How to extend your stay in Vietnam
Easy.
Rent, or even buy a motorbike!
The time you spend in Vietnam will seem so much longer – and more worthwile.
I actually met a German in Hoi An who bought a Honda Minsk (he paid 250$) for his one-month stay in Vietnam.
One day before leaving Vietnam, I decided to rent a motorbike to explore Hue and vicinity. Riding a motorbike and thus not being dependent on other people for transportation is already a worthwile experience in its own right. But also, on this day I experienced so many genuine things way away from the “tourist attractions” that I will certainly remember this day until the end of my life.
Driving in cities is challenging at least (gosh, do they ever stay on their side of the road?), but I could always go slower then and most of the trip I drove around rural areas and villages.
Also, already few kilometers from the traveller hotspots is enough distance to avoid most of the hassle one is normally confronted with in Vietnam. It was lovely to meet Vietnamese that had so little interest in getting money out of me but instead showed hospitality and treated me like a normal person. :-)
Market in some village near Hue. The canvas covers often hang so low that as an European one constantly has to duck while walking through such open-air markets.
This is how the typical village temple (in Hue region) looks like. This temple is very new, chances are that the whole construction minus the ornaments are cast out of concrete.
While admiring the temple, I was invited inside for a tea by the people there. They also had this machine for making incense sticks.
A common sight on the road: A fisher net. It is simply lowered into the river and after some time pulled out again, containing all the fishes that were swimming over the net at that time.
Fisher boat on the beach near Hue
Chickens at the market. I might become a vegetarian after what I’ve seen in Vietnam…
Moi
Just some schoolchildren
