Modern Vespa

Hello all!

I just came back from Vietnam visiting the family for the Tet / Chinese New Year. While I was there, me and my wife decided to go on a road trip for a few days with her LX150 and take along a camera with a 4gig memery card!. This was not the first time we've done this, just the first time I actually spent the time to take pictures and writing about it. Our family thought that we were crazy to go on such a trip on a scooter instead of a car. This is primarily because the road here can be very dangerous, and the mid-day sun is really intense. Besides, it wouldn't be called an adventure if we traveled by car. I wrote this journal to satisfy some of the adventurous people who've ever wanted to travel around Vietnam on a Vespa, sort of like what Peter Moore did except this trip was on a modern Vespa. Our primary destination is to visit the beach resort of Ha Tien, located near the very southern part of the Vietnam / Cambodia border, about 320 miles from Saigon(Ho Chi Minh City). You will often see me using the name Saigon instead of Ho Chi Minh City because it is shorter to type, and it is what most people here referred to as well, but on the map it is Ho Chi Minh City. I really wanted to do the Mekong Delta thing like Peter Moore, but we did not have the time since it was almost the Tet New Year and we have to spend time with our family. Originally there were going to be four of us for the trip, but a cousin dropped out due to scheduling conflict, so it was just going to be me, my wife Tanya, and her younger brother Huy on two scooters.



For you observers, Vietnamese law requires all people traveling major highways to wear a helmet, but does not required to do so in the city. This is why you will sometimes see us without our helmets. Yes..yes..I know...you should always wear a helmet, but we like the freedom of the wind in our face, and also if you've ever been here before, it's nearly impossible to navigate the crazy traffic with a helmet on. People will also look at you weird if you wear a helmet in the city.

We started the trip from Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City). Before leaving, we stopped by the Piaggio Space/Vespa dealer on Cao Thang Street and have them check out all the fluids. While I was there waiting for them to check the fluids, I was surprised to see that they have a LXV in stock! The salesman told me that they will be getting some GTV too. After that we stopped by a gas station to fill up and then off we went. Our first destination is the city of Cao Lanh in the Dong Thap province, about 95 miles from Saigon to meet up with my wife Tanya younger brother Huy. This is also where Tanya lives.

Ok, so let's get going. Sit back and enjoy!!


Fill her up please!


Take a right turn onto the highway leaving Saigon. This stretch of highway will take us to the main Highway-1 that goes from north to south Vietnam. It's also the main highway to all the western provinces.


Approaching a toll plaza (motorbikes and scooters are free)


Going up the double bridge...The one on the right is still under construction.


This is the Long An junction. We will be going left toward Long An. Go right takes you back to Saigon. This route is known as the highway-1( or Quoc Lo 1) which will take you to all the south western provinces. Any area you go south from this point will be known here by the locals as Mien Tay or Western Region.


On Highway-1 in the city of Long An, just about 5 miles from the junction. This is where your great riding skills will be put to the test, as you will be traveling with fast moving 18-wheeler container trucks, tourist bus, and hundreds of other motorbikes.


Approaching a big bridge going over one of the south's big rivers. I forgot which river it was. I do not have any picture of this huge river. I have to keep both hands on the handle bars going over the bridge.


About 2 hours from Saigon, is the Trung Luong junction. The left route will take you to the city of My Tho, but we will be going right.


This is a newly built stretch of Highway-1. They just added an extra lane on each side and a center divider over a year ago. You can let it loose and go wide open.


3 hours into the trip, we took a short break for a drink and a short nap on the hammock. It was HOT!


This is the An Huu junction, we are 2/3 of the way to Cao Lanh. We will be turning right to leave Highway-1 and head towards Cao Lanh. Left will take you to My Thuan where the famous big My Thuan bridge go over the Tieng Long river to the city of Vinh Long and Can Tho.


This stretch of the highway is very scenic, with lots of rice paddies and foliage. The highway is reduced to 2 lanes. You do not want to breakdown in this area especially at night, as there is no service station within miles that can service a Vespa, and it can get very very dark. Just image...total darkness with only star filled sky with cricket and frog croaking sound.


This is a small town just outside of Cao Lanh. The white spray paint on the left of the road marked where an accident happened. They were put there for investigation purposes.


Entering Cao Lanh, we are greeted by a huge gate to the city. Sorry about the sun glare.


Here we are at the Cao Lanh junction. We will be going left to downtown Cao Lanh. Right will take you to Hong Ngu and Dong Thap Mui.


Entering the city of Cao Lanh.


Downtown Cao Lanh.


On the way to Tanya's house to meet up with her younger brother.



Cao Lanh is the biggest city in the Dong Thap province. Its status was raised to "city" back in November of last year. Before, it was just known as a big town. The surrounding area is mainly undeveloped farm land and rice paddies. Tanya's house is located in an area of Cao Lanh known as Cau Bac which translates to North Bridge (The "bridge" is referred to the river ferry crossing) because it is located on the northern part of the Tieng River (a branch of the Mekong). Her house is right on the river bank.

In front of Tanya's house. Her LX150 next to a cousin's antique Vespa.


After a one day stay-over at Tanya's, we are now ready to head for Ha Tien which is 160 miles from Cao Lanh. We will be going through several cities and towns to reach Ha Tien. Here's Tanya is packing up the LX for the trip.


Here's Tanya waiting to board the Cao Lanh ferry to cross the Tieng River. The ferry runs in 10 minute intervals. The fees for scooters is 5000dong (35cents)


Here she's heading down the dock ramp and board the ferry.


Enjoying the scenery from the ferry.


After the ferry ride, we are traveling through this stretch of land which is sandwiched between the Tieng River in the north and the Hau River in the south, so you've guessed ...one more ferry ride. The road is small which can barely accommodate two automobile. Huy is following closely behind on his Yamaha Mio.


Some more snaps of the scenery.



Here we are at the banks of the Hau River waiting for the An Giang ferry.


Again, we boarded another ferry.


Tanya looking on the crowd.


Tanya riding solo through the city of Long Xuyen. Long Xuyen is the biggest city in the An Giang province. This is my first time going through Long Xuyen, and I was shock so see how big this city is. I could swear I was in the middle of Saigon.



This is the Tri Ton-Chau Doc junction just outside of Long Xuyen. We are going to take the left route toward the town of Tri Ton. Right will take you to the boarder city of Chau Doc.


A little distant past the junction.


A quick stop for a break and to ask for direction.


Going through a toll plaza. This time we have to pay 1000dongs(about 6cents). The writing on the plaza translates to..."We wish you a safe trip".


After an hour of riding, we arrived at the town of Tri Ton.


We got a little lost in Tri Ton, but manage to get back on track after asking a few locals for direction.


This stretch of the road is all trees and rice paddies as far as you can see. Very beautiful!


Tanya is pulling away!


She slows down to wait for us.


About an hour and a half later the road bends left and we've reached a junction for Rac Gia and Ha Tien. We will be taking the Ha Tien route of course. Sorry no pic of the junction.


Going down a bridge and look at the beautiful view.


Going through a small town just outside Ha Tien.


Almost there!..You can just smell the ocean.


Tanya taking the curve.


It seem the closer we get to Ha Tien the further away from civilization we are. There are barely anyone living on this road.




We stop to grab something to eat and give the scooters a break. We were on the road for over two hours straight! Little did we know that this restaurant is located just a few miles from downtown Ha Tien when we asked the owner for directions.


Ha Tien is a famous town in Kien Giang Province, a seaside resort which is best known for its seafood. There are also some famous attractions such as the Thach Dong Temple, Mac Cuu Temple, and Ho Dong (East Lake). The town is also flanked by the Gianh Thanh River and only a few miles from the Cambodia boarder. When the Vietnamese think of Ha Tien, they think of cement. The Ha Tien Cement Company is the biggest cement producer in Vietnam. On the way to Ha Tien, you will come upon a huge cement factory. The factory is located next to a huge rock quarry. Off the Ha Tien coast is the famous Phu Quoc Island.

After nearly five hours from Cao Lanh, we finally arrived! When you arrive to the town of Ha Tien, You will come upon this floating bridge to cross the Gianh Thanh River. This used to be the only way to reach the town by motor vehicle, but they have since built a permanent four lane bridge about a mile away.


Here I am maneuvering the floating bridge.


We checked into the Hai Yen Hotel and then head down to the broad walk to checkout the local scenery. You can see a big Buddhist temple up on the mountain behind in the background.


The next day, we all hopped on our scooters and headed for the beach. The destination; Mui Nai (Cape Nai), about 10 miles from downtown Ha Tien. Mui Nai is and up and coming beach resort. From what I've heard, it is a hidden gem and the government is pouring a lot of money into the area to attach tourist. The area between downtown Ha Tien and Mui Nai is largely undeveloped. People still lives in grass huts and farm their own food. The road is paved but is very uneven. That will change soon when government improve the access roads to the beach. Hopefully they won't mess with the beautiful scenery.


20 minutes later, we've arrived to the Mui Nai beach. Normally this beach is packed with tourist. But it was only 3 more days until the new year and most people are at home preparing for the celebration. An ironic thing happened while we were here. Tanya was saying, she can't wait to come here and eat all the wonderful seafood. Well...there was no seafood to be found anywhere. We asked the locals and they told us that since there was no tourist during this time, they didn't bother to go out fishing. What a disappointment!


Absolutely flat calm and crystal clear water, like a lake. This picture don't do justice!


Tanya and Huy down by the beach.


Since we can't find any seafood, we just went swimming for about an hour and then start heading back to the hotel.


The road we took coming to Mui Nai was the short route which winds through the hills and down to the beach. On the way back to downtown Ha Tien, we decided to take the longer scenic route which goes on the outer edge of the coast. As you can see, the road is still under construction and is unpaved. This is part of the government funded project to attach tourist. I know when this area is done, it will be very pretty.



After spending one night in Ha Tien, we decided it was time to head for home. I wish we can stay longer to explore the area because there is much more that we have not seen, but we have to get back to the family and prepare for the Tet New Year.

Leaving Ha Tien.



On the way to the restaurant.



Stop to check out the incredible view. Rice paddies as far as your eyes can see...beautiful!!


On the way back to Cao Lanh, Tanya came up with a great idea. She wanted to stop by the town of Chau Doc. It's an extra 40 miles ride from the Tri Ton - Chau Doc junction, but we have a few hours to spare since we did not have to stop to ask for direction. Chau Doc is a river town located on the Sam mountains by the Cambodia boarder. We were actually visiting Chau Doc's famous Ba Chua Xu Buddhist temple.

There is two ways you can take to Chau Doc from Cao Lanh. This is the most scenic route, but the road is very bad. The scenery changes abruptly from green forest to dry and sandy to wet rice paddies.




Again, rice paddies as far as you can see.


An hour later from the Tri Ton-Chau Doc Junction. We arrived to Chau Doc. No time for site seeing, we headed straight to the Chau Doc's Ba Chua Xu temple. There is a legend behind this temple, and each year thousands of people flock here to seek good luck from Lady Ba Chua Xu. She is actually a statue. They say that many people who come wishing for good luck will usually get their wish come true. Tanya told me that it will be nearly impossible to see Lady Ba Chua Xu after the new year because all of Vietnam will be here visiting the Lady to seek good luck, so she thinks this is good time to visit her. I was surprised to see the temple nearly empty of worshiper or tourist for such a sacred place. Tanya pointed out to me that traditionally, you're suppose to ask for good luck and prosperity on the new year, not at the end of the year, but its better than nothing.


Tanya walking toward the Lady Ba Chua Xu atrium. I can't show you what Lady Ba Chua Xu looks like. We were not allowed to take pictures inside the temple, and I did not want to offend Lady Ba Chua Xu.


We only stay in Chau Doc for an hour and started heading home. Following the river banks will take us back to Cao Lanh.


Going back through the city of Long Xuyen


The ferry trip back to Cao Lanh


Back home in Cao Lanh


Wow..took me 3 days to put this together! In part-2, I will continue the trip through some more exotic location and we head back north to Saigon. From time to time, you will see that I edit some of the content of this trip. This is because I'm not too familiar with the areas of this country, so I may just be correcting the infos. I will also be adding more photos as I feel it neccesary to.


Please join me again in Part-2!
800 Miles through Vietnam on a Vespa! Part-2

WOW!! impressive picture show! thanks so much for taking the time to put that together for us. looks like you guys had a blast

Thank you!!!
For refreshing my memory of a most beautiful country and people.

Wonderful pictures and story. Thank you for sharing them with us. I look forward to part II.

Janine

what a cool story and such fantastic pictures!!! this really makes me wanna jump on my gts and start ridin' instantly. Unfortunately here in belgium we don't have such spectacular scenery!

What a great trip thanks for posting. That must have taken some time to load to the site! I hope to post with such detail and images of a journey someday.

Great pictures, thanks for posting them!

I went to Vietnam on vacation for part of this last December and January. I miss the warm weather!

That was great, thank you for posting the pics. It was very relaxing to join you on this trip, even if it was only from behind the keyboard.

CC

Nice photo tour, Thanks

Great story and pics. You have so many scooters over there it looks like 100s joined you on your trip! Your English is excellent by the way.

So I gotta ask...what's with the dogs on the back of the scooter that says "On the way to the restaurant..." Were they the main course of the day?

thats the photo that puts the meaning of "diversity" to the test. I don't think the man riding the dog carrier was really to worried about whether or not the dogs fell off the tumbril and got hurt.
I just hope the spirited dude with his tail and nose flying enjoyed his only time out of the cage.
I'd rather take him for a walk than eat him with garlic sauce.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

That was one of the best MV experiences I've ever had! What a fantastic journey. Thanks fo taking the time to take us along. What a great trip.

I feel like we should pay you for this or something, it's fabulous. Beautiful country along with the descriptions to go with it. I realy enjoyed that, thanks again!

Great pictures and descriptions, thank you!

Wonderful trip! Thanks for taking the time to describe and show it to us!

A picture of Tanya should be in the scooter babes thread, where's Seth?

Thank you very much!
A really nice journey for us too...

Thanks for the photos. Looks like it was a fun trip.

Happy chinese new year

I spend that vacation taking a trip to Singaporean in Chinese New Year
See some T5... PX150.. ET4... GT200 ... LX 150 .....
and See many Gilera/runner200 ....

Vietnam the place where I want to go very much too

She's around here already... I think in the "what else do you love" thread. She is lovely.

Excellent post - thanks!

I think Belgium is a beautiful country. Some of my fondest memories of Europe were of bicycling in Brugge along the river.

Janine

Thanks everyone for reading my journal and for the kind comments. I'm working on Part-2 right now. I should finish it up in a few days and load the photos. Check back again soon! Yes those dogs are most likely going to the restaurant. Most Asian countries have dogs on the menu, but it is less and less each year. In Vietnam, they are mostly consumed by small town and village people, and they are considered "specialty" dishes, which means they can only be found in a few places on rare accasions and not something they eat everyday. They are quite expensive too because not too many people know how to prepare the dishes. I was quite disturbed to see this scene too, but I just wanted to show you guys the diversity of the country.
She is! In the Scooter Babes tread on page 15 or 16 I think. Tanya loves her LX very much. She is one of the only girl I know in Vietnam who actually use their LX to the fullest! It's because they are so expensive here for an average person to afford, so most people will only ride their LXs or GTs on the weekends or on special occasions, because they are afraid to put too much miles on their scooter and get them scratched up. Tanya is very confident with the quality of her LX, she'll even ride her LX through grave and mud roads as you will see in part-2. She say that a scooter is only as good if you use it, and not just let it sit there in the corner of a house under a dust cover.

Amen, Sister!

My parents are originally from Tra Vinh-myself born and raised in Canada-I am seriously considering a sojourn back to my motherland this year.

Thanks for taking us on an amazing journey.

One of the best gallery post I've seen. Can't wait for part 2.

I think Belgium is a beautiful country. Some of my fondest memories of Europe were of bicycling in Brugge along the river.

Janine[/quote]


you're right, but what i really like in this post is the vastness of the scenery, something which is very difficult to experience in our country, although it certainly has its charm!

Great story, amazing photographs!

The white LX looks better than I had anticipated, it's really good looking.

too amazing photographs!

thx for sharing

After a week of typing and uploading pictures, I finally post Part-2.
800 Miles through Vietnam on a Vespa! Part-2 (Post 126520)

Thank you. You are messenger of Vietnam

Wow, all i can say is great write up and wonderful pictures! Thanks..

Great pics and story, thanks for documenting your travels - definately makes me want to go to Vietnam!!!

Did you bring/ship that LX150 from California or did you buy that in Vietnam for this trip (I am assuming you live in Cali, but maybe I'm wrong!)?

That was awesome, thanks!

You should all visit this beautiful country when you get the chance. It is one of the few countries where you can explore around on a scooter and not feel out of place. Don't let the history of this country discourage you. I left Vietnam as a refugee at the age of 4 and I lived most of my life in the U.S. When I went back to visit 6 years ago, and like most people I really didn't know what to expect, just negative stuff. Well, I was shock as it was nothing like I have imagined, and now I'm in love with this country. I visit twice a year for the last 5 years, and I'm already planning my next visit.

You are right, I live in OC (Orange County) California. I bought the LX150 there in Vietnam about 10 months ago for my wife Tanya. Originally we had planned on getting a Vespa ET8(ET4 for Vietnam), But we knew that Vespa was coming out with the LX so we waited. Piaggio and Vespa has a well organized dealership there in Vietnam. So far we've managed to rack up nearly 6000 miles on the LX! I personally have a Honda SH150i and not a Vespa because I'm a fairly large person and the the LX150 is a bit small for me. Vespa of Vietnam does offer the GT and GTS, but only in the 125 flavor, and that's not enough power for me. You can get a larger engine displayment models but not directly from a Piaggio/Vespa dealer, you would have to buy it through an importer. I'm hopping that I can find an importer who will import a Piaggio Carnaby 200 for me. That's another cool thing about Vietnam. They can import just about any scooter available in the world just as long as you have the cash.

If you haven't done so, there is also Part-2 of this trip on another tread

FANTASTIC!

AWESOME !

Love it!...
Reminds me on the Top Gear trip report were hosts Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May went on a two-wheel, 8-day, thousand-mile journey from Saigon to Ha Long Bay, Vietnam.

nice photos thanks for sharing

Great pics! Looks like quite a trip.

I just got back from a visit to Nha Trang, I really enjoy Vietnam.

Amazing report of Vietnam , my country :X :X love it a lot. Your report was from 2006, if you do the same trip again nowadays, it's alot more easier because many new bridges and road was built I wanna fix and add something: They are Tiền (Tien) river and Hậu river. Because they are 2 biggest rivers in South Vietnam, and in vietnamese: Tien means front, Hau means rear. The names show the position of the rivers

P/s: from 2008, motobiker rider has to wear helmet all the time

Nice pictures. I noticed that there are very few cars and instead the streets are flooded with scooters. It must be nice to have a scooter shop just about every corner.

Robocopvn..Thanks for the info!

I did not know that the rivers were named for the "Front" and the "Rear". I always thought their names means "prosperity" and "fortune". That's really great info!

You are right about the roads! I made several trips after this report. The highway that I used to travel from TPHCM to Dong Thap was bigger. They added an extra lane on each side. But I also noticed that the cars and big trucks were going much faster, which is a little scary!

I hope to go back there sometime next year!