Overview
- Bike: rental
- Terrain: mix of tarmac, gravels, curves, steep passes, muddy, rocky, and offroad
- Mileage: 1170 kilometers / 728 miles
- Daily rides: 80 - 180 kilometers / 50 - 112 miles
- Meals: 7 breakfasts, 8 lunches, and 7 dinners
Day 1: Hanoi to Vu Linh Village (Thac Ba Lake, Yen Bai), 180 kilometers / 112 miles
You will start your motorbike tour by riding on to dyke roads following Red River to Thac Ba Lake. Along the way, you will see the beautiful countryside, rice, and green tea fields. Then, you will turn to the little road to Vu Linh Village where populated by Dzao ethnic minority by the side of Thac Ba Lake - very friendly people and the welcome is exceptional.
Day 2: Thac Ba to Ha Giang City, 180 kilometers / 112 miles
After breakfast, you will ride along the Thac Ba Lake on a small road lined with palm trees and scenic mountain views to join the main road two, heading up to Ha Giang where you will stop for the night and apply for a permit.
Day 3: Ha Giang to Dong Van (Ha Giang), 160 kilometers / 100 miles
After getting the permit to ride in border areas at Ha Giang's Immigration Police, you will ride on small challenging mountain roads (but incredibly beautiful) on the land of colorful mountain hill-tribes. You will head up the Ma Pi Leng Pass. Here is a yet another amazing place with cloudy mountain ranges and the poetic Nho Que River winding off in the distance.
It is really difficult to find the exact words to describe Ma Pi Leng Pass located between Dong Van and Meo Vac near the northernmost tip of Vietnam as a painting of astonishing beauty and magnificence that captures the eyes of all viewers and nature lovers. You will then ride on a zig-zag track until reaching Vuong Family's residence, 14 kilometers before Dong Van. Vuong Family was considered the king of the Hmong people in Dong Van, Ha Giang. Their residence was built in the scenic valley of Sa Phin with Chinese architecture.
The whole house was built out of wood and rock only. The rocks for the buildings were imported from China. Vuong Family Residence is a masterpiece of man work in the valley of a heavenly beauty of Sa Phin. This is a remote area and you can meet the hardworking local people here. It is inspiring to see how they survive as they manage to live in the rocks. When you reach Dong Van town, you will have some extra time to wander the ancient streets lined with H'mong homes of clay bricks and tiles roofs built centuries ago.
Day 4: Dong Van to Bao Lac (Cao Bang) via Meo Vac, 80 kilometers / 50 miles
The road is still under construction and tracks what make the ride relatively long in spite of few kilometers. The landscape is among the most beautiful of Vietnam and the slow tempo is only more appreciable. You will ride across the wild regions of the mythical province of Ha Giang and Meo Vac is included. It shares the border with Dong Van District of Ha Giang Province and Bao Lam District of Cao Bang Province. Meo Vac has most of the terrain in the Rock Plateau of Dong Van and above 1000 meters above sea level.
Meo Vac has a harsh climate in the winter which is from November to April with dry and freezing cold weather. It is inhabited by different ethnic minorities including the H'mong, the King, Tay, Dzao. Most ethnic groups have maintained their culture untouched by the outside world. In the afternoon, you will stop for the night at Bao Lac, the ethnic crossroad of Northeast Vietnam. Many other ethnic groups on the two sides of the border meet at the market every Sunday.
Day 5: Bao Lac to Cao Bang City, 130 kilometers / 81 miles
You will enjoy a beautiful motor ride down to Cao Bang Province. You will have few passes from where you can dominate the area. The road is easy but there are many blind curves. You can stop very often for photos in Nguyen Binh and Tinh Tuc. Your accommodation will be at a good hotel in Cao Bang Town where you can relax to be ready for next imaging day.
Day 6: Cao Bang to Ban Gioc Waterfall, 140 kilometers / 87 miles
You will get out of town and ride up to Ma Phuc Pass of Cao Bang Province. It is on the way between Cao Bang Town and the Ban Gioc Waterfall. The pass is not famous with the elevation or the danger like some others in Vietnam but with the natural beauty that one could capture from the top of the pass. You will keep riding to Ban Gioc Waterfall, one of Vietnam’s best-known waterfalls.
It’s a very scenic spot, marking the border with China but sees very few visitors. The name Ban Gioc is derived from the Montagnard languages spoken in the area and is sometimes spelled Ban Doc. The waterfall is the largest although not the highest in the country. The vertical drop is 53 meters but it has an impressive 300-meter span. One end of the falls is in China while the other is in Vietnam.
The falls have three levels, creating a sort of giant staircase and there’s enough water any time most years to make the trip worthwhile. You will have lunch at a local restaurant before you will get another way back to Quang Uyen. This is the territory of Nung An people. Home stay will be with a host family and the hostess is a great cook. This could be the best ride ever. Your overnight will be in Quang Uyen.
Day 7: Quang Uyen to Lang Son City, 140 kilometers / 87 miles
You will ride from Quang Uyen to Lang Son on the famous historical Highway 4. You will also pass Dong Khe Town, Battle of Route Coloniale 4. The Battle of Dong Khe was a major battle of the First Indochina War. The fight began on 15 September 1950 and ended on 18 September with a French defeat.
It took place in Dong Khe in the Province of Tonkin, Vietnam from September 15 to September 18, 1950 ending with a Viet Minh victory. You will arrive in Lang Son at noon and have a late lunch before time to discover this city which has become a big trading post between China and Vietnam. You can shop for cheap Chinese products at the nearby Dong Kinh Market. Your overnight stay will be at a hotel.
Day 8: Lang Son to Hanoi, 160 kilometers / 100 miles
Today will be an easy day back to Hanoi on the new Highway 1B. You can wake up late or do some more shopping in Dong Kinh Market in the morning as Indochina Motorbike Tours guess that you can be tired after long riding days. Your arrival will be in Hanoi before rush hour, around 15:00.
Intermediate
- Can ride for 3 - 4 hours
- Average riding experience
- Little assistance required
- Comfortable with extreme curves and leans
- Average experience with unsurfaced roads
- Steep ascents and descents
Advanced
- Can ride for 5 - 6 hours
- Extensive riding experience
- Assistance on demand (if required)
- Experienced with riding a variety of motorcycles
- Comfortable with any terrain and weather conditions