8 THINGS CAN RUIN YOUR VIETNAM CYCLING TOURS
Many people are excited to do some Vietnam Cycling Tours, but not all of them know these for making their trips much easier.
Contents
Read more about cycling Vietnam need-to-know information:
- Background Information on your Vietnam Cycling Trip
- What you need to know about Vietnam Cycling Trip
- 5 destinations for Vietnam Cycling at cities
- Special experience with Cycling Vietnam at big cities
- Vietnam Cycling Challenge at big cities
- North Vietnam Cycling: along the masterpieces of nature and people etiquettes
1 . Cycling Vietnam in the wrong wind.
Vietnam is a slim country, making all Vietnam Cycling Tours either from North to South or from South to North only. There is no third way.
There are two seasons of monsoon in Vietnam. From April to October, the hot and humid wind blowing from Indian Ocean makes the cycling from North to South the head win; and the rest of the time from Oct to March, the dry and cold wind from Siberia going Southeast make the Vietnam Cycling Tours from North to South the tail wind.
The head wind consumes your energy, patience, and interest of seeing the beauty around.
2. Do not know the body language of local traffickers
There are motorbikes on the roads, from very quiet trails to bustling city roads. Don’t think they all are professional in motorbike driving.
When you follow a motorbiker, the signal light makes right turn warning, but his head looks left, this means he is turning into left side. If you believe in the signal light and forget his head, crash is easily to be made.
3. Choose the wrong type of bikes
There is a reason why all Vietnam cycling tours from cycling tour operators are with mountain bike tires, even the two day trip to Mekong Delta goes to no mountain at all (absolutely flat, not even a small hill). That’s because the cycling is to dirt trails and commuter bike tires or road bike tires will be the cause of falling, sliding or smashing. The solid tires are also not recommended as cycling Vietnam as bumpy roads are still here and there.
Make sure your body length matches the size of the bike. And adjust the night of the seat and try to cycling around for a while till you find it most comfortable to the long cycling
4. Forget the spare part equipment.
You are cycling a very different type of bikes to the local people. So, some spare parts are only sold at big cities. If your bike gets broken at some parts in the middle of countryside Vietnam, then there should be a lift to next city to fix that.
We recommend bringing at least a middle bearing roll, a tube and a set of brake blocks.
5 .Get crashed on National Highways.
The Vietnam cycling tours at national highways are with dangers from local trucks. The highways might go across beautiful rice fields, pink lotus farms, fish farms, or just the classic beauty of Vietnamese countryside. Too much indulging your self to the beauty and forgetting the big trucks with fast speed, lousy horns with drivers expecting you to get out of the way, is a way of accidents.
Try to stay far to the right and be prepared to bail out to the side of the highway.
6. Get sick with local food.
Local food and street food in Vietnam is amazing tempted and tasty. And your Vietnam cycling tours are often among these. However, not be careful in choosing food and make your tomy funny and you can’t cycle at all.
We don’t recommend raw vegetables. Try to eat only cooked or peeled foods. Stop eating if you find any spoiling smells from food. Sugarcane juice looks great but try not to have it, as flies might have stopped on canes before the sugarcanes have been quizzed to juices. Drink ice with a hole in the middle only; not to use squared ice as this is often made from river water without any processing.
7. Lose your bike
This country is not full of thieves, but there are still some around. Equipping a cable lock which helps you to lock your bike to a tree or another bike when you are away is good. Don’t leave your bike out of motel or hotel at night.
8. Forget your suitable sunscreen
The Vietnam cycling tours are under sunshine mostly, no matter what month of the cycling is run. So a sunscreen suitable to your skin is very important. Sunscreen is sold at every city, but if you have a special skin and need a suitable one, and you forgot that at home, it’s a disaster.
These are the initial information of cycling in Vietnam that we hope to help you more confident in enjoying the beauty at our country by the best way. Feel free to share more tips, experiences and advices.
by Long from Mekong Trails
I love this post. To be honest, I never thought of cycling in Vietnam, but I like the idea. Here’s a question. Do you stay in one large group or do you often have the road to yourself? I would be super slow, because I stop a lot to take photos…would this be a problem?
We have both choices Corine, some can join big groups but max 15 people and others can do with direction guide in hand. Some couples choose this way of on the road by themselves because they want to look more and photo more. You are among these people. This is never a problem ;-)
Hahaha “if he’s indicating right but looking left, hes going left” love it! Great list, very useful
Great tips! I had no idea about the prevailing wind directions. I’m sure I would have made that mistake.
Great post, I really enjoyed my time in Vietnam a few years ago. Thank you for linking up with #TheWeeklyPostcard, we’d love if you could please include our badge.
Great tips, especially the last one about sunscreen, I’ve previously learned how important it is and now I never leave home without it. I’d love to visit Vietnam one day! :D
That is some strong wind! I did not know there were so many perils to bicycling in Vietnam. I bet it is a wonderful experience, though.
This is such a good advice post. Most people never take the wind in to account but I can see how it would make a big difference to your enjoyment.
Hahaha, that first pictures is awesome!! Will definitely remember that tip if I find myself biking in Vietnam.
Ooh I think spoiled food can ruin any journey but I can imagine it being a particularly unpleasant experience on a cycling tour! I think I’d still get confused at the light signal too, I’d have to double check all the time if I was to do this in Vietnam!
Hi Emma, local food is everywhere and of super great taste, but sometimes only local stomuch can stand it, though it is not really spoiled. Good luck with the light signal ;-)
Gone with the wind.. or rather blown away.. Wow..
I need to revisit this blog when I travel to Vietnam.. Thanks for sharing