Tag: Vung Tau

5 January 2014

Slap the Belgian! Sneaking up Saigon from behind

This section from Vung Tau to Sai Gon is the twenty-seventh instalment of my bicycle ride from Yunnan to Cambodia – if all goes according to plan. Titled “Slap the Belgian!”, it is simultaneously published on Crazyguyonabike.com, where you’ll find a map with the itinerary and many other bicycle diaries by me and others. I hope you’ll enjoy.

Getting into our out of a major city always requires some planning. Last time, I left Saigon by looping out through the south, avoiding the spaghetti of roads on all other ends. This time, we will choose to come in from the south again.

The options are legion: direct fast ferry to Saigon. 250.000 VND pp and 50.000 VND per bike. Too expensive, too fast, too modern. Another option is a ferry to My Tho (apparently, according to another crazy guy). A lot cheaper, but My Tho is 100 km away from Saigon. Too far. A ferry to Co Gong is another option, but then you kind of have to take the dusty QL50 into town.

Boats in the harbour
Boats in the harbour

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4 January 2014

Slap the Belgian! Hot Hot Heat

This section from La Gi to Vung Tau is the twenty-sixth instalment of my bicycle ride from Yunnan to Cambodia – if all goes according to plan. Titled “Slap the Belgian!”, it is simultaneously published on Crazyguyonabike.com, where you’ll find a map with the itinerary and many other bicycle diaries by me and others. I hope you’ll enjoy.

We get up at 5.30, snooze until 5.40 and then begin our drowsy ritual of packing. After a breakfast of oddly sweet pho – the worst we’ve had – we’re on the road by 6.50. We hope to avoid the heat this way but it’s already disgustingly hot out.

We want to get to the metropolitan area of two major cities called Vung Tau-Ba Ria, located on a peninsula on the east side of Saigon’s port channel. We’re in for a 100 km ride today, or a bit less if we follow the main road all the way.

Fellow riders
Fellow riders

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