South VIETNAM
On this 3 week trip to Vietnam in March 2009 I exlored a bit the South China Sea coast, the Central Highlands and the Mekong Delta. Beginning in Ho Chi Minh City, I cycled to Vung Tau on the coast before continuing northward along the South China Sea to Nha Trang. After a long climb up to Dalat I  returned to Saigon via the Central  Highlands. Back in HCMC, I decided to spend the last week of the trip exploring the Mekong by air-conditioned bus. It was just too hot and humid to cycle in the lowlands!!!
Hold the curser over the pic for commentary.
Click on the pic for a LARGE view!!!
Bai Truoc - Front Beach - doesn't really have a beach just a small strip of sand/mud where fishermen prepare their boats and nets early in the morning.
Leaving Saigon on Hwy 1 the traffic was horrendous; thousands of motorbikes and trucks bumper to bumper. Fortunately, soon after turning south onto Hwy 51 the traffic diminished and I was able to use a bike path all the way to the coast.
The Bai Dau - Back Beach - area of the peninsula is where you go to swim. The wide, sandy beach stretches to the horizon.
The heat, noise, air pollution, extreme humidity and the large number of motorbikes were overwhelming at first. I spent my first full day there learning how to ride and survive amongst the swarming bikes.
Saigon 2 BaRia - Hwy 51 Vung Tau-FrontBeach
ITINERARY and DISTANCES (km)
SAIGON city tour  23
Saigon to BA RIA 92
Ba Ria to VUNG TAU + Ben Da and back  56 (25+31)
Vung Tau to HO COC BEACH 75
Ho Coc to PHAN THIET 109
Phan Thiet to MUI NE + area tour to  village  47 (22+25)
Mui Ne to CA NA  112
Ca Na to NHA TRANG 136
Nha Trang to PHAN RANG 101
Phan Rang to DALAT 125
Dalat to BAO LOC 112
Bao Loc to LONG KHANH 136
Long Khanh to VUNG TAU 83
Vung Tau to SAIGON by Hydrofoil
Saigon to CU CHI TUNNELS by Tour Bus
Saigon to Mekong FLOATING MARKETS by Tour Bus
Ho Chi Minh City VungTau-BackBeach
After retracing my route back to Ba Ria I headed to Long Hai and then north-east along a newly paved coastal road. Except for the occasional bridge over rivers and waterways it was a very flat route with great views of the sea.
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