Cambodia in a week

[five12dude]

I'm heading into Cambodia via the Trat route and want to traverse across to Vietnam. Head north from Siagon to Hanoi and return to Thailand via Laos.

I'm riding a TDM with mag wheels and have been told that the roads are too rough for a bike like this. "The wheels will not handle it..."

Can I get feedback from other riders and what they recommend.

Thx

 

[JimCA2]

Not quite the bike for cambodia however, it is possible coming from koh kong to get to phnom penh with out problems. the road between koh kong and srey ambel is gravel, some what pot holed and channeled in places. just take it easy until you get to the 4 which is excellent by cambodia standards. not sure on the best place to cross into vietnam from cambodia as riders have trouble via the 1. guys I know have gone in through laos where the number 8 enters. I know a couple of guys that will try to enter from the south off of the high way two. that might be your best option and if you come up short the two is newly paved at least to takeo. from takeo I have heard that there has been major work to the vn border but havent talked to anyone who has been on it this season. last year it was a pitted dirt road with some good sized rocks but again doable on your bike. hope this helps and I'll ask around to see if anyone has some bettter info.

 

[Bat]

We've done most of this on a Minsk 125cc (Russian) roadbike, two-up, so I reckon you'll be sweet, though my guess is you'll have a tough time keeping those mags shiny! (there's a rua xe (bikewash) every 2 metres in Vietnam, and they do like their bikes shiny). As for roads, Cambodia and Vietnam have many similarities when it comes to other road users, they're all pretty mad, but Cambodia's roads, although improving, are generally worse. Road 1 from Saigon to Hanoi has it's pothole moments, but the inland road from SGN to Dalat is good, and would be a good ride.Sorry, can't give you info about the Moc Bai border with a bike, but if you get there on sundown and don't want to do the run to SGN in the dark there is a guesthouse in a cross-roads town about 5-10mins from the border.
We did a circuit around Nthrn Vietnam, see that section for my info on that. The main roads in Laos are fantastic by anyone's standards, but there are exceptions. Beware of the clay roads after rain (very slippery), and the sharp potholes on once-were-well-sealed roads, and while we're at it, the culvert-like sudden dips on an otherwise flat roads. DON'T, under any circumstances, try and get you AND your bike through the Nam Can border (near Ky Son, Vietnam). On a map it looks like the ultimate border crossing for a loop around the north of Laos, before going south, but they will absolutely refuse to let the bike through, I don't think a Carnet will help anything. We tried and failed, Two days back down to the Cau Treo border, where they are pretty relaxed.The border between Laos and Cambodia is on a pretty bad road at Dong Kralaw (go straight ahead at the end of the good road onto the dirt track, don't go right to Voen Kham, unless you want to pay an exhorbitant amount to put your bike on a boat to Stung Treng). The border posts are very relaxed, charge $3 per passport on both Laos and Camb. side (I'm sure this isn't a set price but I wouldn't to hassle anyone when taking a bike through on foreign plates). The road between Stung Treng and Kratie IS THE WORST ROAD IN THE WORLD.
Hope this helps.
Bat

 

[SiFuh]

I am curious about these border guards. I wonder what the chances of getting a bike into Vietnam if you had a sticker like "I love Vietnam" or "Vietnam is the best country in the world" on your bike. Fitted with a leather jacket imprinted "Vietnam 750cc Motorcycle club". Or if you want to be really pushy, "I love the vietnamese border police" hehe.

Got to try that trick one day.

Kind reguards