Northern Vietnam is always a good choice for motorbike touring in Vietnam, with around 80 % of the area is mountainous, North Vietnam offers plenty of ideal routes for motorcycle ride, in addition this mountainous area is also the land of tradition and culture of ethnic people. Doing this 12 day motorcycle tour in North Vietnam with the experienced local team of Hanoi Motorcycle Tour is one of the the best ways to see the real Vietnam.
Day 1: Hanoi – Mai Chau : 170 km (L,D – Home stay)
This Hanoi motorbike tour to Mai Chau valley starts at around 8:30 AM. Ride motorbike to the north west of Hanoi. After one hour riding, we will be in mountain area and the motorcycle tour to Mai Chau becomes very enjoyable. The ride is almost on the small countryside roads along the Da river through rice fields and farming villages, after lunch in Hoa Binh we will ride through plenty of limestone mountain between the rustic village of the Muong and the Thai people. Especially after lunch in Hoa Binh we will have great ride along the Da river lake, the winding road along the rider offer a stunning view of lime stone mountain and the green water lake. The ride will remind you motorcycle tours on coastlines in central or southern Vietnam. This route is the new discovery of Vietnam Motorbike Tour Expert Co, Ltd so it makes the trip different. Arrive Mai Chau valley at around 5 PM.
Day 2: Mai Chau – Phu Yen: 150 km (B,L,D – Hotel stay)
Breakfast at 8:00 am, It’s a easy and relaxing riding day so after breakfast we can take it easy with a short walk around the village to learn more about the interesting daily life of the Thai people. After saying good bye the hosts, we continue the Northern Vietnam motorcycle tour to Moc Chau, getting out of the valley by riding up and up to higher lands, we will see more villages of the Mong people. Once we get close to Moc Chau plateau, we’ll make a turn to small quiet road named Hua Tat pass, that is old French-built road with a great view of mountain so you can surely have great motorcycle ride on.
After lunch in Moc Chau, we will motorbike all the way down to the Da river lake to cross the river lake to Phu Yen. Before getting to Phu Yen town, we will have beautiful ride along the Da river this could be the highlight of this Northwest Vietnam motorbike tour. The ride will remind you of the motorcycle tour on coastlines in Central or in the South Vietnam. We’ll finish the day at the hotel in small town of Phu Yen at 4:30 pm.
Day 3: Phu Yen – Son La: 170 km (B,L,D – Hotel stay)
After breakfast with “Pho” – or local rice noodle soup, we will keep motorcycle touring Northern Vietnam to Son La. The ride toady is almost on the sealed road but offers a beautiful view of mountains with terrace fields and many nice villages of the Thai people. it also provides a great opportunity to watch the daily life of the local hill tribes. We continue through rolling hills before rising up to the sugar cane growing areas on the cooler plateau Son La. This Northwest Vietnam motorbike tour to Son La is another easy ride but you won’t feel boring because you will see many things in difference from the mountain view of 2 days before. Arrive Son la city at around 4:30 pm, after checking in the room, we can have short walk to the vestige of Son La prison – one of the most horrible prison built by the French. That visit will help to learn more about the Indochina War.
Day 4: Son La – Muong Lay: 180 km (B,L,D – Hotel stay)
This is quite big day with a lot of challenges to ride off-road or to be winding with the mountain passes but it is the highlight of the motorbike tour northern Vietnam. The first half of the ride is on smooth road No 6 through some mountain passes especially we will cross the famous Pha Din pass, one of the longest and most beautiful passes in North Vietnam. The Vietnamese government did build another pass instead of the old Pha Din pass but the old one is still ideal for motorcycle riding because it shows more beautiful view and almost quiet so it still one of the best passes for motorcycle tours in North Vietnam. After the long and beautiful Pha Din pass, we will have lunch and the ride after lunch is completely different. We will make a turn to a back countryside roads, in addition it’s possible to have some great offroad motorcycle ride along the rugged roads to Muong Lay. We arrive the riverside town of Muong Lay at 5:00 pm.
Day 5: Muong lay – Sin Ho – Lai Chau: 130 km (B,L,D – Hotel stay)
It’s a short motorbike tour to Lai Chau but it could be the best motorbike trip in North Vietnam including on and offroad ride with amazing view of mountains, river and rice fields. We start the ride with a great riding along the Da river lake. It cant speak highly enough the beauty of this ride it’s likely the motorbike tour on coastline in Central Vietnam but you can see more beautiful view of mountains here. After the ride along the river bank, we’ll hit the winding pass up and up to Sin Ho town where we have lunch. The town locates at the level of around 1500 meters above the sea so it’s usually foggy and cloudy and it’s a good destination for motorbike touring in Vietnam. After lunch we hit the road down all the way to Lai Chau. This short motorbike ride promises to be one of the best off-road motorbike tours Vietnam. We will finish the enjoyable Northern Vietnam motorbike tour to Lai Chau at 4: 00 pm, check in at the local hotel and enjoy a short walk around the market in town.
Day 6 : Lai Chau – Sapa : 120 km (B,L,D – Hotel stay)
The motorbike tour to Sapa starts at 8:00 am. The first 50 km is on the sealed and smooth road with a great view of mountain and crosses through many rustic villages of the colorful hill tribes. The other half of the route to Sapa is crossing the O Qui Ho pass – one of the most beautiful and longest passes in North Vietnam. The view of the mountain here makes the Vietnam motorbike tour to Sapa becomes one of the most enjoyable motorcycle tours in North Vietnam. We’ll be in Sapa at noon time, lunch is served in a fancy restaurant with all great local food. Checking in the hotel after that and in the afternoon we can have short walk to the village of the H’mong people or take a short motorbike tour around Sapa to some rustic villages where the other tourists do trekking to.
Day 7: Sapa Motorbike Tour to Bac Ha: 150 km (B,L,D – Home stay)
We’ll start the day at about 9:00 am when the sun clear out most of the fog. Continue the 12 Northern Vietnam motorbike tour with the slow ride out of the Sapa town. Instead of riding on the big road down to Lao Cai, we’ll take a turn right after the Sapa town to ride on the rugged winding road through villages of the Red Dzao, H’Mong…we will have chance to see the Chinese border when we get to Lao Cai city. After a hot coffee at the border, we have easy Vietnam motorcycle tour to Bac Ha on the winding, smooth road, crossing some beautiful mountain passes and finish the day in a peaceful village of Bac Ha. We will do home stay with the Tay people.
Day 8: Bac Ha – Ha Giang: 180 km ( Offroad motorbike tour to Ha Giang) – B,L,D – Hotel stay
It’s a big day of this motorcycle tour in North Vietnam. the ride is quite long and offers most off-road and back road motorbike ride through many villages of the hill tribes. In addition, if we do this tour in the rice season we will have great pictures of the rice terrace fields. It’s quite hard ride for the novice but could be one of the best Vietnam motorcycle tour. We will be in Ha Giang at 5:00 pm. You can choose to stay in town at the hotel or stay in a quiet village of the Tay people nearby Ha Giang.
Day 9 : Ha Giang – Dong Van: 150 km (B,L,D – Hotel stay)
It’s another great ride! After many years riding motorbike to Ha Giang, this ride today still makes us feel excited. The road is mostly quiet (along the Chinese border), the scenery is imposing and the local tribe is unique, that makes the Ha Giang motorbike tour to Dong Van is one of the best motorbike tours in Vietnam. We can have beautiful pictures at every meters of the road. We anyway have to end the day in Dong Van town at around 5 pm. Stay in a guesthouse in town.
Day 10: Dong Van – Bao Lac: 160 km (B,L,D – Hotel stay)
Keep enjoying the Northern Vietnam motorbike tour to Bao Lac. The ride in the morning is still on the Global Rock plateau of Dong Van – Ha Giang so you still have great pictures of the stunning view; especially, we’ll cross the Ma Pi Leng – one of the most beautiful passes in Northern Vietnam that surely makes you stop for picturing even though your camera is being full of beautiful things. The motorbike ride in the afternoon offers a different view of mountain when we’re going down and down along the Nho Que river. We will be at the hotel in Bao Lac around 5:00 pm
Day 11: Bao Lac – Ba Be Lake: 150 km (B,l,D – Home stay)
Unlike the days before, the motorbike tour to Ba Be lake today is a difference. With the experienced team of Hanoi Motorcycle Tour, you will have great off-road motorbike tour or interesting ride on back countryside roads to Ba Be National park. This short Vietnam motorbike tour Ba Be will finish at the lunch time in the village nearby the lake. After lunch, we will have enjoyable boat tour around Ba Be lake for about 1,5 hour. We’ll stay overnight in the village of the Tay people who live nearby the Ba Be national park.
Day 12: Ba Be lake – Hanoi: 240 km (B,L)
It’s a big riding day to finish the great motorbike tour in North Vietnam. The experienced team of Vietnam Motorbike Tour Expert will do the best to keep you away from the big and busy road as long as possible. The last 50 km could be busy ride while we get closer to the city center. We will be back to the hotel and say good bye to our team before rush hours just in order to end your great motorbike trip easily and safely.
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