Same Same But Different
10 days in the Mekong on a ’64 Vespa
Back in 2004 I was asked to write a story for a travel anthology called Come Away with Me. It was just after Vroom with a View was published so I decided to rock up to Ho Chi Minh City and see if it was possible to find an old Vespa and rattle around the countryside in Vietnam too.
The result is this short e-Book – a search for la dolce vita with a distinctly South East Asian flavour!
Latest eBook Offer
I’m busily creating e-versions of all my books, getting them ready for Christmas and the expected rush of people with brand new e-readers but nothing to read on them.
Soon you’ll be able to simply click on an ‘Add to Cart’ icon and enter the word ‘Mekong’ at the checkout to claim a substantial discount.
F.A.Q.
I’d like to buy a Vietnamese Vespa. How do I contact Steve?
What about shipping it to Australia?
And the UK?
How can I tour Vietnam by Vespa without buying one?
Favourite Photos
Chau Doc, Mekong Delta: I came across this guy and his ‘passenger’ on a bridge just outside Chau Doc. I was on my way back from the Cambodian border.
There are lots of things I love about this photo. The cigarette hanging out of the guy’s mouth. The nonchalant way the cow is watching the world go by. The fact that such a contraption exists.
For a while it qualified as the weirdest thing I’d seen involving a motorbike in Vietnam. Then I spotted a dog sitting on the back of one with his front paws wrapped around the guy driving in HCMC.
You Might Also Like
Vroom with a View
In the summer I turned 40 I bought an old Vespa on eBay and rode it from Milan to Rome, discovering an Italy very few people get to see.
Vroom by the Sea
A wild, final two-stroke powered fling before fatherhood through Sardinia, Sicily and the Amalfi Coast on a Vespa the same colour as Donatella Versace.
Just read your sample chapter for Same Same But Different.
Do you know what the funny thing is – Pham Ngu Lao is where I got ALL your books, where I actually got introduced to your books – all pirated too – No Shitting in the Toilet was my first one.
The funny thing is when I left the country in 2004 I sold em back to the book ladies – Its been a huge pain in my ass to actually try and buy them here in Canada – admittedly if i actually had a credit card it’d be easier – but im a cash only kinda guy.
So far only Vroom with a View but im hoping one day that they will get reprinted and sold in my country of Canada – since no bookstore within a 2 hour drive of Toronto actually sells anything other then Vroom with a View – supposedly two more will be coming on market shortly.
I wonder if you ever made it up to Dalat – ah the stories!
I’ve just read your short story about Vietnam in ‘Come Away With Me’ and thought I’d check out your website. Great to see a vespa was the first picture I saw.
I really enjoyed this story and although i havn’t been to Vietnam in some ways it remined me of a trip to Cuba I’ve made. Time to find another one of your books and see if this too is just as enjoyable.
Well done
Rod
An old scooter girl, and loved Vroom with a View (read it on holiday in Sicily), just finished Vroom by the Sea (now looking at Sardinia for this year!), but sadly am a book not ebook kinda gal, how can I read Same Same but Different?
Hi Peter, I just came across this site. Great memories come back from your visit in Vietnam. Still can’t believe i just handed you a Vespa and said go for it. It must have been your driving skills.
When are you bringing your family for another adventure?
Cheers,
Steve
Vietnam Vespa Adventures