Name: 14 Day Fantastic Route from North Vietnam to Laos Guided Motorcycle Tour
Brand: Motor Trails
Price: 2825 USD
Availability: InStock

Vietnam Laos Motorcycle Tour

Enjoy an exciting motorcycle tour in Vietnam and Laos! The two countries share such a long border but remain very different lands. Vietnam is busy and densely populated whilst in Laos time seems to have stood still for centuries. Although the countries are almost equal in size, Vietnam has a population almost twenty times that of Laos. The northern regions of both countries give a blended mix of vivid nature, voluptuous landscapes, and a vibrant culture.

Key information

Bike: rental bike (Kawasaki KLX 150cc or Honda CRF 150cc, upgrade to upgrade: Honda XR 250cc 250cc available)
Terrain: ~ 25 % Off-road
Mileage: 2000 kilometers / 1243 miles
Riding gear: not provided, but mandatory: a helmet, motorcycle jacket with protection, gloves, a good pair of (motorcycle) trousers with protection, and solid high (mountain) boots
Meals: Some breakfasts

Highlights

Starts and ends in Hanoi
See the unique Plain of Jars while on tour
Admire the view of paddies and green hillside
Visit Luang Prabang, a UNESCO World Heritage site
Meet the friendly local people and get a glimpse at their life
Support car available starting from 4 participants
12 nights accommodation
Airport transfers included

Skill level

Beginner
Intermediate
Advanced

11 days with instruction in English

The organizer also speaks: Dutch, German

Group size: 6-10 participants

Airport transfer included: Noi Bai International Airport

Program

Day 1: Arrival - Hanoi

One arrives either in the morning or the afternoon at Hanoi airport depending on the airline. It’s a half hour drive to the hotel in the center of the old town.

Day 2: Hanoi - Mai Chau

The trip to the west starts with the bustle of the morning rush hour in the capital. Jam-packed mopeds force their way through the city and we form a small part of this crowd. From Xuan Mai onwards, you will follow a part of the Ho Chi Minh trail. What is now a beautiful route used to be nothing more than a trail through the jungle used by the North Vietnamese to supply the South during the war.

Thereafter, ride on narrow quiet country lanes to lunch near Cam Thuy from where you will take the main road to the Pu Luong National Park and on to Mai Chau. You will stay overnight in a Thai home. It is not a luxurious experience but it is a special one. Copious amounts of rice wine will be poured by the village elder in the evening.

Day 3: Mai Chau - Viang Xai

It is an early rise today as you will cross borders that always takes some time. Just outside Mai Chai, you will briefly visit one of the chopstick factories along the way. Next, wend your way along narrow inland roads to the border checkpoint with Laos (Na Meo).

After the border formalities, enter the world of Laos where time has long stood still. The leisurely pace in this sparsely populated country brings you into a different rhythm immediately. After the border it is just over 50 kilometers through beautiful karst mountains to the impressive caves of Vieng Xay. Depending on the time, you can stop for a visit, or drive straight to the accommodation.

Day 4: Viang Xai – Muang Kham

If you have not been able to visit the Caves yesterday, you can do so this morning. Alternatively, explore the southern part of Nam-Et Phou Louey National Park – via some adventurous gravel paths. Then continue via a tarmac but beautiful and quite road through lush green terrain Eastwards. It is a very remote area. You can ride for 90 kilometers by yourself in your own speed until you meet the team again at the first cross section for lunch. From there, scroll further southwards to your rest place for the night: Muang Kham.

Day 5: Muang Kham– Phonsavan

Today, take the time to visit the Plain of Jars. It is only another 50 kilometers to Phonsavan, but will take your time to drive there, and to explore small routes along the way to visit the different sites. The different plains around Phonsavan are filled with gigantic stone jars. The jars are sometimes more than five meters high. How the jars came to be here and what their purpose was remains unknown. It is definitely worth the effort to visit one of the plains. The area around Phonsavan suffered much bombing during the Vietnam War.

During this period, Laos was a free bombing zone. This was due to the fact that the Ho Chi Minh trail, the supply route from the north of Vietnam to the Vietcong fighters in the south, ran through Laos. One can find a lot of bomb debris still in this area. Old bomb casings serve as feeding troughs or as poles on which houses are built.

Day 6: Phonsavan – Luang Prabang

This is a long route but completely surfaced and perhaps the most beautiful part of Laos. The road starts a bit straight and flat, but soon become curvier, windy and hilly. The rice paddies climb in giant steps up green, green hillsides. The terracing, created by hand over many centuries, is a remarkable feat. Bullocks are used to pull ploughs, but the back-breaking work of planting, tending and harvesting is still done by hand.

You will slalom through small villages and clusters of houses, passing open markets and often friendly and welcoming people. The end of the afternoon, arrive in Luang Prabang –literally meaning "Royal Buddha Image"

Day 7: Luang Prabang - Overnight stay

We spend the day in this beautiful city, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The city slows your pulse and awakens your imagination: Sitting at the sacred confluence of the Mekong River and the Nam Khan (Khan River), nowhere else can lay claim to this UNESCO-protected gem's romance of 33 gilded wats, saffron-clad monks, faded Indochinese villas and exquisite fusion cuisine. We can also possibly make a trip in the morning to the UNESCO protected Kuang Xi Waterfall, about 15 km outside of Luang Prabang. There are many temples to see in the surroundings of Luang Prabang. Luang Prabang is also a perfect city to sit in a cafe on the banks of the river.

Day 8: Luang Prabang – Oudomsay (Muang Xai)

You will have multiple options to ride to Oudomsay, and the exact journey depends on the group experience, the latest road status and the weather. In general, we start the morning along winding dirt roads headed Northwards. This is mostly unsurfaced and sometimes in a very bad condition. It is a very isolated area, so you will pack some snacks for a light lunch.

You will follow rivers, ride along some magnificent mountain ridges and combine dirt with asphalt, which makes for an exciting journey. Oudomsay is an easy town, but the largest in North Laos. It is situated at the Nam Ko river, and it is encircled by dramatic mountain ranges made up of craggy limestone cliffs. There are several restaurants around to explore.

Day 9: Oudomsay - Nong Khiaw

Today is a relaxing ride through a lush green mountainous area along curvy roads. Whilst it is a relatively short distance on surfaced grounds, the 1000 curves will take time. You will arrive around lunchtime in the hotel. The afternoon will be spent for chilling or an optional boat ride on the Nam Ou River.

Day 10: Nong Khiaw - Muang Khua

Today will be one of the most adventurous days, only 100 kilometers but 90% unsurfaced. The support car will not join the group as you will follow a mix of wide and small paths and unsteady bridges. Difficulty of this route is entirely dependent on rainfall. The rain may have changed the surface layer of clay into a smooth mirror. Muang Khua is a small stop over town; its river setting is surprisingly picturesque, and it has a small local market worth visiting early mornings.

Day 11: Muang Khua – Dien Bien Phu

Today is a short ride to the border with Vietnam where we will need to take our time for paperwork. We hope to arrive in Dien Bien Phu by lunchtime. Dien Bien Phu developed itself in recent years from small village to a big city. The city is famous for the Battle of Dien Bien Phu, the decisive engagement in the First Indochina War (1946-1954). It consisted of a struggle between French and Viet Minh (Vietnamese Communist and nationalist) forces for control of a small mountain outpost on the Vietnamese border near Laos. The Viet Minh victory in this battle effectively ended the eight-year-old war. In the afternoon, you will have time to visit a bunker and the museum of the legendary battle.

Day 12: Dien Bien Phu – Ta Xua

Today, you will make an early start for a beautiful ride through the Vietnamese countryside. You will stay on the asphalt, but will take narrow and remote routes, riding up and down between 100-meter altitude and 1600 meters. Make your way to Ta Xua nature reserve, a mountain reserve hardly visited by foreign tourists but popular by the Vietnamese who are “hunting for clouds”. There are spectacular cloud views.

Day 13: Ta Xua - Hanoi

This is a long day’s ride back to the capital, swindling through the countryside and avoiding the highways. In the morning, the roads are quiet but the closer we get to Hanoi the busier it gets. This is the last stage of the trip but certainly not the least: for many participants, riding into the city in the massive traffic is a fantastic end to the trip.

Day 14: Hanoi - Departure

Transfer to the airport for your flight. You can extend your stay with a visit to Halong Bay or another day in Hanoi.

Motorbikes

You ride on a Kawasaki KLX or Honda CRF 150cc. There is a limited option to upgrade to an XR 250cc motorbike.

Tour leader

This trip will be led by a local guide who also is the mechanic, with a small group. This person has been the permanent mechanic on our Vietnam trips for the past 12 years. He knows all the routes, hotels, and restaurants well and speaks good English. A multilingual tour leader will lead this tour with a larger group.

Support vehicle

A support car will accompany this trip starting from four participants This will be driven by a local driver. The support vehicle will transport the luggage, spare parts, and tools. There is space in the support car for any companion passengers who do not wish to or cannot double up on a motorcycle.

Difficulty and off-road

During the trip, you neither reach high altitudes nor experience extreme weather conditions. The daily routes are not especially long. The only reason that might make the trip physically demanding is the varied off-road routes. After heavy rainfall, these routes can become a serious adventurous challenge. Roughly 25% of the time you will drive on unsurfaced roads. These range from good densely-packed gravel roads to narrow traces through the mountains with many fords.

Driver's license

Since 1 January 2016, for most nationalities, you can officially ride a motor in Vietnam and Laos if you have besides your own national driver’s license, an International Driving Permit (IDP). Your own driver’s license is not valid without this IDP. Only the IDP model 1968 is accepted in Vietnam.

Skill level(s) required for this tour: Beginner, intermediate, advanced

Beginner:

can ride for 2-3 hours
minimal riding experience
assistance required
comfortable with curves and leans
basic experience with unsurfaced roads
short distance ascents and descents

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

Location

You start and end this trip in Hanoi, Vietnam. However, the journey largely takes place in Laos, and that is where the most adventurous part of the journey lies.

In two days, you drive from Hanoi to Laos. An adventurous route through a nature park with tigers immediately follows. Then follow a few very adventurous days on a long unpaved route through beautiful karst mountains.

By boat, you cover the last kilometers to the old imperial capital, Luang Prabang. Stay here for a day. Then, visit the mysterious Plains of Jars around Ponsvan and drive adventurous routes back to Vietnam.

This trip gives you an intensive experience of the purity of Northern Laos and the people who live together. It takes you back in time and takes you over rivers, narrow off-road paths and beautiful mountain passes.

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Food

The package includes some breakfast.

The following meals are included:

Breakfast

The following drinks are included:

Water

The following dietary requirement(s) are served and/or catered for:

Regular (typically includes meat and fish)

If you have special dietary requirements it's a good idea to communicate it to the organiser when making a reservation

Things to do (optional)

Extensions

Ha Long Bay Extension

After returning to Hanoi, Motor Trails offers a two-day extension of the tour to Ha Long Bay. This will not be by motorcycle nor with a European tour leader. The guests will be picked up from the hotel on the first day by bus. It is a four- or five-hour ride to Ha Long Bay. At around lunch time, the guests will get on the boat and sail out into the bay. You will stay overnight on the boat at a nice location. The following morning after breakfast we will sail back to the harbour and return to Hanoi by bus. You will be back in Hanoi by the end of the afternoon.

Hanoi one day extension

You can also extend your stay by a day, so you can have more time to explore Hanoi. During the colonial era, Hanoi was the capital of French Indochina. The French history is still plainly visible, for example, in the wide boulevards and the old villas. You can stroll around the old quarter, exploring its small streets and busy shops, or you can visit museums and pagodas. In the evening, you can enjoy the delicious Vietnamese cuisine.

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