It’s Tet Holiday in Vietnam. The streets are packed, prices of travel have increased, and accommodation is booked everywhere. Money is getting low, but I know of some places farther north that may hire Westerners for work in Vietnam because I’m not quite ready to leave (gotta make use of that one year visa for US Citizens). The problem is getting there with the jacked up prices.
I met Tim in Koh Rong, Cambodia and it just so happened we were both in Ho Chi Minh City. When he decided to travel North he figured there was only one way to get there with the Tet Holiday prices: hitchhiking. Having already traveled across the country, I decided to join this undoubtedly American guy on a new adventure in Vietnam. I already rode a motorbike across this beautiful country, let’s see what it’s like to hitchhike.
How Will We Hitchhike?
Vietnamese people have no word for “hitchhike” and even the thumb sticking out doesn’t work. We will be using the prayer symbol, some cardboard, and a brand new permanent marker to indicate the city we are headed to as we walk along the road.
Which Route Will We Take?
We are going to start in Mui Ne and mostly stick to the coast because we miss beaches. This means we will be going along the AH1, a much more difficult highway to walk along, but filled with many more trucks going from city to city.
Where Will We Sleep?
To add to our little adventure we will be camping wherever we can, but we will not rule out cheap and fun hostels to keep us sane, socialize, and shower. We will also be using Couchsurfing.com to swap stories and chillax in a cozy home environment.
Why Hitchhiking?
If you haven’t figured it out by now, I enjoy a challenge and new adventures which means I tend to take the more difficult forms of transportation so that I can live to tell the story, whether it’s a speedboat in Laos, motorbike, or a 30 hour bus ride.
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Stay updated on my travels as I hitchhike with my good friend, Tim, across Vietnam. Follow me on Instagram, follow me on Facebook, and #HitchNam and look out for my new posts about our experiences and the people we meet!
