Off to new adventures
August 9, 2018 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 31 °C
Long awaited, I finally embark on this adventure. And I actually enjoy the fact that I'm going to do this just by myself. I didn't realize how much I had missed this exciting feeling of not knowingRead more
Strolling around Saigon
August 9, 2018 in Vietnam ⋅ 25 °C
Having just arrived, I strolled around the vicinity of my very "budget" hostel and started to sample some of the food. Loved the night market at Ben Than.
A packed first day
August 10, 2018 in Vietnam ⋅ 28 °C
My first full day in Vietnam, and also my last as a pedestrian, was packed like this vendor's bicycle. I walked around the central area of Saigon and visited some of the important sites: Opera House,Read more
Childhood memories triggered
August 10, 2018 in Vietnam ⋅ 30 °C
Growing up in socialism leaves a mark. I was not prepared to be reminded this much of my childhood. The level of public communist/socialist propaganda and art/architecture is astonishing but not asRead more
Must-try food in Vietnam: Phở
August 11, 2018 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C
I absolutely loved this soup (or rather stew) which usually comes either with chicken or beef bits. On the side you get any number of leafy vegetables which you can add to the stew and make the tasteRead more
Museum of fine art
August 11, 2018 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 29 °C
The last place I wanted to see before heading out on my trip towards the north, was the Museum of fine arts. Even the building itself was interesting and seemed to carry a lot of older and newerRead more
First day on the motorbike
August 11, 2018 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 26 °C
The adventure has started: I rented the motorbike without problems and set out on my first long-distance ride in the afternoon. After my first 3 hours of driving in Vietnam, I must say that the chaosRead more
Vũng Tàu
August 12, 2018 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 27 °C
It's 811 stairs to climb up Tao Phùng Mountain and another 133 inside of the Christ the Redeemer statue until you reach it's arms, from where you have a nice view of the South China Sea.
La Gi - Coco Beachcamp
August 12, 2018 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 27 °C
In most places I couldn't stay two nights in a row if I wanted to keep my schedule, so I continued to La Gi (~95 km) in the afternoon. Not really satisfied with hotel prices, I settled for an unusualRead more
Po Klong Garai Temple
August 13, 2018 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 29 °C
A bit more than halfway on today's leg to Nha Trang (~300 km), I had the chance to visit Po Klong Garai, or also: Tháp Chàm Phan Rang (Cham Towers of Phan Rang). It was an impressive andRead more
Nha Trang
August 13, 2018 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C
It was supposed to be a famous beach town. What I found was a tourist trap, full of newly constructed hotels and resorts as well as a lot of ongoing construction. The town centre consists of travelRead more
Driving to Quy Nhon
August 14, 2018 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 28 °C
The trip took me from Nha Trang to Quy Nhon today (~210km). It was very windy and not easy to drive. But there were spectacular views along the coast again. Something new also happened: my first flatRead more
Hội An at night
August 15, 2018 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C
The ride from Quy Nhon was about 300 km, so it took the whole day. Nevertheless, the picturesque colonial town gave an amazing first impression after dark. I tried an interesting new food option (rollRead more
Hội An - lovely mix of styles
August 16, 2018 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 32 °C
During the day, Hội An revealed its full charm. It's an interesting mix of Chinese, French and Vietnamese architecture with some Japanese influences. It's beautifully located on the banks of theRead more
Chance encounter in the old town
August 16, 2018 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 32 °C
For a while now I had been toying around with the idea of a few basic language lessons, and when walking around the old town of Hội An, looking for a language class, I was pulled in an educationRead more
Pit stop in Đà Nẵng
August 17, 2018 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 34 °C
My rental contract forced me to do an oil change every thousand kilometres, so I went to the almost neighboring city Đà Nẵng and combined it with little sightseeing. The most interesting featureRead more
Hải Vân Quan - turning point
August 17, 2018 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C
I already knew I wouldn't be able to go all the way up to North Vietnam, so I decided to make this my turning point and enjoy Hội An and the surrounding area a bit more. Hải Vân Quan, a mountainRead more
Hội An - chilling
August 18, 2018 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C
Today I took a long needed rest from driving or sightseeing and spent the day sampling different local foods and chilling at the beach, only making the most necessary trips.
Tuy Hòa - surprise food
August 19, 2018 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C
I had to start going back towards Saigon at some point, so today's drive got me as far as Tuy Hòa (~390 km), another beach town. What appealed to me the most there, were the seafood restaurants on aRead more
Ride to Đà Lạt
August 20, 2018 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 34 °C
These 250 km felt like a trip through three different countries. For the first time, I left the lowlands near the coast with its rice fields and crawled up a mountain pass with spectacular viewsRead more
Đà Lạt
August 21, 2018 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 23 °C
It was significantly colder than what I had experienced so far and everyone (including me) was wearing jackets. The town felt much more European and the architecture seemed partially experimental,Read more
Đà Lạt - Crazy House
August 21, 2018 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 23 °C
Everybody was talking about the Crazy House, when they heard I was going to visit Đà Lạt. So I saw for myself: It was truly a crazy architecture and you shouldn't be afraid of heights, as you canRead more
Đà Lạt - Thiền Viện Trúc lâm
August 21, 2018 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 24 °C
This beautiful monastery with its quiet green gardens was an amazing contrast to the otherwise very busy everyday life in Vietnam. Overlooking a lake and with the mountain in the background, it reallyRead more
Flat tire #3
August 21, 2018 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 27 °C
On the last long stretch of the trip, the 310 km back to Saigon, I had my third flat - this time it was the front wheel for a change. But it didn't really stop me for long...
Last day in Saigon
August 22, 2018 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 30 °C
On my last day in Saigon I managed to visit the Independence Palace, which had been closed the last time, and I took a few rounds through to town before I had to give back the rented bike the nextRead more