Far North Vietnam Motorbike Tour in 11 Days

It is a difficult but so exciting start of this North Vietnam motorbike tour to be out of Hanoi chaotic traffics and head to the Northwest mountainous region. It’s such a beautiful day to ride through jungle, cross river and sometimes in stream bed. After the first hard day, you have a chance to sink in the cool waterfall in National Reserve Park and stay with local in stilt house near dreamlike spring.

Wake up in a remote hamlet with murmuring streams and the birds singing everywhere will be a great start to an exciting day. We will continue our North vietnam motorbike tour by eating the 50km slope through the National Reserve and going up to Lung Van village, where are clouded all year round. The bigger challenge will be the distance of 10km through the forest to Mai Chau valley for lunch.

Mai Chau is a small valley with roofed roofs nestled beneath the Thung Khe mountain pass. It is home to ethnic minorities such as Thai White, Muong, H'Mong, Tay, Zao Hoa and Kinh. And we will have lunch with local at Lac village where is resided by White Thai ethnic group.

Leaving Mai Chau village, we will continue on the old Highway 6, formerly the main road in the Northwest in the 80's and has been forgotten for many years. After 50km of land road along the Da River, the second day of North Vietnam motorbike tour ends in the Moc Chau plateau - the beautiful highland of the Northwest.

You will agree that today must be a very interesting day to any fan of off-road ride.

After breakfast, a short tour in Moc Chau is needed to help you explore the beautiful nature of this famous plateau before jumping into the track. You will soon be extremely excited when showing out your off-road skill in different terrains of gravel stone, mud, sheer cliffs, deep abyss…visit some of the Black H’mong villages with fantastic nature.

In the evening, we will have a rest in local house beside hot spring after a hard and fun day.

Hope that the weather is good at least 1 week before we approach the track because today is very long and challenge for 90% of the distance is dirt. If you want to check your ability and want to conquer the very hard track, you can pray for rain right before or during your ride. All riders have to overcome many obstacles of streams, steep slopes, and too slippery mud, and stone in the jungle.

With a lot of effort, hope that we can reach Mu Cang Chai terraced fields before dark.

Today will be an easy and relax day. The ride is full of grandiose scenery, awesome gravel roads and windy tracks. Sure, you will stop to catch many incredible moments. The temperature will be changed suddenly when you ride to O Qui Ho, the highest pass in Vietnam which connects Lai Chau province and Lao Cai province.

Stay overnight in the most famous touristy town which is very rich in cultural value in Northwest of Vietnam: Sapa.

Have lunch and feel free to discover Sapa by yourself.

Depart from the beautiful and touristy town, we will ride to Bac Ha, one of the most famous traditional markets in Northeast of Vietnam. However, the market is only opened on Sunday, so you can not take part in this colorful market if you do not ride here on the right day.

After having lunch in Bac Ha, you will ride to the far remote villages of the Black H’mong to have 30km off-road and have fun with rocky road and steep hills along the boundary between Vietnam and China to Xin Man town where you can spend your night at a small hotel here.

If you are addicted in off-road ride, the tracks today were born to you.

Enjoy the unique flavor of a highland town in the border land which is only apart from China by Tay Con Linh range – the roof of Northeast.

Start the ride in the morning with full of challenges to the top of Chieu Lau Thi, the third highest roof of Vietnam, only after Fansipan and Tay Con Ling ranges, where all year-round covered by fog and cold winds. The majestic nature here will make you surprised. Ride down hill to have warmer weather, passing Suoi Thau, U Bo, following the provincial road No. 178 and highway No. 2, you will reach Ha Giang city.

Stay overnight in home-stay of the Tay people, about 5km from Ha Giang city.

Ha Giang is well endowed with many natural landscapes which are extremely beautiful and unique with many winding passes on the rugged mountains. However, to off-road fans, follow the muddy and slippery road along the border belt is a better choice and you can see many small houses of different hill tribes such as H’mong, Lo Lo,… built on the mountainous slopes. Source of water in Dong Van karst plateau is very precious because this land rarely has rain, no rain in even a year. So, come here, please stop to drink a cup of cooking water which taken from the small slit running down from the high mountains. We bet that you will have a very special feeling.
Overnight in s star hotel besize Meo Vac market.

Dong Van karst plateau has many special places to visit such as Dong Van Ancient Street and Rocky Market, a short tour on foot in Dong Van to learn more about the old architecture style and the hidden beauty of the little township is very interesting.

The ride today is very special, still winding roads running along the rocky peaks but the climate, scenery and people are changed quickly. Enjoy a “thrilling” ride through the most dangerous pass of 20 kilometers length in Vietnam: Ma Pi Leng to Meo Vac market. From this pass, you can see the Nho Que river running under the foot of the pass.  After crossing Nho Que river at noon on the bamboo raft with capstan, riders will do 30km dirt-road near the river bank to get to hotel in Bao Lac before dark.

With 40km dirt out of 100km total, today, the distance is quite short in comparison with the other days but it is good for local interaction to learn more about their special features. In addition, you can have more time to relax by boating on Ba Be lake or swim in the cool water of this biggest mountainous lake in North Vietnam. Enjoy the night in village nearby the lake.

The last day and also the easy day of the ride come. It is time to say good bye with the stunning windy roads, the fantastic dirt tracks, the remote villages and the friendly local…we will ride back to the busy and crowded Hanoi. Be careful, your steering wheel is still not familiar with the crowded streets.

It is time to say goodbye.