Day 9 on the Top Gear Tour with Vietnam Motorbike Tours! Epic riding in the remote north west of Vietnam, and its corners, climbs, corners, descents and more corners as we explore the Moc Chau plateau. It's day nine but everyone is still pumped to get on the bikes and continue to see the real Vietnam. A very comfortable night in a posh hotel at Son La. There's the usual excellent buffet Vietnam Motorbike Tours breakfast while our faithful support crew load our luggage into trucks and provisions into the support van. Much of Vietnam consists of limestone which erodes to form very unique mountains, caves and underground rivers. Further down the road with Vietnam Motorbike Tours we are in the region of the Thai minority group who have an interesting custom. Once married the women have to wear their hair in a bun for the rest of their lives. And this creates problems given almost everyone gets around on scooters. So some women just have their helmets perched on their hair bun, where there's pretty much no protection at all. Others cut a big hole in the helmet and add this extension. Again, probably not great for safety but it means not getting hassled by the cops. Oh and just in case marriage comes up when chatting with someone in Vietnam, if you are over 30 and single and are asked if you are married sometimes it's just easier to say yes, otherwise people will feel sorry for you. Not having a wife and children is considered bad luck according to Vietnam Motorbike Tours staff. We ride the roads and see the Vietnam sights that mainstream tourism is yet to discover... Sadly this won’t last forever, so join us soon to ensure your opportunity to adventure ride some of the best country back roads in southeast Asia! Vietnam is one of the safest countries in Asia, however, small scams can happen so you still need to aware. We are way up north near the Chinese border so now head east over the Hoang Lien Son Range, Vietnam’s highest mountains. These are actually the eastern tail of the Himalayas so we'll be twisting our way across the rugged highlands all day. As usual instead of the highway we are taking a bewildering array of back roads to see regions of Vietnam that very few travellers ever visit. Earlier in the series we mentioned there are more than 50 minority groups in Vietnam. In this area these are mainly the H’Mong, Dzao and Tay people. The Hmong are particularly well known for their bright coloured tapestry and when we stopped to check out the views the locals popped over to check us out. Vietnam Motorbike Tours say the Hmong mainly live in southern China, Vietnam and Laos. In Chinese history they were subject to genocide as they were regarded as subhuman. In Laos they are still persecuted today but thankfully the Vietnamese government has treated them reasonably well. A few of us were discussing the pros and cons of Vietnam Motorbike Tours versus organising your own trip. I'm sure others would see it differently, but man it's so much easier this way. No problems with the cops because everything has been taken care of. No getting lost. No problems if there's a breakdown. I guess you would have more freedom travelling independently, but after all these years the guys have tailored the tours so well I doubt any of us would want to do anything differently than Vietnam Motorbike Tours. I've always shunned packaged tours when travelling but feels nothing like a packaged tour... just passionate riders sharing an epic journey across Vietnam. And everyone I spoke to felt the same way.
The Top Gear Tour with Vietnam Motorbike Tour.
Epic riding in the remote northwest and it's corners, climbs, corners, descents,
and more corners. A comfortable night in a posh hotel at Son La.
There's the usual excellent buffet breakfast,
while our faithful support crew load our luggage into the truck and provisions
into the support van. It's day nine but everyone is still pumped to get on the bikes
and continue to see the real Vietnam. That is fantastic.
We are way up near the Chinese border now, so time to head east over the Hoang Lien Son range,
Vietnam's highest mountains. These are actually the eastern tail of the Himalayas,
so we'll be twisting our way across the rugged highlands all day.
As usual, instead of the highway, we take a bewildering array of back roads
to see regions of Vietnam that very few travellers ever get to see.
Earlier in the series, we mentioned there are more than 50 minority groups in Vietnam.
In this area, they are mainly the Hmong, Cao, and Thai people.
The Hmong are particularly well known for their bright coloured tapestry,
and when we stopped to check out the views, the locals popped over to check us out.
The Hmong mainly live in southern China, Vietnam, and Laos. In Chinese history,
they were subject to genocide attempts as they were seen as subhuman. In Laos today,
they are still persecuted, but thankfully the Vietnamese government has treated them
reasonably well. Further down the road, we are now in the region of the Thai minority group,
who have an interesting custom. Once married, the women have to wear their hair in a bun
for the rest of their lives. And this creates problems given almost everyone gets around on
scooters. So some women just have their helmets perched on their hair bun where there's pretty
much no protection at all. Others cut a big hole in the helmet and add this extension. Again,
probably not great for safety, but it means not getting hassled by the cops.
Oh, and just in case marriage comes up when chatting with a local in Vietnam,
if you are over 30 and single, sometimes it's easier to just say you are married. Otherwise,
they may feel sorry for you. Apparently not having a wife and children is considered bad luck.
The views are simply stunning, and eventually we have to call a halt to get a good look
before someone runs off the road, trying to do two things at once.
Or in my case, three things at once as I try to hold a camera as well.
A few of us discussed the pros and cons of this tour versus say,
organizing your own trip. I'm sure some may see it differently, but man, it's so much easier
doing it this way. No problems with the cops because everything has been taken care of.
No getting lost. No problems if there's a breakdown or injury. I guess you would have
more freedom travelling independently, but after all these years, the guys have tailored the tours
so well I doubt any of us would want to do it any differently. I've always shunned package tours
when travelling, but this feels nothing like a package tour. Just passionate riders sharing an
epic journey across Vietnam. And everyone I spoke to felt the same way.
This is my first time as a PIN passenger and Vietnam motorbike tours has well and truly
exceeded my expectations. Amazing scenery, great food, every day has been different,
and it's been a one-off experience of a lifetime and I'll come back definitely.
How you doing? I just heard Lisa and exactly what she said, all the same. Awesome.
If you've been following the series, you will know Toby Price has been travelling with us
after his exceptional second win at Dakar despite a broken wrist. But we have another
celebrity on tour with us as well. Vietnam motorbike tours celebrity too. Yasser Arafat,
how's the middle east going? Yeah not bad mate. Oil prices up. All good. Yet another beautiful
spot to stop and soak in the views. Our sharp-eyed drone operator spots a cave on the other side of
the river and goes to investigate. Much of Vietnam consists of limestone which erodes to form
very unique mountains, caves, and underground rivers. Okay time for me to shut up, I'll find
some nice suitable music and give you exactly 60 seconds to enjoy the scenery.
On our snaking descent to the town of Nghia Lo, there are stupendous views over the famous Bryce
terraces of the northwest mountains which at certain times of the year cascade down the slopes
in bright yellows and greens. We are getting closer to civilization now and the hustle and
bustle of this busy town comes as a shock. Check out these two-wheeled old timers.
Icy cold beer and it's cheers all around.
And then cheers in Vietnamese.
Stick around guys, only one more sleep before we head for our final destination, Hanoi.
