Vietnam 2012: “Ten toi la Momi »...made in Italy !

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I heard some sound from the sky…better take a rest



her’s how vietnamese kids have fun: up and down on cliff







I have noticed lack of gas station, except some point were you could buy 1 to 5 liter. I had in mind as stop off, A Tep, a big name on my map...big name = big city = gas station !!! After one hour in the middle of nowhere I finally saw a big road sign with the name A Tep and the altitude and nothing else. Wher’s the city ? Wher’s my gas station ?
If you write on Google Maps Latitude (lat): 15°59'0"N and Longitude (lon): 107°31'0"E you can find A Tep, that isn’t a city, but a geographical point.




No one building, no one man, no one animal (I hope), no one veichle. Just me and my bike with more or less 3 liter ( less than 1 gallon) of gas. Ok I can drive for almost 100 km (62 miles), but on my map from A Tep I don’t have any distance indication. But I see two military walking on the road. With some gesture I let them understand I need gas and they bring me to their barracks. It comes a sergent and say me the price: ok .



finally I reach a local motorway cafè and I can full the tank and buy some food











I sleep in A Luoi







Today is Sunday and this to Vinh will result my longest leg: 452 km in one day (281 miles)







the streets in the mountains, here in Vietnam, are amazing









the European Championship of Soccer, here in Vietnam , is a very famous soprting event: today Italy will play against Spain, but due the time zone, very late in the night.









the road flanks a railroad and the train drivers greet to me. Immediately I speed up, overtake the train and so I reach a grade crossing before the train



and I can take a picture of the train !



In a crossroad, two cops help me to find the right way to Vinh



dinner in this restaurant run by a family, on the river and with hammocks















Vinh is a big city , about 500.000 people



my guest house is in little street, but is very nice



I stroll around, looking fora n internate point







in Vinh there are a lot of counterfeit Italian Clothes Shops





Ohh the dinner: just in time in one of the few restaurant open





Around 9.30 pm I’m back in my room. One of the guy remember to me that Italy will play against Spain: ok but around midnight. I’ve got the television in my room, but the game is too late and I go to sleep.
Suddendly a scream breaks the silent of the night: somebody knock at my door: “Mister mister !!!!!” : a fire broke out ? I get out of my room and in the reception 2 guys are jumping and screaming around the television... the italian striker “Totò” Di Natale scored a goal: Italy 1 Spain 0



I went back to sleep: after a minute Fabregas scored for Spain.
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Lovely country, people, food, where you will go next year?.


Congratulations for this RR Momi.

Thank you again for so generously sharing another vacation with great pictures and stories.

Awesome experience with great write up and photos.
You have come quite deep into rural Vietnamese people's life. When I saw the dish you had in DakSong, I was really supprised. Don't know what was your feeling when knowing what it was. .
It's kind of a good one here

Ok probably if I had known I would'nt have ordered it, but once I had eated it it was fine. It tasted very similar to rabbit.
Your post is a high praise, very special because it comes from Vietnam resident.
I appreciate it

<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:HyphenationZone>14</w:HyphenationZone> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:UseFELayout/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--> I’m close to the end of my vacation. Today is the 11 of June: I should reach Hanoi in the afternoon



another classical Vietnam style monument



this bricklayers gave to me a brick that I used as tripod



today is very hot and people in this city sleep along the strrets


not a bad idea



The AH1 to Hanoi is really jammed, but I noticed that all veichles let some space on the right side, so motorbike can overtake in a safer way





me and the bike at the arrive in Hanoi



The little Yamaha Serow has worked good, so I asked to Flamingo Travel to can wash it myself





The rent of the bike will end tomorrow. Back in the hostel (always the same) this time I’m in the room on the first floor: me and 5 girls. Somebody tells me that one is from Italy. In this hostel at 5 pm you can get a free beer in the reception. In the same place there are 3 pc and so I begin to write an email to my brother in Italy. A vietnamese girl (very nice) takes a seat beside me and asks to me if the motorbike parked outside the hostel is mine. She speaks a very good english and so I begin to describe my vacation. She’s a student at the university and works some hours in the hostel. When comes the beer we seat in hte couch. It arrive an american girl: she sleeps in my room. Two days ago, when she was walking at the night market, in the Old Quarter, somebody with the kinfe cut her handbag and snatched passport and money, but she didn’t realized it. Back in the hostel she called her mother in the USA, but for her was hard to believe. “My mom-she told us- said that I was for sure drunk and after lose passport and money and so I invented everything”. It’s a very funny afternoon...but suddendly...it appears a blonde girl. I had seen her in the room, but she was sleeping. She’s from France, but works for an Australian Airline. Nice to meet you and she takes a seat with us. Immediatly I return to speak with the Vietnamese girl, but the French girl is the kind of person that likes to steal the show. She begins to show to us her pictures with the camera and tells to us her vacation. After one hour the Vietnamese girl had to come back to work and after 100 pictures of the french girl I got out.





Today is my last day in Vietnam. In the afternoon I’ve got to bring back my littel Yamaha to the Flamingo Travel and so I decided to go around Hanoi



Always interesting the everyday life







this should have been a VIP



normally I don’t buy souvenir, but the Vietnam ”coffee machine” is very nice: with a little bit of Vietnamese coffee shoul be a perfect present for my friends: little (easy to carry), nice and cheap.
For me I had in mind the rice cooking machine. With a little help from my reception I prepared a shit with name : after I began to ask where was possible to buy them.



Near the big statue there was a little open market













looks well cooked, but this time I didn’t eat it



me, souvenir and an ice drink



Ok it’s time to bring back the bike. Normally the tour organized by Flamingo are scheduled with daily distances around 250 km ( 155 miles) . My average in Vietnam, has been around 300 km (186 miles)



And now, what can I do ? Walking trough Hanoi ? No, as in Beijin in 2004 it’s better to rent a bycicle: in this picture you can see me when I “bypassed” the surveillance of Tien An Men Square



This travel agency/hairdresser rented to me a bycicle





















After 4 hours I stopped to pedal and went back to the Hotel. I’m lucky the Vietnam girl of yesterday is at the reception: she was interested in my trip to Halong Bay. It’s free beer time at the hostel and in the reception comes the american girl with 2 her friend. I begin to speak with the vietnamese girl about differences between italina and vietnam university. The environment is very nice, but you know the adversities of life always wait in ambush..........YES ! AGAIN ! The French girl comes in the reception, takes a seat on the couch and again begins to speak with everybody, showing her pictures...continously...for one hour. As yesterday the vietnam girl has to go to work. I repress my omicide impulse: too many witness. Maybe in the night I could smother her with the pillow, in the room. I wake up and while I’m going up stairs I meet a girl that speaks with me in italian. Her name is Giorgia and she’s studing for a master degree at the university of Bangkok: she’s from Padova. Due the reason that her touristic visa for Thailand is expired, she went for some day in Hanoi, to can renew the visa. She’s very likeable.

Back in my dormitori I begin to prepare my luggages for the fly to Italy: this was the situation at the beginning



really better after half hour





I’ll ship this two and carry with me just the camera, pc and little stuff. It comes in the room the american girl and she asks to me and Giorgia if we would like to meet after dinner with some friend to go in a club. Maybe. She asks the same to the frenc girl, but she’s busy ..thanks God.
I went to eat and I chose crabs








Back to the hotel, I meet Giorgia, the american girl and her friends.
You should know that cities like Hanoi are a big arrival point for tourists, as Siem Raep in Cambodia to can go to visit Angor Wat , or Sapa in the north of Vietnam. This cities, inevitably, had to adapt to the tourist demand. Western tourists like disco club, pub, disco music, drinks. Nothing wrong with this, but I was grown listening punk music and going in the independent rock club and so I really don’t like disco music, but with friends is different.
USA tourists=USA style club, with a little touch of Vietnam...the bartenders. Jennifer Lopez, some rap for wiggers (Eminem) and instead the pitcher of beer they serve a big drink the Pink Bunket, a big cup with dozen of straws. The club is divided in two parts: one with the bar and the other with very low table where you can sprawl yourself, drink and smoke some joint. As me Giorgia had in mind to go go to drink a beer around a table, but we began to look at the people in the club, dumping on everybody.




Giorgia is the girl with the white t-shirt…the old one wears a grey t-shirt



Looking at this video you can appreciate how stron are the vietnamite table in the club (note the size of the dancer)



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpUfBGEucfA



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<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:HyphenationZone>14</w:HyphenationZone> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:UseFELayout/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--> Around 1 a.m. for me and Giorgia is enough and so we come back to the hotel: tomorrow I’ve the fly back to Italy and she fly to Bangkok. We are speaking in the room, when suddendly my blood ran cold...



worst than Dart Feneran an english voice, with a clear french accent say “ Ohh you can’t leave italian tourists alone that immediatly they begin to speak in italian ! “
What a f... !!! What kind of language should we use ? Japanese ? I tried to be polite and I answer “You know, sometimes happens that two italian tourists speak in italian”. Ok if now she take out her camera I’ll strangle. Giorgia was explainig her situation at the university of Bangkok, when the french girl asks how old she is. Giorgia asks “ How old do you think I could be ?” 22 for the french girl, 25 for me. I’m right.
Inevitably comes my turn: “ Maurizio, how hold are you ?” ok 25 years ago was an easy answer, today is a little bit embarrassing, but in this situation truth is the best way. “I was born in the 1962” is my answer. Giorgia is surprised she thought me “younger”. From the bed the french girl asks to us” How hold do you think I could be ?” 28 answer Giorgia. I think for some seconds: is my chance of revenge and I reflect on the french girl and on her manners: “ 35 !” She’s shoked ! “ How do you can say this ?-says the french girl- everybody normally thinks around 28/29” Do you know ‘ She’s 34. Now she asks to me why I had say 34.
“Your hands miss- is my answer- after the 30 the hands of womans begin to get some wrinkle ( now I can push a little bit the knife in the wound), as you can notice there aren’t wrinkles on the hands of Giorgia”
She says that this is a non sense, but doesn’t matter: Momi vs french tourist 1-0. I understand that Giorgia would like to give me a five, but the triumph is enough and we turn off the light leaving the french girl to think to her hands.


Wednesday 13th of June
I woke up very early to go to the airport. I had the chance to greet Giorgia before the boarding. I’m coming back to Italy, but forget Vietnam will be impossible: always in my heart.


Sorry, but my job in this period of the year don’t allow me a lot of free time and so it took a very long time to translate my Vietnam report. Sorry for my grammar, but I hope you understood almost everything.

Momi
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Super report..great photos..thanks for sharing !!!

dood, you're a great guy! thanks for the report.... really enjoyed it.....

Wonderful and very inspiring

petzi-baer

Very nice momi20.
Thanks for the effort to make the report and let us have a glimse of Vietnam.

Thanks to everybody for the effort: read my english isn't easy
As biker I offer a "virtual beer"

Keep in mind the Vietnam as possible location for a trip: really a paradise for the bikers and if you are able to drive off-road, mhhh could be really surprising.

Momi, you are the best.

Mhh not from the point of view of mechanical/driving skills

Ah Momi-- your reports are absolute treasures.

Your abundant affection and care for people comes through in every word and every picture.

I did a similar trip from Hanoi to HCMC this past March but you are one brave soul.
Riding from Hanoi to HCMC is tough but to turn around and head back to Hanoi is a feat of endurance.

Great job
Your pictures were amazing and brought back wonderful memories

Great trip report . stay safe

Great report I want to go........................What do you think you spent?

great photos and report, i would love to go there.

I think around 1650 1650 € = 2150 $, that include everything: visa, bike rent, gas, fly from and to Italy, food accomodation souvenir ecc....