Back to Saigon

After spending the night in Chau Doc it was time to head back to Saigon.

The distance was not too much but with my back, I had to take it a bit easy.

Since I didn't like Saigon much, I was in no rush to get back there and instead took  my time to arrive back there.

Although I planned to get there before it got dark, I decided to have dinner outside of Saigon and not worry about when I got there.

Phu Quoc to Chau Doc

Despite my back not being much better time ran out so I had to try and get back to Saigon in one day.

A long drive was not the problem but the ferry ride which takes 3h. I got there in the morning just before the ferry was due to leave only to realise I left my passport at the hotel.

This meant a 80km roundtrip over partially very bad roads to get it and get back to the ferry but doing so lost me 3.5h of the day, making it impossible to get to Saigon.

Once I accepted that, I looked for an alternative and Chau Doc was on the way and looked like a good place to stay the night.
While I couldn't go and explore the city and it's many nice temples properly because of my back, Chau Doc certainly looks like a place I would visit again. Maybe next time combined with a trip to Cambodia.

Ha Tien to Phu Quoc

After the long drive yesterday, it was easy today. get to he Tien in the morning and take the next ferry over to Phu Quoc, then drive to the hotel.

The next ferry was only in the afternoon and it happened to be also late so this meant arriving just before it got dark in Phu Quoc.

The roads in Phu Quoc are very bad in general, and especially the ones from the ferry terminal to the city. I took the shorter way but this also turned out to be the worse way so it all took longer than expected.

Ben Tre to Ha Tien

Ben Tre is a nice quiet place and would be good even for a few days stay. Still, I decided to go to Phu Quoc, this however meant a long drive and a 3h ferry ride to get on the island.

Heading on the road just after Tet wasn't such a good idea and the traffic was pretty bad for most of the journey.
Some traffic jams and slow moving traffic meant I didn't make up the necessary time to even consider getting to Phu Quoc today.

Still, it was a nice drive overall and taking a ferry across the Mekong was also fun.

By the time it got dark, I was still not in Ha Tien but this didn't stop me from taking some photos along the way.

Finally getting to Ha Tien was great until I discovered all hotels and guest houses were full so this meant driving partly back where I came from to find a place for the night.

After the long drive over bad and bumpy roads, my back was complaining and I just wanted to find a place to get some sleep. I did manage to get to a place not too far out of Ha Tien for the night after some searching.

Saigon to Ben Tre

Leaving Saigon felt good, not just because I don't like the city much but because being on a motorbike for another road trip is always exciting.

Most of my travels around Vietnam on a motorbike have been in the north, I like the north and the landscape is great. Still, it was exciting to explore the south a bit and see the Mekong Delta.

The landscape for most parts is pretty much flat, it's dusty and not a whole lot to see. That is until you cross over the Mekong and get to see the river and the life on it taking place.

The small villages and towns you pass through are also very nice and feel again like Vietnam and not some generic city.

People are friendlier and more open, everything is cheaper and nicer out here in the countryside.

The first stop was My Tho before heading to Ben Tre for the night.