After Ninh Binh, a beautiful area crossed by spectacular rivers and crowned by mountains, I followed the Ho Chi Minh Road as far as Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park. Photo opportunities there were hard to beat – the golden hours in the fields, the sun setting behind karst mountains while people gathered for the rice harvest.
It was a great area to get lost in, too. Uncountable paths diverge from the main road and always lead to small villages. I spent as much time as I could with the local people, sharing tea and mutual curiosity.
Both here and further south in Hue, Da Nang, and Hoi An, these meetings and shared experiences defined my ride – whether with grandmothers guffawing by the roadside, beneath the razor of a barber, or waiting for a bus under a tree whose draped neon lights glowed like bio-luminescent vines.
