Colin, I've just re-read some of my notes from when I was riding in Vietnam three years ago. You will find them self-explanatory:
'We headed down the coast along National Highway 1A (NH 1A) for 178 km [110 mi] to the city of Hué, right through the heart of the DMZ (The Demilitarized Zone), which was the battleground demarcation strip of land that separated North from South Vietnamese territory during the Vietnam War.
NH 1A has to be one of the most suicidal roads in Southeast Asia. Death Wish overtaking is standard practise, especially by bus drivers who clearly want to stick to their schedules.'
and
'.. time to leave Hué and make our way back to the border; this time avoiding the NH 1A as far as possible, preferring instead to ride the much quieter and scenic Hồ Chí Minh Highway.'
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In short: the main national trunk roads - i.e. the NH 1A - are very hectic indeed. Get off these and travel along the by-ways whenever possible - i.e. the Hồ Chí Minh Highway (n.b. I don't mean the HCM Trail) and you will find it all the more enjoyable.
And remember: although VN lies entirely within the tropics, its diverse range of topography creates huge climatic variations. With this in mind, I recommend that you take some light-weight wet-weather gear with you.
Have a great time. It's a fascinating country.
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