I Finally Faced My Fear of Renting a Scooter in Vietnam – and Everything Went Wrong

• Meeting Jessica, abandoned scooter plans

I harbored a fear for renting a scooter on my own.

I met Jessica, a young, fearless 19-year-old woman from Germany staying in the female dorm in Cat Ba, Vietnam. She regaled me with stories of hiking she had done in Nepal. I listened in amazement as she as created her own hike using waypoints and studying the map. She showed me photos of her and three other women standing amongst majestic mountains highlighted by a clear blue sky.

We talked about renting a scooter together to go hiking in Cat Ba National Park. The only public transportation that existed was a bus that left in the morning and came back in the afternoon, but there was scant information about it. Neither of us felt comfortable riding a scooter on our own with little to no experience. As we were discussing this, a young man hearing our conversation piped in- I’m sorry for interrupting, but I overheard you discussing renting a scooter. If you’d like, I can give you a lesson on riding one tomorrow morning.

We made plans for the three of us to rent two scooters – Jessica and Samuel sharing one, and I would rent my own. However, the plans soon fell apart and we ended up doing different things the following day.

• The Island Tour

I chose to do an all-day tour of the island. The tour was good fun and included heading out on a boat to explore the limestone karsts Cat Ba is famously known for along with some other fun activities like kayaking and biking around the island.

When it came time to kayak, you needed to be paired up in groups of two. I looked around at the crowd, spotted another solo woman and asked if she wanted to share a kayak. We got out onto the water and she shared that she was wrapping up a 6-month adventure of her own. She was from the Bay area of California and had quit her job to fulfill this lifelong dream of hers. Katie shared some of her low moments which included a period of intense loneliness in Hong Kong, partially attributed to being in such a large city away from nature. As she was on the last leg of her trip, her advice to me was to take time to reflect on the journey. I held on to her advice over the next few months.

For my final day in Cat Ba, there was really only one thing left that I wanted to do – hike in the national park. I tried to find out more information about the public bus to try to avoid facing my fear of renting a scooter. Apparently, I missed its daily morning departure.

• Finally Facing the Scooter Fear
  

With no other option left, I walked over to the hostel’s front desk and asked to rent a scooter. A guy showed me how the scooter worked and watched as I gave it a little spin down the block. I pointed out the empty gas tank and he said not to worry, there would be a place to fill up before getting into the national park and there would be enough gas to make it there.

• Things start to go wrong

Two blocks from the hostel, the scooter stalled. It was out of gas. It would have been quite the trek uphill to walk it back to the hostel. I tried to flag down the help of two ladies on the sidewalk but they ignored me. I then tried to wave at a woman in a building; she called over a man in a business suit who spoke English. I stood in shock as he handed me the keys to his parked scooter. He told me there was a gas station up ahead and to use his scooter to get gas.

I nervously took off and returned with a bottle of fuel. I began to pour it into the tank of my stalled scooter, but with no funnel it spilled down the sides. He quickly took the bottle from my hands and attempted to pour it in without spilling. He, too, spilled gasoline around the edges. I thanked him profusely and took off.

I made it to another gas station to finish filling up the tank. The problem was, the scooter would not turn back on. A light had gone on, most likely because oil got into the engine. I felt stressed, anxiety pulsating through my veins. I thought – it’s ok, it’s going to be ok. This will make for a good story to share later on.

I asked a local for help using Google Translate. He kindly agreed to call my hostel for me and explain the situation. I was pleasantly surprised when ten minutes later a guy showed up from my hostel. He explained that it was probably from the spilled oil as I suspected. He whipped out a screwdriver and swapped our batteries. I was concerned about taking the same scooter into the park. Are you sure it’s ok? He insisted my scooter was now in good working order.

• Cat Ba National Park

I rode off and finally made it into the National Park. Stop one was a famous cave. I walked through and took a moment to stop and take in the total silence. You don’t realize how pervasive noise is until there is none at all.

I continued on to stop #2 – the hike. I paid the parking fee and was pointed down a pathway. It was sunny and warm out. I began to climb and make my way up through a rocky, lush green trail. Once at the top, I met an older Swiss man who told me about a motorcycle journey he was doing with his adventurous brother, snaking their way through the roads of Vietnam. He pointed out his brother in the distance, making his way up to a higher vantage point. I told myself I didn’t have to follow suit; I already made it to the top and had a gorgeous 360 view of the green expanse surrounding us.

Next thing you know, I was climbing as well. I already made it this far; I might as well climb just a bit more. This vantage point however, was completely exposed. There was no shelter, no balcony to peer over. Instead, just a rock you can stand on, upon which a young woman stood filming the view with her phone. I chatted with a friendly Irish couple nearby, who told me how they had spent nearly nine weeks in Vietnam and it wasn’t enough. On the hike down, he told me I must go see the memory show in Hoi An, and I made a mental note of it.

Hike completed, I headed back to my scooter. The Swiss brothers were taking off at the same time on their motorcycle. They showed me the best way to head back into town, along a coastal road. As I cautiously drove home, praying I would make it back safely with no more hiccups, I noticed the gas needle dropping. I didn’t drive that much and it didn’t make sense that I would be running out of fuel so quickly. I realized that there was either a leak or the gauge was broken.

• The Ride Back

I wondered whether I should take a risk and try to make it back to the hostel, which was about a 30-minute drive away, or stop at a gas station just to be on the safe side. I didn’t see a single station, but I spotted a small handmade sign that said Petrol. I pulled over and looked around to see if anyone was around. I finally saw a woman and explained the issue. She simply unscrewed the cover to the fuel tank, saw I had enough to make it to town, and assured me I would be ok and that it probably was a broken gas gauge. I continued on and sighed in relief when I made it back to the hostel safely.

• Reflections

When I reflected on the events of the day, several thoughts came to mind. One, that things will work itself out. There are so many kind people and they are teaching me how to be more kind- handing your keys to a total stranger? That is unheard of in the US.

Should I have had a cell phone with a local SIM card so I could always call for help? Sure. But I thought about how people have traveled for centuries without phones.

It was good that I had faced my fear and proved to myself not only that could I do it, but I can deal with issues that arise. I can calm myself down, put things into perspective, and figure things out.

So many things had gone wrong, but still, I made it into the national park. I could drive a scooter. But I also learned I don’t love riding scooters. I feel much safer in a car, and felt very vulnerable and exposed on a scooter- to the point that I didn’t really enjoy riding it. My preference when traveling is still public transport – because it’s peaceful, less stressful, better for the planet, and I love being alone with my thoughts on the rides.

Not only did I not swear off scooter rentals, but a month later in Vang Vieng, Laos I again rented one. And once again, I was nervous and apprehensive. This one was an electric scooter, and the company had really good reviews. Luckily, it all went perfectly. I veered around numerous pot holes, followed maps to hikes and lagoons, and thankfully made it back safely.