Well, mostly anyway. There were still quite a few big climbs, but each day closer to Hanoi, the smaller the hills became. The jagged, crowded peaks of Northern Laos gave way to rolling hills and pastoral landscapes, as did clustered hill tribe communities to lowland padi cultivation-based villages. Where Laos sometimes felt like it was trapped in a different era, with 10 year old girls carrying heavy buckets of water over their shoulders for family meals and washing, even the rural areas in Vietnam are generally much more modern. Except for toilet culture! Somehow, even in the remotest outhouses in Thailand and Laos, there is no smell, the facilities are kept clean, and generally there is even soap. So far in Vietnam, let's just say sanitation and hygiene have taken a dive. Why would this be the case? Your guess is as good as mine.
Other cultural differences immediately noticeable upon crossing the border – Honking your horn is de rigueur, especially for big trucks. In Thailand and Laos, if you heard someone honking, it meant death was imminent. Vietnamese people talk louder, are more up front and outgoing, and maybe a bit less friendly upon first encounter. I was pretty shocked at the stark and sudden cultural change apparent upon crossing a political boundary, especially when no such difference was noticeable when crossing over from Thailand to Laos. Could it be Vietnam's communist past? I'm sure that's a contributing factor, as well as it's rapid industrialization and competitive society vs. the much more rural societies of Laos and Thailand.
Finally, no temples! I don't think I've seen a Buddha yet. Every village has at least one temple in Thailand, and to a lesser extent, Laos, but although there are shrines-a-plenty here in V-land, they seem to have had the religion removed from them. Communism at it again? Perhaps. If anyone knows the answer, please let me know! I have precious little time to research this kind of thing now that I'm on the bike, and especially since I no longer have access to Jstore or the UW library.
These guys and their grass-spewing machine. What fun.
Mingyu harasses some poor goats.
These dudes ran out of their house in their bathroom slippers and jogged up a hill for like 30 minutes trying to chat with me. Awesome dudes.
Coolest thing about Vietnam – big old dump trucks!
Thank you for scrolling all the way down to the bottom of this panorama.
Everywhere we stop, people are super curious about us. These ladies made Mingyu show them every photo on his phone.
Thanks Com (Rice) Pho (Vietnamese noodles) ladies! We had a great time eating your food and giggling with you.
Killin' time.
We slept at the local elementary school in this village. I think we were made honorary night watchmen, because the school guard let us sleep in his guard booth (it had beds) while he went home to take a night off.
This is what we woke up to the next morning...at 6:30am...
More kids on their way to school.
Apparently communism is still a thing...but now it's neon?
Crosswalks.
More kiddo close-ups.
Typical morning.
Oohhh pretty...
This is what happens when you eat and ride at the same time.
Takin' a break with the cows.
Almost there!
We entertained ourselves for quite a while taking photos of this water buffalo before some little kid came by and told us that it was water buffalo nap time and we should leave it alone.
Another village scene.
