We finished scouting the Vietnam route from Ho Chi Minh (Saigon) to Hanoi. Our internal work chat has so much info, you could write a small novel. But we won't write it here.
In short – it's beautiful and interesting, but it requires preparation and working out many small details to make it comfortable for us.
For example, in the mountain areas, the roads are empty, the nature is wild, no cars or people. There's nothing, including food.
We need to arrange with local cafes in advance (there aren't many) to open and feed us. And we should take fruits, sandwiches, etc., in the car for snacks in nature. Because not everyone is ready to go from breakfast to dinner with only water.
The sunset is early; it's already dark by 5:30 PM. We need to leave by 8:00 AM and arrive no later than 5:00 PM. Hotel breakfasts are from 5:30-6:30 AM. It's nothing special, really – just leave early, arrive early.
In the coastal tourist areas, it's a bit hot and humid. It's still the hot season now, and winter starts in November, so it will be cooler. But we need to be careful when choosing our equipmen, so we don't suffer like I did in a black matte helmet.
We will write everything in a pre-tour report and slightly adjust the description on the website. Overall, with the right organization, it's an excellent route. We will go scouting Northern Vietnam in February.
P.S.: About books on Vietnamese history. Interesting story. I was in 7-8 bookstores in Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi. In general, people love to read, and that's good. So, there are basically no history books by foreign authors. Only Vietnamese ones. Which, no offense, probably have a certain point of view. But anyway, I'm bringing 7-8 books back to Russia; we will prepare for the tour :)
P.P.S.: The History Museum in Hanoi is OK.
P.P.P.S.: After heavy rain in the mountains, there was a mudslide. I arrived and found the road blocked. Had to call a big truck; we cleared the road together in an hour.