This your takes you through the central North of Vietnam past some places and roads that are less visited by both local and international tourists. Then, we move on the north north, Ha Giang province, which is considered to be the most beautiful and interesting region of Vietnam for motorbike touring. We then loop back and stop off at the fabulous Ba Be Lake for a day chilling out on the lake. If you are interested in high mountains and beautiful views with a little R and R mixed in, this is the tour for you.
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Hanoi
11 Days, 10 Nights
1350 km
Pillions Welcome
Genuine Hondas
Professionally maintained. Maximum reliability.
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Itinerary
Motorcycles
Inclusions
Addons
Pricing
Day 1: Ha Noi – Thac Ba
180 km
7 hours
Thac Ba Lake
We need to get out of Hanoi and this is never fun. So, we suck it up for the first half of this day and get as much distance under our belt as we can. Then we head off onto quieter roads that take us to our lakeside resort where we can swim and then relax over a home cooked meal.
Day 2: Thac Ba – Na Hang
140 km
6 hours
Gam River Lake; Na Hang Nature Reserve
We head for Na Hang in preparation for our next day’s drive, however, on the way we get off the main roads and look out for any small tracks we can take. Na Hang is a small place rarely visited so you’ll be unlikely to see anyone other than the locals. Once we get to our homestay we can take a boat trip to a local waterfall if time permits.
Day 3: Na Hang – Nam Dam
150 km
6 hours
Dong Van Plateau; Ha Giang
We take some cross country road today to get up to Ha Giang province.
Day 4: Nam Dam – Yen Minh
50 km
4 hours
Yen Minh pine forest
This looks like a very easy ride on paper but we take a long detour and skirt the border with China just for fun. We then get back on to Happiness road and head for Yen Minh where we stay in a small enclave of homestays very much on the backpacker route so we can tell the tales.
Day 5: Yen Minh – Dong Van
110 km
6 hours
Hmong King’s Palace; Lung Cu Flag Tower
We need to retrace our last 10km today and follow the Happiness road but that isn’t a problem because it’s a fun drive. We get to stop off at a few sites if we wish as this is a very scenic area. In particular we need to visit the H’Mong King’s Palace and Xa Phin Market. If there is time when we get in to Dong Van a visit to the Don Cao Fortress for the view over the town.
Day 6: Dong Van – Meo Vac
50 km
4 hours
Ma Pi Leng Gorge; Nho Que River; small H’Mong tracks
This is another short stretch of road that has a lot to see and do on it so we take it slow and choose what we want to see. The scenery is beautiful but treacherous so keep your eyes wide open and watch out for the steep drops off the side of the mountain. Again, rather than stay in the main town we overnight in a small family run homestay outside of town.
Day 7: Meo Vac – Bao Lac
150 km
6 hours
optional challenging roads
We take the alternative route down to Bao Lac which takes us down into the Ma Pi Leng valley and across the river. We then follow the river to Bao Lac where we stay in the centre of town. If we are lucky there will be a lot of action in the market as a many colourfully dressed ethnic people often turn up here to buy and sell goods. We can choose between and homestay of hotel and this will depend on how much we wish for a hot shower and air con.
Day 8: Bao Lac – Cao Bang
100 km
5 hours
14 Level Pass; Nong Thong Town; Secret Cave
This is a good drive on some quiet roads and we have the choice of the easy route and the difficult one. Our decision will depend partly on the weather conditions but there is a chance of taking some great roads to get to Cao Bang the back way. If not, the road over the pass is scenic enough and fun to drive. We can set up base in Cao Bang for two nights if we wish, which will give us ample time to visit ban Gioc Waterfall and the surrounding sites. Or we can make it quick and head for Ba Be the next day.
Day 9: Cao Bang – Ba Be
140 km
6 hours
Phia Oac National Park
This a a stellar drive that takes us throught the Cao Bang GeoPark and over Phia Oac Mountain, which is about 1,800m so bring your woollies. It is a great winding piece of road and good fun to drive.
Day 10: Ba Be
optional
-
various caves, lakes and back roads
Today, we get to hang out on the lake. You have a choice if swimming, boating, kayaking, snoozing in a hammock. I imagine the main factor in this choice is how much sleep you got the night before. If we don’t want a rest day, then we can head for Bac Kan, which is ideally place to break up the long slog back to Hanoi the next day.
Day 11: Ba Be – Ha Noi
240 km
8 hours
Ba Be back roads
This is a long stretch of road that we usually divide into 3 equal parts of 80km. The first 80 is scenic back road and fun to drive. The second becomes a little more dull but is still quiet. Then, the final 80km are a slog and you need to pay attention. You are getting tired and the traffic is getting heavier. It will be great to get back to Hanoi. Our farewell dinner awaits, but don’t rush.
Honda Future 125
The Honda Future is our most powerful semi-automatic motorbike, and makes for a surprisingly capable tourer.
fuel injected: easy to start and good throttle response
storage space beneath the seat
light and easy to maneuver
Displacement
124.9 cc
Transmission
automatic
Starter
electric
Fuel System
fuel injection
Fuel Capacity
3.7 litres
Dry Weight
91 kg
Seat Height
745 mm
Front Brake
disc
Rear Brake
drum
Honda XR 150
The Honda XR 150 is the most popular dual sport in Vietnam for a reason: whether you’re riding a highway, a country road or a single track through the jungle, it’s built to handle anything the region has to throw at it.
comfortable seat, even carrying a pillion
huge fuel tank gives the XR fantastic range
very capable off road
Displacement
149 cc
Transmission
manual (5 speed)
Starter
electric/kick
Fuel System
carburettor
Fuel Capacity
12 litres
Dry Weight
129 kg
Seat Height
825 mm
Front Brake
disc
Rear Brake
drum
Honda CRF 250
The extra power provided by the CRF’s 250cc engine makes it an absolute joy to ride. Its enduro/off road pedigree means it was designed specifically with the gnarly roads Vietnam likes to throw at you in mind.
