Unlike some later specials that leaned into scripted disaster, this one balances laughs with genuine affection for Vietnam. The moment where they build a makeshift wedding dress for a bike-riding bride, or when May gets his Vespa hoisted onto a fishing boat, is pure silliness. But the ending—riding into Halong Bay at sunrise with the Top Gear theme playing on a karaoke boat—is genuinely moving.

The shots of the Hai Van Pass (which they call “a deserted ribbon of joy”) are breathtaking. The director’s choice to film the bikes from helicopters, boats, and even strapped to the sidecars captures Vietnam’s diversity: chaotic cities, coastal cliffs, rice paddies, and foggy mountains.

James May, on his Vespa, holding a single umbrella while riding through a rainstorm, looking utterly serene while Clarkson screams past him on the Honda 90.