10/07/2025
Engelska🇬🇧 på finska🇫🇮 ⬇️
Days 14 & 15 on the Road – Over 2,500 Kilometres Behind Us🏍🏍🇻🇳🇻🇳
After descending from the lush heights of Kon Tum, we found ourselves entering Vietnam’s lowlands once more. The HCM Road unfurled ahead of us—wide, straight, and stretching confidently toward the north and the capital, Hanoi. As we ventured further, the traffic, especially the number of lorries, began to swell noticeably. Fortunately, speeds remained mercifully moderate, allowing our little Honda to weave through the convoy with surprising ease.
Instead of heading directly to Hanoi, we made a deliberate detour—pausing about 90 km south in the charming village of **Tam Coc**, famed for its riverboat excursions. Here, hundreds of skilled rowers—steering with their feet, no less—glide tourists through surreal limestone landscapes straight out of *King Kong* movie. Despite a few critical reviews that painted the area as overly touristy, we found our 90-minute river cruise to be utterly serene.
The days have been *blisteringly* hot, pushing up to 38°C at times. On the bike, my summer riding gear (courtesy of Finnish Rukan) does the job—as long as we maintain speeds over 50 km/h. At a standstill, however, it's sweltering enough to feel like one might melt on the spot, clothing or no. I was especially skeptical about my black riding trousers, fearing they’d turn into a personal sauna, but they’ve proven surprisingly comfortable in motion.
Yesterday, we turned westward to begin our loop around **Northern Vietnam’s majestic highlands**. Hanoi will have to wait—we won’t be rolling into the capital until the 20th of July.
You can follow our journey and detailed route on Polarsteps (link in the comments). This leg of the trip has been nothing short of spectacular to ride.
Suomeksi🇫🇮
Ajopäivät 14 ja 15 ja reilu 2500km mittarissa.
KON Tumista laskeutuessamme alavimmelle maille hcm road jatkui suorana ja leveänä kohti pohjoista ja pääkaupunki Hanoita. Rekkaliikenne lisääntyi huomattavasti ja koko ajan sai olla ohittamassa, vauhdit onneksi ovat sen verran ma
