The Motorcycle Chronicles - Hue to Vinh Linh
Trip Start
Oct 27, 2010
1
28
43
Trip End
Ongoing
Where I stayed
Eo Bien Xanh, Vinh Linh, Tel. 0533823811
What I did
Vinh Moc Tunnels
Cá»a Tùng, Cao Bang, Vietnam
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Despite the work being carried out to renovate the city, the scars of battle still litter its large walls. Shrapnel and bullet holes speckle the walls, standing as a testament to the war that raged in this area. I could have easily spent a couple of hours exploring this discarded city, but with the day rolling on we were fore to continue north.
Whilst advancing across Vietnam, to add a little more entertainment to the trip, I introduced the group to the 'Flag Game'. The rules are simple, we have a Vietnamese flag that you must tie onto other peoples bikes with out the rider seeing. It can be moved between bike as many times, with the aim of keeping it off your own bike. The holder of the flag when we arrive at our overnight stop must then buy the other riders at beer. With this in mind I required an unexpected visit to a local mechanic to replace my clutched cable which had snapped as I left the hotel. As the bikes stood side by side, top heavy with our bags, Alec decided to tie the flag onto Shane's bike. This weight change toppled Shane's bike over, dominoe-ing straight into mine. Although not an ideal start to the morning I did see the funny side, and took it all with good humour only receiving minimal damaged.
Sticking to the coast we follow 'Rt1' north which remains as dangerous as ever with large fast flowing traffic barrelling along the highway. Although this is a boring highway, it is broken up with some amazing patriotic Vietnamese monuments that shadow most towns. Always depicting the same tall, muscular, un-Vietnamese figures, I always think they look more western.
Around 25km outside of 'Đông Hà' we cut onto 'Rt1 west' heading to the coast, and the town of 'Vĩnh Linh'. With miles of deserted beaches sat on crystal clear waters, this is a haven away from the crowded strips of sand in Hoi An and Hue. As 'Vĩnh Linh' is away from the usual tourist routes, it soon became clear that the locals were not out to exploit us as much as is custom in the rest of Vietnam.
We got our self checked in to one of the best hotels I have stayed in on my travels. With a balcony facing straight onto the ocean, 'Eo Biển Xanh' had everything going for it, even if the outside was painted lime green. After freshening up we made our way down to the local bars on the water front to watch the sunset, only to be invited to join a group of local secondary school teacher for a couple of drink. As it is rude to refuse a drink, we graciously accepted.
