Vietnam is a beautiful country with a long and complicated history. It is also where I made one of those completely improvised travel decisions that ended up becoming one of my most memorable trips.
In 2003, my husband and I were backpacking through Asia. In Da Lat, two older Vietnamese men approached us and suggested that we take a motorcycle trip through the Central Highlands to Nha Trang.
We said yes. It turned out to be one of the best tours I have ever taken.
EASY RIDERS
Normally, when someone approaches you on the street trying to sell you a trip and tells you that they have “many good recommendations from other travellers”, we politely decline.
But this was before TripAdvisor, smartphones and mobile internet. We couldn’t quickly check reviews, look at photos or find out whether the company was legitimate.
And these two men were different.
They were Easy Riders – motorcycle guides offering trips through Vietnam’s Central Highlands. Both were veterans of the Vietnam War, and somehow they managed to convince us that getting on the back of their motorcycles for three days was an excellent idea.
Looking back, it was a fairly bold decision.
The Easy Riders were quiet but friendly. They drove quite fast, but it felt safe, partly because there wasn’t much traffic at the time. My driver was about 50 and a war veteran. Unfortunately, I never got his name.
I also can’t remember exactly what we paid. I do remember that it was supposed to be our budget for the next 14 days – and we spent it in three.
It was expensive.
It was also worth every dong.
Practicalities
Duration: 2 nights / 3 days
Route: Da Lat – Buon Ma Thuot – Nha Trang
A few things I remember from the trip:
- Make sure you get a helmet.
- Bring warm clothes. I had two sweaters and a jacket and was still cold on the motorcycle.
- Ask questions along the way. We were travelling in a very different way from what we were used to, and it wasn’t always obvious what was happening.
- Make sure you agree on the route and final destination. We had to insist on being taken all the way to Nha Trang, which seemed to annoy our guides.
- Be prepared for a sore bottom. Three days on a motorcycle is not particularly kind to your backside.
Starting in Da Lat
There was also an issue with accommodation.
After the first night, they took us to a hotel that was both poor and overpriced. We decided that the second night we would find our own hotel. They weren’t particularly happy about that – perhaps they received a commission from the hotels – but I was very insistent.
Eventually, they agreed on the condition that we first looked at three hotels they recommended. We only made it to the first one. We found our own hotel afterwards for about half the price.
Things may well have changed since 2003, and the company appears to operate differently today, but this was our experience at the time.
The Best Part: The Places we would never have found
The most interesting part of the trip wasn’t necessarily the famous sights. It was everything in between.
Our guides took us to places we would never have found on our own – and certainly wouldn’t have known how to visit. We saw small factories, farms and workshops and got glimpses of everyday life in the Central Highlands.
We visited places producing silk, coffee, mushrooms, pepper and bricks. We saw a granite quarry and rice fields, and stopped at small local businesses along the way.
- There was a mushroom farm.
- A silk factory.
- Clay pots being made.
- Bricks drying in the sun.
- And women making rice pancakes for spring rolls.
This is one of the reasons I still think that travelling with a good local guide can sometimes show you much more than travelling independently. You don’t just see the sights. You get access to the places in between.
The war is never far away
Some of the landscapes were a reminder that Vietnam’s war history is still very much part of the country.
At one point, we stopped beside a strange, barren landscape. The hills were almost completely without trees, and our Easy Riders told us that this was an area affected by Agent Orange, the herbicide used extensively by the U.S. military during the Vietnam War. They explained that the chemicals had destroyed the vegetation and that the effects of the war were still visible in the landscape.
The riders didn’t share many personal stories about the war. But whenever we talked about it, their faces became noticeably more serious. We sensed a deep resentment towards the United States and heard complaints about the treatment of veterans.
I have always been interested in the more difficult sides of history – the places where you can see how past events affected real people and landscapes. These days, I would probably call that part of my interest in dark tourism. But back then, I didn’t think of it that way. I was simply struck by how visible the legacy of the war still was.
And standing there, looking at that barren landscape, the Vietnam War felt much less like something from a history book and much more like something that was still present around us.
Waterfalls, jungle and a lot of motorcycle riding
There are several waterfalls along this route, and we stopped at quite a few.
On the first day, we visited Pongour Waterfall and climbed around the side of it. I am a terrible climber and have very short legs, so this became an unforgettable experience for both me and my husband – mostly because he ended up having to help carry me.
We also visited Gia Long Waterfall, around 50 metres high and surrounded by jungle. At the time, there was practically nobody there except us and a few soldiers. There was a small lake where you could swim. It was freezing. Naturally, we went swimming anyway. Danes are Vikings you know.
Nearby were Dray Sap and another waterfall, where again there were only a few Vietnamese couples besides us. There was also a small pool where you could cool off.
This was 2003, and some of the roads were still being built.
I suspect these places are considerably busier today.
And honestly, you probably don’t need to visit every single waterfall.
The laughing buddha
Near Da Lat, we also stopped at the Laughing Buddha Temple.
It was newly built when we visited, and after climbing around Elephant Falls we came across the enormous statue.
It isn’t the most spectacular Buddhist statue I have ever seen.
But it certainly makes you smile.
Rice Fields
Three days on a motorcycle gives you plenty of time to watch the landscape change.
Rice fields stretched out beside the road, and we repeatedly saw women bent over working in the fields from early morning onwards.
It was one of those scenes that made the journey feel very different from simply moving between tourist attractions.
You were watching everyday life unfold as you passed.
Everyday life in the central highlands
Driving around for 3 days, you see a lot of everyday life.
There were stops for snacks, meals and whatever else our guides thought we should see.
We also encountered people from some of the ethnic minority communities of the Central Highlands, including the M’nong.
I love this image of kids from one of the many tribes in the Central Highlands.
We also visited the small village of Buôn Jun near Lak Lake, where we saw traditional long houses made from bamboo.
This was one of the things I enjoyed most about the trip. Not because everything was presented as a carefully organized cultural experience – it wasn’t. It felt much more spontaneous than that. We simply stopped, looked around, ate, talked and continued riding.
And that is probably why some of these memories have stayed with me for more than 20 years.
Ending in Nha Trang
Eventually, we reached Nha Trang.
It was warmer than the Central Highlands, although the weather wasn’t particularly kind to us. After three days on the motorcycle, though, I was mostly happy to have arrived.
And despite the cold, the questionable hotels and the occasional disagreement with our guides, I loved the experience.
VIETNAM
We travelled through Vietnam in December 2003, shortly after getting married, during a three-month backpacking trip through Asia. The weather varied enormously. We went from around 10°C and rain to 25°C and sunshine, although it wasn’t exactly beach weather for much of the trip.
Vietnam itself isn’t my favourite country. It was incredibly beautiful, but we also experienced a lot of hassle. We were dropped off in the middle of nowhere until we paid extra, charged an absurd amount for a cup of tea, and even had someone refuse to return our bags.
So, in many ways, getting on the back of a motorcycle with two older local guides was a relief.
It was also very much a product of its time.
- No smartphone.
- No Google Maps.
- No TripAdvisor.
- No way of checking reviews while standing on a street corner in Da Lat.
Just two motorcycles, two guides, and three days of riding through the Vietnamese countryside.
Looking back, it was one of those slightly mad backpacking decisions that could easily have gone wrong. Instead, it became one of my favourite travel experiences.
And I still love riding on a motorcycle.
Have you travelled with the Easy Riders – and was your experience anything like ours?
Travelling in Vietnam? Avoid doing as I did in my Vietnamese adventure! When a Ha Long Bay trip became a Monkey Island prison!
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