Top Gear went to Vietnam and rode on two-wheels!

Top Gear is a British television series about motor vehicles, primarily cars.  It is presented by Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May.  The show is famous for its fantastic visuals and humorous commentaries by the program’s hosts.  It also gave rise to the popular character of The Stig (he’s even got a fanbase in Facebbok!) the show’s anonymous and silent test driver.

Last December 28, 2008, Top Gear presented an epic episode where the three program host were presented a challenge which took them to Vietnam and required them to travel 1000 miles from Ho Chí Minh City (Saigon) to to Ha Long City (near Hanoi) in a span of eight days.  That’s practically from the bottom to the northern tip of Vietnam!

Each were handed a shoebox with 15 million Vietnamese dongs so they could buy a vehicle of their choice to use for the challenge. But they soon realize that the ‘enormous’ amount couldn’t afford them a car so they settled for something cheaper.

Hammond bought a Russian-built 125cc two-stroke Minsk; May a 50cc four-stroke Honda Cub (a bike very common in Vietnam and ranked No. 1 among the World’s 10 Greatest Ever motorbikes); and Clarkson, who claimed to have never ridden before and knew little about motorbikes, purchased a green vintage Piaggio Vespa.  It should be noted that Clarkson despised motorcycles. Bikers might find his tounge-and-cheek humor a bit condescending, but personally, I find his Brit humor amusing.  In the scene when they were buying crash helmets, he quipped: “The reason why crash helmets are small is because people who wear them haven’t got a brain. Otherwise they’d have a car.”

The entire show had been posted by users in YouTube but those have since been blocked it on copyright grounds by BBC.  PThe clip below is the official excerpt of the said episode as released by Top Gear.

In the above video, Jeremy Clarkson begins to enjoy his Vespa on the road to the Ancient Capital of Hue, and Richard Hammond is furious when James and Jeremy paint his bike bright pink.  Will the vintage Vespa finish the challenge?  Those who hate Jeremy Clarkson’s guts for “insulting” two-wheel riders may find a little satisfaction towards the end of the episode.

As for the second part: Clarkson, May and Hammond are challenged to convert their hard working motorbikes into amphibious machines and find a bar in the middle of Ha Long Bay. Watch.

part 2

Good morning motoring, Vietnam!

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J0HNRANA

john[dot]rana[at]gmail[dot]com