Welcome to the KayakNam Expedition website! 

The main aim of this site will be to document our discoveries of whitewater kayaking in Vietnam once we return to the UK. To follow our progress whilst out there check out the Expedition Blog.

Video of our adventures in Vietnam... 

Who are we?

We are nine students selected to take part in the 2009 British Universities Kayaking Expedition. 

We come from many different backgrounds and universities across the United Kingdom. These include; Leeds, Liverpool John Moores, Edinburgh, Southampton, Glasgow, Stirling and London Imperial. What we share is a passion for kayaking in remote and adventurous destinations, and it is this that has driven us to explore the unknown.

Find out more about us in our individual Team Member Profiles.

What are we doing?

We are conducting a white-water kayaking expedition to previously unexplored areas of Vietnam. What is clear from the many travel guidebooks that discuss modern-day Vietnam is the speed at which it is developing and also how it is fundamentally rooted within the past. School children in Saigon yearn to own the trendiest motorbikes whereas children in northern highlands are happy with a pair of sandals.

No summary of Vietnam would be complete without touching upon the undeniable natural beauty of the country in particular the mountains of the North. We plan to explore this spectacular landscape in a way which has been neglected in Vietnam by kayak. By using kayaks we will be able to visit places that would have been otherwise difficult to reach, whilst enjoying the prospect of gaining first descents in a faraway land.

More information on South East Asia, Vietnam and Laos can be found in the Destination section.

Why are we doing it?

The world is full of remote and beautiful places that have been extensively explored by kayakers and if we visited one of these destinations we could be sure to have six weeks packed full of mind blowing white-water. In choosing Vietnam we are taking a large gamble, there could be very little feasible white-water kayaking, but the draw of finding the next kayaking paradise is too strong, and in our opinion is worth the risk.

In the spirit of the British University Kayaking Expedition we are doing our bit for Queen and country and exploring a previously underexplored area to widen our vision of the world. You can read about what we hope to achieve in our Expedition Objectives.

How are we doing it?

The plan as it stands is to fly to Hong Kong with our boats and then catch a three day train from Hong Kong to Hanoi through China. Once in Hanoi we will sort out transportation and start the search for the next kayaking paradise. Our exploits will be displayed on this website in the blog section, then once we return we will produce some more detailed river guides and reports.

I do hope you have the time to browse over the website and we hope you enjoy the experience.

If you have any questions at all please feel free to Get in Touch! We look forward to hearing from you.

British University Kayaking Expedition Team 2009