Welcome to the Pedaltours blog.  We will be posting some feedback from clients on our tours around the world, and welcome your feedback.  The first entry is from Butch and Maureen Kolar, who have just returned from Vietnam.

Vietnam: A Journey by Bike (some years later!)

A return to Vietnam after a 42-year absence has been on my bucket list for years….it no longer is!  However, never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined pedaling our way through most of the country from the ancient city of Hue to Saigon (I refuse to call it Ho Chi Mihn City).  Nonetheless, I feel fortunate to be able to return to Vietnam, especially this way.   It was an opportunity that arose with less than two months notice when we received an email from a friend in Colorado who also just heard about a group called Colorado HeartCycle who had organized a bike trip to Vietnam.   Well, the stars aligned, a slot opened up and we were quickly applying for a Visa with the Vietnam Embassy.  

Colorado HeartCycle (CHC) is a non-profit organization based in Denver that organizes local rides in the state as well as domestic and international bicycle tours. It is run by volunteers who enjoy the challenge and thrill of the sport and want to share their enthusiasm.  They definitely live up to their common thread.   This was their 2nd Vietnam tour; the first was in 2008 in which they also coordinated the trip with Pedaltours Ltd from Auckland New Zealand.  In turn, Pedaltours works with a local Vietnamese tour company (Active Asia) to coordinate all in country tour and support services.  Pedaltours has been running bike tours in New Zealand, Australia and Vietnam since 1985 and their experience really showed off on our Vietnam trip.  CHC and Pedaltours wisely set a limit of 24 people which worked out quite well given all the logistics and personalities involved.  There actually turned out to be 23 of us, as one person could not get in country due to a Visa issue at the last moment.  So it turned out to be 10-couples and 3-singles all of which could not have been more homogeneous in more ways than one.   It was no surprise that most were from Colorado with one couple from California, one from the UK and one from St. Pete. 

We left St. Pete on February 17 and arrived in Hanoi on February 19 with “dogtags” in tote.  It was no surprise that I was a bit anxious when I arrived in Hanoi.  We spent the first few days touring Hanoi and experiencing the socialist capital that it is.  In contrast, Saigon is clearly a cosmopolitan city with an ever growing capitalistic destiny.  CHC had arranged a side trip to visit the world heritage site of Ha Long Bay northeast of Hanoi and not all that far from the border with China.   Ha Long Bay  (or bay of the descending dragon according to myth) is often touted by proud Vietnamese as the world's Eighth wonder.  After our brief encounter….I concur.  One of the main attractions of Ha Long Bay is the bay's calm water and the thousands of limestone mountains that climb out of the bay (yes thousands).  We explored this unique area on board a rather luxurious “junk” which served as our floating hotel.  We were able to explore a few of the many caves and were greeted by some of the permanent residents also known as spider monkeys (I think?).  A return visit to explore by kayak may be added to the bucket list!

It was back to Hanoi for another day after our Ha Long Bay trip where we met up with a few more of our bike companions who did not join us on this added excursion.  We departed Hanoi on Vietnam Airlines to Hue where we met up with our bikes (of course provided by Pedaltours) and the rest of our local support group.   The bikes were hybrids including Trek 7.5’s, Giant, etc.   Although, most of the roads were paved or semi-paved they did include a hefty dose of obstacles.   I would not recommend taking your road bike to Vietnam!  It was my pleasure turning in someone else’s bike some 14-days later after traversing approximately 800 miles of all types of road conditions, encounters with countless people, thousands of motorcycles, mopeds, bicycles, water buffaloes, and other 4-legged creatures none of which had any desire to notify you of their intended direction of travel! If you understand the picture here….the challenge was dealing with the various indigenous obstacles, not necessarily the physical challenge of pedaling a bike!   It is not a stretch of ones imagination to compare the small towns and villages throughout the country to a colony of ant farms.  Although we encountered many hundreds of dogs along the way, I never had to waste any of my water bottles in defense as I think they must have all learned their lesson chasing the other elements before we got there. 

The  route and stops along the bike trip included Hue, Hoi An, Quang Ngai, Qui Nhon,  Nha Trang, to the Central Highlands via Buon Ma Thout and Dalat; then back down hill to the South China seacoast with stops at Mui Ne, Loc An and finally into Saigon 14-Days later.

Day 5 of the bike trip (Hoi An-Quang Ngai) finished at My Lai.  We visited the memorial to the My Lai massacre (the actual site of the village of My Son).  This was a memorable and solemn experience.  My Lai was an atrocity that happened in 1968 at the hands of a small group of US infantry soldiers.  The Vietnamese people do not want this to go unnoticed (nor should they).  It was overwhelming then and will remain as a dark day in our history of war. 

The bike experience level of our group was varied including a combined 30+ Ironman finishes, a few trips across America on a saddle to a few novices including my dear wife, Maureen, who survived quite well.   Well, almost….if we discount her encounter with a “kamikaze” motorbike who took a short cut through her front wheel (by the way, the hospital visit and a dozen stitches set us back a total of $7.50 USD!).  The terrain included a number of climbs (and descents); biking endless miles along undulating roads next to the sea; riding through many villages which look just as they did 42-years ago or 100 years ago for that matter.  The green of the rice paddies go on forever and the storied lives on the faces of the people cannot be forgotten.   My most vivid memory is that of the children of this diverse country.   I lost count of the hundreds of young children who would rush to the road as we passed through their villages expressing their well wishes with what we know as a “peace” sign and perhaps the only English word they know….”hello” or  “Xin Chao” in Vietnamese.

As we sat in the Tan Son Nhat airport awaiting our flight back home (through Tokyo)  I experienced a compelling sense of familiarity, and also a sense of “eeriness”, really Déjà vu, except I was certain it was not attributed to a dream.  It was a good feeling to be heading home as it was 42-years ago under completely different circumstances.  However, I must admit it was a little discomforting as I was looking at CNN on my IPad and learning about an earthquake that had just happened in Japan.  Fortunately, it was the one just prior to the devastating occurrence we all know about now.  Unlike some of our travel mates, we were able to catch the last flight out of Tokyo at the time.  We have asked one another and other friends have also raised the question:  Would you return or recommend this trip to others?  The answer:  In a heartbeat!

Butch and Maureen Kolar