Military March
Ride west to historic Dien Bien Phu.
From $1200/rider
1 Reviews:
5.00000/5
Vietnam Motorcycle Tour Map - 10 Day Military March - Rentabike Vietnam - White

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Hanoi
10 Days, 9 Nights
1065 km
Pillions Welcome

Overview

Ride west from Hanoi through Pu Luong nature reserve and mountains of Moc Chau and Son La. Visit Dien Bien Phu, the most famous battleground of the French Indochina War, before heading north to the historic hill station of Sapa, with its cool climate and stunning stepped rice fields. Taking the VIP bus back to Hanoi from Sa Pa, means you spend the maximum amount of time in the mountains.

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The bikes in the garden of the homestay in Pu Luong
180 km
6 hours
Hoa Binh Dam; Hoa Binh back roads; Pu Luong Nature Reserve
We get out of town as quickly as possible and then we take the smaller back roads and ATK roads to get to the beautiful Pu Luong valley. This is not a hard day but concentration is needed as you become acclimatised to the the bike and the traffic conditions.
a fun little dirt track in Pu Luong National Park
160 km
6 hours
the old Highway 6; Pu Luong back roads; Moc Chau back roads
We have quite along way to go today but it doesn’t stop us taking the back roads out of Pu Luong and also the old French highway up to Moc Chau. It is noticeably cooler up on the Moc Chau Plateau and this is perfect for the plum, peach and strawberry crops that are grown up here. You will also see millions of bees in thousands of hives. This evening we rest in a small homestay a way out of town so as to be in the peace and quiet.
Lakeside Road detour to Mai Chau
160 km
6 hours
Son La back roads; Son La Prison
We choose our routes today and it all depends on how adventurous we are feeling. The easy option is to follow the main road to Son La and the more exciting one is to skirt the border with Laos and take the mountainous route ending up in Son La. The choice is yours.
view from the Pha Din pass
235 km
8 hours
Pha Din Pass; Dien Bien back roads; military history
Once again we have the choice of taking the low road or the high road. The main road will take us up and over the beautiful Pha Din Pass but the alternative route will take us over lesser used roads through some pretty remote country and, hopefully, to Dien Bien Phu in time for tea.
one of our Honda XR150s on a narrow track
optional
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Victory Museum; A2 bunker; General's Bunker; decommissioned tanks
This is a day where you get to hang out and wind down after some long riding days. You can visit the battlefields, Victory Museum, Hill A1 and the Commander’s Bunker to name but a few places. There are also tanks, bombs and guns dotted about the place that make for great selfies. Don’t forget to pick up some dried buffalo, which is very much a delicacy of these parts.
stepped rice fields in Sapa, North Vietnam
160 km
6 hours
DT128 road up to Sin Ho
This is a very easy run up North to the small town of Sin Ho nestled in the hills of Lai Chau. We follow the river and then head up the escarpment to the town. A nice easy day meaning a late start isn’t a big problem and we can take it easy on the road stopping at every opportunity.
a woman choosing which sugar cane to buy in Bac Son Market, Lang Son
90 km
5 hours
Sin Ho back roads
Again, we do not have far to go today but no matter as we are in the heart of the hills and there is plenty to see along the road. We can take our time and stop for views and decide if we’d like to take detours on smaller roads to get to our destination.
O Quy Ho Pass Sa Pa Lai Chau
80 km
4 hours
O Quy Ho Pass; Fansipan Mountain
We climb the fabulous O Quy Ho Pass today on our way to the french hill station. We get off the main road for the first part of the trip to avoid the crowds and traffic but then have to join it again as there is only one way over. We have time to stop and gaze back down the pass and hopefully get a look at Fansipan, if the weather is clear.
the cable car leading to the top of Fansipan Mountain
optional
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Fansipan cable car; Sa Pa Valley
Today is a day for hanging out in the valley. We can take a short trip around the area or even a loop out past Bat Xat and back. If we decide to, we can take the cable car to the top of Fansipan, the highest mountain in SE Asia.
sunset in Sapa, North Vietnam
80 km
4 hours (+ 6 hour bus ride)
back road down from Sa Pa
We take the back route down to Lao Cai where we drop off our bikes and take our private VIP bus back to Hanoi. We can stop off on route for lunch and be back in plenty of time to get to our hotel and meet up 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.