This is BIKEPACKING VIETNAM. Imagine a place that’s been forgotten in time, where economic development has been sidelined and ethnic minorities make up 90% of the population. The Ha Giang Province is that place, and we were lucky enough to go bikepacking through it, discovering the biggest mountains and best roads in Vietnam.
Bike: Giant Contend SL 1 Disc
Tyres: Schwalbe Marathon 700x28c
Bags: Revelate
Camera: Panasonic GH4
Resolution: 3840×2160 [4K]
Mic: Rode Lav
Music:
“Digya” by Kevin MacLeod
“Leon” by Pryces
“Soulful Morning” by Jordyn Edmonds
“Open Sea Morning” by Puddle of Infinity
“Atlantean Twilight” by Kevin MacLeod
“IDK” by Ukiyo
“Peppermint” by Andrew Applepie
Which bikes are those? They look like gravel bikes but the tires (marathon plus?) look very thin!! Regarding the frame, I can only see that it is a Scott :).
Nice trip by the way, and great shots and scenery.
We rode Giant Contend SL road bikes with 700x28c Schwalbe Marathon tyres. The bikes were about 9kg, and rolled really fast on the sealed roads. We had to be a bit careful on the rocky stuff though; in fact I went to Schwalbe prior to the trip and checked through their whole range to find the tyre with the thickest sidewalls (to prevent slashes). In the end we had no flats! 🙂
Hello. The trip looked awesome. Can you rate the Contend? The bikes looked they performed well. I am interested in purchasing one and I figure if they can stand up to that sought of treatment they must be pretty good.
That’s it! We rode them in some really trying conditions and we’re both big/heavy/strong riders too. Everything performed as it should; the wheels were stiff, the Shimano 105 gearing flawless and the disc brakes were exceptional. The D-Fuse seatpost offered lots of flex to keep us comfortable. Even the seat had a great shape. Highly recommended.
Dear Alee and Paul,
I’ve asked you some questions in the Youtube comments but am not sure if they’ve reached you.
This is a very inspirational video. I’m planning to go to Southeast Asia myself (including Vietnam) and was wondering if I could combine it with cycling – so I’ve found you. So yes, it’s possible and the views are amazing.
However I have some questions left which haven’t been covered in your description / other comments:
1. Did you bring the bikes over from Australia or did you rent them? What company did you go for?
2. 5kg sounds like very few gear you took with you. Do you have a packing list? What was essential for that particular trip?
3. What did you use for navigation? Smartphone / GPS navigation or old-school maps?
4. Do you have any advice regarding safe cycling particularly for Vietnam?
5. What time of the year did you go there?
6. How did you choose your accommodations? Did you book them in advance?
Thank you so much in Advance.
Regards, Peter
Hi Peter
Sorry I haven’t got back to you sooner! I’ve been travelling in Sri Lanka while you’ve been busy leaving the comments. 🙂
1. We brought the bikes from Australia.
2. This is my packing list (https://www.cyclingabout.com/packing-list-5kg-bikepacking-vietnam/)
3. We used the Maps.me app. I imported a custom KML route (https://www.cyclingabout.com/smartphone-navigation-import-kml-routes-into-the-maps-me-app/) so that we knew we were on course. I have a new favourite app though! It’s called MapOut. It would have been perfect for Vietnam.
4. My only advice is to give way to what’s in front of you. That is basically the only road rule in Vietnam!
5. September.
6. We didn’t book any accommodation in advance while we were riding. We simply stopped when we’d had enough.
I’ll post this on your YouTube comment too.
Alee
Hi Alee,
thanks for your reply and for the detailed responses to my questions.
I will try out your suggested apps in advance and will see how I get along with them.
I keep you updated on my trip! So far, the plan is to cycle from Hanoi through Laos to Chiang Mai and then down to Bangkok in a total 2 months which should be plenty of time.
Peter
You’ll have an amazing time! It’s such a special part of the world there.