Route Map: Hanoi to Cuc Phuong by Motorbike

Updated 26/01/2025
the Hanoi to Cuc Phuong route ends at the park gate

Cuc Phuong National Park is the first of its kind in Vietnam. It is filled with great things to do and see, such as: Primate Rescue Centre, 5km trek, Cave of Prehistoric Man. It is a lesser known and visited wonder of Vietnam.

If you are fortunate enough to be there in Spring you may even see the annual butterfly hatching, which is a breathtaking sight.

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Route Map: Hanoi to Cuc Phuong by Motorbike

Hanoi to Cuc Phuong National Park is about 140km direct. It can be driven by motorbike in around 3.5-4hrs going on the highway (QL) route. The route turns wuite scenic, quite wuickly and there are one or two, but the real highlights are in the park itself.

Our route steers clear of AH13 / QL6 and QL21b because they are heavily trafficked and stressful to drive on.

Hanoi to Cuc Phuong - Direct Route

This route totals around 140km and will take around 4 hrs. You can choose to do this direct if you are in a rush, or take a detour, which we show you below.

Morning: Hanoi to Lac Thuy / 75km 2.5 – 3 hrs

Hanoi to Cuc Phuong AM

Afternoon: Lac Thuy – Cuc Phuong / 55km 1.5 – 2 hrs

Hanoi to Cuc Phuong PM

Hanoi to Cuc Phuong (Detours)

The Hanoi to Cuc Phuong route is a very easy ride along the QL highway. This will get you used to the traffic flow in Vietnam and get you to the park quickly. Once you are more used to the traffic, you might like to take the detour below and wind through the smaller towns along the way.

Detour 1

This route is 50km long and slightly shorter than the direct route, but it will take longer because the road is smaller and you will be going through little towns. It is a little slower and there is more local life to see on the road.

Detour 1 Google Map

Where to stay in Cuc Phuong

In Cuc Phuong, we like to stay in the park headquarters or in Ho Mac.

There are plenty of other hotels, resorts and homestays in the area, but they are a little way away from the park and the highlights.

Where to next

From Cuc Phuong, you could be heading back to Hanoi directly or over to Ninh Binh and then Hanoi.

If you are heading further Northwest, you will be going to the Mai Chau, Moc Chau area.

If you are going further South, then you will then go down to Thai Hoa, Tan Ky or even Thanh Chuong.

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. You will also find that they handle the long trips on the highway better than the automatic bikes.

Honda XR150

The XR150 is a great budget option that will perform well on the road and on the small tracks, if you choose to find them. 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 highway. 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 overload 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 Cuc Phuong by Motorbike

The direct route can be a little dull, but it does give you the chance to get used to the bike and the traffic in Vietnam. We choose the CT03 route over the QL6 or QL21b because it is a little less crowded and simpler to drive.

Once you are feeling a little more at ease you might take the route through Chi Ne on the smaller road and soak up a little more of the atmosphere.

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)