Vietnam - a very jolly place indeed! - Man with a Hammer

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Vietnam - a very jolly place indeed!

With British sensibilites when it comes to the weather!

Apr 29, 2026

Well folks, a very warm ‘Xin Chao to you all as, I’ve recently got back from a pretty fantastic trip to Vietnam. My second trip there - on my first I fell in love with it, and going back 8 years later, my love is absolutely confirmed!

I’m hoping this might give a little indication of the appeal of Vietnam! From out little hotel/construction site in Phong Nha

I appreciate this isn’t remotely house related… and I’m not going to try and pretend in anyway it is - but well, that’s really why I set this substack up - a place where I wasn’t beholden to the algorithm and where I could write about whatever I chose! I absolutely love to write, and Substack is certainly giving me all sorts of mojo back about it… and being able to share, beyond bricks and mortar is very exciting indeed. Obviously my life and work are predominantly restoring Admirals, and they shall continue to be… and therefore so shall the majority of these articles!

But, there is I hope, space for more… though the joy of substack, is that if you skip past and don’t read it… that’s OK! On Instagram, every view, every like, every save and comment is counted, checked and marked… and ultimately is how I create and show my value to the brands I work with.

A proper Vietnamese beer garden - they take beer drinking pretty seriously here - and this glass of fresh, draught beer was about 20 pence!

It is how I get paid and it’s why we creators work so hard to do what we can to get you watching and engaging… so people scrolling past without giving something a like or comment or save, is painful to us financially (and occasionally mentally when you’ve worked your socks off for weeks on something haha), and why of course we typically serve as much as does well as possible.

Indeed I’m quite often told by followers ‘oh, just post old pictures of the rooms you’ve done, we love seeing them’ but unfortunately they just don’t perform well - and that then dilutes my engagement rate etc. all good fun! And similarly when I post holiday content - which I will continue to do - I lose followers… that’s OK - I understand that - but obviously there has to be a balance between doing what makes me happy, and really - the important bit when trying to rescue Admirals - what pays the bills!

We flew with Vietnam airlines… from Heathrow to Hanoi direct (economy)… it was - fine… about average I’d say - nothing like as fancy as one of the middle eastern airlines, but OK. Most long haul are OK now I think really… I’m always a bit big for the seats but there’s enough leg room. This picture was at the beginning of the 13 hour flight - we certainly didn’t look as bright eyed by the end!

Here - it doesn’t matter a jot (I don’t think) - of course I hope you enjoy what I write… but, you don’t have to love everything…

Blimey that was a long preamble! I’m still getting to grips with Substack… still I guess, trying to justify my place here. Whilst this post is free for all to read, it’s the first time (beyond my book) that I’ve ever charged the reader directly for the content vs. the thousands of hours I’ve spent doing instagram etc. and that’s something I’m very conscious of - it’s why I was posting here whilst away but not on Instagram! But, I’ll find my feet in good time I’m sure…

Anyway… to Vietnam! It is a land of many things… of incredible food… of a stunning, varied landscape (and weather)… of an optimistic, forward looking and friendly people… of endless rice paddies… of resourcefulness… of chaotic cities and peaceful villages… and possibly more than all that, it is the land of the two wheeler!

90% of all road traffic there is motorbike… there’s 77 motorcycles for every 100 people in the country… they are ubiquitous, and used for far more than they would be here in Blighty where, 95% of the time, they’re used as toys… something to have fun on of a sunny weekend…

A Honda Super Cub - the worlds best selling motorcycle, that’s changed little since it was introduced in 1958, doing exactly what it was designed to do!

There’s certainly some that commute on them here (I was hardier in my youth, running old motorcycles and not owning cars, riding them year round… but after a few crashes in horrible weather, a bout of hypothermia after riding back from winter mountaineering in the Lake District and various other misadventures… a car is far more sensible for such trips!)…

But there, they’re used as trucks… taxi’s… meat wagons… school busses… food trucks (including one woman carrying a lit fire under a huge stock pot whilst riding!)… beds… we even saw a huge, in tact, flower market stall, that must have been 9ft by 9ft strapped to the back of one… with flowers in their pots! It’s remarkable… and I think, as a lifelong biker, part of my attraction to the country.

It’s also inevitable then, that I thought the best way to see the country, was by bike and, should you have the requisite riding skills (this isn’t a route I’d recommend to beginners… though possible if you’re brave and careful - I’d definitely have had a go and likely been… fine - ish!)… seeing it as most of the population sees it… doing as they do, is definitely the way to go!

So… over weeks and weeks, I researched, planned, dreamed, watched endless youtubes… read blogs… and generally got myself very excited indeed!

We flew to Hanoi, and then got a connecting flight straight to Da Nang… from there, a short hop to Hoi An.

If you’ve seen pictures of Vietnam, there’s a good chance it includes pictures of here… it’s the sort of touristy ‘cultural’ capital of Vietnam… all serene rivers and lanterns and… about a gazillion tourists, and locals, trying to capture that perfect Instagrammable shot.

Beautiful, bustling and certainly well visited by tourists, Hoi An

Which of course, makes it brilliant fun for people watching with a cold beer! There’s still lots of beautiful things here too and, if you do as we did and stay a half hour walk from the old town on the edge of the rice paddies, your hotel will be a little beacon of serenity all for about £60 a night for what felt like really something quite luxurious!

A pretty typical scene in Hoi An… locals mixed with domestic and international tourists… music… cheap beer… with lanterns and greenery everywhere!

A quick note here… none of the hotels, flights, meals or anything else listed here is an advert… we paid for everything, full price, and aren’t advertising anything - apart from one stay that Cot organised - and I’ll make that one clear, which is in the part 2 of this post on Vietnam - this article is nothing to do with it - they just wanted Cot to talk about it - but sharing for full clarity! Everything else was just booked like anyone else would online and what not! If there is ever anything that is any kind of ad - even if theoretically it doesn’t count as one - I’ll do my best to make it abundantly clear!

So, the first stay was in a place called Reu Boutique Hotel. A wonderfully odd looking place in a stunning location - just far enough out to be quiet but close enough to be convenient. Grabs (like their uber) cost about 60p in and out from the centre though we walked mostly.

Cot walking through the paths between the rice fields surrounding the slightly odd from a distance, but very cool inside hotel!

The room was fab - very comfortable bed, great view, spacious, interesting - the only downsides is that there wasn’t much soundproofing (there rarely is in Vietnam), though thankfully it wasn’t noisy… and there was literally nowhere to store anything - fine if you’ve only got a few bits, not so much with 3 weeks worth and full motorcycle kit! So, whilst it looked beautiful when we first arrived, as soon as our stuff was strewn about the place… less so!

Very beautiful interiors - and a comfortable bed - alas not a lot in the way of storage…

Still, a really gorgeous place to stay, with an incredible breakfast included, some of the best service I’ve ever had in a hotel and, highly recommended - but you’re a bit spoilt for choice in Hoi An - there’s so many options here (unlike some of the other places we were staying!).

Sunrise at about 5am from our room balcony - I’d like to say we were wholesome enough to get up at this time to see it… but this was viewed thanks to jetlag!

A gorgeous pool overlooking the rice paddies, and fantastic service at this hotel! Very highly recommended if you’re staying in Hoi An!

Hoi An itself… well, it’s certainly got busier in the 8 years between visits - but is no less charming - especially away from the main drags. There’s amazing food, some brilliant spots to get a drink… and as a westerner, it’s very, very easy too! It’s the sort of place you could happily spend a very long time if you were staying away from the hustle and bustle just slowing down… certainly if I was ever to travel more long term or even look to move out here (something I would love to do should Admirals ever need to be sold), it would make a very good starting point to ease yourself into life out here!

There’s lots of hugely touristy things to do here - the little conical boats and lanterns and a fancy show and what not… we didn’t do any of those things and were content to potter, eat, drink, and watch the world go by. We did walk and ride through the rice fields which is lovely - but again, on the trip we were doing, we’d be riding through much more spectacular versions for hours and hours later in the trip - but, if you’re on a whistlestop tour, then this would work a treat for those insta-perfect shots of the rice fields on a bicycle.

Cao Lau - a very delicious regional dish of pork and noodles - really delicious!

One thing we did do however, was get a couple of suits made! Lots of fun and highly recommended. I had quite strong ideas of what I wanted and did quite a bit of research - we went to Be Li tailors and they were brilliant - Cot’s done a reel all about it. They were about £200 each… the fabric is beautiful (mine is actually an english woven wool!), they got all the little details, cut and drape I was wanting. Obviously it’s not a Saville row job, or something fully bespoke with a full canvas etc. so, you have to set your expectations appropriately, but I was really chuffed! The trousers in particular are a triumph!

Probably the most entertaining thing about Hoi An though, and something that has changed since my last trip, is watching all the beautifully dressed up locals - some in traditional dress, some, less so, all doing their best to get the perfect picture for social media! It’s BIG deal here… and we saw it lots in other places too (I specifically mention it below, in Hue)… unlike Brits (most of us anyway, and especially me - who feels like a prize tit taking photos for socials and do it as quickly and discreetly as I can), there is zero shame here… which I kind of love - there were full on photo shoots, endless poses, outfit changes, props… honestly it was quite the spectacle and we loved watching with a couple of drinks from a little spot on the pavement!

From here, we took a Grab to Da Nang train station, to catch the very scenic train to Hue. The last time I did this journey I did it by motorcycle, as the old ‘Top Gear’ with Jeremey Clarkson et al, made it famous going over the Hai Van Pass. As a biker, it’s hugely overrated and I knew the roads coming up on our trip were massively more spectacular, so was very happy getting the train for this section. If you’re a novice biker though this would probably make for a fun day! But, the train is pretty spectacular too!

Bags packed at Da Nang train station! Lots of stuff but about 50% of our bags are motorcycle helmets/gear! Check out the very jazzy roof tiles complete with birds/clouds!

The only train journey of the trip - but, comfortable, on time and with mega views!

Hue was once the Imperial Capital of Vietnam. Hugely hit in the wars it’s a fascinating place that feels a little different from anywhere else in Vietnam. Famous for its food, and for the old Imperial City - the main reason most people go there and absolutely, in my opinion, worth the visit… The city sits on the Perfume river and the streets feel wide and breezy after the tightly packed chaos of Hoi An. It had certainly got more bustling in the ‘walking streets’ section of the city - though the majority of merry makers were locals having lots of fun, and making lots of noise… but it’s easy to escape the crowds.

The incredibly beautiful Hue Citadel

The Imperial city itself hadn’t changed at all… beyond one thing… people! The first time I went I think there must have been 10 other tourists there… it’s a huge site and it felt like I had it to myself! This time… well, there were hundreds and I thought it might be a bit grim but actually once you’re inside - it was great as it’s so big and people spread out! It was also lovely to see lots of guys and gals in traditional dress (there were shops you can hire it), some taking pictures of each other - some with professional photographers… it was a combination of entertainment in the more comical aspects of getting that perfect shot, and genuine beauty when you turned a corner to see a handsome couple in a quiet avenue looking every bit the part!

Delicious Bahn Beo - one of Hue’s traditional dishes - and one of Cot’s favourite of the trip as they’re very mild/delicate

We stayed in the Scarlett Boutique Hotel… about £25 a night. A tiny room but everything was quite nice, the aircon cold and most importantly to me, a soft, comfortable bed… Vietnam is famous for some very hard beds and is one of the reasons why, if you’re a bit soft like me when it comes to such things, I can’t recommend going truly budget in Vietnam - not if you value your hips and shoulders at least! A nice breakfast too, a great location and super friendly staff - highly recommended!

The small, but very comfortable and well located Scarlett Boutique hotel

After 2 short nights here… it was time to begin the adventure proper, collecting the motorcycle and heading to parts less well travelled!

The night before collecting the bike and setting off on our adventure - desperately wondering whether we were doing the right thing, or if we should cancel the lot and fly somewhere that wasn’t raining for the remaining 2 weeks!

Cot hasn’t been on the back of a bike really, since she was younger (her Ma was actually a biker!), so, she approached it with some nerves, understandably… though I think the biggest challenge for her, was the fact we were having to condense all our stuff into 3 panniers, as we were sending our big bag North, to be reunited in Hanoi.

Falling apart, very well used, and late… but - it did just about get us the many hundreds of mountainous miles up to Hanoi.

For those interested, I’d hired a Honda CB500x… far smaller than I’m used to riding here, but plenty for Vietnams roads - bigger bikes are far rarer here (and hugely expensive) and this worked fine… I rented from Tuan rentals and honestly, can’t recommend them… the bike was poorly prepared, service very poor and bits of the bike stopped working as we went along - though it did get us there. I’d researched Tiggit and Rent-a-bike Vietnam both of whom I think would have been far better - but didn’t have what I needed available on our dates!

An hour out of Hue and the landscape had already changed dramatically… and oh joy look at those skies!

The main decision on this route, was so we could ride the ‘Ho Chi Minh Road’… one of the most important roads in the country, and one of the best motorcycle routs in all of Asia and now, having ridden it - I have to agree.

The first day though, was escaping the city and heading up into the mountains, towards the Laos boarded.

After an hour or so we were already heading through some beautiful countryside and starting to see plenty of hills. It’s also obviously not somewhere many tourists venture as before long there were kids by the side of the road, running out and waving at us and shouting hello! This would continue for the next 500 miles or so but never failed to make me chuckle to myself in my helmet the brave ones would even get close to the bike, sticking out their hand for a high five!

One thing I’ve yet to mention though, is the weather.

An ex-army waterproof jacket was about the only defence against the weather… this was the start of day 2 on the bike and you can already see on the number plate, just how much mucky spray and what not there’d been - things were going to get worse!

It was scorching for our first few days in Hoi An… and then changed. Still warm… but grey, and with some rain… Not ideal, but OK. As I was looking at forecasts further ahead for our route on the bike, the weather was looking pretty grim. Usually I’m fairly happy go lucky when it comes to such things and make the best of it, but the route we had planned was already going to be challenging. Add in biblical rain, an inexperienced pillion, unknown quality of bike and equipment, inappropriate motorcycle clothing for such conditions, and roads up mountains that are liable to wash away, turn into dirt tracks or even become impassable and well, there was food for thought…

On our last night in Hue, I was on the cusp of changing, or even cancelling the whole trip… I looked at routes that would have taken us south instead of north - into friendlier weather… I looked at flights to Bangkok and India… or trains to the south of Vietnam.

In the end, we decided to risk it… and about 3 hours into the first leg of the journey the heavens opened! Oh dear… fortunately it only lasted an hour or so and we’d just about dried out by the time we arrived in Khe Sahn… but it had me a bit concerned for the route ahead!

Arriving in the sunny border town of Khe Sahn

Khe Sahn itself, about 4 miles from the border of Laos, is certainly not a tourist destination… indeed I think we saw perhaps 3 other tourists there - and they were all doing what we did. It’s a necessary place to stop on the route we were taking as the next day we were covering around 200 miles to Phong Nha and this is the most amazing section - with absolutely nowhere to stay until you get there - indeed there wasn’t really much in the way of anything - the couple of fuel stations we passed were closed - there wasn’t anything really resembling a restaurant or similar, and it’s a section you definitely need to be a bit prepared for!

A very funny hotel, some of the best bbq pork I've ever eaten - and definitely the spiciest som tam - I was sweating!

Whilst there was nothing much here really, we actually really enjoyed our time here! After washing up at the hotel and getting changed, showering the road dirt away… we headed out just in time for the kids to be leaving school - they were so friendly - and fascinated! So we chatted with them as we walked through town and found a place for a coffee - and beer… even this was quite good fun as absolutely nothing was in English but again - everyone’s so helpful and friendly, doing their best!

After this, we took a walk around the town… it didn’t take long… it’s essentially a bit of a frontier town - on the boarder - and is the main route for the trucks between Vietnam and Laos. I had no idea really before I went, but coffee is serious in Vietnam - both the drinking and growing of it - they’re the second largest growers of coffee in the world (after Brazil), growing a whopping 1.8 million tons of the stuff a year - so lots of the trucks were full of coffee!

As we walked, mainly looking for somewhere we liked the look of for dinner, the mist descended… a proper pea souper! The sort of mist that disorientates you and makes everything go quiet… it was quite magical really (and again, a bit concerning for the route ahead!), as we walked through - the lights from the trucks and shops glowing hazily through it!

We decided on a Laotian restaurant that had some great looking bits cooking over fire outside. Again there were lots of people looking and giggling which is always good fun, especially after a couple of pints… and whilst incredibly chaotic - it ended up being one of the best meals we had in Vietnam! all for about £6 - for some of the best belly pork I’d ever eaten and one of the spiciest green papaya salad’s I’ve ever tried!

One of the most memorable aspects of the stay here though - for reasons that will become clear… was the hotel! I’d read various blogs and similar and well, options were limited but this seemed to be the best option. Khanh Phuong Luxury! On arrival, whilst there was no English spoken the receptionist was very friendly and there was parking underneath for the bike. It’s quite a tall block and our room was on the 6th floor. A huge room - all perfectly pleasant… cold beers in the fridge and great views of the mountains beyond. The bed was pretty good too - and huge!

The memorable aspect came at about 1am. We had a very long day the next day, planning an early start. Theoretically the route could/should be about 6 hours of riding, but I’d read some horror stories of people taking 12-14 hours to do it so, wanted to give ourselves a bit of wiggle room.

So, an early-ish night for us and we tried to get some shut eye… which we managed for a couple of ours but, we hadn’t quite realised that the hotel was also some sort of business conference centre and clearly the delegates staying had been making the most of the bar!

For context - the Vietnamese do love a drink. It’s one of the things I think that makes me love the place so much! Men and women alike seem to revel in any occasion to get a bit tipsy and this was no exception… and when you combine this with their love of making noise… it sounded as if we had a hen do right outside our door (which of course had no sound proofing)! There was shouting, laughing, screaming, singing and dancing… a couple of shattered glasses… for probably 90 minutes - all very hilarious!

There was also the lift… which ‘bing bonged’ on every floor… and was going solidly - right until our 5.30am alarm.

Hurrah! But all part of the fun of travelling haha and I think something you certainly have to relax into if you’re going to enjoy a trip like this! We thought, given the previous nights revelry that breakfast would be dead.

We were wrong… and at 6am it was heaving and just as noisy as I’m sure the party was the night before - they know how to get it done! So, after a quick coffee, we decided to cut our losses, grab something one of the shops on the main street, stocking up with snacks for the day, and make a start.

For balance… I’d still recommend the hotel - it was fine - and sort of exactly what you’d expect - just maybe take some earplugs! It’s still the fanciest place in town haha and for about £18 a night can’t go too far wrong if you ever find yourself in Sunny Khe Sahn!

If you hadn’t seen my insta post on it, have a scroll through here - there’s some very comical videos of Cot squealing on the back of the bike!

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Well lovely bunch, apologies for disappearing… we went on a little adventure you see! I had actually got myself organised before going, with a few bits to post whilst away with very good intentions, but once there, sitting on tiny plastic stools drinking cheap beer, eating pho and travelling across the most incredible scenery on our little rented motorbike, I must confess the decision to go quiet and just soak it in was an easy one!

We’ve got so much footage, and it was such a incredible adventure I’ll do a proper video on it soon-ish – but, I wanted to say hi and let you know the reason for the quietness… a very much greatly anticipated trip across the beautiful country that is Vietnam!

It’s a trip I’ve wanted to do for years and took weeks of planning… the Ho Chi Minh road that runs the length of the country is one of the most incredible, and remote in Asia and it absolutely lived up to expectations… despite rain, fog and some very entertaining moments, it really was the most amazing adventure.

Cot was incredibly brave too, perched on the back. She hasn’t been on the back of a bike as an adult really, so to throw her in at the deep end was asking a lot, but she loved it too (despite the very numb backside that 7 hours in the saddle brings you!).

But, home now… and what a difference. We left Plymouth not remembering what the sun looked like, and have returned to a garden verdant with new growth, the thick stone walls of the house starting to warm, and everything feels that much more friendly!

The world also seems to have gone a bit bonkers which felt very odd being in remote mountains starting to hear about it all, wondering whether we’d be able to buy fuel and get home…

I will be posting too those already written posts… there’s one about damp – exciting stuff right? – it went down really well on the blog in fairness, and another that’s a follow-up to the whole no kids thing, trying to explain why then I did buy Admirals if not to fill it with children!

But, I hope you’re all very well, and I’m looking forward to easing myself into a world without the constant beeping of scooter horns!

Gxx

#vietnam #adventure

#travel #motorcycle

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Phew… as ever, my waffle has gone on a while so I’m going to give my fingers, and your patience a rest and turn this into a 2 parter so, I’ll be back with the second and final leg of the trip soon if this has whetted your whistle for a little more adventure!

And, as always - whilst I hope you’ve enjoyed this little yarn… even if it is a little outside my usual wheelhouse… please do feel free to feedback if there’s anything I can do to make it more interesting! Travel is one of my greatest passions, and whilst this has taken forever to pull together, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reliving the trip 5 weeks on from coming home and, if it’s enjoyable/useful - let me know as it’ll spur me on to keep weaving this sort of stuff into my substack/insta!

A little teaser of what's to come in part 2 folks!

But, if you made it this far, thanks - as always - for reading!