Eastern Tear Away

Day 1: Ha Noi – Bac Son 

We head our of Hanoi as quickly as possible on some of the larger roads. The idea is to get the city behind us and get into the countryside for some peace and quiet. We turn off onto quieter roads that take us through small villages and past open fields of rice and custard apple grove. We finally get to our homestay, which is nestled in the Bac Son Valley, and enjoy a home-cooked meal washed down with a little ‘fire water’. 

Day 2: Bac Son – Ban Gioc

We are now in the countryside though still on fairly large road. If we get up early, we will have enough time to take some detours on smaller roads and still get to the waterfall before dark. We can choose to stay in another homestay or a small hotel. This depends on our mood and the weather. 

Day 3: Ban Gioc – Cao Bang 

It is an easy trip to get back to Cao Bang from here so we have time to visit the waterfall or the nearby cave and even to put a toe in China. After lunch, we take the road to Cao Bang where we stay in a small hotel by the night market. 

Day 4: Cao Bang – Bao Lac 

We can choose our route to some extent here as we can either visit Uncle Ho’s Cave up in Pac Bo and then take the back road to Bao Lac or we can head straight over on the main road, which is still quite scenic and fun to drive at this point. The first option means we are a bit tight on time and the second allows us to dilly dally and have an easy day of it. 

Day 5: Bao Lac – Dong Van

This is a very easy drive and it takes us past some great sights so it is good that we hav ethe time to stop and hang out. There are plenty of photo ops here and we can rest assured of making it to our accommodation in time for afternoon beers. 

Day 6: Dong Van (rest day)

We can hang out in Dong Van and have a day off the bike. There are plenty of interesting things to see and do around Dong Van not least Don Cao Fortress which gives an impressive view over the town. You may choose to back track the route to Meo Vac and view any sights that you skipped by yesterday or take the road up to Lung Cu Flag Pole to visit the northernmost part of Vietnam.   

Day 7: Dong Van – Du Gia  

We take the quieter inner road to Du Gia and enjoy an easy and scenic drive down to the small village where we stay in a local homestay. It is often quite crowded here as it is a major spot in the area but this gives us the chance to mingle with other travellers. 

Day 8: Du Gia – Hoang Su Phi 

We take the smaller road down to the main highway 4 and head for Ha Giang, which we can bypass and then on to Viet Quang and Hoang Su Phi, which is known for its rice terracing and for being a UNESCO world heritage site. We can choose to take the easy or more difficult route, as there are several options not on the highway. We stay in a small hilltop resort with great views over the valley. 

Day 9: Hoang Su Phi – Bac Ha 

Another relatively simple day’s ride today but one that takes us along the river and through the valley so it is one that we might choose to stop a lot and get some great photos and selfies. We end up in the town of Bac Ha and stay in a local homestay. If we are lucky we can be there on a market day as this is one of the largest markets in the area.

Day 10: Bac Ha – Sa Pa

We can leave Bac Ha and head down to the main highway connecting us to Lao Cai and then Sa Pa. However, we take the back route up to Sa Pa so that we avoid a lot of traffic and also so we can get to our homestay, which is located lower down the valley in a more secluded spot. This is not a difficult ride but it takes us along some quiet road and allows us plenty of time to get to our accommodation whilst also stopping for pit stops en route. 

Day 11: Sa Pa (rest day)

This is when we choose whether or not to go up to town and then summit Fansipan mountain or hang out lower down the valley and perhaps take a small loop out and back to the homestay. It is also perfectly possible to go for a short trek with a local guide or hang out in the village watching people going about their daily lives.  

Day 12: Sa Pa – Lao Cai / Ha Noi

We have the choice of riding down to Lao Cai or Pho Lu to drop off our bikes and then meet our VIP bus back to Hanoi. It is not a difficult journey and we can either back track on the route we took from Bac Ha or take the busier route past Sa Pa town. Once we have offloaded the bikes, we can have a snack and then get our private bus back to Hanoi in time for our farewell meal and drinks.