it to the end, but I did. I also felt lucky to very quickly sell the bicycle and be able to move on. Cycling in SEA was the biggest adventure for me so far. I was so happy to eat a lot of fruits, drink good coffee, and exchange greetings with locals every day. It was also hard for me, due to heat, pain, or loneliness. At the end of the trip, I felt like I was in a loop of cycling and then staying by myself in a cell-like hotel room. But I guess the hardship is what also makes it fun in the end. I’m also grateful for other people who described their past bicycle trips so I could learn based on their experiences and also felt encouraged to go on such an adventure by myself.
Thank you!
**Part 1**
In 2024, I quit my job and went to Vietnam. I didn’t have any idea what I would do there. After one week of resting and sightseeing, when riding a rental bicycle, I realised I wanted to cycle from the capital in the north, Hanoi, down to Ho Chi Minh City. Starting in November, it took me 56 days, of which 38 I spent on a bicycle and 18 on resting and sightseeing. I cycled 2700km through Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and Cambodia.
**Buying a bike**
It took me around 5 days to get a bicycle I liked. Most of the professional shops were located around West Lake. I found a shop on Google Maps which turned out to be a young guy’s small apartment in which he had a lot of bicycles. I honestly didn’t think that I would get anything good from him and wanted to leave quickly. Though when looking through his assortment, he showed me a Triban RC500. He included a rear rack, mudguards, a helmet, and replaced brake discs and pads. All this for the price of 9,000,000 VND / 360 USD. We made a deal and in the process became friends.
With the bicycle, I shopped for some accessories like a pump, and I also got one pannier from Decathlon. The rest of my gear I put in a 40L backpack and strapped it to the rear rack.
**Rough Start**
The start was the most discouraging. I had pain in my butt, crotch, lower back, wrists, and knees. On the second day, I had a punctured tire and tube. I was sweating a lot in my jeans, which made it very uncomfortable to cycle. My front brakes stopped working after trying to tighten them. Though happily, all of those were fixed. The pains went away after switching saddles, stems, buying cycling gloves, and switching from SPD MTB shoes to sandals. Punctures were fixed with a patch kit, YouTube videos, and the encouragement of a Vietnamese grandfather. Another time, I met fellow cyclists. After mentioning my sweaty jeans, one of them gave me a pair of cycling bibs for free, which were so much more breathable and sweat-wicking. Another one of them suggested that I put some material under my brake pad so it contacts the disc rotor, and it actually fixed my braking.
**Route**
My big goal was to go from the capital city of Hanoi down to Saigon, cycling only in Vietnam. First, I decided to go and see the Cat Ba Island on the east, close to Ha Long Bay. After that, I cycled to one of the more scenic places—Ninh Binh. From there, I headed south following the HCM Trail, which I found okay as sometimes I could get some trees from the shade, and the road condition was good. The views usually weren’t any spectacular. After a bicycle shop visit in Vinh, I went to the most beautiful place of the trip, which is Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park. I wanted to continue south, but mid-Vietnam was supposed to be under heavy rain for a week. I wasn’t keen on waiting or cycling through rain, so I decided to go to Laos, where it didn’t rain at all. Anyway, I had to still cycle 3 days in the rain just to get to the border in Lao Bao.
There I made a Visa on arrival for 1,500,000 VND / 60 USD and cycled on a good condition, paved road straight (not a single turn) for 200km until Savannakhet which borders with Thailand. I crossed the Friendship Bridge to Thailand by bus as you cannot cycle it. There I could enter the country without a Visa due to the recent Visa Exemption Scheme which applies to nationals of 93 countries.
Phong Nha looks amazing. I never did make it out to the countryside in Vietnam, want to someday. Your trip sounds incredible, congrats.
Thanks for sharing your trip ! Looks super nice ! Im actually planning a touring trip starting this May. Starting from Ho Chi Minh and slowly going up to Hanoi taking time along the way. Maybe continue to laos and thailand because i have 6 months.
Cool to hear your experiences. But also frightning again to hear about the lonlyness. My last cycling trip this was the biggest problem. Such an incredible experience that is better shared maybe.
I think this time i look around if some people want to join me.
You have any next plans ? Back to normal life or planning a next big trip ?
Upvote for the rubber chicken 🔥