Even if my hotel in Tân Sơn wasn’t a dump, I’d be bailing early. Hanoi is on the horizon and I’m keen to be off the bike. Food, a real shower and a comfortable bed are all that are on my mind as I start the bike up for the final time.

An hour or so east of town I rejoin the route I took on the way out. Over the Da River, skirting the northern edge of Ba …