Asean travel

Driving to Vietnam is easier than ever with more road links and fewer travel restrictions. Once you get there, however, it takes some adjusting to feel comfortable.

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Up close and personal

Peerawat Jariyasombat

Driving to Vietnam on your own may sound a bit crazy, risky and time consuming. But it is a great way to learn about our neighbouring country up close and personal. Today, with more road links and less travel restrictions, it has become much easier to drive there from Thailand.

Toyota Motor Thailand recently organised a road trip to prove the efficiency of its new pickup truck, the Hilux Vigo Champ, its versatility and ability to navigate rugged terrain in Laos, chaotic traffic in Hanoi and steep mountain roads in Lao Cai province of Vietnam.

I drove from Nakhon Phanom province in northeast Thailand, crossed the Friendship Bridge, which spans the Mekong River via Highway 13, 1E, and 8 of Laos and entered Vietnam via the Cau Treo (Kho Treo) border check point. Then, I slowly made my way via Ha Tinh, Vinh, Halong and Hanoi to the remote mountain area of Sapa – a distance of approximately 1,500km.

Crossing the Friendship Bridge from Nakhon Phanom, the road links with Highway 13 in Laos, which leads to Highway 8. On the way you will notice a very unusual landscape, a stone forest believed to shelter holy spirits. Laotian people call it ‘The Devil Valley’.

Navigating through Laos proved a piece of cake but entering Vietnam it was another story.

If you thought nowhere could it be tougher than driving through Bangkok's rush hours, think twice. Try driving a few hours in Vietnam, even a few minutes in Hanoi, particularly during rush hour, and you will find yourself in the middle of a rioting traffic.

The blare of horns and exhaust fumes fill the air, and the problem is aggravated by the presence of hundreds of motorcycles on the road no matter what time of day. Taxis and big buses promptly try to get in front of you if you spare them any space.

Farmers busy growing rice in Ninh Binh, which is famed for its landscape of limestone mountains that overlook stunning green paddies along the Ngo Dong River. The area called Tam Coc is known among travellers as ‘Ha Long Bay on Rice Paddies’.

That is the way of life in Vietnam. At first you feel frustrated hearing uninterrupted honking of horns, but after a few days you gradually learn their driving style and start blowing your car's horn like crazy, as well.

If you want to see the cool side of Vietnam, Sapa is probably one of the best places. Situated at the altitude of about 1,600 metres above sea level in Vietnam’s remote northwest mountains, Sapa is a famous tourist town with moderate climate, exotic mountain scenery and cultural diversity. Its surrounding region is home to many hill tribes, rice terraces, lush vegetation and Fansipan, the highest peak in Vietnam.

The rest of the trip was worthwhile. During the course of the journey I saw the people's lifestyle gradually change according to culture and landscape, from easy and dusty roads cutting through lush jungles of Laos, and vast rice paddies in central Vietnam to busy and hectic Hanoi and misty mountains of Sapa on Vietnam's border with China.

You can see the full travel feature and many more photos here: http://bit.ly/xsfyYG

risky – involving the possibility of danger, harm or failure เสี่ยงอันตราย
neighbouring – located or living near or next to a place or person  ติดกัน, ที่อยู่ใกล้เคียง, ที่ตั้งอยู่ใกล้เคียง
link – a connection การเชื่อมต่อ
restriction – a rule, action or situation that limits or controls someone or something การจำกัด, การควบคุม
shelter – to give protection from bad weather, danger, attack, etc.
landscape –  an area of land that is beautiful to look at or that has a particular type of appearance ภูมิประเทศ,  ภูมิทัศน์
stunning – very impressive or beautiful ที่ตระการตา
efficiency – the ability to work well and produce good results by using the available time, money, supplies etc in the most effective way ความมีประสิทธิภาพ
versatility – having many different uses or skills ความสามารถหลายด้าน
navigate – to find and follow a path through a difficult place หาเส้นทาง
rugged – not level or smooth and having rocks rather than plants or trees ขรุขระ, ตะปุ่มตะป่ำ
terrain – an area of land, usually one that has particular physical features ภูมิประเทศ
chaotic – happening in a confused way and without any order or organisation ยุ่งเหยิง วุ่นวาย
steep – rising quickly and difficult to climb ที่สูงชัน และปีนขึ้นยาก
span – to stretch right across something, from one side to the other ก้าวข้าม
border – the official line separating two areas, regions or countries  เขตแดน อาณาเขต
remote – far away from other cities, towns, or people ที่ห่างไกล
a piece of cake – to be very easy to do
tough – difficult to do or to deal with ยาก  ยากลำบาก
rioting – out of control
blare – to make a loud and unpleasant noise ส่งเสียงดัง
horn – a device in a vehicle for making a loud sound as a warning or signal  แตร (รถยนต์)
exhaust fumes – the waste gas from an engine, especially a car's, or the pipe the gas flows through ควันท่อไอเสีย
aggravate – to make a bad situation or condition worse ทำให้แย่ลง
promptly – in an immediate or quick way ทันที
spare – to save or set aside สงวนไว้
landscape –  an area of land that is beautiful to look at or that has a particular type of appearance ภูมิประเทศ,  ภูมิทัศน์
stunning – very impressive or beautiful ที่ตระการตา
frustrated – feeling annoyed and impatient because you are prevented from achieving something ผิดหวัง,ท้อแท้ใจมาก, หงุดหงิดใจ
uninterrupted – never stopping; continuous อย่างไม่ขาดสาย, อย่างต่อเนื่อง
honk – to make a loud noise using a horn บีบแตร
gradually – slowly and in small stages or amounts อย่างทีละน้อย
situated – located ตั้งอยู่ที่
altitude – height above sea level  ความสูงเหนือระดับน้ำทะเล
moderate – neither very great nor very small in strength, size, amount or degree  ระดับปานกลาง
climate – the general weather conditions usually found in a particular place สภาพอากาศ
exotic – seeming exciting and unusual especially because it is connected with foreign countries  มาจากต่างประเทศ, มาจากดินแดนอื่น, มาจากภูมิภาคอื่น
scenery – the natural features of an area, such as mountains, valleys, rivers and forests, when you are thinking about them being attractive to look at ทิวทัศน์, ทัศนียภาพ
diversity – including many different types of things or people ความหลากหลาย
surrounding – all around a place  บริเวณรอบๆ
terrace – one of a series of flat areas of ground that are cut into the side of a hill like steps so that crops can be grown there เนินที่ลาดเอียง, ที่ราบเป็นขั้นลดหลั่น
lush – green and healthy (of plants) เขียวชอุ่ม
peak – the pointed top of a mountain; a mountain with a pointed top จุดสูงสุด, ยอดสูงสุด
worthwhile – useful, important or good enough to be a suitable reward for the money or time spent or the effort made คุ้มค่ากับความพยายาม
vast – extremely large in area, size, amount, etc.  กว้างใหญ่, มหาศาล
hectic - very busy, fast and often confused วุ่นวาย
mist – a cloud of very small drops of water in the air just above the ground, that make it difficult to see  หมอก

Related search: Vietnam travel, driving to and through Vietnam