Vietnam Coracle: Independent Travel Guides to Vietnam

Posts tagged road trip

The Trans-Northern Belt Road: QL279

Trans-Northern Belt Road: QL279

Traversing the breadth of the nation from east to west at its widest & most mountainous point, QL279 is an historic 937km route…

Lonely Planet Experience Vietnam

Lonely Planet Article

For the new Lonely Planet ‘Experience Vietnam’ book, I explore the joys, history & practicality of motorbiking Vietnam…

Dalat by Motorbike: 5 Routes & Loops

Dalat by Motorbike: 5 Routes & Loops

Many of Dalat’s most famous & impressive attractions lie within a 10-40km radius of the city centre. Linked by good roads through pretty scenery, these sights are best visited by motorbike…

101 Images to Inspire a Road Trip by Motorbike in Vietnam

101 Images to Inspire a Road Trip by Motorbike in Vietnam

An independent motorbike road trip in Vietnam is one of the most exhilarating & memorable travel experiences available anywhere in the world today…

Motorbike Chronicles: Diary, Map & Film of a Vietnam Road Trip

Motorbike Chronicles: Film, Map, Diary

To provide an opportunity for vicarious travel during this time of self-isolation & travel bans, I’ve republished my film, route map & diary of a two-month road trip across Vietnam…

30 Great Motorbiking Roads in Vietnam

30 Great Motorbiking Roads in Vietnam

Vietnam has some of the best, most scenic & enjoyable riding roads in the world…

Sapa-Y Ty Scenic Motorbike Loop, Vietnam

Sapa-Y Ty Scenic Motorbike Loop

Sapa’s dramatic mountainous landscape continues north of town, via Y Ty Village, all the way to the Chinese border. Several small roads penetrate deep into steep, terraced valleys & climb high above ferocious rivers creating a scenic loop….

Vietnam Coracle YouTube Channel, 100,000 views

VIDEOS: Celebrating 100,000 views

To celebrate this modest milestone, I’ve compiled two video libraries: The 5 most-viewed videos on my channel, and my 5 personal favourite videos on my channel. Together they illustrate the rich diversity of Vietnam as a travel & food destination…

The Road East of the Long Mountains (Đường Trường Sơn Đông), Vietnam

The Road East of the Long Mountains (Đường Trường Sơn Đông)

A romp through the Central Highlands, the Truong Son Dong Road is a ride to be savoured. With mystical overtones & military undercurrents, the name in Vietnamese translates as ‘The Road East of the Long Mountains’. It’s one of the best riding roads in Vietnam…

Saigon to Dalat, back roads, Vietnam

Saigon to Dalat: the ‘Back Ways’

There are many ways to ride from Saigon to Dalat, but if you want a relatively direct route that avoids highways, there are several great options. These ‘back ways’ to Dalat utilize new, quiet & scenic roads to make the journey as fun as possible…

Saigon to Hanoi by motorbike: 5 Suggested Routes

Saigon to Hanoi by Motorbike: 5 Suggested Routes

Thinking about riding the length of Vietnam by motorbike? Here are 5 great routes between Saigon and Hanoi, each one specifically designed to suit the needs of different travellers, based on scenery and time frame among other things….

The Pine Tree Road, North of Dalat by Motorbike, Vietnam

The Pine Tree Road | Motorbike Guide

North of Dalat, an enticing road plunges deep into the pine forests of the Central Highlands before dead-ending in the beautiful Krông Nô River Valley…

The Tet Classic: Lunar New Year Motorbike Loop

The Tết Classic: Lunar New Year Motorbike Loop

Tết (Lunar New Year) is the biggest festival of them all in Vietnam, but travel can be very difficult at this time of year. That’s why, every year, I take a meandering road trip that bypasses popular tourist spots & makes the most of the dry season weather…

The Golden Loop, Motorbike Guide, Central Vietnam

The Golden Loop | Motorbike Guide

Nowhere in Vietnam is there such variety of landscape & richness of culture as in the central provinces, a region best explored by motorbike…

The Ninh Thuan Loop, Vietnam

Desert, Sea, Sky: The Ninh Thuan Loop

Located between the two most popular beach towns in Vietnam – Mui Ne and Nha Trang – Ninh Thuan Province boasts coastal scenery to rival its famous neighbours. One of the most sparsely populated, least developed, and driest regions in southern Vietnam, ambitious new roads have opened up access to Ninh Thuan’s captivating scenery…

The Deep South: Riding the Dragon's Tail

The Deep South: Riding the Dragon’s Tail

After 9 years travelling in Vietnam, the last four provinces that I have yet to visit are all in the Mekong Delta. These are the southernmost provinces in the country: the Deep South or, as I like to call it, the Dragon’s Tail. I thought it was about time I made it to all Vietnam’s 63 provinces, so I finally set out to travel as far south as roads go…

Route Map: 2 Months on a Motorbike

ROUTE MAP: Two Month Motorbike Road Trip

During the autumn of 2014, I spent two months travelling over 9,000km by motorbike across Vietnam. This annotated and illustrated map of my road trip is designed as a resource for other riders. On it I’ve included links to relevant motorbike guides for specific regions; all of my overnight stops; and my exact route…

The Burnt Road, Ninh Thuan Province

The Burnt Road: Vietnam’s Desert

A short, easy ride through a big, hot landscape of barren hills and abandoned farmhouses, Highway 27B is the Burnt Road. This road trip takes you inland, through the vast open spaces of Vietnam’s driest province…

The Northeast Motorbike Loop, Vietnam

VIDEO: The Northeast Motorbike Loop

One of my favourite corners of Vietnam, this is my film of riding the Northeast Loop by motorbike…

VIDEO: Two Months on a Motorbike

VIDEO: Two Months on a Motorbike

In September & October of 2014 I made a road trip by motorbike through Vietnam. Travelling over 9,000km & covering much of the nation, I saw many wonderful things, some of which I captured on film. This is the video of my 2 month road trip…

The Ha Giang Loop: Extreme North Motorbike Guide

Ha Giang Loop: Extreme North Motorbike Guide

Hà Giang is a mystical borderland that’s home to a legendary motorbike loop through otherworldly landscapes…

Sapa to Sin Ho Scenic Motorbike Loop, Vietnam

Sapa-Sin Ho Scenic Motorbike Loop

Sapa and Sin Ho are two towns high up on the slopes of the Tonkinese Alps. They are connected by lofty mountain passes, offering grand scenery on a scale not seen anywhere else in Vietnam. This is an ideal scenic loop by motorbike…

Cleansed: Saigon bathes in dawn light

Two Months on a Motorbike

In 2014, I embarked on a 9,000km, two-month motorbike road trip through Vietnam. During my time on the road, I kept a full and illustrated diary of my travels, an annotated map of my route, and made a short film of the journey…

Riding red dirt roads, Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam

Saigon to Phu Quoc Island Motorbike Loop

Flying to Phu Quoc is easy, but if you want a real adventure, riding there by motorbike is much more fun. This road trip takes you from Vietnam’s biggest city to some its best beaches, via the waterways & back-roads of the Mekong Delta…

Maps for a motorbike road trip in Vietnam

Which Map to Use for a Motorbike Road Trip?

A good map is essential for an independent motorbike road trip in Vietnam, but no map is 100% reliable. However, by cross-referencing certain printed maps, online maps, local knowledge & online advice, you’re sure to find the best roads & routes.

Saigon to Hanoi by Motorbike

Videos: Saigon to Hanoi by Motorbike

Four films made during our motorbike trip from Saigon to Hanoi. These videos give you a good idea of how fabulous the scenery is, and how much fun a road trip in Vietnam can be.

Time to hit the road!

Saigon to Hanoi: The Scenic Route

Vietnam Coracle will be away from August 1-23 on a motorbike trip from Saigon to Hanoi with a best friend. Click this post for an introduction, route map & photos of the road trip. Follow our journey on my Twitter, Facebook & Google+ pages!

The Sand Dune Highway: Mui Ne to Ca Na Coast Road

Sand Dune Highway: Mui Ne to Ca Na Coast Road

A short, scenic, easily navigable & rewarding road trip through desert-like landscape on excellent coast roads between Mũi Né & Cà Ná…

Dragons' Graveyard Coast Road, Cà Ná to Phan Rang, Vietnam

Dragons’ Graveyard Coast Road | Cà Ná to Phan Rang

Chiseled into the cliffside high above the sea, this stunning coast road negotiates a boulder-strewn promontory where people say dragons come to die…