Mountain Biking Along The Ho Chi Minh Trail in Vietnam

From: neilm@slip.net (Neil Mishalov)
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles.rides
Subject: Mountain Biking Along The Ho Chi Minh Trail in Vietnam
Date: Tue, 14 Mar 1995 14:20:53 -0800

This Story is from Robert Lewis, Albany California.  If you have any
questions, comments or wish to join Robert on his next bicycle trip
through Vietnam and Laos, you can contact him at (510)  526-7030, or at
1046 Stannage Avenue, Albany, Ca 94706.  You may also leave a message with
me, and I will forward it to him.




  MOUNTAIN BIKING ALONG THE HO CHI MINH TRAIL
   Robert T. Lewis


When I found out from Neil Mishalov that Rick Bauman of Cycle Vietnam was
offering a "Mountain Bike Tour of the Ho Chi Minh Trail" my instant
reaction was "WOW! I've got to do that". I signed up immediately on
hearing I could be in the first group leaving Jan 1, '95.

The Ho Chi Minh Trail, a network of roads, trails and paths through
Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, existed before but was greatly expanded during
the Vietnam War and played a very significant role as the main supply
route for the North Vietnamese Army. In spite of great effort the US was
unable to disrupt it.

The original itinerary was to take us from Danang north along the coast to
Dong Ha then inland on highway 9 into Laos. We would then go south through
the center of Laos and back into Vietnam at Kon Tum.

However, there were so many last minute dropouts that Rick offered an
alternate itinerary; start in Hanoi with his road tour down the coast but
split inland at Danang through Kon Tum, Play Cu and Buon Ma Thuot. This
left out Laos, and therefore most of the Trail, but would allow me to
visit North Vietnam as well so I agreed to the change.

After touring Hanoi and environs, 22 of us headed south Jan. 18 on
Vietnam's main road, national highway 1, a narrow two lane bumpy road
mostly paved and marked every kilometer with a stone giving the distance
from China. If you don't see these stones you've missed a turn. Rick used
them to locate water stops, lunch etc. Actually food and water were never
a problem. Every other structure seems to be a small shop selling water,
beer, fruit, and crackers. The people seem to eat well, as all kinds of
food were available in abundance.

The ride out of Hanoi was a double rush, fast (avg. about 22 mph) with
lots of motorbikes, buses and trucks. Most drive on the right but, as
Bruce Weber the New York Times reporter along on the trip remarked "unlike
Americans they are not fanatical about it", many coming at you from all
directions, particularly at intersections. You quickly learn; don't be
tentative yet yield to faster vehicles. Your dead if you stop. Somehow it
seems to happen. I kept asking myself "am I really doing this?"

As an American in lycra shorts and bright shirt on a fancy bike, you are
constantly the center of attention. Fortunately, the Vietnamese proved to
be very friendly, forward yet not aggressive, with no evidence of
hostility from the war. Surprising, since we dropped some millions of tons
of bombs on them. The Vietnamese feel the war was over a long time ago.
There a dogs everywhere and may run across the road at anytime. When they
get hit there is an argument about who gets the body, the guy who killed
it or the owner. Fortunately I never hit one. In fact somehow I managed
not to crash or fall during the whole trip.

Just north of the former demilitarized zone I took a side trip to the
tunnels of Vinh Moc. I rode in alone on a packed but rutted dirt road
about 10 miles, not knowing for sure just where I was going or how I would
recognize these "concealed" tunnels when I got there. At intersections I
would ask a local "Vinh Moc?" One would point one way, another would say
"no no" and point to the other. 

Vinh Moc, a primitive village opposite Con Co Island in the South China
Sea used to land supplies from China, was so heavily bombed that the
Vietnamese rebuilt it underground. For years up to 1200 lived in these 4
1/2 ft tunnels. Women and children were never allowed out. They were safe
from ordinary bombs but dreaded the drilling bomb. The only direct hit
fortunately was a dud but I could still see its remains in a side tunnel
when I took the 30 minute flashlight tour guided by Nguyen Quang Chuc, a
slight gentle man who lived in the tunnels when he was a child. The land
above is littered with bomb craters.

Because of this side trip, I arrived in Dong Ha after dark and couldn't
find the hotel but on asking some kids where it was they said "oh we'll
show you" and led me there. I had the only bike with a light.

At Danang the Ho Chi Minh Trail group, now expanded to thirteen as some of
the roadies decided to join in, left the road group and headed inland on
highway 14, part of the Trail during the war. The first few miles are
paved but on crossing a river it turns to rocks, mud and puddles. This
proved to be the hardest riding of the trip. There was always the choice,
the rocks or the puddle? At first, not knowing the depth, puddles were
taken slowly but before long it was charge right through. Fortunately no
problems, even though I was riding slick Fat Boy tires. 

After about a mile of rocks, two rider9s on Bike Fridays had enough
because their drive trains were constantly bottoming. This type of
bicycle, while easy to travel with and ok on paved road, proved unsuitable
here. This left eleven hardy souls to continue along with two land
cruisers and a truck for gear.

That afternoon I had my only uncomfortable experience when some drunken
teenagers celebrating Tet grabbed me and tried to get me to drink with
them. Fortunately, I was able to convince them to let me go. Occasionally
someone would ride by on a motorbike carrying an AK-47, presumably used
for hunting. I found it could be a little scary alone in the jungle there
and was glad when I came upon our truck about an hour later. Since I still
had 15 miles to go and it was now 4 PM, I realized that, at the rate I was
going, I would not reach the guest house before dark. I definitely did not
want to be out there alone after dark so stayed with the truck. 

At Play Cu, there is a paved road back to highway 1, so five more said
"enough" and hired their own vehicle back to the coast. To bad for them
because the best jungle lay a couple of days ahead. This left six,
including Rick and myself, to continue.

The road from Play Cu to Buon Ma Thuot is good smooth pavement over
rolling hills and it was a pleasure to be able to get up some speed again.


From Buon Ma Thuot we headed south to Lak and Dong Krola though
extraordinary bamboo jungle. Unfortunately, the distance we had to cover
was so long that we ended up riding in the land cruisers through the best
part, a section we nicknamed the bamboo tunnels, in some places so thick
we had to cut away bamboo with machetes to get the vehicles through. 

Overall, it was an intense, demanding trip both physically and mentally.
There were many 100 mile days. I've mostly recovered, but my right hand
still doesn't quite function properly, I guess from nerve damage. Not too
bad considering. Anyway I can still ride my bike.

I plan to go back, not on highway 1 again, but through the remote sections
of Laos that formed the main parts of the Trail. Please contact me if
you'd like to go along.

--Neil      neilm@slip.net