Niall: 0:00
So what got you into riding motorbikes in Vietnam? A feeling of freedom. You can stop wherever you like. You can’t really do the same thing if you book a tour. Even if you go by car, they cannot go on every single road. You can’t really go dirt road. Bike is unique. You discover everything you want by bike. When you get to the countryside or to small towns, there’s total shock. Some of them even go like,”Wow, you speak Vietnamese? I don’t know. Can I take a selfie with you or something?” This is the Vietnam is Awesome podcast and I’m your host, Niall Mackay. Thank you for tuning in to another episode. I’ve been living in Vietnam now for eight years. I just had my anniversary this week. I came initially for a holiday, absolutely fell in love with the place and then decided to stay. I started my own podcast in 2019 called a Vietnam podcast, and I’m now also the host of the Vietnam is awesome podcast. This show is gonna share with you awesome experiences about Vietnam. Make sure you go to the Vietnam is Awesome website to find out more about tours and experiences that you can find all over Vietnam. So my guest today has been in Vietnam for twice as long as me, he’s been here for 16 years and puts most other expats to shame because he’s fluent in Vietnamese. He has his own YouTube channel called The Vietnam Rider and he is passionate about bikes in Vietnam and traffic safety as well. which you might be wondering, wait, there’s traffic safety in Vietnam? No, no, no. Trust me, there is. So in this episode, we’re going to explore more about riding your motorbike in Vietnam, which is one of the most amazing things to do, whether you’re just going down the road to the Circle K or you’re going to travel over the Hai Van Pass. So I’m excited to introduce my guest today is Mihai Konstantinescu. Oh, thanks for having You are very welcome. I’m really, really excited to talk about motorbikes. I think it’s something that is, synonymous, it is synonymous with Vietnam is motorbikes. So my company is actually called Seven Million Bikes. And I have this conversation with people all the time. Can you have any guess why it’s called Seven Million I actually wanted to ask you. It’s one of those people love to ask that question. So when I started my first podcast in 2019. I was doing the dishes and I was thinking, right, I’m going to start a podcast. What will I call it? And I just read an article in the VN Express that there was 7. 4 million motorbikes in Saigon for only 9 million people. So I was just like, Oh, that’s a funny, quirky name. Seven million bikes. A Saigon podcast, then it grew to a Vietnam podcast and now the business is called Seven Million Bikes. So even last night I was talking to people and they were like, why is it called Seven Million Bikes? And the other question I always got was, well, what are you going to do when there’s eight million bikes? Are you going to change the name? And I was like, no, I’m not going to change the name. And I think we’ve surpassed that. And Vietnam. Yeah. itself has 45 million registered motorbikes for only 90 million people. That includes children and old people. So it’s, uh, something that when people come here, they obviously see the traffic, they talk about it. I used to be a comedian and we do plenty of jokes about the traffic and just the motorbike culture in Vietnam. so what got you into riding motorbikes in Vietnam? Uh, well, that’s pretty easy to answer. Um, a feeling of freedom. The fact that you can, uh, travel and, uh, you’re not inside, like in a car or on a bus, right? Uh, so the wind is in your face and you’re basically outside, but you’re moving. So those two can only be achieved on the bike, I guess. And And you’re from Romania originally. Had you ridden motorbikes before? Never. Uh, the first day I got here, or maybe the first week, I started to learn. As soon as you got here? yeah. So when I arrived in Vietnam I swore blind that I would never ride a motorbike. I was like, I’m never doing it. I was like, we’ll just get taxis everywhere. This is too crazy. It’s too dangerous. I’m never getting on a bike. It took three months though to actually, so first three months, mostly taxis. And then eventually I was like, yeah, no, I need to get a bike. Yeah, I, um, I, was a bit worried, but not too much. Anyway, I have the spirit of adventure is, has always been in, in me. So like I, I knew I would go on the bike, get on the bike eventually. And where was your first trip on a bike? My first trip, uh, so, uh, outside the city was, uh, quite late. I mean, uh, I came here in 2008 and the first trip, I think it was in 2010. Right. I went to Tam Dao in Vinh Phuc province. So I used to live in Hanoi. So it’s about I think about 80 kilometers from Hanoi. Yeah, it was uh, Now I call it a joke of a trip that’s 80 kilometers now now to me is nothing But then he was like wow man, that was a long one And what was it about that trip that inspired you to keep going? Right. Um, well, uh, you can’t see if you can know if you like or dislike something until you try it. I tried it, loved it, and I knew that was for me. That’s it. and did you have any disasters or anything like that? Uh, on any of my No, but the first trip. The first trip was, uh, no, nothing unusual. It was very nice that because, um, we were a group of friends and we were supposed to go together, but they had a quite big party the night before and, uh, I didn’t, so I just left and they were like, okay, we’ll meet you there in the afternoon. I left in the morning, so it was a bit, uh, special. Spooky. I mean, it was a feeling of, you know, wow, I’m on my own now. And there were no smartphones, no Google Maps. I had to use my Vietnamese, which was pretty good by them. But still, you know, you’re on the highway and you ask random people, how do I get to Tam Dao? They will tell you, but you might also end up somewhere else, right? So it was a lot of adventuring. It was nice. And eventually I got there on my own and I felt proud and happy and good. and I think I opened the beer. And I think I opened the beer. But what I find very funny is the few times when I do try and use it and I’ll ask a question, I don’t know why I bother because I don’t understand what they say back to me. And sometimes I will use, this happened a few weeks ago, I ordered a coffee and then he just started talking to me in Vietnamese and I was like, oh my god, this guy thinks I speak Vietnamese because I could say one thing and I feel bad. How was your receptive skills after you’d learned the language? Uh, right. So, um, it’s a bit difficult to remember, but I think, uh, I I went at the beginning, I went through the same situations that you’re mentioning, uh, basically, yeah, uh, trying my Vietnamese, uh, would give them a signal that, uh, Oh, this guy speaks Vietnamese. So they would then throw at you like so many words that you don’t know. But, uh, For me, it was actually useful. I wanted that because I wanted to learn, right? I was a student. So, you know, it was a difficulty that I had to overcome. And how did I feel? I think it was just having a good time. I’m a sociable person. I’m talkative. So, yeah, I tried to learn from them. And that was That was it. I don’t remember it, uh, as being too difficult. Um, I don’t know, maybe I’m musical or something. And I had good training, one year of Vietnamese at, uh, at the university. So I guess it was a bit easier for me than it was, than it is or was for you…..And what is the general reaction when somebody hears you speak Vietnamese so well? Oh, uh, shock always. Yeah. Um, so before in Hanoi and now in Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City, um, People might be a bit more used to foreigners speaking Vietnamese just because they meet more foreigners and mathematically they, some of them speak Vietnamese, so they interact a bit more with the Vietnamese speakers, uh, with foreign Vietnamese speakers and, um, but, uh, when you get to the countryside or to small towns, there, there’s total shock. Some of them even, you know, You know, they go like, Wow, you speak Vietnamese? I don’t know. Can I take a selfie with you or something? And of course we do that. But, uh, you know, sometimes it freaks me out to be like, OK, it’s a language, you know, we can learn languages, but I understand them. few of us that actually speak it. I mean, I’ve got so many excuses for not speaking Vietnamese. Obviously, it’s really difficult. Um, the biggest one is I just never realized I would be here for this long. So, my wife and I came here for, you know, literally six weeks, and then it turned into three months, and then three months turned into a year, and a year turned into two, and then four, and still don’t know when, how long we’ll be here for, so that, that’s all excuses, though I will admit it is all excuses. So, what got you really passionate then about riding motorbikes in Vietnam? So, um, after that first trip to Tam Dao, I, I did a few other trips to Hoa Binh, to Mai Chau, to, to Hai Phong, to Cat Ba Island. Every time I did a new trip, I would realize that I like it more and more and I, that I would like to add a few kilometers to the next trip. Uh, like I wouldn’t get tired or fed up with it, tired physically and mentally either. Um, so yeah, I like the feeling that, uh, of freedom that you can stop wherever you like. You can’t really do the same thing if you book a tour. Even if you go by car, cars cannot go in Vietnam. They cannot go on every single road, right? You can’t really go dirt road or it depends. So, um, yeah, um, there’s a, but I think the bike is unique, right? You discover everything you want by bike. It’s easier. I mean, even within, I mostly just do city driving, but I just much prefer the bike as well. Like, you know, the wind in your hair, not that I have much hair, but. Just that, having that feeling of being outside. Right. And um, I mean, I love just being on the bike in the city, being able to nip between cars and get right to the front of the lights every time. I’ve driven out city, outside the city a couple of times, and I, and I do like it as well. It’s something that Vietnam is very famous for. There are people that come here specifically to do bike trips. I guess the biggest one is going from Ho Chi Min to Hanoi or, or vice versa. Have you done that trip before? Only three times. So how long, so is it. 1, 500 kilometers, 1, 900. Um, it’s 1900 on the Inland Road, Ho Chi Minh the Ho Chi Minh Road, and it’s, I think, about 16, between 16 and 1700 on National Highway 1A, which I do not recommend, with a few exceptions, because of, uh, it’s less scenic, is way more dangerous, and so on. So, I would say, if you’re doing, if you’re doing zigzag, it’s about 2, 000 kilometers, because I would do zigzag. Because I want to see the coast and then I want to see mountains. So, yeah, about 2000, uh, but you can do it in less But why would you want to, yeah? I mean, imagine coming all the way to Vietnam and then just driving on the highway all the way there. I think many people, and I want to, uh, yeah, to, um, you know, share a bit, uh, a few more videos about that. I think many foreigners, uh, still take the, like people, maybe expats would take the Ho Chi Minh highway, but I think many Tourists would take the dangerous one and the less scenic one. So I think it’s a bit of a shame, right? Tourists talk me through then, a tourist coming to Vietnam, or not even a tourist, somebody who already lives here, they want to drive by bike from, let’s just say, Ho Chi Minh to Hanoi. Talk us through that trip, where should you go, what should you see, what should you be aware of? And we talked about maybe having some disasters. What should they prepare for disaster? How should they prepare for that? Okay, so there are many things to talk about here. First, the, the, the root first, right? Um, I would definitely do a zigzag, so I wouldn’t just stay on the Ho Chi Minh Highway. I wouldn’t just stay on the National Highway 1A. again, the inland road called the Ho Chi Minh Highway goes closer to the border with Cambodia and Laos and is very scenic. It’s like the Vietnamese countryside. It’s, you go through the central highlands and then in the north you go through. The provinces, uh, with the Phong Nha, Quang Binh, right? And, uh, others. It’s very, very scenic. But, uh, so if you just want mountains, just stay on that road. It’s safer, it’s nicer. You see simple people, simple houses, not much, uh, infrastructure, right? And, uh, The other one I definitely do not recommend to just stay on it, the Highway 1A, which is a bit closer, it’s way closer to the coast. It’s the, the major route for trucks, for buses, for everything. You find many places to, to eat and to stay and help with your bike if you have a problem, but it’s more dangerous and less scenic, right? why I’m saying a zigzag, because if I want to do, for example, this stretch of 200 or 300 kilometers that I normally do a day. Uh, if I just want to get somewhere, I would stay on the Ho Chi Minh Highway and enjoy it. But if I want to go to a place on the coast, of course, I would take the, I would just shoot out to the coast and take Highway 1A. For example, I think it’s a must. I don’t think it is a must to do the Hai Van Pass. I bet you know it. And that’s the old Highway 1A. So you don’t want to be on the Ho Chi Minh Highway when you go around that area. You want to be by the coast. And so on. I would take 70 percent of the road, of the route to, from Hanoi to Saigon or the other way around on the Ho Chi Minh Highway and 30 percent on Highway 1A. Now, preparations, uh, I don’t know, choose your time wisely. Uh, raining is a thing in Vietnam, right? Tropical. Well, even you talked about the high van pass, which um, I saw your video on that just this morning, and it is one of the most amazing roots in Vietnam. I had friends do that before a few years ago, and when they were going up. Up the hill, beautiful weather, shorts and t shirt, they didn’t prepare for the change in weather at all because they were just doing a day trip from Da Nang I think, they weren’t doing like a whole route and by the time they got to the top, or on their way back down, I can’t remember exactly, but pouring with rain, freezing cold, sideways wind, and they’re both just in like little shorts and t shirt on like a little rented bike so even if you’re going for like a short trip, you need to prepare, right? Right, yeah, and the Highland Pass is known, like I explained in my video, it’s like right on the coast. let’s say the imaginary climate border between north and south, right? So probably your friends went from south to north and from Da Nang until the, to the peak of the pass was fine. And then you get to the, other climate and you’re going towards Hue towards the north and the north and, uh, can be very different. Um, yeah, always be ready. I mean, you’re in a tropical country, you need gear for rain and that’s it. And it’s, I don’t think it’s a lot. It doesn’t, it’s Take much space and it’s like about a kilo or maximum two kilos if you’re fully equipped for rain Yeah, be ready for that. Maybe get some spare parts if again, if you take the Ho Chi Minh Highway, you won’t meet so many People to help you with the bike. So maybe get some spare parts, especially if you don’t have a Very common model of bike like which I do so I take a clutch wire with me because it might snap I take a spark plug or a That’s funny you mention that because uh, AJ Miller, who you’re probably not watching, but she has an amazing story where her clutch wire snapped. Oh no, it was her accelerator wire snapped and they couldn’t get it fixed and she had to drive all the way back I think from Cambodia with the clutch, the accelerator wire attached to like a twig basically and instead of using the accelerator she had to like pull the accelerator with like a twig basically, like really be creative on how to solve that problem. Yeah, yeah, but that’s I mean, it’s nasty, right? Nobody wants that. it’s gonna be a fun memory later, a funny memory, but not then. So, um, yeah, I get ready for that and then, um, if you’re going around Tet, most of my long trips have been around Tet, but now I’m going to change to the summer because, because of what I’m going to say and, um, well, the weather is more unstable then, at least in the North. And, uh, yeah, in the North it’s unstable, in here in the South it’s fine, it’s dry. Um, but, uh, anyway, if you’re going around Tet, you might not find gas, you might not find food or help, so you need to be careful if you’re going solo and you’re a tourist here or even an expat, but if you don’t speak any Vietnamese, it might be difficult, So if you’re from overseas and you’ve never been to Vietnam before and you might be wondering, what is Tet? So explain just very briefly, what is Tet? If somebody doesn’t know and why is that dangerous, not dangerous, but why is that an awkward time to travel? Right, sorry, I’ve lived in Vietnam for too long. I just say Tet and that’s it. So the Lunar New Year, the Vietnamese New Year, based on the lunar calendar, is the real New Year. It’s the solar new year or the international one is not so important here, right? So, but it’s also a good time to travel because, um, Vietnamese people are usually partying together and they don’t, uh, commute so much except the first few days before it. And you have like a week or 10 days off, so it’s easy, it’s convenient because you don’t have to work then and, uh, the roads are emptier. But why is that a problem? You were mentioning like getting gas or parts or anything like that. Right, so, for me, living here and I call Vietnam home and speaking the language, I don’t think it’s an issue. So the roads are emptier, which is nice, because it’s all yours. And the other problem with finding gas or fixing, I never worry anymore. It’s just, eventually I will find some, some random person who’ll help me, because he knows a mechanic three kilometers away in the other village. It’s fine, hear so many stories of this. People will go out of their way to help you three kilometres down the road. But the point I’m trying to make there is, so during Tet, everything closes because it’s a major holiday. So the roads are empty, but all the shops, the gas stations might be closed. So if you are coming to Vietnam, During that time, Tet. Make sure you look it up because it changes every year as well because it is literally based on the lunar calendar. It’s roughly the same time, like, anywhere from late January to the beginning of February, But it changes every year so make sure if you’re planning a trip to Vietnam, look up when is Tet. No matter what you’re doing, to be honest, not just for motorbiking, but if you are planning on a motorbike trip, Be prepared. You may be driving along going, wow, there’s no cars. Where is everybody? And then you go to get gas and there’s no gas either. So you do have to prepare for that as well. yeah, yeah, I would like to add, uh, there’s also in, in some areas, at least I’m sure in the north cause I, I’ve done it three times and I’ve been in that situation that it’s, I think it’s a kind of a superstition not to, not to sell anything on the first day of uh, Tuesday. Right. So it means that’s why the gas stations, uh, would, might be closed, but some of them open cause they’re like businesses. But, uh, sometimes you might not find a motel because they are, uh, family owned businesses and they might just, they don’t want customers on the first day of Tet. It’s a superstition. Or you might not get, uh, food. You can still find basic food. You won’t die, but it may be difficult. And I recommend that you find if you’re traveling in the first day of Tet, During the first three days of, Tet or the Vietnamese New Year, you need to, uh, you should try to stop at a motel by 4pm because, uh, depending on which road you are, if you pass 4pm, who knows how long it’s going to take until you find another hotel. So if you see a hotel by 4pm, stop there. Unless you want to drive in the dark, which I never do. My rule is before 6pm I have to check in. Yeah, you don’t want to be, especially with trucks on the road and if you’re on a bike. You did mention about the type of bike that you should have, uh, and I think that’s really important. So can you explain what bike you should have and why should you not get a Honda Cub 50cc? So, a Honda Cub 50cc, that’s quite small. For one person, one light person might be okay. Cause you might have to go uphill, so that won’t get you there. No.So I, so I have a friend who I won’t name who drove from Saigon to FTE on a 50 cc with two adults and a child. Oh my god. You can definitely do it. also from here to Fontieres, it’s from Ho Chi Minh City to Fontieres, it’s kind of flat. So that’s okay. But, uh, yeah, I mean, the bike will go and then inertia will still take you. But it’s also hard to stop, to be honest. Mass, right? Basic physics. The heavier the bike, the harder it will be to stop. So I don’t know. I wouldn’t do it. So the reason I’m bringing that up you don’t need a license if you have a bike that’s 50cc or under, so a Honda Cub, it’s a really nice bike. Like my wife used to have one, you get some of them that have been done up and it’s a really cool little bike and it’s great for getting about the city, but I would never ever take it. Outside the city or more than like just to the local shops, 50 cc. I know nothing about bikes, but it’s a small engine, so it goes pretty slow. Doesn’t have much power. I would not recommend going on a family trip to ER on it, so. So, based on that though, tell me about what bike do you drive, do you recommend for tourists and a bit more about the licensing laws and what people coming to Vietnam, what do they need or what do they need to do? so I’m a, I’m a big fan of, uh, motorcycling. I’m not a big fan of power or speed. So many people think that because I have this channel, or because I ride a lot, I must go fast and I must break, be breaking the law. And, uh, I must have a, I have a lot of ccs. My bike is a 1 25, which is enough for one person. It’s a light bike. Uh, I could, I would love, I wouldn’t mind more CCs, but I just bought this one because, uh, it has a very, uh, old design, although I bought it new, it copies the design of like, from like 50 years ago or something. So it’s an SYM Husky 125 CC, and, uh, it’s, uh, Taiwanese, yeah? Um, not the most reliable, but it’s fine, cause I love the way it looks, I just love its shape, that’s why I bought it. And, um, uh, right. So I do not recommend getting that bike. Uh, what I do recommend, yeah, I mean, I literally bought it for it, for the design, but what I do recommend is to get a common bike, so like in a common model, in case you have a problem, you’ll always find someone who can fix you, fix it. Um, so that would be a Honda Wave, That’s what I have. So I got my Honda Wave, like I’ve been here eight years, like six years ago, and it has been a dream. I had a Yamaha Novo before that, because every person that visits Vietnam, every backpacker, because I came as a backpacker, gets a Yamaha Novo, it’s the cheapest one. You pay for what you get, it broke down like on a weekly basis. It was just absolutely, there’s nothing worse than just being on the road and your bike just dies because you’re like, what do I do now? Um, and then I got a Honda Wave. We ended up getting two Honda Waves. So my wife had one and I had one. We just sold her bike after I think we’d had it five or six years. We sold it for like less than a million. Then we bought it like five years ago. The Honda Wave, they didn’t really break. Mine has never broken down. And it’s needed some. Like up, like work, you know, like it’s had to, I think I’ve had a new clutch, new tires, things like this to just keep it updated, but it’s never broken down. And I think it’s held its value as well. And the parts is the thing as well, because Honda is so common here. And when we’ve looked on the road, we, I remember when we bought it, we were on the road just looking at everybody’s bike and we’re like, every second bike is a Honda. So it tells you something. And then it does make it really easy to get the parts. Right. Yeah. So, uh, let’s say the biggest, uh, motorbike suppliers around here are Honda and Yamaha, but, uh, most people say that, and it’s true that, uh, Yamaha parts are a bit more expensive and plus Honda is more popular for sure. So I would recommend, yeah. Anything that is from Honda and it’s a semi automatic will definitely you’ll find parts for it and you’ll find someone to be able to help you even in the countryside. Uh, again, you mentioned the Nova, which is, yeah, a bike that I don’t know, for some reason all foreigners get when they just come It’s like a right? of passage. You come out of the airport like, here’s a Yamaha Right. So it’s a, it’s a, uh, it’s a good bike. The thing is that I have something against fully automatic bikes. So the Wave, as we know, is a semi automatic, right? To me, fully automatic, uh, has, uh, a few disadvantages. So first, uh, fully automatic bikes are much heavier. Um, then, uh, you do not really have the engine brake or you cannot control the engine brake, uh, shifting gear down. And that can be pretty bad. Marvelous. He saved my, my, my skin a few times. Uh, so if in an emergency, uh, for people don’t know, maybe, uh, if you use the engine brake that that can never fail. So if even if both your brakes, front wheel and back wheel fail, the engine brake will never fail. And I love that on a semi automatic. Um, And then, uh, again, yeah, if you have a high speed and, uh, you really want to stop, if you just slam the brakes, you’re probably gonna lose control and fall, let’s say if you’re over 50. With the engine brake, that doesn’t really happen. You might, uh, make a funny sound, but you might go straight still. Um, Yeah, so I’m kind of against fully automatic, especially if you, if you’re going for a bike for on a road trip, the wheels are smaller usually on a fully automatic, which also affects balance, I think, and like how stable you are. Right. Uh, yeah, I think wave is the way or something similar, but from Honda. Right. Now, you know, I absolutely love the Honda Wave, but we have just changed to a new bike and I want to hear your opinion on this. We got an electric bike. tried one, how is it It’s amazing. Yeah, yeah, sure, we’ll change. So we just got the Dat Bike, which is a Vietnamese made brand. You know that one, so not the Vinfast electric bikes. And we absolutely love it. Yeah, because they brought out a brand called the, uh, Totally forgotten the name of it now, but it’s based on the Triumph bike. So it looks like a Triumph It’s like a kind of road bike and it just looks really cool, but it’s electric I did a test drive of it goes really fast up to 90 kilometers an hour. I mean I stopped to the speed limit Yeah for sure and then and it’s just really nice And so I’ve been wanting it for a while But I was more we’re more gonna buy it for my wife because she has to travel every day for work I work from home And as we were about to buy, I was like, right, we’re going to buy it. And now we look back and laugh because it would have been so impractical for her, like traveling to work and back. It’s not a practical bike at all. There’s like no storage space on it. And just as we were about to buy it, because I wanted it, even though I would barely use it, they released a new model called the Quantum. And the Quantum was more of a like everyday bike. So it’s 40 litres. uh, capacity storage, because it’s no engine, oh not no engine, no, uh, no gas, no fuel, um, can go up to 90 kilometers again, got really fast, and so we went and did a couple of test drives, and we got that, and I think she loves it, she uses it every day, I’d use it anytime I get a chance. It’s a little bit noisier than we’d have liked, because you think of an electric bike being like silent, and there’s a kind of like a whirring noise, so, and then someone else, you know, had the other model, which I’m still forgetting the name of, but, um, they said that this model is a little bit noisier, but we, we’ve taken it a little bit out the city, not too far, it was all roads, but it’s powerful enough to do a decent trip on. You can get up to 180 kilometers on the battery. That’s, that sounds nice. Um, yeah, when, you know, when you, when you mentioned electric, I was like, the first thing I was thinking, okay, he’s going to ask me what I think about it. And I’m going to say, I don’t like silence when it’s about traffic in Vietnam because it’s dangerous. But then you said that it’s inconvenient, that it’s a bit noisy actually. Well, in my opinion, I think I like a bit of noise because you need to be heard. That’s the thing in Vietnam. When we think about Western countries, traffic lights, everything, rules, everything, most people respect. But it’s, uh, not only Vietnam, many countries in this world, like, I don’t know, Asia, maybe some, I don’t know, South America, whatever. Uh, it’s not the same. I want to be heard because it’s my, my safety. So, yeah. Now that, what happened, because that’s so funny you say that. Do you know the amount of times I’ve said to my wife, We’re gonna kill somebody because they’re not gonna hear us coming? Because in Vietnam, like they say, they’re used to being the sound of bikes and even then sometimes I’ll be on my other bike and they’ll still walk in front of you and you’re like, how did you not just hear me coming? And then you’ve just walked in front of me. So that’s why I say to like, we’re going to end up killing somebody because they already walk in front of bikes that make noise. They’re never going to hear us. So it does make us more cautious. Like I am aware of the fact that, you know, I need to give a little honk They may not hear me. Right. Yeah. And, uh, the, the other, uh, just because we’re on this topic now, like the other thing I don’t like, uh, some people get, uh, uh, like, uh, they change the exhaust to make a lot of noise. No, that’s annoying. I think that’s not civilized and that’s rude. The bike isn’t even not, it’s not even that big. They just changed the exhaust to make noise. Now that’s of course, it’s super safe for you. Cause everybody can hear you, but it’s also very annoying for the rest of the population. So I don’t like that either. I don’t like total silence, like the, electric ones, like the, I don’t know, VinFast or others there. They’re usually, they make no noise. Yeah, I think, yeah, somewhere in between a little bit of noise, like, like mine, mine was super silent when I bought it. So I, uh, I adjusted the exhaust, but I didn’t change it. And it makes some noise that you know, I’m there, but it doesn’t annoy any neighbor in the morning when I start the bike or I ride out of my alley. Right. Well, I think that brings us on nicely to traffic safety then. So tell us about traffic safety in Vietnam because people are kind of shocked that There is traffic safety here, I uh, right. Uh, I believe, like, people have asked me, like, how do you feel when you, uh, get in traffic in Vietnam? And to be honest, without showing off, I feel totally fine. I’m used to it. Also, the, the, uh, The earlier you learn something, the less afraid of it you are, right? Let’s say if it’s a dangerous sport or something. So I’m not afraid at all. I’m aware of the dangers, but I’m not worried, you know? Uh, however, if you’re, if you’re coming to Vietnam and you’re, let’s say, not new to bikes, but it doesn’t really matter what you learned about bikes back home is different. It doesn’t, you know what I mean? So like, if you are new to Vietnam, take it easy. Um, yeah, some people, sometimes people are overconfident. For example, they, they, Um, they come to Vietnam and then they just do Ha Giang when they never, maybe they have never ridden a bike in their life. Ha Giang is the most mountainous province of Vietnam, uh, near the, next to the border with China. And it’s very beautiful. It’s maybe the most beautiful province if we talk about mountains in Vietnam. Right. And, uh, I’ve done it a few times. And the last time I was there around Tet, uh, 2023, uh, me and my friends who all have experience, nothing happened to us, but like we saw at least three foreigners with bruises in a matter of two hours because, yeah, sorry. I mean, you shouldn’t go to Ha Giang. I, I, I just did Tam Dao three years after being, after moving to Vietnam. And then later I, I started, you know, uh, Soft, uh, increased softly. Don’t just go to the most dangerous one because it’s beautiful. People also die there. So, okay. Uh, that’s a natural dangers. I mean, the roads there are pretty steep and stuff, right? But then, uh, yeah, you have to be careful with, uh, trucks and buses because you can end up under them and that’s usually most of the time death. Simple. I I’ll just. Pull it straight. You can be in, uh, in some crashes. I have been in easy one, usually just on my own. I felt like, but, uh, I mean, uh, falling off your bike is not that dangerous. If you have a helmet and the speed is normally, I don’t know, 50 or 40 in the city and, uh, you’re not going to die. I mean, it’s a bit difficult to die if it’s just two bikes. If you have a helmet, Or, but, uh, with trucks and buses, it’s a different story because they, especially with trucks, because they have that big opening between the front wheels and the back wheels, you can easily, someone can knock you out and like, uh, knock you off and you can fall and end up under those wheels. And yeah. Um, and plus, uh, well, that’s about what you should do. Just stay away from them. Keep distance. Yeah. Don’t get close to them. I never get close to a bus or a truck. I slow down if I have to, I don’t care. You don’t need to get there fast. In my opinion, when I. I just, you know, they use that a lot, maybe too much. Sometimes it’s like a cliche, the ride is the destination, but that’s true. When I ride, I just want to ride. I don’t really care if I, I don’t really have a destination for that day. I’ll get wherever I get on my way to the final destination. So yeah, do, do that. Don’t think about time too much and stay away from buses and truck. And, um, And, uh, and, uh, I had to say, and yeah, take a smaller roads that are not so, uh, crowded. And if you do come to the city, you mentioned it a couple of times there, wear a helmet. It is the biggest thing and wear a proper helmet because sometimes they will give you one. So I’m, I’m like So staunch on helmets. So if I get on a grab bike or I got, I get the green bikes quite often as well because they’re electric. I will not. I’ve canceled a trip before because the helmet was unsafe and you can actually put it in as a report and one of the drop down boxes is the helmet is unsafe. I will refuse to get on and often I will just bring my own helmet with me if I remember because I would rather bring my own than this little tiny piece of plastic. And the biggest thing that annoys me is they don’t clip properly or they’re like really loose. And the drivers often get confused when I’m like, no, no, you need to tighten this, because it’s like if, if the helmet is loose and you fall off the bike, the helmet is falling off as well. The helmet needs to be on tight. And I, so I used to do stand up comedian, used to do stand up comedy, and one of my favorite jokes that I still love to this day was, uh, it really annoys me when you see people wearing a helmet and they don’t clip it. Do these people go home and have sex with a partner and just hold the condom? Right? It makes no sense and you see people often with a helmet on and they’ve not clipped it. and It’s like, this is pointless. I have to say that’s a very good analogy. To be honest, that’s the best analogy. And, uh, I just remember my first day in Vietnam, I swear to God, my first day in Vietnam, I came from the airport. I met some friends at, uh, a place outside, and that was my very f those were my very first hours in Vietnam. And exactly that happened, uh, two bikes, uh, crashed. Uh, not, it wasn’t very serious, but the guy was, I think he was just unconscious. I don’t think he died because there was no blood around, but exactly this. The helmet was like about 30 centimeters from his head. He was on the, on the asphalt passed out exactly that. He didn’t clip it and it didn’t protect anything. The other two or three people involved. So there were two bikes or something. They were totally fine walking. He was not walking. I think he made it, but It’s a big, it could be the difference between life and death or a long hospital stay. So make sure you use a good helmet, make sure you clip it. The other tip I would give when I first came here, my uncle sent me a story about a Scottish woman who I think maybe passed away, if I remember correctly, and that what happened to her was she was wearing something that was flowing and it got caught in the chain and it, because it was like her dress or something, it pulled her off the bike. And I do think she wasn’t wearing a helmet. If I do remember him saying, Or I read the story and I was like, yes, she wasn’t wearing a helmet. Like you, I will, I’m very militant by wearing a helmet, even for short trips. so just be careful with things like flowing, make sure you wear a helmet. Any other safety tips for anyone visiting Vietnam? Uh, you gotta know your bike. Uh, most people visiting for sure they will, uh, yeah, most of them rent one, others buy and then resell it, but either way, it’s a new bike for you. try try to, like, try the bike a little. Don’t just go on the highway right after you rent it. You need to know, check the brakes, check, uh, right, uh, Yeah, the chain, some, some, things like that. Uh, the brakes are essential, right? Cause you, you, everybody can start a bike, but you, how do you stop it? I also want to say, yeah, like, People, uh, when people ask me, like, what tips would you, uh, would you give? Uh, the speed that you’re at always seems, um, how to say, less dangerous than it actually is, because I remember when I first fell, I, it was raining and I didn’t have much experience. Nothing happened. 50 an hour, maybe 40, 50 an hour. And I got some bruises. That’s it. Um, it hurt because I had no idea how to fall even, then you get some instincts of how to land. But, um, anyway, I didn’t fall a lot, but so, um, Yeah. And I was like, I was, I remember I was thinking that, okay, I’m not going too fast and it’s not too fast 40 to be honest, but imagine you, when you’re going, you feel like you, it doesn’t seem too fast because you are moving. But imagine a wall, sudden stop. That’s fast. Even 40, if you hit the asphalt at 40, it’s fast. So don’t only think about how you start the bike, get the bike moving. How do you stop it? That should be on your mind. We’re talking about the speeds in Scotland, in kind of residential areas, and mostly it’s near schools, on the roads that schools are on. The speed limit is only 20 kilometers an hour. For that exact reason, because 20 is not gonna, much less likely to cause damage, right, if a kid runs. But one of the things my wife loves the most is, outside the school, or on that road, it will have 20, and then underneath it says 20’s plenty. And she, every time we walk by one of those signs, she just laughs, she thinks it’s amazing. I, think so, it’s like a funny way to remind people that you don’t need to go that And it’s very Scottish as well, I love it. Before we wrap up, can you just tell where should we go, what should we do, and how should we do it? So if, uh, if you’re visiting Vietnam and you want to explore it by bike, I would say basically just stay away from all the major highways. If you really want to explore something that is not on any, on every tour, um, you want to go off the beaten path, right? Just look at the map and don’t take whatever says QL, which is national highway. If you see DT, that’s a provincial highway. That’s probably good. He’s going to take it to the. Undiscovered Vietnam. That’s good advice, I like that. Look out for DT. Well, thank you very much for tuning in to this episode. I really hope you’ve enjoyed it. I hope you got a lot of good advice. If you do have any questions, then just get in touch. Make sure you check out Vietnam Rider on YouTube. That’s at Mihai Vietnam Rider. And you can see Mihai’s videos of him traveling all over Vietnam. Make sure you subscribe to that and also make sure you subscribe, follow, turn on all the notifications for the Vietnam is Awesome podcast and go to vietnamisawesome. com to book your next trip around Vietnam. Thank you very much for joining me today, Mihai. This has been incredible. I’m excited to go get on my Honda Wave and just drive down the road. Cheers. Thank you. Goodbye.