We arrived in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, yesterday (July 25), impressed by the bustle of a city that 13 years ago, during my first visit here, seemed far more subdued and quiet.

The biggest change: hundreds of thousands of noisy Honda motorbikes have replaced the Flying Pigeon bicycles that were ubiquitous last time. Fewer cars, vans and trucks compete for scant space. Pedestrians who venture onto the roadways do so at their peril.

Still, the street scenes are unchanged. Food stalls featuring skinned chickens and pigs. Women balancing bamboo poles on their shoulders with baskets of fruit and vegetables.

Children hawking military medals and maps. Narrow alleyways featuring fish markets, art galleries, electronic stores, silk shops and nightclubs.

Elderly men and women squat on sidewalks, sipping tea and watching the younger generation rush about. Horns honk constantly.

It is a city of youth. Nearly two-thirds of Vietnam's population of 85 million was born after the American war ended in 1975. And while the government remains steadfastly communist, the economic system encourages the free market.

Good times appear to be rolling, though inflation is a looming threat. A recent 30 percent increase in the price of gasoline puts the cost on par with the United States - $4 per gallon.

The government has ordered that the prices of essential goods and services be kept under tight control.

"It hasn't slowed anyone down yet," reports Margie Mason, an Associated Press correspondent in Hanoi. "But there are complaints about higher prices."

Perhaps bicycles will make a comeback.

The purpose of this trip to Vietnam is a nine-day motorcycle jaunt down the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Our merry band of six U.S. bikers - think "Wild Hogs" - will travel old roads built by the French army and across pathways bombed by the American B-52s in the 1960s and 1970s.

The group includes son-in-law Tom Hall of Scituate, Mass., his brother Larry Hall of Atlanta; businessman Brian Dennis of Atlanta; naturalist doctor Greg Kelly of San Diego, and Gary Powell, who operates the UPS store in Cohasset, Mass.

Larry Hall, Bill Ketter, Brian Dennis, Greg Kelly and Tom Hall prepare to hit the trail. Behind the camera is Gary Powell.

Tom Hall and I are the early shows. The others arrive in Hanoi late today and early tomorrow. They need a day to recuperate from the fatiguing two-day trip by air.

The weather is hot and sticky. It is the rainy season, and quick downpours occur between long bouts of sunshine. We are promised relief in the northern highlands once the trip gets under way.

Before this adventure concludes, we will explore 850 miles of mountains, gorges, river valleys, rain forests and the South China Sea coast. Everyone is excited and anxious.

Stops include the caves of Ke Bang, the foothills along the old DMZ that divided Vietnam at the 17th parallel until the North conquered the South in 1975, the remains of the old Marine base at Khe Sanh, the war site known as Hamburger Hill, and Hue, the imperial capital of feudal Vietnam.

Today's Ho Chi Minh Trail is different from the original used by the North Vietnamese to move food and supplies to their military forces in the South. Many of the old pathways have been paved, and some of the trail has been diverted to join with busy Highway One to make it easier on tourists.

Yes, it is a draw for hard currency. Motorcycle, bicycle and hiking trips down the trail help fuel the country's economic growth.

We are customers of Offroad Vietnam, a Hanoi-based touring company, which provides motorcycles, a guide and an interpreter to get us to Hoi An and China Beach, where the trip concludes on Aug. 5.

Then it is on to Ho Chi Minh City, better known as Saigon, for rest and relaxation before the long flight home.

Today we are on our own in Hanoi, with the DeSyloia Hotel in Old Town as our staging point. Old Town has the look of a provincial French city. Quaint and colonial. It is also a reminder of the century-long French occupation of Vietnam that ended in 1954 with Ho Chi Minh's victory at Dien Bien Phu.

Last night we hosted the AP's Margie Mason at a French Vietnamese restaurant, the Wild Rice. She filled us in on the local customs, including the advice to "never back up" when crossing the street. "Always move forward even if it seems insane," she said. "Otherwise, you'll get hit on your backside."

There are 30 to 40 traffic fatalities in Vietnam every day, including several in Hanoi. They result from too many motorbikes and too few traffic rules.

Now, we're off to Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum (where the body of the revered leader lies in state), the presidential palace, the one-pillar Pagoda Buddhist temple, and the Temple of Confucius, also called the Temple of Literature. But no one is reading there.

We also visit Hoa Lo Prison museum, or the "Hanoi Hilton" to American military held prisoner there. The French built it and named it Maison Centrale. Little mention is made of Sen. John McCain, who endured 5 1/2 years of captivity after his Navy jet was shot down over Hanoi. The museum's emphasis is on the torture of Vietnamese nationalist prisoners who objected to French occupation of their country.

Yet McCain is Hoa Lo's most famous prisoner of war. He is the subject of a photograph during a visit to the prison following normalization of relations between the U.S. and Vietnam.

Also on display is McCain's parachute and flight suit he wore when captured in Hoan Kiem Lake, also known as West Lake, in Hanoi.

Asked if more Americans are now visiting the museum because McCain is the probable Republican candidate for president of the United States, a museum official says she's not sure.

"We get a lot of former American military coming here," the official says. "They want to know which cell John McCain was kept in. But that part of the prison has been torn down and is now an office building."

Hanoi's amenities are the luxury aspect of the trip. Our hotel features satellite television, movie channels, ESPN and even MTV. You can hail taxi cabs with the wave of a hand - but you don't step onto the street if you value your life. Shopping malls and mini-supermarkets are the latest western-style encroachments.
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It has now been three days since we left Hanoi for a motorcycle tour of the famous Ho Chi Minh Trail. Our group of “Wild Hogs” decided on nicknames for the six Americans and two Vietnamese guides.

The American names are Viper (Larry Hall, leader of the pack), UT (Tom Hall, Larry’s brother), Borderline (Greg Kelly), Menace (Brian Dennis), BB (Gary Powell, the UPS guy) and Journo (yours truly). The guides are known as Caveman and Mystic.

Everybody is bonding well. So far we’ve been riding our 160-cubic-centimeter Hondas for an average of six hours each day, covering about 450 miles.

The first day was spent heading into the majestic northern highlands. The mountains, valleys and forests are breathtaking.

We stayed the night at the only hotel in Phu Yen, a village north of Hanoi. It featured an impressive Cobra snake that is kept happy with a daily feeding of baby chicks. One of them gets loose in the outdoor restaurant, pecking the toes and ankles of the sandaled guests. We are told he’s on the Cobra’s lunch menu for later in the week.

Day two concluded at Mai Chau, and a fascinating night at a rural Vietnamese guest house or hut. The group sleeps dormitory style on a raised bamboo floor, two-inch thick mats and mosquito nets lined up six deep. A mountain breeze cools the hut.

The evening entertainment features six local female dancers. They work the rice fields by day and perform to traditional Vietnamese folk music by night. They’re good and invite the “Wild Hogs” and other guests to join them in the Bamboo Two-Step. We do, and everybody has a good time. Borderline captures our clumsy feet on video.

Day three finds us arriving later than scheduled at our hotel in Tan Ky. Riding 30 miles in rain exhausts the “Wild Hogs.” We eat a quick meal of rice noodles, goat, spring rolls, and "333" beer and are in bed by 9:30 p.m.

Day four finds us at one of the highest points of the Ho Chi Minh Trail, the Deo Da Deo Pass. It was a frequent bombing target for the American B-52s during the war as the highest visible point on the trail.

A monument has been built by the people of the region to the soldiers and civilians killed there. Viper, our leader, finds several sticks of incense behind the marble structure. We are told this is a sacred place to pay respect, and that burning of incense is a Vietnamese tradition.

We spend the night in a hotel at Phong Nha and celebrate Viper’s 49th birthday at an outdoor restaurant down the road. There’s only one baker in the region, and he is 30 miles away, but Caveman arranges for the cake to be made and transported by motorcycle for the occasion. We toast our leader's special day with Huda beer, the local beverage.

Despite the disruption caused to Vietnam by more than a half-century of war, including the 10-year American conflict, we have encountered no hostility among the people thus far. They wave at us as we pass by their farms and through their villages, and even welcome us into their homes, offering fruit and green tea.

At one roadside stop, a family home and cafe features a pool table. The Vietnamese love to play pool. The cities feature pool halls that stretch a half-block. The game of "Eight Ball" is the universal language.

But the “Wild Hogs” are a novelty. Crowds gather along the roadside whenever we stop to take a water break or have lunch. They find the pale-skinned Americans curiosity objects. Thus far we have encountered no other Americans on the trail or in the villages of Vietnam.

Navigating the narrow roadways, and the mountain switchbacks on a motorcycle is challenging. Water buffalo, cows, goats, pigs, chickens, dogs, trucks, cars, other cyclists and pedestrians dart in and out of your vision.

But the food has been great. Spring rolls, pork, beef, goat are combined with rice, vegetables and fruit to keep us well fed. Coffee, tea, rice wine and beer add flavor. No one drinks the water.

The Ho Chi Minh Trail is in surprisingly good condition. That's because the government has committed several billion dollars to pave and widen the trail from Hanoi to Saigon, creating a second major north-south highway in Vietnam. Highway One is now the only such artery. Road crews are observed at work throughout the trip. Some ride between construction sites on front-end loaders and other equipment.

Now, we head south toward the border with Laos, and then on to the South China Sea coast. There’s no question the best way to see this scenic country is on two wheels.

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It is Day Four of the motorcycle trip down the Ho Chi Minh Trail, and the "Wild Hogs" spend the morning at the limestone caves of Ke Bang, the oldest and largest in Asia. The caves are part of a huge national park, and an attraction aimed at increasing foreign tourism.

We go by tour boat to the caves, then turn off the motor upon entry for a quiet, gondola-like glide into the caverns by underground river. We explore the rock formations and grottoes by foot, and are told that if a drop of water lands on you from above, it is considered good fortune. Viper is the first to feel a droplet. Others soon have the same experience. We're blessed.

The spectacular formations have enchanting names like Lion, Fairy Caves, Royal Court and Buddha. During the Vietnam war, they were used to protect munitions from the American bomber raids. Phong Nha, in north-central Vietnam, was a key supply station for the North during the war.

In the afternoon, we remount our motorcycles for a 40-mile ride to the coastal town of Dong Hoi, staying at a hotel overlooking the beach. It is our first stop at the South China Sea, and an opportunity to sunbathe and swim in the ocean. The bombed-out frame of a church on the main beach serves as yet another reminder of the American bombing. A revolving neon ball high above Dong Hoi's skyline advertising a spa is a telltale sign of the increasing westernization. The contrast is stark.

Day Six we strike through the central foothills sprayed by Agent Orange during the war, heading toward the 17th parallel, the so-called demilitarized zone that once separated North and South Vietnam. There we visit the Vinh Linh caves in Quang Tri Province, a system of deep tunnels dug by hand and connected by ditches to protect local villagers from American bombs and to supply the Viet Cong with ammunition.

The caves are 5 feet high by 4 feet wide and arranged like zigzag villages, with housing, health centers, meeting halls, schools and kitchens. The Vietnamese communists consider them valuable remembrances of the "heroic fight against the American imperialists." No mention is made of Ho Chi Minh's intrusion into South Vietnam in violation of the 1954 Geneva Accords, an action that led to America's involvement. Oh, well. To the victor belongs the interpretation of history.

The group also visits a military cemetery holding the remains of North Vietnamese and Viet Cong soldiers. Mourners burn fake $100 American bills in an incense pot. We're told they prefer the phony U.S. currency because it is worth far more than the Vietnamese dong, and thus it will make the dead war veterans richer in their afterlife.

We overnight in Khe Sahn after a long afternoon ride below the 17th parallel, and more sensational hills and valleys.

Day Seven starts with a quick visit to the Laos border, but the checkpoint guards won't allow our group to enter without visas. The guide explains that the highway from Laos to Vietnam is a major drug trafficking roadway. Laos, he adds, is also a good place to get a stolen car or motorcycle cheap. Double-trailer trucks line the gateway to and from Laos, most with small shrines to Buddha on the dashboards.

We drink coffee and Coke, then head out of Khe Sahn down Highway Nine, otherwise known as "Ambush Alley" by U.S. Marines. At Huong Hoe we viewed the grassy remains of a former major Marine war base. It was the scene of three significant, bloody battles. The North Vietnamese eventually took the strategic location. Caveman tells us his country's military historians consider it a victory on par with defeating the French at Dien Bien Phu. More than 200 U.S. troops were killed there in January of 1968. A museum of photographs and badly rusted U.S. helicopters and tanks now occupy the grounds. I sign the guest book with this comment, "War is hell for both sides."

By nightfall we are in Hue, the former imperial capital of feudal Vietnam. It is another tense ride through heavy city traffic to our hotel. But no one gets hit or is hit by the endless, undisciplined flow of motorbikes and scooters.

Day Eight is taken up mostly with visiting the Citadel across the river from Hue. The Citadel is where the last royal dynasty - the Nguyen kings - resided. A line of carved shrines and parasols chronicle the 13 emperors of the Nguyen era. The last king, Bao Dai, turned over power to Ho Chi Minh in 1954, and fled to France, where he died six years ago. The first Nguyen emperor, we're told, suggested that everyone in his domain change their name to Nguyen or else. That's why nearly everybody in Vietnam has some form of the name Nguyen.

Now it is off to Da Nang for the last day of the trip and a final test of our driving skill over sharp S-turns and switchbacks, with large transport trucks bearing down. We pass the test, though there are several close encounters with disaster.

DaNang and Hoi An, two important port cities during the American war, are alive with people and, of course, countless motorbikes. DaNang was the site of the largest U.S. Air Base in Vietnam. Seven-foot concrete walls still surround the base. Also intact are many of the hangars and barracks, although badly weathered. Caveman explains the government has declared the base an unsafe environmental zone and has plans to clean it up.

Heading south to Hoi An we stop for photos at China Beach, a popular rest and relaxation spot for American soldiers during the war, and the setting for the once popular television series. It is filled with tourists. Five-star hotels line the beachfront.

Hoi An, by contrast, is a small seaport featuring Chinese, Japanese and French architecture. It is crowded with silk and silver shops. You can get a fitted suit made in 24 hours for half the price you'd pay in the United States. I buy a silver chain and medallion that carries a Taoist symbol meaning a long life.

Earlier, we parked our motorcycles at the train station in DaNang after dodging in and out of more insane traffic, then fly off to Ho Chi Minh City, which everyone still calls Saigon. But before we go, there is a last supper with our guide Caveman. Mystic, the other guide, had to leave earlier to meet the train with the motorcycles in Hanoi.

It has been a hectic, splendid adventure. And the best part is none of the "Wild Hogs" had a serious accident or illness. We covered 850 miles, met new friends and discovered many culinary delights. We won't, however, miss the beeping horns, the dodging of motorbikes, trucks and various animals. Nor the long wait for the Vietnamese coffee to brew in the morning. Everyone is looking forward to quick service at Dunkin' Donuts and Starbucks.

This concludes the "Wild Hogs" Ho Chi Minh Trail blog. A full series of stories and pictures will follow on this Web site, including a multimedia presentation of video and photos. So check back soon.