8 Day Northern Vietnam Off-Road Guided Motorcycle Tour For Experienced Riders

Overview

This 8 days Northern Vietnam off-road motorcycle tour to Ha Giang, Sapa, Yen Bai, Mu Cang Chai, Son La, and Lai Chau from Hanoi offers you the full chance to taste the most stunning landscapes of the north-east and the northwest of Vietnam with curvy steep passes, dirt tracks, muddy backroads, and single trails to get lost into unspoiled places to approach authentic local cultures.

Highlights

• Starts and ends in Hanoi
• Visit Pac Ngoi – a beautiful village of Tay people at Ba Be lake’s side
• Motorbike across some streams
• Take a scenic route climbs over many passes
• Stop in Ha Giang, located at the highest latitude in Vietnam
• English-speaking guide
• 7 nights accommodation
• Meals as indicated in the itinerary

Itinerary

1. Day 1: Hanoi to Ba Be Lake (230 km / 143 mi)

   This great motorcycle tour to the north of Vietnam starts at around 8 a.m. You will try the best to avoid busy city road in the morning until Cho Chu town (in Thai Nguyen province) where you have lunch. After lunch, you will surely have enjoyable motorcycle ride to Ba Be because the roads have less traffic and give you a lot of grand mountain view. At about 4 p.m., you arrive in Pac Ngoi – a beautiful village of Tay people which is located peacefully at Ba Be's lakeside. Dinner and stay with the Tay’s family. Ba Bể Lake (Vietnamese: Hồ Ba Bể – Ba means “Three”, Bể is from the Tay language word

2. Day 2: Babe Lake to Dong Van via Meo Vac (210 km / 130 mi)

   Saying good bye to the family, you’ll ride the motorbike on the back-roads through some rustic villages and the jungle. Then you motorbike across some streams. This promises to be a great day for off-road Vietnam motorbike touring. You will stop in Bao Lac town for lunch and then continue to Meo Vac by taking a scenic route climbs over many passes where you can enjoy beautiful mountain ranges and the Nho Que river. Arrive at Meo Vac by 5 p.m. Dinner in town and hotel stay. Meo Vac Town is located in the heart of the Dong Van Rock Plateau, which was recognized as part of the Global Geo-Park Net

3. Day 3: Dong Van to Ha Giang (180 km / 112 mi)

   Today’s ride promises to be the highlight of this motorcycle trip in north Vietnam as you will visit one of the most remote land in Vietnam where you can see many ethnic groups with their unique cultures and imposing mountains such as: Pi Leng Pass – one of the 4 longest and most beautiful passes in North Vietnam, the Rock Plateau, the Vuong palace in Dong Van, The “Heaven Gate” in Quan Ba. This is for sure the best motorbike ride in Vietnam with many interesting and amazing things in every meter of the road. Arrive in Ha Giang in the late afternoon. Dinner and stay with the other Tay’s family

4. Day 4: Ha Giang to Sa Pa (220 km / 137 mi)

   Today you head straight towards the North-western mountain where the main Fanxipan Mountain range dominates the road until Sa Pa. The road is very smooth with a good view of green mountain, rice fields between lovely villages of the hill tribes. After a short break in Lao Cai to see Chinese border, you will have a very beautiful motorbike ride up to Sa Pa. This motorbike ride goes up and up till 1,600 meters above sea level. It offers a great view of the mountain with terrace fields and it must be one of the best motorbike rides in North Vietnam. Arrive in Sa Pa at around 5:30 p.m., overnight

5. Day 5: Sapa to Mu Cang Chai via Than Uyen (170 km / 106 mi)

   You are free to explore Sapa until 1:30 p.m., check out of the hotel and you continue the route to Than Uyen. You will make a splendid climb up from Sa Pa to the top of the highest road pass in Vietnam (Tram Ton Pass), crossing into Lai Chau Province at over 2000 m above sea level. This is a short motorbike ride but could be the most enjoyable motorbike tour from Sa Pa. The ride offers you an amazing view of the Hoang Lien mountain ranges for miles and miles. You arrive in Than Uyen by 5 p.m. Dinner and overnight in hotel. Summary: - Distance: 170 km - Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner - Accommo

6. Day 6: Mu Cang Chai to Ta Xua Peak – Dinosaur Backbone (180 km / 112 mi)

   You keep riding up and down into a forested and high mountain region populated by H’mong peoples. You will hike up a very high mountain pass before descending into a mountainous tea-growing region. Soon after you follow along the valley floor covered in a sea of rice surrounded by Hmong and Thai’s villages all the way to Ta Xua peak. At the highest point of 2865 meters, the Ta Xua peak is the tenth highest peak in Vietnam. The three most important peaks form a line that looks like the back of a dinosaur. It is a real off-the-beaten-track destination. After having lunch at a local restaurant en

7. Day 7: Ta Xua to Nghia Lo via Tram Tau (120 km / 75 mi)

   In this morning, you’ll keep exploring beauties of this amazing land with some dirt tracks to get deeper inside the villages before leaving to Tram Tau of Yen Bai province on a newly-opened short-cut by the iron horses. Tram Tau is home to 11 groups of peoples of which the Hmong accounts for 77%, the Thai 16% and the others are Kinh, Khmu, Tay, Muong… The terrain of Tram Tau is dissected by high mountains and deep ravines becomes hot destination for adventure motorbike riders. The averaged altitude is 800m above sea level, the lowest altitude is 390 m above sea level. The temperatures in Tram

8. Day 8: Nghia Lo to Hanoi (220 km / 137 mi)

   Nghia Lo is located on Highway 32 and about 200 km away from Hanoi. Muong Lo is the second-largest rice terraces in the Northwest of Vietnam with the famous water rice and Muong Lo – Nghia Lo is the cradle of Thai people who is famous for unique culture and food. In this morning, you’ll be at leisure a bit before riding back to Hanoi. En route, you’ll stop by some very nice places / great spots to defy yourself with some dirt tracks to discover the beauties of Muong Lo Valley with tea plantations / terraces, villages. Finally, you will be back to the hotel before rush hours in order to end the

Ride Details

Bike

rental bike (Honda or Yamaha models)

Riding gear

included: helmet

Accommodation

You will be accommodated in homestays and hotels.

Food

You will have delicious breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. Bottled water, coffee, and fruits are also provided while on tour.

Getting There

On this trip, you will begin in Hanoi then continue to Ba Be Lake, Meo Vac, Dong Van, Ha Giang, Sapa, Than Uyen, Mu Cang Chai, Phu Yen, Ta Xua, Tram Tau, Nghia Lo, and back to Hanoi. [+](https://www.tripaneer.com/vietnam-motorbike-tour/8-day-northern-vietnam-off-road-guided-motorcycle-tour-for-experienced-riders# "Zoom in") [−](https://www.tripaneer.com/vietnam-motorbike-tour/8-day-northern-vietna