UNDISCOVERED VIETNAM ON A SPEED 400
Sometimes you need to leave everything behind and start a new adventure to feel that you’re alive, when everyday life starts to overwhelm you. Travel helps you distance yourself from your daily routine.
It was no different with Weronika Kwapisz, who didn’t want to wait another year to make her dream come true and she decided to buy a ticket to Vietnam to discover the unknown. It wasn’t her first rodeo! This experienced traveler has done a few solo motorcycle adventures in her life like riding across North America on her Bonneville where she covered 12,427 mi/20,000 km (you can find more about this trip in the book “Seeking the Wild West”). She also did a trip on the Speedmaster across New Zealand, The British Isles on a Speed Twin 1200 and her very first trip across Europe on a 125 cc motorbike doing over 7,456 mi/12,000 km. She laughs that she has gasoline in her veins thanks to her grandmother who was a motorcycle mechanic.
This time she chose the new Speed 400 as her traveling companion. “I love classic motorbikes, their style, character, sound… I knew that for Asia I need to have a light motorbike, so when I got the news that Triumph range will expand by 400 cc motorbikes it was an easy decision to make to ride on a new Modern Classic motorbike from the British range.”
How did your journey with Triumph start?
"My adventure with Triumph started in the saddle of the Bonneville when I was riding across America on that motorbike. The Polish branch was so impressed with my travel that they offered me to organize for their clients trips around Poland and Europe. Today, nine years later, I'm working full-time for Triumph Poland, still riding and discovering new routes doing what I love."
How did you feel on the other side of the world?
“From the first minutes, as soon as I landed in Hanoi, I was attacked by a hundred stimuli from every side: new smells, constantly honking scooters, cars forcing priority, a new language, all this makes travelers ride with full concentration all the time. Initially, I was afraid to cross the street so as not to be run over, but it turned out that there is a method to this madness, and everyone in the cities does not ride scooters but rather swims like a shoal of fish. It's a bit more difficult on national roads because, unfortunately, the law of the jungle rules there, and the bigger one has priority. On the second day, I was no longer surprised by the sight of buses overtaking old trucks or large trucks, like in American movies, overtaking another vehicle which is overtaking another car. Unfortunately, you have to be very vigilant all the time. In addition, just around the corner, the tarmac often ends, interestingly only on our lane, or for example, a buffalo is standing in the middle of the road. I laugh that in Vietnam, you have to expect the unexpected. However, when you move away from the hustle and bustle, you will see the beauty of Vietnam, its wonderful exotic landscapes, and winding mountain roads.”
How does the new Speed 400 perform?
“Without any problems, he bravely overcame all roads and off-road roads. Sometimes, I apologized to him for what I gave him, but I was really very pleasantly surprised by this model. It is incredibly light with nice torque; I must admit that I wouldn't dare to take a larger machine on some narrow routes I chose. Its second advantage is low fuel consumption, which ranged during my trip 78.41-87.12 mpg (2.27-3l/100km), which can be a big advantage for low-budget trips. As for the riding comfort itself, this is also a big surprise because the seat is super comfortable for such a small cafe racer, and, like the position itself. I was much more bothered by the heat (temperatures ranged from 100.40-114.80°F/38-46°C), which was sometimes a problem with high humidity at the level of 90%. Hard to bear in motorcycle clothes. What saved me was frequent stops and soaking the neck tubes with water, which for 10 minutes gave me the feeling of turned-on air condition for a while and drinking coconut water or iced tea. Interestingly, at times it was colder when I was riding with the helmet visor closed than with the opened one.”
What impressed you the most?
“Definitely the Ha Giang loop, with its views, narrow routes, people and drops of several hundred feet without safety barriers making such routes stay in your memory for a long time. It's a little motorcycle paradise. I also loved Ninh Bình province with its incredible rocks at your fingertips and river tours on small wooden boats in Tràng An. No wonder that it’s inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was in many Hollywood movies as some mystery, exotic location. Last but not least empty, wild, legendary Ho Chi Minh trail which connects North Vietnam with South and runs next to the Cambodian and Laos border. Sometimes you have this feeling that you’re in the middle of the jungle, you’re just waiting to see a tiger on your road, you can also easily hear monkeys in your helmet while riding. And from the cities I loved the most, Hoi An with the famous lanterns in the night, live music and beautiful beach and all the attractions that this city has to offer. Speaking about Vietnam, I can’t speak only about the places because people make this country unique. They are extremely hard-working, family-oriented, and helpful. I love how they appreciate all the little things in life and that they focus on the future, not the past. That was, for sure, the biggest adventure of my life. Vietnam taught me many lessons, mostly to be more patient and cherish the day.
