Route Map: Hanoi to Bac Son by Motorbike
Updated 25/01/2025
Bac Son Valley is a scenic area situated Northeast of Hanoi on route to Cao Bang Province. The journey is a little dull to start but once you turn off the main road into the Bac Son Valley it gets much more interesting. We have also added a couple of detours to help you make the most out of your day.
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Route Map: Hanoi to Bac Son by Motorbike
Hanoi to Bac Son Valley is about 150km direct. It can be driven by motorbike in around 4 – 4.5hrs going on the highway. Once you turn off onto the smaller roads it becomes quite scenic. There are one or two places to stop on the way and also a couple of detours. Let us show you.
Hanoi - Bac Son - Direct Route
This route totals around 160km and will take around 4.5 hrs. You can choose to do this direct if you are in a rush, or take a couple of detours that we show you below.
Morning: Hanoi to Ba Nang / 100km – 3 – 3.5 hrs
Afternoon: Ba Nang to Bac Son / 60km – 1.5 hrs
Hanoi - Bac Son (Detours)
Hanoi to Bac Son is a very easy ride. Other than Kep Airbase, there is not much to see on the first half of the journey. However, there are a couple of detours you can take in the afternoon.
Detour 1
This route is an extra 30km, but you can see it is possible to shorten this by making the loop smaller. It will take you along a regular road and then on to some small paths through some small villages and farms and likely add about 1hr to your journey time.
Detour 2
This is a very short little route that is a dirt road. It is under construction a the moment, so could become a tarmac road soon. It is a nice little ending to the day.
Where to stay in Quinh Son
In Quinh Son Village we like to stay in:
These homestays have the traditional stilt house shared dorm room as well as private rooms and maybe even small private bungalows. Prices will range from around 150k for a bed to 1mill for a bungalow.
You can also book to have dinner here for convenience.
Where to stay in Bac Son
There are one or two small hotels in Bac Son. They are quite basic, but they have private rooms, air con and ensuite bathrooms, for example:
These hotels are basic but clean.
Where to next.
The obvious route from here is to keep heading northeast towards That Khe, Cao Bang or Quang Uyen as you will likely be heading towards the falls. It is quite easy to do so and there are some smaller roads to take to get there.
What type of bike to choose
We would advise you to choose between a manual or a semi automatic bike. These are the best bikes for a long trip like this and also for when you get into the mountains of northern Vietnam. You have more control and they are less prone to overheating or break down.
Honda XR150
The XR150 is a great budget option that will perform well on the road and in the dirt on the small tracks of Ha Giang. The bike is lightweight, even if a little underpowered. There is plenty of room to fit a 40l bag on the rear, which should hold more than enough for a trip. The 12l tank and great fuel economy mean that this bike has a huge range of over 300km on a tank.
If you plan to ride two up, it might be a bit of a squeeze and you will have to pack very lightly or risk overloading the bike and making it quite rear weighted.
Honda CB500x
The CB500x is a great bike for the long haul drive up to Ha Giang. It is big enough and powerful enough to overtake trucks on the highway and carry two people with ease. Using a rear box and side panniers will give you plenty of room for gear. The 17l tank means you will have enough range for a day’s ride with ease.
The only concern would be taking some of the smaller tracks off road as our bikes have road tyres and the bike itself is quite big and heavy. However, there are plenty of small, interesting tracks that have concrete and are wide enough for the CB500x.
Semi Automatic
The Semi Automatic bikes are a much more budget option. We can offer the Honda Wave, Honda Blade or the Honda Future and they are all quite similar. it is really best to ride single on this kind of bike as this will leave room for a backpack and also not overlaod the bike in the hills. They are very fuel efficient but only have a 4l fuel tank so will need filling more regularly than the manual options.
Hanoi to Bac Son by Motorbike
The ride from Hanoi over to Bac Son is a very easy ride and the only real thing to worry about is getting used to the traffic, which is not a big issue. As always, getting out of Hanoi is a bit of a drag. However, once you turn off into the Bac Son Valley after lunch, you are rewarded with a scenic ride. This takes you through fruit farms and rice paddy and you can slow down to see how the land is farmed.
We have also added a couple of detours to help you make the most out of your day.
