Due North
For lovers of high winding mountain roads.
From $960/rider
1 Reviews:
4.00000/5
Vietnam Motorcycle Tour Map - 8 Day Due North - Rentabike Vietnam - White

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Hanoi
8 Days, 7 Nights
1075 km
Pillions Welcome

Overview

This is the best Vietnam has to offer in terms of motorbiking, scenery and ethnic culture. Ride the western portion of the world-famous Ha Giang Loop through vast karst limestone mountainscapes in Vietnam's far north. Visit the waterfall at Du Gia, Ba Be lake and Tat Ma cave, and hang out with local hill tribe people on one of Vietnam's coolest motorcycle loops.

Genuine Hondas

Professionally maintained. Maximum reliability.

All-inclusive tour

Transparent pricing. No hidden charges.

Third party insurance

Full coverage as standard.

Visa assistance

We'll organise your invitation letter for you.

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Zero commitment. No card details required.

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4 riders
a fun little dirt track in Pu Luong National Park
180 km
6 hours
ride along the Red River; historical French battle site
We get out of Hanoi as quickly as possible so that we can spend time on the smaller roads enjoying the views and being out of the traffic. We can get off onto some of the smaller ATK roads for detours and wind our way over to the Pu Luong Valley before ending up at our secluded homestay.
a sharp bend in the road in Lung, Tam Ha Giang
195 km
6 hours
back roads out of Vu Linh to Luc Yen; small village of Phuong Thien
We are able to stay off the main road for part of this trip and skirt the lake up to Luc Yen. From here, we take a mix of main road and back road to get up to Ha Giang. Here we can visit a few sites in town and settle into our guesthouse to get a good rest for the next day which will be full of sightseeing.
waiting by a river in ha giang
100 km
4 hours
mountain views; Bac Sum Pass
We can choose to take the main route on the QL4c AKA ‘Happiness Road’ and see the main sites of Ha Giang. However, if we are not interested in sightseeing or wish to avoid the crowds, we can take smaller roads up to Yen Minh. Either way, this province will deliver great views and is filled with interesting local ethnic people simply going about their business.
on a medium sized bridge in Dong Van, Ha Giang looking over the Nho Que river and to the mountains
80 km
4 hours
Yen Minh pine forest
We are now in the highlands proper and whichever route we take we will see a lot of interesting things; it may be the people, the traffic, the views or the historical sites. Again, it is possible to take the main route along the 4c or wiggle through the back roads. Group discussion will lead to us deciding which suits us best, however, Sa Phin Market and the H’Mong King’s Palace are not to be missed.
riding through the mountains near Dong Van, North Vietnam on the QL4c road
90 km
4 hours
Du Gia back roads; Du Gia Waterfall; optional challenging roads
Today, we follow the inner roads and get off the ‘Loop’ on our way down to Du Gia. These roads are slightly smaller with less heavy traffic and they take us past small villages hidden away in the hills. It isn’t difficult driving but it still pays to be vigilant.
Ba Be Lake view of the lake
180 km
6 hours
mountain views; Ba Be Lake
This is our most difficult day. We have a long way to go on some tricky roads. Heading to Bac Me is not an issue as the road is good but once we turn off to head South we are going into very wild country which is hard to navigate and full of obstacles. A good breakfast and an early start are in order here.
Bac Kan, the most sparsely populated province in Vietnam
100 km
4 hours
Tat Ma Cave; Tat Nga waterfall; Bac Kan back roads
This is a short and easy day so we can get up late after an evening in Ba Be and still make the trip to Bac Kan in time for tea. We take the smaller roads for adventure’s sake and will face a few challenges on route. Alternatively, we can take the B-roads and have a mellow drive into town. Bac Kan is not known for anything special so it doesn’t pay to get there too early. We can also choose to skip this portion and spend an extra recovery day in Ba Be on the lake. We may need it.
crossing the Cau River, just north of Hanoi
150 km
5 hours
Thai Nguyen
This is usually a straight run along the highway but we are able to take a detour on a smaller, quieter road to avoid a lot of the traffic. However, once we hit Thai Nguyen it is straight back to Hanoi mo messing. The good thing is that we can get into town nice and early and be washed up ready for our farewell dinner.
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FAQ

Choosing a professionally guided tour allows you to make the most out of your adventure.

You’ll take roads and visit areas well off the beaten track that only someone with a lot of riding experience in the country could know about.

And, you get to focus entirely on your adventure, since everything from your meals, accommodation and motorcycle to things like route planning and motorcycle maintenance is taken care of.

The bulk of our tours start in Hanoi because the best riding in the country is easily accessible from here. However, we have offices in Hanoi, Danang and HCMC so we are able to start and end tours from any of these three locations.

Yes, this is what we do. We can assist with reservations in any hotel in Hanoi and also provide a FREE airport pick-up that will take you to your hotel of choice. Good hotels can be had for 30-40usd per night and they will also store any excess gear you may have until you return from tour. You can choose from staying in the heart of the city’s old quarter or closer to West Lake and our office.

Up in the North, it is hard to say as each of the four seasons has distinct advantages and drawbacks. The Summer is usually around April to October and ranges from warm and wet to boiling hot with the occasional torrential downpour. This also leads to the risk of flooding and landslides. The Autumn, October to December will generally be dry and cool with the potential for cold fronts to descend creating cloudy drizzly days. Winter, January / February, will be relatively cold (10C) and colder at altitude (Ha Giang, Cao Bang), but often quite dry and clear. Spring, around February to April will often have mixed spells of warm and cold air with dry or drizzly days. 

Driving North/South or South/North means that you pass through a whole range of climatic regions (northern, central and southern) and it is very difficult to answer which is the best time. This is because the weather may be great to ride in one regions but not optimal in another. We suggest not passing through the central or southern regions in Summer as there can be a lot of storms and flooding.

You will see that we do not list tours less than 5 days on our site. This is because it takes a day to get out of Hanoi / Sai Gon and to get to the ‘countryside’. While this may be interesting and a culture shock for many, we don’t think it is what you came here for. You then have 3 days of pleasurable riding, which, in all honesty, will leave you wanting more. Therefore, we would say an optimum length of tour to be around 7 – 9 days with one or two rest days thrown in so that you can take some time off at key points and transform from being a motorbike tourist to just a tourist. 

North / South – South / North Route

You will need more time to complete this tour due to the distance covered. It simply isn’t wise to cover 1,600km in 8 days. We recommend around 10 days as a minimum and 14 – 16 days being perfect.  

The longer you have, the more chance we have of getting you to the most remote places that offer the highest rewards.

Absolutely, yes. Generally, speaking foreigners are left alone and not hassled other than by pesky tourist touts (just like any other country). Vietnam is a predominantly Buddhist and partly Christian country and women play a vital role in daily life. They are not wall flowers and nor are they hidden away. They are strong and capable and, although, there are some extra precautions that a female traveller might feel necessary, these are no more or less than most countries in the world. Also, bear in mind that this is a guided tour and there is plenty of support from our staff in all aspects of the tour. Contact us for details of female guides and female only groups.

Yes, we can let you know what tours we have arranged and whether they are willing to accept a new member. Often times this is possible but it takes a little understanding on both sides due to different skill levels, needs and desires. We have found that most people can get along quite well and this isn’t an option.

No, definitely not. Whilst the country does not shut down as it did in the past a large number of businesses, including ours, will close for at least one week and perhaps longer. It will be difficult to find services available and there will likely be a holiday ‘premium’ applied. 

Further to this, travelling on the roads at this time can be quite dangerous du to the levels of traffic, distraction and, unfortunately, drink driving.

You need a valid passport with a minimum of 6 months validity to obtain a visa for Vietnam.

We have an excellent visa agent we work with, and will be happy obtain visa invitation letters for all riders in your group for free!

All you have to do is provide us with copies of your passports, and we’ll send you your invitation letters before you arrive in Vietnam. With your invitation letters sorted, you each bring two 3x4cm passport photos and around $20USD for the visa stamping fee to the immigration counter, they’ll give you your visas and you’re ready to start your adventure!

All riders in your group must have a valid motorcycle license.

If you can get an International Driving Permit, then you should do so. However, you must check to make sure that Vietnam is named on this. There are two different conventions and Vietnam signed up to the 1968 Convention so this is the one that you need.

You must have your own personal medical insurance that covers you for riding a motorcycle in Vietnam, and you must adhere to the requirements of that insurance.

We strongly recommend taking out our motorcycle damage waiver. For $5/day (Honda Future 125 or Honda XR 150) or $10/day (Honda CRF 250 or Honda CB 500), we cover you against loss, theft or any damage to the motorbike caused by an accident or fall and you will be covered should the bike be damaged beyond repair. This is not a license to go crazy as you will not be covered for misuse of the bike. The policy excludes any personal medical insurance, 3rd party liability or damage / injury caused by other vehicles or drivers. The peace of mind this offers is worth its weight in gold.

Yes, you are welcome to bring a pillion passenger. The cost of a pillion is $100 per day, as we provide the same service only minus the bike.

No. We do not allow bikes other than our own on tour. This is because we cannot be sure of the history of any strange bike and we do not wish to jeopardize the enjoyment and safety of the whole tour because of this. What would a bricklayer say, if you asked them to build a wonky wall?

Technically, we have no maximum number. However, we assign one guide and one mechanic to a maximum of 12 riders. This means that if you have 13 or more, we will split into two groups for the daily ride. 

The advantages of this are a higher level of safety and comfort along with the ability to group riders according to riding skill.

We require a minimum number of 4 riders on a tour to offer the listed prices. However, if you have a smaller group we can custom build a tour and price this accordingly. There are a number of fixed costs that mean a tour with fewer members is often more expensive per person.

In a nutshell, better accommodation and better food. 

For the VIP tours, we stay in a better class of hotel and homestay and we tend to stay in more hotels than homestays. This means that you get a little extra comfort, which can make a tough tour less tough. This is of particular importance in the colder months when piping hot showers are preferred to draughty bathrooms. 

On a VIP tour, we take better food with us that allows the lunch options to be more interesting and varied. We also have more scope to feast in our accommodation and request larger than average portions. This can be needed when we have some long tough driving days ahead of us.