Anyone ever ride in Vietnam?

[boosten lebaron]

I'm booking a vacation for the month of April and I'm going to meet up with my brother in Hong Kong and head over to Vietnam for a motorcycle tour of the ho chi Minh trail. We will most likely be renting sidecar equipped Urals so that our wives can come along. That may be changed to crf's if they decide to go it by jeep. Basically we will be copying the top gear ride but not on mopeds.
I figured someone on here has done it before. I've got to start planning for it now and buying whatever I need. The tours all offer gear but I'm probably going to get stuff at cyclegear so I can toss it out when we leave. I'm not really sure what to expect on the trip or what to bring. I have my standard go bag that i take with me when I'm in the jungles and dessert that works very well. I have no idea what I should be bringing along with me when I add a motorcycle. If anyone has recommendations for cheap decent or even used gear I should be on the look out for i'm listening. I think I should favor rain gear vs protection for this .
I'm also going to head to Japan for a bit of riding so dual use stuff would be nice. Japan will be normal riding so I'm not to worried about it really but a nice weather proof coat would probably be a good idea. Just remember I will most likely toss everything once I'm done in Vietnam for fear of bringing back scary thing.

[breakdirt916]

regular street gear + full rain suit that you can roll up & store

girl can carry your luggage?

[Petorius]

100% thought the thread title was referring to Vietnam in Milford MA.

[Imbeek]

My neighbor and a few friends did a bike rental and self guided tour thing in Vietnam a couple years ago, not sure how similar it was to what you are planning. His crew has done a bunch of trips like that, including Peru, Morocco, and somewhere else in Africa. He said Vietnam was absolutely awesome and wants to go back. i can ask him for more specifics if you want.

[stoinkythepig]

I have nothing to add, but I think that's am awesome idea. I hope you have a great time.

[boosten lebaron]

My neighbor and a few friends did a bike rental and self guided tour thing in Vietnam a couple years ago, not sure how similar it was to what you are planning. His crew has done a bunch of trips like that, including Peru, Morocco, and somewhere else in Africa. He said Vietnam was absolutely awesome and wants to go back. i can ask him for more specifics if you want.

Please do. He probably has several items he can't do without that I might want to bring along. The fact that he has ridden in the country makes him the expert in my opinion.
I'm not even sure what my trip is going to be like. The women really make the difference. If my brother and I were left alone it would be the crf's and off into the jungle. I think once we get there the women will not be to happy with the off-road sections so we will end up slabbing it mostly. I'm not sure if them having a jeep will make any difference in the path we choose. I'm working on getting a guide just for them if need be so we can split up when ever we want.

[boosten lebaron]

regular street gear + full rain suit that you can roll up & store

girl can carry your luggage?

I wish. My wife never carries anything. Ever. It's hard enough just to get her to carry her own pocket book. Every time we do something like this I generally end up hiring someone to carry her stuff if I'm not around to do it.

I'm trying to limit the things I bring into the country because I'm worried I will have to get rid of it when I leave. It really depends on how the trip turns out. If its nice and sunny and I stay on the highways I will probably try to bring everything back. If, however, it ends up like my last trip and I'm completely soaked from rain and sweat and I've been sleeping on the jungle floor in my gear I'm definitely throwing everything away. I'm not up to speed on the adv but I think that type of stuff would be best. I know cyclegear doesn't have the best gear but for possibly throw away stuff it should be OK. Even good used gear that is near the end of its life would be good. I just don't want to buy a thousand dollars worth of new gear just to use it once unless I have too. I don't have a budget for this trip but I don't want to spend needlessly either.

[Falko]

I've never been but my dad was there a number of years back. He toured around with his F4, not the MV.

Sounds like a fun trip, good luck with that handbag thing.

[RandyO]

get there before monsoon season

[boosten lebaron]

get there before monsoon season

That's a huge worry of mine but it wouldn't be the end of the world. I think I will just be on the edge of it. Ideally I would take the trip sooner but my wife can't take the time off any earlier.

[loudbeard]

Sounds like you need a new wife.

[boosten lebaron]

I always get that. She isn't that bad. I'm very low maintence and she is very high. Before we got married we were warned that it's a fundamental difference and we should reconsider getting married. It's worked out for 8 years so far. I just accept that I pay more for things and do more or hire someone else to do it for me.

[RandyO]

That's a huge worry of mine but it wouldn't be the end of the world. I think I will just be on the edge of it. Ideally I would take the trip sooner but my wife can't take the time off any earlier.

After I posted, I got thinking, never been there myself, but plenty of very close friends that spent time there in late 60s/early 70s, the dry season ends late April, (in Laos where most of HoChiMihn is ) then it rains every day from May till November, I just googled monsoon season on HoChiMihn. One of the websites I saw was promoting monsoon season as a better time to visit, it rains a lot, but not 100% of the time, and it's less crowded with tourists, I think the afternoon rains are predicable if you adjust your travel schedule.

[nick5446]

I've ridden scooters and mopeds around Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh (nothing in between), and also some dirt bikes around the jungle.

In short, VN is awesome. Everyone is super nice, everything is really cheap, most people speak English...by far my favorite country in Asia. I wouldn't go into the jungle with a guide though.

[whynot]

Never been there, but I just read this, posted today. Looks like variable weather in SE Asia --

Snow | The Rod and Tappet | BritBike Forum

[boosten lebaron]

I've ridden scooters and mopeds around Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh (nothing in between), and also some dirt bikes around the jungle.

In short, VN is awesome. Everyone is super nice, everything is really cheap, most people speak English...by far my favorite country in Asia. I wouldn't go into the jungle with a guide though.

What type of things would you suggest I bring for a motorcycle trip? Anything specialized you wish you had but didn't?

[nick5446]

What type of things would you suggest I bring for a motorcycle trip? Anything specialized you wish you had but didn't?

I was only doing day trips, so it's hard to comment. I never have a phone when I'm over there, but having one would be a big help. Not sure how much you've traveled overseas, but I always bring a bunch of granola bars and peanut butter.

If I were doing it, I would go super minimal and just have fun. Bring a map and a few changes of socks and underwear. Stop in whatever beach towns you find and talk to everyone.

[audiojeff]

There are pages and pages of ride reports for Vietnam on ADVRider http://advrider.com/index.php?search...am&o=relevance

Apparently, it can be a bit of a trick to get a bike equipped with a sidecar in Vietnam.
Trip from Hanoi/BKK to Istanbul | Adventure Ride

[Imbeek]

Sorry It took me awhile but I finally spoke to my neighbor about his Vietnam trip. He went in October a few years back, and said that is their rainy season, yet it wasn't a problem at all...said you should be better off than he was in April too. He said I could just pass you his number and you are welcome to call him. Pm incoming