I learned by first hand experiences over 30 years ago that - the nicer the people, the more corrupt the officials. I guess this is now a universal rule. Hate it or love it, Viet Nam is rough and tough, it gives you the best and the worst in the same traveling day. Thank you for sharing these quality videos, which I call Vlog'Art.
From what we experienced during our travels that is our conclusion as well. We can already tell we had great moments too, coming up in the videos... Thank your for your kind words! Love that concept Vlog'Art 😉
You guys inspire me a lot! Am a 67 year old Philippines senior citizen & becuz of your vlogs...started biking again w/ my long ago stocked in the storeroom folding bike 20". Mabuhay!🇨🇿🇨🇿🇨🇿🇨🇿🇨🇿🇨🇿🇨🇿🇨🇿🇨🇿
Similar experience for me. I'm now 60 and these guys were a huge influence to give me the inspiration and confidence to start touring again. I'll always be grateful to them :)
you guys do the best video editing ever. i feel like i m watching a professional movie, music, scenery, shots, cuts, editing, voice over ... everything is perfect .
I make videos of the trips my wife & I make ( FB - Soulmate Cyclists)... I love your videos and study them for editing ideas. Your work has gotten better with every video. Thank you and congratulations on an incredible trip! Optimistic Chris & Lovely Laura
I came across your channel because I am a massive fun of bicycles and the whole those stuff. Your bike-tours are so impressive. The subscription was already done by me. Let us know more about your bikes. Have a good one, take care.
You guys are amazing! sorry to see the bad official at the border, there is always few bad apples at the international border. I will keep watching your video when I am on my stationary bike. Thanks for sharing. From Ken Dang at Seattle WA USA.
Hello Eric & Maudi! We just stumbled upon this video and wanted to say, "Well done!" Sorry to hear about your experiences so far in Vietnam. We spent over two months cycling in Vietnam (2014/15) and absolutely loved it. We crossed over from Cambodia (small crossing and no bribery) and worked our way to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) before turning north towards Da Lat. From there we worked our way out to Na Trang and then north along the coast until Da Nang. From there we went inland more as we cycled to Hanoi before flying to Los Angelos, California. We truly had a pleasant experience and always talk about returning to explore more of the north and to make our way into Laos. We hope your experience in Vietnam turns for the better and your experience is a well or better than ours. Watch out for the big red buses and happy cycling! Cheers from Florida, Ron & Petra!
Hi Ron & Petra! Thank you for your lovely story 😊 We still had some incidents and also lots of fun moments too. Towards the south it got better for us and we found a pleasant groove. We heard great stories about the far north and the amazing scenery there. We hope you guys will be back one day and have a wonderful experience there 👍🏼 All the Best, E&M
@@WheelstoWander happy to hear you've had some fun moments too. We heard really nothing but bad stories from friends that had backpacked (buses and trains) through Vietnam and we were a bit nervous going there, but in the end we truly enjoyed our time. Safe travels! We are still trying to catch up to your videos here, so back to Tajikistan to watch more. :-)
We try Brad, this was a tough one! We always try to keep positive and enjoy as much as we can... that's the reason we are doing this ride in the first place. Nice, we hope you like the passionfruit combo 👌🏼 Thanks, E&M
So unfortunate & it is still widely practiced (border scams & bribery) in some S.E.A. countries. Wish you both smooth pedalling after this unpleasant experience. We are all together on your journey. We are here to stay along the way!
Dien Bien Phu is the site of a pivotal battle (in 1954) that led to the French finally leaving Vietnam (formerly French Indochina since 1859). That's why there's some French influence in the food there like the Bánh mì (a type of short baguette sandwich).
U R amazing L U V: your resilience, drone / video shots...Isn't it lots & lots of work getting off your bikes and placing the camera away from you? Doing what you're doing, when young, is so rich, valuable - and the fond (and not so fond) memories will be w/ U always. I loved the Vietnamese people, the Buddhist culture, the affordability, the temples in Hue, the crumbling French architecture in Hanoi. Too bad it is so corrupt - as dysfunctional / unfair as the economic system in the US.
Thanks Gary! Yes it is lots of work but. we love it... of course there are days when we are tired and don't feel like it, but mostly it's a lot of fun! Yes that's really a shame about the corruption in Vietnam, and in any country of course. I'm afraid it won't change very soon.
Hi dears , I am Mohamed Ajmal from India .first time I am watching your videos . Really interesting . You guys are awesome. Quality videos. You guys are explaining each and every situations . Right now I subscribed channel to get all new videos. God bless you both ...
The videos just keep getting better! It can be really discouraging feeling unwelcome in such foreign places, but we’ve noticed there often seem to be places like Tam Coc to lift our spirits after the hard parts!
Thanks so much 😊 It surely did but we also had some wonderful encounters to balance out our experience. Indeed places like Tam Coc help to sooth the system 😉 All the best, E&M
Wow. Incidents like that can make for a rough day. Glad to see you refocus on the positive. I think the world would be a better place if we all did that. Thanks for another outstanding video. Take care and stay safe, Al
Thank you Al! It sure did mess up our mood 😉 A positive attitude isn't always easy but always better than the other possibilities. We hope you are doing good 🙏🏼 E&M
Hey Jessica, ik heb net deze wereldreizigers fietsvloggers ontdekt. Jouw video's zijn reeds knap, we kunnen hier nog wel wat ideetjes opdoen niet ? Pfff, wat zit ik hier in dit saaie België nog te doen. Zonder corona zat ik nu in Nepal, na 6 maanden fietsen.
Great video Eric. I think one of the most important things you need to prepare and get right before even leaving the house is your attitude. If this is wrong, it doesn't matter how well you prepare, the trip will be a disaster. One question I have is where did you get your insurance as I am planning a long trip and finding it hard to source? One last thing, great to see you in Nong Khai at the start of the video, I was there last month! JP The old guy.
Hi JP! Attitude sure is one of the most important things to get right from the get go. Our insurance was from a company called 'Chapka'. How is Thailand at the moment? All the best
@@WheelstoWander Thanks for the info. Things here heavily polluted ATM because of all the crop burning. Had to stop my tour of northern Thailand because things got so bad. Now heading to the south where things are much better. Temps in high 30s so very very hot. Hope you are both ok. Jay
I am sure there are days where travel is less than romantic. The guy at the border just sounded terrible! It's so hard to refrain from people like that. Whew! Ok, now back to the video to see what happens next! 👀. Safe travels!!!
Great videos you two! Amazing experience I'm sure. Thank you for sharing. The editing gets better as the months go by. Love watching new content, glad you're back editing in the comfort of your home. Just amazing!
Thanks so much Alphonzo! We always hope it does. It's sometimes hard to say when your in the process. So your comment really helps 🙏🏼😊 All the best, E&M
I did a cycle tour of Asia about 14 years ago and then again a two year trip beginning in 2017..sad to say things are getting worse not better..I was told that for many a job in remote immigraton offices was a form of punishment for previous questionable actions...in the old days 'we' were more of a novelty and the locals were very welcoming...the mode of transport tapped into their traditional notions of hospitality and curiosity..these days the kids have grown up with youtube and often have a distorted view of our lives back in Europe...are perhaps less proud of showing off their own culture than trying to get a bit of our cash..
I motorcycled it from ho chi mein city to da nag over 2 weeks and back in 10/2019. I totally agree with the lack of respect speciality in the major cities. But if you overlook some of the bad experiences it's very beautiful and most of the people are nice. From talking to local who got deported from the US he told that they don't think way treat foreigners is wrong. Everything is about making money and told him well that's why people don't want to come back. He replied what do expect from people who have zero education are just trying to survive.
Great vlog guys - good to see you again. That border crossing is famous for harassing non-asians whether they be solo travelers like yourselves or on long distance buses. Blogs and reviews warn about it! Let it go and enjoy Vietnam, it is fabulous. Take care
@@WheelstoWander really looking forward to your vlogs about your trip through Vietnam. Stay safe
4 года назад
A bad incident for you when entering Vietnam. Vietnamese people are very gentle and hospitable. Hope you visit us at the Mekong Delta of Southern Vietnam.
God bless you abundance wealth , health and happiness 🌻🚵🏻♂️⭐️ You guys are collecting many stories . Life is wonderful🧚☘️ Add more food rich with fiber 🥦🥬🥒💪
Great video. Hope the rest of your trip in Vietnam went well? They are lovely people. You are wonderful ambassadors for young people everywhere. I know you would like to be continuing with your trip. Maybe soon? Are you using a Marmot, and what model is your tent? It seems so reliable. Don
Hi Don! To be honest it was the only country in our trip where we had several events that made us really hesitant if we wanted to stay any longer... But, we enjoyed the South much more then the North and eventually left with a good feeling. We use a Marmot Vapor 4p tent, it's quite okay though it can become really warm. For our next tent we would like a mesh inner tent!
Thanks for your beautiful videos^^ They are very moving and we have the impression of traveling with you! As for corruption, I think that as long as it is 'reasonable' amounts, you have to know how to take it with philosophy. What is the point of getting angry? Risk the worst for peanuts especially since in the end you will still have to pay!? A wise advice: Never get upset with a customs or police official because it can quickly get out of hand ... It is better to play the fool and not waste your time and energy;)
Hi Didier, that's a wise advice. When tired, cold, and with grumpy border officials it's difficult to maintain composure sometimes. We also don't really want to stimulate their behaviour, so we're not sure what's best. But you're right, it's a waste of time and energy. Lesson learned!
Ass holes can be found anywhere. People often change completely if you stick them in a uniform and give them some responsibility. Luckily they are in the minority and you did the right thing. Keep safe in your travels and keep putting up these videos of your travels.
Thanks Colin, we experienced this at several borders (no bribery or slapping) but just grumpy and bored guards. As we said we keep focussing on the good... 👍
Hi Craig, thanks! We use Adobe Premiere Pro and no filters. We color grade every single clip to to get a uniform feel throughout the video, and to get close to the feeling of how we've experienced it out on the road.
I am not surprised at the incident you had with the border guards they won’t pass up an opportunity to make money off of you. I had gone through it. What I was really surprised about are the incidents with the hotels and the shoes, so sorry to hear. Vietnamese people are kind and friendly and always welcoming visitors. I hope you will have more pleasant experiences as you continue on your journey. Did you cycled the whole length of Vietnam?
Wow .... I have a mixed feeling watching this, at one hand I am so happy with the new video upload and seeing u guys again and safe, but then I feel so mad over how that Vietnam dude in the border trying to scam you. Motha fackaa..... !! 😡 I really hope this doesn't happen again guys on the rest of S.E.A region 🙏. Stay safe guys, and enjoy the adventure, btw stay careful in Vietnam, since some part of it still have land minds from Vietnam's war.
HI Feb Vel! Yes we heard about the landmines all over SE Asia. We were always careful to not wander off too much from the main road... And about the border official, there were too many wonderful people that made up for this one incident!
I had planned to cycle SE Asia but blew all my money living like a king in Japan. 😂 I had read about that sort of problem crossing borders, i decided I would just pay them if it happened to me. They need the money a lot more than i do and it's usually not much, $25 or so. It would be different if they wanted hundreds.
I work with Vietnamese refugees and they are very good people. They told me that their country is very corrupt. I heard a lot of complaints about the police and officials. Sorry to hear that you had such a terrible experience on the border.
Great video guys!!! What time of year was this video shot? The weather seems terrible. I hope it brightens up for you in the next one. All the best guys!!
10:45 what did he say here? "being thrown out of a hotel room without for no apparent reason and ????? being stuck in another" Didn't understand the word :D
Unfortunately many of the more remote Laos border crossings are like that, with made up 'fees' (bribes) for the poorly paid border guards. I paid a $2 'health check' fee back in 2015 both times I crossed a Laos border, which doesn't exist.
had that to when crossing to vietnam, didnt pay say im a doctor by myself and that on the screen of the thermometer is written low battery ;-), in thailand i cross the border after 1 hours of discussion about fees, the guy was shouting at me but then let me go and the laos bordercontrol was only laughing. some times there you have to be little bit rude to avoid all the scams
@ Oliver... yes well at the end we didn't think it was worth the hassle & getting fired up about it. So we're not sure if the next time we would just pay and pass... Though we don't want to stimulate the behaviour either... Hmm, difficult!
thank you for your viedos . amazing . i have a question . can i know wicht rain jacket you have ? a good rain jacket i need . thanks . succes and have fun .
Thanks Maria! Arc'teryx has good rain jackets but are expensive (Maudi bought a second hand one), Outdoor Research (Eric) has great jackets. Also Decathlon has some good jackets for a more budget friendly price. Good luck!!
Wow.... incredible video 😠😠😠 would you please visit Sri Lanka as well and let me know when you go. I would like if you visit my mother and spend , I from Canada ❤️❣️🙏🙏❣️ Congratulations .it is resounding success.
Great video. Thanks for talking about border incident. Definitely apart of international travel. Thankfully there still are a lot of decent people in the world in all countries. Doesn't make it right, but many scams are filled by poverty. As westerners we all suffer too for the sins of our forefathers and the people that have come before us. There is also evil and evil people in the world as much now as ever. You two with your bicycle travel remind all of us of what is simple and good in this world. Thank you
