Northwest Vietnam Motorbike Tour – 10 Days

Day 1: Hanoi Motorbike Ride To Mai Chau.  160 km.

At 8:00 am, our guide and driver pick you up at your hotel and take you to our shop in outskirts of Hanoi. Leave the crazy city traffic behind by starting the Northwest Vietnam Motorbike Tour from western outskirts of Hanoi. After more than 1 hour riding, we will be in the mountain area that we can have enjoyable time to feel breathtaking landscape of  Halong bay on land with the rice paddies between limestone mountains. In the afternoon, Keep striking northwest and cross two passes and then before dropping down to the beautiful valley of Mai Chau, we can enjoy a short offroad motorcycle tour in the mountains nearby Hoa Binh. This is the short motorbike ride today but it should be one of the best motorbike ride in north Vietnam. We will finish the ride in Mai Chau valley at 5 PM and  stay overnight with friends of the White Thai minority in a traditional house on stilts. In the evening, after feasting, we can enjoy a cultural show of Thai dancing and a range of special local liquors.

Home stay in Mai Chau

Day 2: Mai Chau – Phu Yen.  170 km.

We can start the day with a easy walk around the village or be lazy with a local café on the stilt-house to feel the peace of the countryside or view the daily life of the local . After saying goodbye to the Thai people we ride to the direction of Moc Chau and turn to the less traveled Road 43 leading to the Da River. It’s a short distance today but if you like offroad motorbike tour, in stead of take an smooth backroads, we will take you on fun offr0ad motorbike tour up to North of Mai Chau. After crossing the reservoir of Da river at Van Yen ferry, we ride on a beautiful winding  road until Phu Yen, the road is along the Da river lake, between the river lake and mountains so it offers great view, it is like a motorcycle tour on the coastal roads in central Vietnam. This must be the easiest and most enjoyable part of this 10 day North Vietnam motorbike tours. we arrive Phu Yen town at around 4:30 PM.

Hotel stay in Phu Yen

Day 3: Phu Yen – Son La. 170 km.

Continuing the North motorbike tour Vietnam on the almost empty Road 37 we enter mountains heavily populated with Black Thai people, who work on large terraced rice fields. The winding road passes through many Thai villages and fields and provides a great opportunity to watch country life passing by. 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.

Overnight in Son La – Hotel stay.

Day 4: Son La – Tuan Giao. 160 km.

After breakfast, we will ride motorbike to northwest from Son La, the road crosses a series of mountain passes and areas of busy Black Thai activity. Children walk to school, kids tend buffaloes, women plant rice seedlings and men pull the buffaloes. Just ride slowly and enjoy the good motorbike ride on a small, quiet and winding road between green mountains , Then we come to the beginning of the very long and steep Pha Din pass where at the top we have vast views of the surrounding mountains the ride on this pass is one of the best part of this north Vietnam motorbike tour. After that we will motorbike ride down on the other side on very steep sealed road.

Overnight in Tuan Giao – Hotel stay.

Day 5: Tuan Giao – Sin Ho. 180 km.

The ride today is another highlight of these North Vietnam motorbike tours. From Tuan Giao, our route is a mixture of on and offroad tracks that pass isolated communities of Hmong and Thai people, whose small villages settle on the banks of dark green rivers and on the steep slopes of the mountains. It offer plenty of visits to local ethnic people who wear beautiful traditional costume. After lunch by a forest stream the road begins to climb up the high Sa Tong pass. At the top for sunset before dropping sharply into the deep Lai Chau valley. Muong Lay town was sunk in early 2010 and our new place for accommodation is Sin Ho, a small remote town. We will end this highlighted day of the motorbike tour North Vietnam at around 5:00 pm.

Stay in Sin Ho – Hotel stay

Day 6: Sin Ho – Sapa. 120 km.

As a Vietnam motorbike tour expert, we suggest to get your cameras ready with a full battery because we will ride on one of the most beautiful mountain passes in Vietnam – the O Qui Ho pass and the motorbike tour to Sapa today is one of the best motorbike ride in north Vietnam. We will head straight toward the main Fanxipan Mountain range. There is also the option for a very challenging back route which takes us through several river crossings. The massive mountain range dominates the road until finally we must make a splendid climb up from Binh Lu and up to the top of the highest road in Vietnam (Tram Ton heaven gate). Crossing into Lao Cai Province at over 2,000m above the sea level, the view looks out over the main range for miles and miles, before we descend to the mountainous Sa Pa valley. Overnight in Sapa.

Day 7: Fresh Body Up in Sapa.

After 6 day mostly offroad motorbike touring around North Vietnam must make you sore so a relaxing day in Sapa is so necessary. Depending on the group’s mood, we can either take it easy in Sa Pa town by foot to enjoy street food at the local markets, or take a cable car to the top of the highest mountain in Vietnam – Fanxipan, or have short Sapa motorcycle tour along the amazing Muong Hoa valley – one of the most beautiful valley in North Vietnam with full of terrace rice fields and colorful hill tribes.  The entire region is populated by Hmong, Giay, Tay and Dao people. Stay in Sapa. Vietnam Motorbike tour expert also suggest to take a good body massage to refresh the body after some riding days. This could be another impressive day of this 10 day North Vietnam motorbike tour.

Day 8: Sapa  – Lam Thuong valley: 180 Km.

Lam Thuong valley is brand new destination found by the local guide team of Vietnam Motorbike Tour Expert, and we can be sure this will be famous for it’s beauty very soon. it located in Luc Yen distric, Yen Bai province. it’s around 80 km km away from Yen Bai city. The travellers can find here beautiful limestone mountains between rice and corn fields, also the peaceful and green villages of the Dzao, Tay people…you can also find here the waterfall…the thing we really love this is the peaceful atmosphere because there is almost no tourists here, it’s really lovely to walk around and see local daily life…we can be sure staying in this nice valley is a “must” of any North Vietnam motorbike tours.

After leaving Sapa town, we motorcycle down the beautiful pass through some villages of the H’Mong and Dzao people until Lao Cai where we can have a quick stop to visit Vietnam and China border gate and then resume the motorbike ride through palm forest all the way to Lam Thuong  and stay in a Dao family who live in the Tay territory. It’s a great homestay, very typical of Vietnam hill tribes and the hosts are very welcoming.

Home stay in Lam Thuong.

Day 9: Lam Thuong valley – Vu Linh – Thac Ba lake: 80 Km (Homestay)

It’s a relaxing ride on a winding road with a nice mountain and lake view.  This north Vietnam motorbike tour to Thac Ba lake is almost on the rugged road a long the lake. We finish the motorbike ride by noon at the village of the Dzao people who located on the Thac Ba lake bank.
After lunch, taking a boat trip around Thac Ba lake – the largest man-made lake in Vietnam for around 2 hours. You will have chance to see Halong bay on mountain area.

Day 10: Vu Linh – Hanoi. 180 km.

After breakfast and leave the family, we will continue enjoying an easy offroad motorbike tour around the Thac Ba lake, it offers a great view of countryside and mountains that not many tourist can see. It could be one of the best offroad motorcycle tours in Vietnam. After that we follow the edge of the Red River along the dyke, almost to the point where it merges with the Black River after which they flow together to Hanoi. By now we are very much in the lowlands of the delta plains and the north’s main agricultural areas. Harvest time here is a sea of activity. Crossing the Black River by bridge, we pass through Son Tay and then return to Hanoi on the highway. Finish the best 10 day North Vietnam motorbike tour safely before rush hours at our shop. Leave the bikes and saying good bye to the Vietnam Motorbike Tour Expert guide team and then back to your hotel by taxi/bus in city center. Tour ends.