Gino's Travels: Dalat to Quang Ngai

Thursday, 5 March 2026

Dalat to Quang Ngai

We left Dalat, Fiona wasn't feeling 100% after a barrage of injections the day before. As expected it was quite busy for a few miles but eventually we were on the Pass from Dalat to Nha trang which was brilliant, a few locals kept overtaking us when we slowed down to figure out how to pass trucks in front of us and the busses were right up our backsides blowing horns.

I have a theory, the Vietnam driving test goes like this , If you can read and write you pass to ride a motorcycle, if you can't write then get a car licence on the proviso that you will try to learn. If you can neither read or write then you get a truck licence and if your IQ is so low that it's immeasurable then you can drive a bus but only with the proviso you pass a horn blowing course!

Anyway I digress we turned off the Nha Trang road to take some smaller roads to Van gia we stayed in the Hillarea hotel which was nice but at night ( we were starving) we couldn't find anything to eat, we stopped at a cafe which only sold.soft drinks and asked where we could get food ( having been turned away from Two restaurants already because they were closed). We were told there was nothing open, then one of their colleagues appeared carrying a carry out! We asked about that and they kindly gave us it whilst they went away to get more for themselves. Meanwhile I had phoned callum to get someone to translate for us which ended up confusing everyone.

We were still hungry so we walked about 200 metres along the beach and we found a cafe, we ordered a chicken sandwich combo which came with a coke and we got a hamburger combo! Even the bill said chicken, no complaints. By then I wanted a beer, our hilarious hotel only sold soft drinks so we were directed to a house up the road which sold beer, a very rustic place but friendly and I got a cold beer so no complaints.

Wednesday we hugged the coast most of the way towards Quy Nhon ,another long day in the not comfortable saddle. On the way we stopped for petrol ( a recurring thing with the Hondas ) and managed to get an oil change at the garage next door, 2 litres of oil and both bikes oil changed for £7, pretty good. Our Hotel was very posh, to posh for the likes of us, funny the other guests looked down their noses at us which I quite like. A nice walk along the beach and food in a beachfront brewery place, very nice, loads of Europeans though, who didn't speak to us, braw!

And today Thusday another long treck up the coast and staying in a more local vibe, lunch in a supermarket car park, just like hame.

We've done around 800km so far in Vietnam and I can tell you it's been painful, actually quite enjoying getting the miles in and today I think we managed more than 500 metres before launching into tourettes because of the mental driving

Keepin on Keepin on