Fozz & Joe's Vietnam Bike Bender

We ventured north from Phong Nha and soon found the weather was extremely against us as the rain started coming down, we were not prepared for this after weeks of sunshine. We stopped for 2 nights in Hanoi between so we could purchase water proofs and warmer clothes and whilst here i was fortunate to meet someone who wanted to buy my bike! Without a heavy heart i sold it and rented a new bike for the second half of our journey which has been a delight to ride. The Limestone loop is a beautiful drive south West out of Hanoi to Mai chai where we stayed in a stunning homestay with a morning view across the rice Paddy's then west to the Laos border and back through a national park to Hanoi.

This road is loosely based on the Ho Chi Minh Trail which was a road system created by the Viet Cong during the war that enabled the army to move supplies from the north to all over the country. The original road ran through Laos and Cambodia but there are still lots of pathways coming from this which would have been used back then too. This was some isolated areas with very few other vehicles coming down, the main traffic still uses the highway one which comes down the coast line.

Normally my posts include a road trip from one point to another, but Hué was full of so much rich history and beautiful sites it needed a post of its own. The old Imperial capital, an abandoned water park, old war bunkers, nights out with some superb locals, pagodas and of course more bike repairs.