A group of friends from Chicago spent 3 weeks on a tour across Vietnam by motorbike called Hilo Project.

In early April, the group made a trip from Saigon to Hanoi with large displacement vehicles.

– How did the five of you know each other?

– Laura Heidenreich and I own a small business together.

Dave Mucci, Juan Francisco, Catherine Pham, Laura Heinrich, Chris Force (from left) in Ha Long.

– How do motorcyclists usually organize their trips?

– Big cars like Ducati are rare in Vietnam and not easy to rent.

– What about Vietnam makes you want to come here?

– We are the first tourists to cross Vietnam by Ducati, which means we can be ambassadors for this motorbike company.

Besides, the trip was very important to Cat.

– What does the name Hilo Project mean?

– Like other tourists, we can stay in beautiful or luxurious hotels as we like.

– So how did the group arrange their sleeping arrangements during the trip?

– We slept in a luxury hotel when we landed in Ho Chi Minh City.

Laura Heidenreich on the way out of Sa Pa town.

– Can you share interesting stories about the places the group has stayed?

– That night we slept at a homestay in Mai Chau town (Hoa Binh).

Accommodation is quite simple, the villagers are very hospitable hosts.

Except for Cat, no one in the group knew how to speak Vietnamese, only a few locals could communicate in English.

– What about the story of meeting Vietnamese motorcyclists?

– In big cities there are clubs, they come to interact with our group for a few days.

Hanoi Club also organized a day to raise money for poor and orphaned children in the suburbs when we arrived.

– In your opinion, how is the motorcycle culture of Vietnamese people different from Americans, and especially in Chicago?

– In America, we don’t need too much money to buy a car.

Car enthusiasts in Vietnam all drive expensive cars with classic designs.

Everyone’s friendship and closeness are quite similar.

Stopping at Omega Pass, Force said this can be considered one of the most dangerous roads in the world.

– What do you think about motorcycle culture in Vietnam?

– In Vietnam, almost everyone rides motorbikes, not too many people have cars and even fewer use large motorbikes.

BI: In your opinion, to start a journey similar to the above, what should you pay attention to?

– Coming to Vietnam, I think I should go by motorbike to experience it.

Our group had the opportunity to interact with local clubs and had no legal problems.