9 Day Northern Vietnam Highlights Guided Motorcycle Tour
Vietnam Motorcycle Tour
Have you always wanted to see beautiful North Vietnam by motorcycle but never had the time to be away for three weeks? If so, this is your chance! Numerous mountain people inhabit the mountains of North Vietnam. Each has its own traditions, languages, and traditional costumes. You'll encounter different tribes, and visit colorful markets via stunning mountain roads.
Key information
- Terrain: mix of asphalt and 10% off-road
- Bike: rental bike (Kawasaki KLX 150cc or Honda XR 150cc) or CRF 150CC), motorbike upgrade: XR250CC, CRF250CC
- Mileage: 1,400 kilometers / 869 miles
- Daily rides: 165 - 235 kilometers / 103 - 146 miles
- Riding gear: not included: helmet, motorcycle jacket with protection, gloves, a good hard-wearing pair of (motorcycle) trousers with protection, and solid high (mountain) boots
- Meals: some breakfasts
Meet the instructors
Read more
Highlights
- Starts and ends in Hanoi
- Encounter Dao, H'mong, and Nung people
- Ride through a spectacular region studded with jagged rocks
- Take your bike to one of the most beautiful rice terrace regions of Vietnam
- Enjoy the views en route to the famous Sa Pa
- 8 nights' accommodation
Skill level
- Beginner
- Intermediate
- Advanced
Accommodation
You will spend one night at a homestay with locals and the rest of the nights will be at several accommodations chosen by Motor Trails. During this tour, you'll stay in a mix of accommodations from semi-luxurious to simple homestays.
Program
Day 1: Arrival in Hanoi
Arrive at Hanoi Airport (HAN) either in the morning or in the afternoon, depending on the airline. It’s a half-hour drive to the hotel in the center of the old town. Depending on your time schedule and jet lag, you can explore Hanoi. During the colonial era, Hanoi was the capital of French Indochina. French history is still plainly visible, for example, in the wide boulevards and the old villas.
You can stroll around the old quarter, meandering through its small streets and busy shops, or visit museums and pagodas. In the evening, you can enjoy delicious Vietnamese cuisine at the welcome dinner.
Day 2: Hanoi - Nghia Lo (200 kilometers / 124 miles)
Ride out of the bustling capital to the north. The first part is still busy with traffic, mostly trucks. Once on the narrow roads along the Red River, however, it is quiet and there is much to see. Nghia Lo is a nice little town where you will encounter Dao and Hmong people. You will spend the night here. In addition to the charming restaurant at the hotel, there are also many other small restaurants and snack bars in the center where you can eat.
Day 3: Nghia Lo - Sa Pa (235 kilometers / 146 miles)
Ride further north. The landscape is very beautiful here. On both sides of the roads, there are green rice terraces built against the mountainsides. Ride through the mountains here, crossing over a few high passes. There are more Dao people in this area. Stop for lunch in the town of Than Uyen, after which it is another 60-kilometer ride to Sa Pa. This is the highest pass of this trip.
The views en route to the famous Sa Pa Pass are fantastic and the road has been improved recently. Sa Pa is the most touristy place you'll visit on this trip. However, since you'll avoid visiting during the weekend market, you will not encounter too many tourists. Sa Pa is situated at an altitude of 1500 meters; during the French colonization, it developed as a summer retreat to escape the oppressive heat in the lower parts of the country.
Day 4: Sa Pa - Bac Ha (165 kilometers / 103 miles)
First, you will head to Lao Cai to take a look at the Chinese border. The Red River separates the two countries here and a railway bridge connects them again. Across the river, one can see the tall buildings of the relatively speaking much richer China. Follow the highway for only a few kilometers before joining a small country road that slaloms eastwards along the Chinese border.
Your journey is with hilly curves, rice terraces, and river views. You will end in Bac Ha, a typical Northern Vietnamese village located in a valley with vibrant people.
Day 5: Bac Ha - Ha Giang (195 kilometers / 121 miles)
Just north of Bac Ha, turn right onto a dirt road. Tourists never use this route nor is the road suitable for big traffic. The rocky highland between the two places gives rise to a very special landscape. Ride through a spectacular region studded with jagged rocks. The small Hmong villages along the way do not see many passersby. After a beautiful descent, you will arrive in Xin Man and stop here for lunch.
Just outside of Xin Man, cross the bridge and turn right. Follow the river to the village of Huang Su Phi. There are many Nung people here. Furthermore, there are many Nung villages en route. After a coffee break follow one of the most beautiful rice terrace regions of Vietnam. With each bend, there is yet another view of the beautiful green terraces.
For the last section today, follow the highway to the provincial capital of Ha Giang. One needs to watch out a bit in the busy traffic. Stay the night here in a resort on the river, just outside the center.
Day 6: Ha Giang - Meo Vac (165 kilometers / 103 miles)
Leave not too early for your ride through an exceptionally beautiful and unique karst mountain region. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site, ‘Kart Plateau Geopark’ locally known as ‘Dong Van - Meo Vac', after the two largest villages. Immediately after Ha Giang, the road narrows and you'll climb over a beautiful ridge.
Take your time to experience and absorb the breathtaking landscape and the hardworking hill tribes that are able to grow maize in apparently impossible places.
There are still real communist strongholds found in the remote areas of the province. Meo Vac is such a stronghold. All the stone buildings in the city are government buildings decorated with red banners. In order to reach Meo Vac, you first need to cross a few high passes. This is one of the most beautiful tours of the trip! Again, here you are not far off from the Chinese border. Stay overnight in a reasonably basic hotel.
Day 7: Meo Vac - Ba Be (195 kilometers / 121 miles)
Rise early today in preparation for a long adventurous day. In the morning, ride from Meo Vac to Bao Lac. This is a wonderful peaceful route through a rolling landscape covered with rice terraces. After lunch, ride along narrow inland roads to Ba Be Lake which is located in the eponymous National Park. This lake is the largest in the country. It is about seven kilometers long and one kilometer wide.
The lake area is surrounded by unusual jagged karst. Within the park boundaries, there are also a number of villages with ethnic minorities, such as the Tay, Red Dao, and Witte H'mong.
Day 8: Ba Be - Hanoi (220 kilometers / 137 miles)
This is a long day’s ride back to the capital. In the morning the roads are quiet, but after Than Nguyen, it gets busier. It is the last stage of the trip but perhaps the most special one. For many participants, riding into the city in the massive traffic is a fantastic end to the trip.
Day 9: Hanoi - Departure
If you have not booked the extension for Ha Long Bay, then you will leave early in the morning to go to Hanoi Airport (HAN) for the flight back home.
Motorbikes
You will ride on a Kawasaki KLX or Honda CRF 150cc. There is a limited option to upgrade to an XR 250cc motorbike.
Difficulty and offroad
During this trip through North Vietnam, ride neither at high altitudes nor through extremely desolate regions. Ride on light motorcycles which makes the trip suitable also for those riders who have never undertaken an adventurous motorcycle trip before. The daily distances are not long so there are frequent opportunities for stopping along the way to take photographs or to visit villages.
What might well prove difficult, however, is dealing with the busy traffic in and around Hanoi. Only a small section of the trip goes over dirt roads and tracks. These trails are sometimes difficult but most of the time possible without any offroad experience.
Skill levels required for this tour: beginner, intermediate, and 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
Instructors
Marco Brand
In 1991, Marco started to travel as a regular backpacker. He made a one-year journey through America, Australia, and Southeast Asia. After returning to The Netherlands, he started working as a tour guide for Koning Aap Travel, a Dutch adventure tour company. For eight years, he guided dozens of tours in many different countries on almost all continents. During his private time, he traveled the entire Asian continent, but most of all Southeast Asia. To share his enthusiasm and knowledge of the area, he organized in the year 2000 his first Motor Trails motorbike tour in Vietnam.
Robbert Van Bussel
In 2010, Robbert made his first long-distance trip abroad to Vietnam and he was immediately sold. The love for traveling and the enthusiasm to discover countries and cultures was born. This resulted, among other things, in his choice to study International Management and internships abroad in Hong Kong and Ethiopia. After briefly working in international sales, he quickly came to the conclusion that he wanted to take a different path. During a trip through Uganda and Rwanda with Motor Trails, his passions for traveling and motorcycling and the pleasure of interacting with groups came together
Remco Van Stappershoesf
Remco studied business economics at the University of Amsterdam and worked for a number of years in business. When he worked as a management consultant in Uganda in 2002 and 2003, he became addicted to riding a motorbike in this beautiful country and surrounding countries. During that time he spend about 20,000 km on a 125cc Susuki through East Africa. Since then, he has combined his permanent work with travel and travel. For the Dutch travel agency Sawadee, he worked as a tourguide in Africa, but also in the Middle East and Asia. In 2009 he traveled through Latin America for six months.
Location
The mountains of Northern Vietnam are inhabited by numerous ethnic groups. Each group has its own traditions, language, and dress. You will encounter different people and visit colorful markets via stunning mountain roads.
Food
Some breakfasts are included.
The following meals are included:
- Breakfast
- Drinks
The following drinks are included:
- Water
The following dietary requirement(s) are served and/or catered for:
- Regular (typically includes meat and fish)
What's included
- All airport transfers
- All overnight stays based on a double room, usually with breakfast
- An overnight stay in Homestay
- Motorcycle rental
- Local English-speaking tour guide or mechanic on the motorcycle for 4 to 5 participants
- Dutch-speaking tour guide on motorbike for groups of 6 or more participants.
- Support car with local driver from 6 participants
- Traveling mechanic in support car from 6 participants
- Extensive travel manual
What's not included
- Gasoline engines
- Other meals and drinks
- Personal expenses
- Travel and cancellation insurance
- Visa costs
How to get there
Recommended Airports
Noi Bai International Airport
20 km
Transfer included
Cancellation Policy
- A reservation requires a deposit of 18.15% of the total price.
- The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.
- The rest of the payment should be paid 30 days before arrival.
For this organizer you can guarantee your booking through Tripaneer.com. All major credit cards supported.