avatarDarren Weir

Summary

A middle-aged man recounts his transformative cycling journey through Vietnam, which taught him resilience and offered a firsthand look at the country's history and recovery from war.

Abstract

The author, who embarked on a cycling tour of Vietnam around his 50th birthday, shares his experience of personal growth and historical exploration. The trip, which covered nearly 800km from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi, was marked by challenges such as a serious road accident within the group. Despite these hurdles, the journey provided valuable life lessons, including the importance of adaptability. The author, along with a diverse group of riders, encountered both the physical demands of cycling through Vietnam's terrain and the emotional impact of visiting historical sites like the Cu Chi Tunnels. The narrative contrasts their experience with that of another cycling group facing more perilous conditions on main roads, emphasizing the value of their well-organized tour that balanced safety with adventure. The author reflects on Vietnam's past, his own physical limits, and the enriching cultural interactions encountered along the way.

Opinions

  • The author believes that facing challenges, such as those encountered on the cycling tour, is crucial to personal growth.
  • He expresses admiration for Vietnam's resilience and rebuilding efforts post-war, as evidenced by the country's development and the warmth of its people.
  • The author values the importance of a well-organized tour, highlighted by the stark contrast between his group's experience and that of another group cycling on more dangerous roads without proper support.
  • He holds a positive view of the cultural exchange and camaraderie that developed among the diverse group of cyclists on the tour.
  • The author implies that engaging with history in a tangible way, such as visiting the Cu Chi Tunnels, deepens one's understanding and appreciation of the past.
  • He suggests that pushing one's physical boundaries, as he did with the cycling tour and previously with his trek up Mount Kilimanjaro, is a significant aspect of self-discovery and fulfillment.

Cycling Through Vietnam’s Violent Past

Part One Of Six

Me ready to ride — Vietnam — author’s photo

A cycling journey I took through Vietnam, soon after my 50th birthday, taught me a few valuable life lessons.

The first big lesson is that you have to learn to roll with the punches, as the group I was with, faced more than our share of hurdles, including a serious road accident, as we cycled almost 800km from Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) to Hanoi.

I had always wanted to visit Vietnam, the country that was at the center of a brutal 20-year war that ended when I was in my mid-teens. I grew up hearing about the horrors of the war and then decades later I followed the reconciliation and rebuilding that the country had undergone.

I had also always wanted to do a BIG bike ride, so why not do both at the same time?

I have friends who have cycled across Canada and while I thought that was amazing, I didn’t think I’d have the stamina to do something that big. But this journey would still be one of the biggest challenges I have ever faced — on par with my trek up Mount Kilimanjaro.

Our group of 12 ranged in age from early thirties to mid-sixties, so I wasn’t the oldest at fifty. There were 5 Canadians on the tour (including me) from Toronto, Vancouver, Winnipeg, and Montreal, four Australians from Canberra and Melbourne, one American from New York, a woman from Plymouth, England, and a woman from Ghent, Belgium. A couple from Berlin was also with us until we reached Hoi An. Some of the group had ridden competitively or had taken part in triathlons, while a few of us were definitely rookie weekend riders.

Cycling Group and The Bus — author’s photos

Each day we would take an air-conditioned tour bus part-way to our destination and then hop on our bikes to tour the cities and the countryside on two wheels. It was just what I was looking for, challenging but not overwhelming.

But, as we learned, not all cycling tours are created equal. A few days into our ride, we ran into another group of cyclists in the Hue train station which didn’t have it as good as our team.

The group of 20 riders, was also cycling from Saigon to Hanoi, but they were riding the main roads and highways, far more dangerous and they had fewer chances of mingling with the Vietnamese people than we had while traveling the backroads. Several members of the group told us one of their riders had a spill and broke her arm. They said that their guides only handed her a bandage, because there was no first aid kit, and then took her to a Vietnamese Hospital where her arm was reset, they claimed, WITHOUT anesthetic.

One of our riders had also had a bad spill and within minutes Stan was being attended to by one of the guides who was armed with a full first aid kit. His wounds were cleaned with antiseptic and then he was patched up with proper sterile bandages. Luckily he didn’t break anything.

Stan’s leg after crash — author’s photos

Leaving Saigon

Leaving Saigon traffic behind — author’s photo

We began our journey as we hopped on our 7-speed mountain bikes, on the outskirts of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), for a 25 km ride to the Cu Chi Tunnels. What an awesome experience! The ride was smooth and I surprised myself by keeping up the pace from the mid to the front of the pack, although I knew I wouldn’t be able to keep that up for long (the next day was supposed to be a 7-hour bus ride, and then cycle about 40km UPHILL!). This was a relatively easy first day.

Cu Chi Tunnels are a large area north of Saigon that played an important role in the North Vietnamese campaign to defeat the Southern Vietnamese and the Americans and was the site of some of the biggest battles of the war.

Entrance to caves and steps to passageway — author’s photos

The Viet Cong (VC) had built an underground warren of caves complete with steps and passageways. Not only did the guerillas hide out there, but it was also a base for communications and was even equipped with a field hospital. The VC was able to scrounge up American scrap metal and unexploded munitions in order to build weapons using whatever they could find.

They even developed a clever way to disperse cooking smoke, by diverting it quite a distance away and doing that early in the day when it would be difficult to distinguish from the morning haze that is a regular occurrence in Southern Vietnam.

Diverting smoke from underground fires

We were given the chance to go down into the tunnels, a very tight squeeze and in absolute pitch darkness, not something anyone who is remotely claustrophobic should even think about attempting. So why did I do it?

Our guides showed us some of the booby traps set up to surprise the enemy — a horrific end for enemy troops. Soldiers would stumble into the hidden trap and be impaled on sharpened bamboo spikes.

Trap Door; Triggered; Deadly spikes in hidden trap — author’s photos

As we wandered through the forest we could hear gunfire in the distance. We all looked at each other, wide-eyed and nervous. It turns out you can pick up an AK47, buy 10 bullets for about $12usd and have a go at target practice.

spent bullets and target practice — author’s photos

Since I had never really fired a gun, I thought this would be my opportunity in a safe and controlled environment. I don’t think I hit a single target, but the kick when you fire the gun was a potent reminder of the weapon’s power.

We hopped back on our bikes and rode another 8km to an outdoor restaurant where we were served a big Vietnamese lunch, that we earned after all that cycling. We called it a day, the guides didn’t want to be discouraging so they were relatively easy on us rookie riders.

First-day lunch — author’s photo

Coming up in Part Two the ride starts to get real.

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Travel
Vietnam
Cycling
Vietnam War
Bike Tour
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