Day 5: Thai Hoa – Thanh An Tea Hills

Distance: 60.7

Time: 5:12

Average Speed: 11.7 mph

The choice for today was to take Highway 15, otherwise known as the Ho Chi Minh Highway, or to take Highway 15 otherwise known as the Ho Chi Minh Highway. Both start near Thai Hoa and run parallel down the country for almost 200 miles before merging and becoming Highway 14 near Khe Sanh. I was opting for the western Highway 15, for now, the one that runs along close to the Lao border. I’d struggled to find accommodation along this stretch, thinking I may have to reach Po Chau, some 80 miles away, but at the last minute I’d hit upon a place called Gio Lao Eco Lodge which was about 60 miles, so I opted for there.

Leaving at quarter past 9, the mist was down and I pedalled for a few miles through quiet farmland in the relative coolth. At around 17 miles, Mark, Phil and Lou whizzed by. I’d seen them at breakfast and knew they’d be a little delayed in setting off, none of them had brought sun tan lotion so they were going shopping. After that they were headed back to the coast.

Eventually, the sun appeared and it was fierce, but there was a nice cooling breeze, even if it was working against me. I was feeling strong and had done 25 miles by 12 o’clock. Great scenery, little traffic, gently rolling hills and smooth tarmac. It was a great place to be cycling.

A great place to be cycling, except for two near collisions, that is. First when a truck tried to cut across me at a roundabout, and then when a girl on a moped, who could have been no more than 12, came careering out of a side street towards me, only veering away at the last second.

In fairness, mopeds in Vietnam are a great source of entertainment, not only because of the youthfulness of their riders, but also because of their load carrying capabilities. Whether that be a family of four, most of a field, several calves, multiple boxes of chickens, or, in time for yesterday’s U23 football match between Vietnam and UAE, 55” flat screen televisions.

As the day wore on, the heat began to take its toll and I was keen to get to the evening’s accommodation. Unfortunately, I wasn’t entirely sure where that was. My map was so out of date that a second Highway 15 didn’t exist, and my GPS map of the area couldn’t be relied upon either. That left my phone, which was out of reception. Then, all of a sudden, as I pedalled along, a single sliver of 3G appeared, and Google Maps jumped into life, just in time to tell me that the turn off was 100 yards away.

I suppose the accommodation could be classed as an Eco Lodge, if Eco Lodge means the worst Airbnb you’ve ever stayed in. Still, it’s not a bad spot.