Saigon to Hanoi on the Ho Chi Minh Trail, Vietnam - Page 5

Josh69 · 06-05-2008, 05:26 AM

Buon Ma Thuot

I reached the city Buon Ma Thuot about 1.30 in the afternoon. One of the first things you see entering the town is a war monument, commemerating the entry of VC and North Vietnamese troops into the city on 10 March 1975. According to the Lonely Planet guidebook, the tank in the picture is a concrete replica. There was originally a real tank there but on the other side, facing the opposite direction, towards Saigon. When it was replaced with a concrete tank, it was turned to face Hanoi.

I remember I saw one other foreigner in B.M.T. - a guy filling up his bike at a gas station with his Vietnamese wife. He was carrying a big suitcase on the back - travelling local style :) That makes it only 8 foreigners I saw on the trip (excluding when I want to Hue).

Josh69 · 06-05-2008, 05:55 AM

Ethnic Minorities

There are a large number of ethnic minorities in Vietnam. They don't look Vietnamese; they speak (among themselves) a different language.

From Buon Ma Thuot onwards, I'd get most of the people I saw were from a minority and were not ethnic Vietnamese. You will be seeing some pics of remote villages further north later in this trip report.

This is a village on the outskirts of B.M.T. By minority village standards, it is very deluxe. They have actually built normal brick houses behind their more traditional houses. The village name is Ako Dhong and it is home to Ede people.

Josh69 · 06-05-2008, 05:58 AM

Some of the houses looked very tidy indeed.

Josh69 · 06-05-2008, 06:01 AM

Traditional long house.

Josh69 · 06-05-2008, 06:05 AM

Away from the main village however, the dwellings were far more modest.

Josh69 · 06-05-2008, 06:14 AM

So I'd seen the Ede ethnic minority village, gone for a coffee and a cool drink and it was about 4pm. I could stay in B.M.T. city or I could press on for a little bit. I wanted to detour to the west of Route 14, taking a secondary road then a dirt road and meeting up with Route 14 again further north.

In what turned out to be a unfortunate decision from a getting-to-bed-at-a-reasonable-hour point of view but maybe not so unfortunate from an adventure touring point of view, I decided to press on to the west.

Have to continue this next episode, but here is a pic from the initial sealed section of the road - Route 681 - heading to the west of Route 14. What should come trundling down the road but an elephant!

Josh69 · 06-05-2008, 06:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by roninwva

Great pics.
Do you have any trouble with the police stopping to check your papers. Seems like all I read about when people travel to South America is being stopped continually by the police just to check there paperwork.

No trouble. There was one check point way further north near the Lao border where I had to show my passport but other than that nothing. When you check into any hotel though, the hotel owners have to register you with the local police. For the average tourist and even biking in remote areas (provided you don't get to close to the Cambodia/Lao border), it's not a problem at all.

Watercat · 06-05-2008, 06:31 AM

I'd love to visit, too . . . . .

For now keep the pix coming !

mikeb. · 06-05-2008, 07:21 AM

Great RR, thanks for tagging us along.

I wonder why it is Buon Ma Thuot not Ban Me Thuoc, has the name change?.

Yossarian™ · 06-05-2008, 09:16 AM

Great ride report. I look forward to reading more.

groop · 06-05-2008, 09:42 AM

More, more, more, please!!!
Excellent report so far.

MichaelJ · 06-05-2008, 09:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Josh69

Bike in the waterfall car park. I just left it like that with the jacket on the seat and tank bag with another $400 camera lens inside. I did that several times during the trip. Nobody touched it.

That's a change. Once in Saigon I was riding in a cyclo mai and a couple of locals on a motorbike came alongside - the passenger grabbed my Nikon, I grabbed his arm, the bike rider hit the throttle and the cyclo driver hit the brakes.

Having significantly more mass than the bike's passenger, I stayed put.

Speeds, luckily for the would-be photographer, were low.

I miss cyclo mais and Saigon traffic. EVERY trip was an adventure.

2xWheel · 06-05-2008, 10:15 AM

Great report and some very nice pictures, can't wait for more.

Whate camera and lenses did you use?

Cloud9 · 06-05-2008, 12:59 PM

Good stuff!

roninwva · 06-05-2008, 01:01 PM

Nothing like going thru Siagon traffic being the front bumper on a Cyclo.

06-05-2008, 05:26 AM	#61
Josh69 ^OP Uhhh Joined: Dec 2007 Location: Euroland Oddometer: 573	Buon Ma Thuot I reached the city Buon Ma Thuot about 1.30 in the afternoon. One of the first things you see entering the town is a war monument, commemerating the entry of VC and North Vietnamese troops into the city on 10 March 1975. According to the Lonely Planet guidebook, the tank in the picture is a concrete replica. There was originally a real tank there but on the other side, facing the opposite direction, towards Saigon. When it was replaced with a concrete tank, it was turned to face Hanoi. I remember I saw one other foreigner in B.M.T. - a guy filling up his bike at a gas station with his Vietnamese wife. He was carrying a big suitcase on the back - travelling local style :) That makes it only 8 foreigners I saw on the trip (excluding when I want to Hue). Attached Images Josh69 screwed with this post 06-05-2008 at 05:42 AM

06-05-2008, 05:55 AM	#62
Josh69 ^OP Uhhh Joined: Dec 2007 Location: Euroland Oddometer: 573	Ethnic Minorities There are a large number of ethnic minorities in Vietnam. They don't look Vietnamese; they speak (among themselves) a different language. From Buon Ma Thuot onwards, I'd get most of the people I saw were from a minority and were not ethnic Vietnamese. You will be seeing some pics of remote villages further north later in this trip report. This is a village on the outskirts of B.M.T. By minority village standards, it is very deluxe. They have actually built normal brick houses behind their more traditional houses. The village name is Ako Dhong and it is home to Ede people. Attached Images

06-05-2008, 05:58 AM	#63
Josh69 ^OP Uhhh Joined: Dec 2007 Location: Euroland Oddometer: 573	Some of the houses looked very tidy indeed. Attached Images

06-05-2008, 06:01 AM	#64
Josh69 ^OP Uhhh Joined: Dec 2007 Location: Euroland Oddometer: 573	Traditional long house. Attached Images

06-05-2008, 06:05 AM	#65
Josh69 ^OP Uhhh Joined: Dec 2007 Location: Euroland Oddometer: 573	Away from the main village however, the dwellings were far more modest. Attached Images

06-05-2008, 06:14 AM	#66
Josh69 ^OP Uhhh Joined: Dec 2007 Location: Euroland Oddometer: 573	So I'd seen the Ede ethnic minority village, gone for a coffee and a cool drink and it was about 4pm. I could stay in B.M.T. city or I could press on for a little bit. I wanted to detour to the west of Route 14, taking a secondary road then a dirt road and meeting up with Route 14 again further north. In what turned out to be a unfortunate decision from a getting-to-bed-at-a-reasonable-hour point of view but maybe not so unfortunate from an adventure touring point of view, I decided to press on to the west. Have to continue this next episode, but here is a pic from the initial sealed section of the road - Route 681 - heading to the west of Route 14. What should come trundling down the road but an elephant! Attached Images

06-05-2008, 06:31 AM	#68
Watercat Web Footed Adventurer Joined: Jan 2006 Location: West end I-90 Pacific NorthWet Oddometer: 1,269	Fascinating I'd love to visit, too . . . . . For now keep the pix coming ! __________________ Get your motor runin' . . . . . "Seek an erection for medical help lasting longer than four hours" " . . . discovery channel has been shit for over a decade . . . this (ADVrider) is actually good." - OldAndBusted Expect the unexpected! - Skunked & DfunkD 2006 Husky TE 610 2005 Big Strom 2010 THRUXTON

06-05-2008, 07:21 AM	#69
mikeb. Adventurer Joined: Oct 2007 Location: Katy, TX Oddometer: 74	Great RR, thanks for tagging us along. I wonder why it is Buon Ma Thuot not Ban Me Thuoc, has the name change?.

06-05-2008, 09:16 AM	#70
Yossarian™ Deputy Cultural Attaché Joined: Jul 2007 Location: the 'Ha Oddometer: 8,134	Great ride report. I look forward to reading more. __________________ Successfully surviving motorcycling since 1976.

06-05-2008, 09:42 AM	#71
groop So much to ponder Joined: Jun 2007 Location: oc, ca Oddometer: 2,551	More, more, more, please!!! Excellent report so far.

06-05-2008, 10:15 AM	#73
2xWheel New Kid on the block Joined: May 2008 Location: New York City Oddometer: 13	Great report and some very nice pictures, can't wait for more. Whate camera and lenses did you use?

06-05-2008, 12:59 PM	#74
Cloud9 I was HERE? Joined: Apr 2006 Location: Grand Junction, CO., USA Oddometer: 1,876	Good stuff!

06-05-2008, 01:01 PM	#75
roninwva Gnarly Adventurer Joined: Apr 2007 Location: Hurricane, WVa., USA Oddometer: 467	Nothing like going thru Siagon traffic being the front bumper on a Cyclo. __________________ SO MANY ROADS, SO LITTLE TIME CMA PGR HOG 91 FLHTC 04 Kodiak 450 06 Wee-Strom

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