by Terry Hollowell
photos by Thomas Hollowell

Two months before completing a one-year teaching contract in the small Korean province of Jeju Island, wanderlust beckoned and I longed for an exciting adventure, something extraordinary and uncommon.

I would have only a few weeks to travel before returning to the United States. The next step was deciding where to go. Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand all came to mind. I scratched the first two off my list due to the lack of coastal areas to explore; I wanted to be near the sea. The third choice, Thailand, I knew, was overridden with tourists. There had to be someplace else.

I studied the world map hanging on my wall. The northern belly and elongated coast of southern Viet Nam caught my eye. What would the country be like? Could I even travel there? Would I be welcomed as an American?

The next day I went into an Internet cafe to research anything I could find about Viet Nam. I found that Americans could easily obtain a visa and travel freely. The possibility of exploring a new country thrilled me. But, after backpacking in over 10 countries already, I didn’t want to be stuck on buses, taxis, or trains. I yearned for freedom. I needed to find an alternative way of traveling.

My roommate, in his Kiwi accent, suggested I try biking the country. It was a stroke of genius. What followed were two months of research and preparation, hundreds of dollars spent on equipment, and serious training up and down Jeju Island’s hilly roads. The day of my new adventure arrived and I found myself in Hue, Viet Nam. My panniers were packed, my bike shoes laced, and my helmet securely fastened.

With only three weeks to explore Viet Nam, I had to choose either a northern or southern route. Since I was biking in December, almost all the reference materials I pored over said that the south is void of rain at the end of November. Naturally, I chose to head southward along the coast.

Starting out in Hue was easy enough as flights are always coming and going from Ha Noi. The only view I got of Ha Noi was through the backseat window of a small taxi on the way to the airport. I didn’t foresee needing my thick sweater that I had wrapped around my torso, so I asked the driver if I could swap the sweater to pay for my taxi ride. He happily obliged. I would have loved to roam the French quarters and surrounding streets of Ha Noi, smelling the rich aromas of the corner cafes, but I had to get on with my cycling itinerary.

A phone call to the national airlines or stopping by one of the many booking agencies in town can easily get you a plane ticket within Viet Nam. In-country flight prices are all regulated and range from US$25 to US$100 one-way.

After my arrival in Hue, I knew that I had chosen a great point of departure. The streets were overflowing with bicycles as small motor scooters belched beside them.

My computerized odometer spit out number after number. I was starting to breathe harder and soon found a rhythm that suited my physical exertion. The first day of biking was almost over and the tiny damp screen read 74 miles. I wanted to stop earlier, but I kept pushing and pumping, hoping my effort would somehow extend the daylight hours. The sun gods, however, didn’t grant my wish. I reached Da Nang from Hue after nearly 80 miles of biking the wet asphalt that runs along Viet Nam’s coastal highway 1A.