Vung tau to Da Lat by motorcycle

After some advice from fellow forumites, I finally departed on the sojourn to Da Lat to see a few apartments.

This has been my golden rule before moving somewhere. i.e. go there to test the water for a day or two, before completely relocating. Lesson learned after jumping head first by moving to Can tho without much research into living arrangements etc.

Anyway, here is the trip report. Please add your experiences and useful guidance, tips, and info.

Departed Vung Tau, Phuong 10 at 10:45 on Yamaha Nouvo (125cc) motorbike. Time of departure turned out to be a mistake. Should have left 9am or before. More on that later.

Was using old mobile phone for navigation, but it started playing up. So decided not to use it and headed down the main highway towards Sai gon with the intention of checking map later. This also turned out to be a mistake. I checked map again using new phone (as old phone was still not connecting). Unfortunately, I had gone past the turning at Ba Ria. When I left apartment the distance to destination was around 290 km. Now it was saying 280 km and I had already travelled about 30 km. This is the worst feeling. When you become aware in addition to the already long journey you've added a further 20km on top because of something that could have been prevented.

Luckily the roads were pretty good up to a point where you reach one of the DT roads (going through rubber plantations). Many pot holes and there was a stretch where there was road works (if you're are in a car I'd suggest taking the QL56/QL20 route even though its slightly longer). To top this it suddenly started to rain a little bit. No problem. Have rain coat. But then it started to chuck it down when going up a steep hill. Took shelter under a tree with a local who was also riding a motorcycle. Then back on the road. Again, started to rain. this time heavily. Took shelter at a restaurant for about 1 hour. I think, at this point, I had travelled about half way. The temperature had dropped dramatically. It was just getting dark. decided to soldier on as it was only drizzling.

Soon it became dark, then the real fun and games began. Roads had little lighting and strong winds made it feel really cold. I had not packed a jacket or coat. It was so cold that my teeth were chattering. Had to stop off at various points just to warm up. So, another lesson learnt. Pack warm clothing if travelling to Da Lat (I heard from locals that this is necessary throughout the year not just during a season).

Remember stopping off at a roadside restaurant where a local had started a fire outside. Stood by the fire to warm up for a bit.

With all the stoppages, when I arrived in Da lat it was about 8:30 pm. Was really hungry. As I had no time to research the local places to eat. Just headed to Highlands coffee to get a couple of Banh Mi's. Turned out they had run out or stopped serving these. Luckily the motorbike park attendant suggested Banana Pizza just around the corner. If anyone is in Da Lat can highly recommend Banana Pizza. Seems it's the Vietnamese Style pizza (as opposed to Italian). Good quality and decent size portions too.

Next morning first thing was to buy a t-shirt (to wear underneath shirt) and a jacket. Even riding at slow pace in Da Lat you need a Jacket. Nearly all motorcyclists' I saw were wearing jackets.

While in Da Lat, rode around quite a bit on hills. Motorbike didn't have any issues coping with the hills. But I'd imagine that with quite a heavy person riding pillion things may be different.

Coming back was much enjoyable than the journey there. For one I had made it a point to leave Da Lat at 9am on the dot. Conditions were excellent (no rain), had good navigation setup with new phone, and had proper clothing. You ride through some amazing scenery. I'd say the ride is nicer than the ride from Hue to Da Nang, or Hue to Lao Bao. Sometimes you can be stuck behind large trucks and buses on the winding roads. This is where a motorbike with a powerful engine would be a plus.

While coming back I took the same route except this time phone was used from start. On long stretches where it said next turning in 70 km or something, I'd put phone on airplane mode to preserve battery. Yep, I know, should invest in a powered phone holder that way the phone can be connected all the way on the journey.

While coming back I discovered that a heavy rucksack could be carried on the back of the motorbike using bungee cords. On the way to Da Lat I had opted to carry this heavy rucksack (about 10kg) on my back as I had done during something like 4-5 years of riding in Vietnam. Shoulders were aching a lot especially as I was approaching Da lat. During other trips also shoulder ached but I'd grit my teeth and bear it (pun not intended).

Demoting the rucksack to be carried using bungee cord was quite a revelation. It was quite frankly a weight off my shoulders (pun intended). Ride was much more comfortable after that. I couldn't believe that I had been carrying a heavy rucksack, while all the time there was a bungee cord in the luggage compartment doing nothing.

One thing to note is that if you are not familiar with using bungee cords. Don't worry. Stop off at any gas station or shop for that matter and soon as you start struggling with it, a friendly Vietnamese person would approach you and lend a hand. They are experts at finding every nook and cranny on the motorbike to attach the bungee cord, pass it through etc.

After a couple of occasions with locals lending a hand, I soon got the hang of attaching rucksack to the back seat. Must mention, just to be on the safe side, I stopped off at a hardware store and purchased another bungee cord (for 10k VND) so that if anything happens to bungee cord 1, bungee cord 2 would be keeping rucksack firmly in place and it would not be bouncing across the highway like a pebble does when thrown on to a lake.

Another fun fact is that, if you stop to refuel motorbike, then start to have a snack after refuelling. The attendant at gas station would bring you a small ice cold bottle of water, which is a nice touch.

Anyway, on the return journey, same as the journey there, after around 150 km I was feeling the change in climate. This time it was becoming hot. Time to shed the jacket I had bought in Da Lat.

Arrived in Vung Tau just past 4 pm. It had taken me just over 7 hours. Total distance covered was slightly over 280 km. Refuelled 4 times, although the last one was quite close to home so when I arrived at home had half a tank left.  Estimated cost of fuel each way was about 100k VND.

So all in all, minus the few hiccups, it was a pretty fun ride. If you can't be bothered to read all this, take home message is, take warm clothing, familiarise route (have navigation tools), plan how to carry heavy bags, leave early and arrive early. It's no fun riding on dark roads with a strong chilly wind. Winding road with clear blue sky is the way to go.

Apologies if I've missed any background (thereby diminishing the quality of the report). Plan was to get word out as quickly and efficiently - not so much the quality.