Mai Chau Valley is a scenic area situated southwest of Hanoi. It is very easy to get to on the main highway as it has been a tourist hot spot for many decades. However, once you turn off the main road it gets much more interesting. So, we have added a couple of detours to help you make the most out of your trip.
Hanoi to Mai Chau Valley is about 140km direct. It can be driven by motorbike in around 3.5 – 4hrs going on the highway. There are a few great places to stop off, if you take one or two of the detours so it is worthwhile leaving in plenty of time to do so.
This route totals around 150km and will take around 4 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.
There is plenty of fuel on the route and also a lot of cafes and restaurants to stop. You may like to make your halfway point Hoa Binh City and the Hoa Binh Dam is a good place to do that.
Hanoi to Mai Chau is a very easy ride along the highway. You can get there very quickly if you want or you can meander a little and take one or two of these detours to spice up the ride.
This route takes you off the main road and is at first a little muddy and bumpy. Then, it becomes tarmac and is smoother but does have potholes. You will eventually end up running along the Black River on a good sealed road that has minimal traffic.
This route is good sealed tarmac with even less traffic that Detour 1. The reason to do this is so that you can take the ferry and also get on the quieter side of the Black River It will take you straight into either Hoa Binh city or the Dam.
This is a long detour that starts on on good, fast tarmac road and take you to the suspension bridge. After that, the road is smaller as it winds through the villages, but it is sealed and is easy to drive. There are a few small shops in the villages but they are not always open so carry some water.
This route is a long one, about 45km, and will add around 1.5 – 2hrs to your journey time. Make sure you have enough time to get to Mai Chau before dark.
It starts out on the main road which is quite wide and sealed and then, when you turn off at Lung Van Market, it starts to get narrower and more winding. This is the beautiful part that takes you through some small villages.
This is another long detour, about 30km, and will take a good 1.5 to 2 hrs of your time. If you took Be sure you have enough time to get to Mai Chau before dark.
You ride on some flat and quite fast sealed road through small villages to the lake shore and then, from the viewpoint roughly, the road gets a little narrower, steeper and more windy. It is an easy tarmac ride but just wathc out for oncoming traffic. Then, it is a short hop on the highway to Mai Chau.
In Mai Chau Village, some hotels we like to stay in are:
These are good clean hotels with air con, hot water and en suite bathrooms. They also provide dinner and breakfast.
Some homestays we like to stay in are:
These are good clean homestay with good food and friendly families that run them. They also provide dinner and breakfast.
From Mai Chau, you could be heading back to Hanoi directly or taking in Pu Luong on your way.
If you are heading further Northwest, you will be going to Moc Chau and then Son La, or up to Bac Yen and perhaps over to Ta Xua.
If you are following our Black River Loop tour, you will also know that you could go North to cross the Hoa Binh Lake and stay in Da Bia.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The ride from Hanoi over to Mai Chau 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 are on the CTO3 towards Hoa Lac most traffic will be going one way and is easier to handle.
The main route is just highway so we suggest you look at the detours we offer and take at least one of them.
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15a Ng. 12 Đ. Đặng Thai Mai, Quảng An, Tây Hồ, Hà Nội 100000, Vietnam
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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)
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)
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)
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
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)