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Following the tips on how to motorbike around Vietnam, this is part 2. In this guide, we will share the things you MUST pack on your trip, apps to have in your phone, general city recommendation and food you must try.

Packing Recommendation

• Pack light.
• Very light.
• Fucking light.

This is repeated 3 times. The motorbike can only take so much. Get a backpack with your essential belongings and roll with it. You can always buy extra clothes in the city, if you need. Or new phone charging cables.

Pack light! You only have so much space to tie your backpack on the motorbike.

Other Must Have

• Get a Vietnam SIM card with 4G. Viettel works well.
• Deodorant spray (it can get really smelly when you’re under the sun for hours, 99% humidity and sweating)
• Wet wipes (you’re really gonna stink. And sweat. A LOT.)
• Sunscreen (it’s hoooooot and burning)

Everything else can be bought in Vietnam. E.g. clothes, shoes, jackets, charging cables.

Apps You Should Have In Your Phone

These are apps specific for travellers taking on their motorbikes around Vietnam.

• Maps.me for offline functions. Bookmark the places you’d like to visit before starting your trip.
• Google maps for recommendations of places
• Cốc Cốc Map (local version of Google maps)
• Airbnb for local tours and local guides
• Google translate: download Vietnamese language
• Grab: to take cheap cabs within big cities like Saigon

Motorbike Around Vietnam: General City Recommendations

Saigon – Mui Ne – Da Lat – Nha Trang – Quy Nhon – Kon Tum – Hoi An – Danang

Check out the Mekong Delta if you have time.

Saigon

• To get around Saigon, just use Grab.
• Great vibe all around. Plenty of foreigners (tourists, travellers, expats)
• Lots of rooftop bars. Hotel des Arts is my favourite.
• Plenty of touristy things, but you MUST check out the Vietnam War museum.
• Here’s an itinerary for the best food around Saigon in 24h

Mui Ne

• Sun rise on the red sand dunes is pretty dope.
• Lots of Russian shops. Too many.
• 1 night is more than enough.

Da Lat

• Da Lat is in the mountain areas. It can get quite cold, depending on the season.
• The central market is beautiful and vibrant. I saw pet goats in the central market at night.
• Great food. One of the best vegetables ever. Look for “chocolate tomatoes”. They are the best tomatoes I have eaten in my life.
• Most agriculture in Vietnam comes from Da Lat. Hence, everything is 100x fresher and tastier in Da Lat.

Nha Trang

 

• Beaches: one of the best in Vietnam
• Seafood: lots of good seafood.
• Plenty of Chinese & Russian tourists. Too many.
  • Avoid going during Chinese New Year and China’s National Day periods.
• Ba Ho Waterfalls: beautiful and refreshing. Lots of jumping around. Great way to end the day.
• Hidden secret : little detour that goes towards an empty and new cliff road. It ended in a pristine beach cove. It’s called Mon Beach, south of Tuy Hoa. (A resort is being built there.)

Quy Nhon

• Hidden gem.
• Beaches are beautiful, endless and empty.
• Good food all around.
• No tourists!
• Life’s A Beach for budget options.
• The Avani is recommended.

Kon Tum

• Lots of cafes. No good restaurant. Weird.

Hoi An

• Stunning in the morning. Even more at night.
• It’s super crowded at night.
• Stay at least 2 nights.

Danang

• Stay in the city center instead of the beachside
• Son Tra is known for monkeys. It has good roads and impressively huge white Buddha.

General Food Recommendations

• Fresh spring rolls. Period.
• Vietnam has the best food, period. Banh Xeo, Banh Mi, Pho, Bun Cha, Com Tam.
• Vietnamese coffee. Period.

Disclaimer about Risks

For the record, Elliott slipped while riding the motorbike. His arms were dragged along the road. It resulted in a huge deep scar and he had to visit the hospital in each city to change the bandages.

However, it was an experience he never forgot. It became a really interesting story of his life. Since then, he has returned to Vietnam at least 8 times. And it’s one of his favourite countries in the world.