Uncle Ty’s Farmstay: Perfect Retreat

the sign outside Uncle Ty's Farmstay

Table of Contents

Uncle Ty's Farmstay

If you want to get out of town for a day or two, then Uncle Ty’s Farmstay is the perfect place for you. Having been there 3 times, I think I can safely say it’s one of my favorite getaways from Hanoi and it isn’t as far as the now overcrowded Mai Chau.

You can rent a bike from us to take the trip! It is only 80km from Hanoi or about 1 ½ hrs motorbike, so it is easy to get to and you also pass through some of Ba Vi district’s most beautiful places. Bloom Microventures set up the Uncle Ty’s Farmstay project and we at Rentabike are really happy to support them because it is a good project and because it’s a great place.

the Ba Vi mountains on a clear day
the Ba Vi mountains on a clear day

Uncle Ty's Farmstay - Full Map

For a complex map of routes, interesting locations, and notes, see this map. For only route information, look at the map below. There are several routes to get there and this means you can choose to spend more or less time on the road, make a loop, or take a detour to some interesting locations on the way.

Take a look at the map below to see what is possible before planning your route. For those who want to chill and get out of the smog of Hanoi, I would suggest a simple out and back. This also gives enough time to stop on the way to practice Vietnamese with locals.

Uncle Ty's Farmstay - Route Only

For more detail concerning just the route take a look at the map above and choose which layer you think will suit you. Remember your average speed is likely to be slow, some 40km an hour, once you allow for drink stops and maybe photos. A brief outline of some possibilities is given below.

Out and Back

This is the most direct and quickest way to get to Uncle Ty’s farm stay. If you want to just get there and chill then, this is the route for you. We’ve started from Big C as it is basically the beginning of the Hoa Lac Highway (CT08). How you choose to get there from your location in town depends….

So, it really is quite simple, follow the Hoa Lac Highway  (stay on the side road, which is for motorbikes). You can keep going straight and then turn left onto the new Hoa Lac – Hoa Binh Highway or take the short detour south on Highway 21a before turning onto the DT 446 (good idea), or head a little further towards Ba Vi before turning and ending up on that same road.

Loops

If you prefer to take a loop so that you don’t drive on the same roads too much(some is inevitable) then look at these options.

Through Son Tay

The longest route to get out to Uncle Ty’s Farmstay. This route takes you along the Red River and through the town of Son Tay, where you can stop for lunch and maybe look at the old citadel. After that, you can choose to skirt Ba Vi National Park [click to see our blog on that] and take a small road along the Ma River down to the Farmstay. Two shorter routes would be to take either the QL21a or the DT87 South  and then get on the Hoa Lac Hoa Binh Highway for the last part of the trip. 

Back on Highway 6

It is possible to take the DT 445 South to Ky Son and the junction with Highway 6 and then just follow the 6 back into Hanoi. You will meet quite a lot of traffic after Xuan Mai and then end up on some of the busiest roads that Hanoi has to offer (Tay Son, Ton Duc Thang….) This is a shorter route but the stress of the drive might not be worth it.  

Back via Hoa Binh Dam

This is the longest route to get back from the farm stay. However, it is on good road so not necessarily much slower and you get to hang out at the dam. In all my years here I have only once seen the gates open. It is a great sight but it does not happen often. 

 To avoid driving on highway 6 to and from the dam you should hunt down the ferry crossing and take the road on the opposite bank of the river. This road is quieter and more pleasant to drive on, so it is worthwhile doing so. Then it simply follows the road, with the river on your left, down to the dam. 

When at the dam, you can take a tour of the power station, visit the museum, take refreshments, buy some souvenirs, drive THROUGH the dam and then also visit the huge Uncle Ho statue on the hillside. On the side with the power plant, there are several shops selling gifts and ice creams but on the other side, there are many roadside vendors who will welcome your VND. 

From then on, it is back on Highway 6 directly to Hanoi unless you choose to take DT 446, the H21 back to Hoa Lac or the cut-through to Quoc Oai (TL 412b) and then on to Hanoi. My personal favorite is to take the Quoc Oai route.

Honda FTR parked at Hoa Binh Dam
Honda FTR parked at Hoa Binh Dam

Mix and Match Routes

For all of the above routes, it is a good idea to mix and match and choose the route that suits you, your companions, driving styles and the weather conditions. This makes the whole thing so much more of an independent thing.

Things to do

When you are at Uncle Ty’s Farmstay, you can choose to while away the day under the stilt house relaxing in a hammock. However, if you have more energy or need to entertain kids, there are a whole bunch of things to do. You can swim or go boating in the dam lake, take a trek through the countryside or around the village, catch a fish or duck, or even set the kids to some handicraft like egg painting or basket weaving. There really is something for everyone and the rooms and toilet facilities are uber clean and the food is absolutely fantastic. It’s totally worth a visit.

Uncle Ty's Farmstay, one of our favourite places to stay
Uncle Ty's Farmstay, one of our favourite places to stay

Benefit the Community

Uncle Ty’s is a community project and is based on a micro-finance model combined with a community development model. So, the family that hosts you benefit from loans and skills training and the community benefit from part of the profit being used for village projects to upgrade infrastructure and schooling amongst other areas. This is seven more reasons to visit and put your cash directly into the hands of the locals.

Weekend Package

I prefer to drive the bike out but if you don’t wish to do so, or you have group members that wish to take a car, Uncle Ty’s Farmstay themselves offer a weekend package and you can find more details on their Facebook page.

a group photo at Uncle Ty's Homestay
a group photo at Uncle Ty's Homestay

Quick Connect

BMW 1250 GS

Engine Type

air-liquid cooled, twin cylinder, DOHC, boxer engine

Displacement

1255 cc

Bore X Stroke

102.5 mm x 76 mm

Ignition

FI

Fuel System

fuel injection

Compression Ratio

12.5:1

Starter

electric

Gearbox

6-speed

Front Suspension

BMW Motorrad Telelever; stanchion diameter 37 mm

Rear Suspension

single-sided swing arm with BMW Motorrad Paralever

Front Brakes

dual disc brake, floating brake discs, diameter 305 mm, 4-piston radial calipers

Rear Brakes

single disc brake, diameter 276 mm, double-piston floating caliper

Front Tyres

120/70 R19

Rear Tyres

170/60 R17

Wheelbase

1514 mm

Seat Height

850 mm

Ground Clearance

790 mm

Kerb Weight

249 kg

Fuel Capacity

20 litres

Dimensions

2207 mm (L) x 952.5mm (W) x 1430 mm (H)

Honda XR 150 motorcycle rental

Engine Type

air cooled, OHC, single cylinder

Displacement

149 cc

Bore X Stroke

57.3 mm x 57.8 mm

Ignition

CDI

Fuel System

20 mm piston valve carburettor

Compression Ratio

9.5:1

Starter

electric with kick starter backup

Gearbox

5-speed

Front Suspension

telescopic fork, 180 mm axle travel

Rear Suspension

single shock swing arm, 150 mm axle travel

Front Brakes

dual piston caliper, 240 mm disc

Rear Brakes

mechanical drum

Front Tyres

90/90 19

Rear Tyres

110/90 17

Wheelbase

1362 mm

Seat Height

825 mm

Ground Clearance

243 mm

Kerb Weight

129 kg

Fuel Capacity

12 litres

Dimensions

2091 mm (L) x 811 mm (W) x 1125 mm (H)

Honda CB 500X motorcycle rental

Engine Type

liquid cooled parallel-twin four stroke

Displacement

470 cc

Bore X Stroke

67 mm x 66.8 mm

Ignition

PGMI – FI

Fuel System

fuel injection

Compression Ratio

10.7:1

Starter

electric

Gearbox

6-speed

Front Suspension

41 mm SFF-BP USD Forks

Rear Suspension

Prolink Mono with 5 stage pre load adjuster

Front Brakes

dual 296 mm discs with 4 piston calipers; ABS

Rear Brakes

240 mm disc; ABS

Front Tyres

110/80R19M/C (59H)

Rear Tyres

160/60R17M/C

Wheelbase

1445 mm

Seat Height

830 mm

Ground Clearance

180 mm

Kerb Weight

199 kg

Fuel Capacity

17.7 litres

Dimensions

2,155 mm (L) x 830 mm (W) x 1,410 mm (H)

Honda CRF 300 motorcycle rental

Engine Type

single cylinder, DOHC, liquid cooled

Displacement

286 cc

Bore X Stroke

76 mm x 63 mm

Ignition

Full Transistor Digital

Fuel System

PGM-FI electronic fuel injection

Compression Ratio

10.7:1

Starter

electric

Gearbox

5-speed

Front Suspension

43 mm telescopic upside down

Rear Suspension

Prolink Mono with 5 stage pre load adjuster

Front Brakes

256 mm disc, 2 piston caliper

Rear Brakes

220 mm disc, single piston caliper

Front Tyres

80/100 21

Rear Tyres

120/80 18

Wheelbase

1455 mm

Seat Height

880 mm

Ground Clearance

285 mm

Kerb Weight

142 kg

Fuel Capacity

7.8 litres

Dimensions

2230 mm (L) x 820 mm (W) x 1200 mm (H)

Tourist

One-Way

Expat

Pricing

N/A

N/A

Damage Waiver

$0/day

N/A

N/A

Security Deposit

N/A

N/A

Required Docs

passport

N/A

N/A

Mileage Limit

unlimited

N/A

N/A

Touring

N/A

N/A