Where to Stay on Your Vietnam Motorcycle Tour
Updated 11/03/2025
Northern Vietnam’s rough terrain is perfect for adventurous motorcycle riders. Expect challenging roads and beautiful, remote areas on your Vietnam Motorcycle Tour. After a long day of riding, your accommodation is crucial for rest and recovery. Choosing the right place ensures you’re refreshed and ready for the next day’s journey.
This blog will help you understand the various accommodation types in Northern Vietnam, including hotels, homestays, and guesthouses, so you can get the best out of your trip.
Contents
Accommodation Types on a Vietnam Motorcyle Tour
There is a huge range of accommodation types nowadays in Vietnam. Long gone are the days when intrepid adventurers would sleep in a local restaurant or cafe owner’s home. Some might say that it has become less authentic and more touristic in that sense, but it is reassuring that you can always find a clean bed at night.
Terms that you will often see to describe accommodations are Nha Nghi, Khach San and Homestay
Nha Nghi
This is what you might call a Motel. It is a basic room and board type situation with no frills. It is suited to those who commonly travel the roads of Vietnam such as truck drivers or budget travellers on their way home.
It will be fairly comfortable and clean and may have either a shared bathroom and toilet or sometimes this can be en suite. There will be hot water and usually aircon. You can expect to pay between 200 -400k for a Nha Nghi.
Khach San
This is a hotel and along with it comes all the trimmings of a hotel. Of course, there is a range of hotels and this can be from basic family run hotels to larger corporate entities.
Generally, you can expect a reception area, a clean room with shower and toilet, air conditioning and the overall feel of the place will be clean and quiet. There shouldn’t be too much noise and it should feel quite comfortable. When you start to get to the higher end, you will find such amenities as swimming pools, spas, massage service and saunas.
These can range from basic hotels at around 250k to mid range at around 600-800k and then the sky’s the limit for the premium options.
Staying in a hotel for some of the nights that you are on tour is a good idea because they are clean and warm in Winter and cool in Summer and they often have laundry service. However, they lack the cultural experience that you will find when staying in a homestay run by a local family.
Homestay
The traditional idea of a homestay is that you stay with a local family, usually one of the ethnic minorities, and have dinner with them and sleep in a large shared room in a stilt house. Remember that there are 54 ethnic groups in Vietnam so you can try out different homestays run by locals who belong to different groups.
Toilets and showers would be shared and hot water would be limited due to the small size of the immersion heaters used. Beds would be a traditional cotton mattress set on the floor, with a mosquito net surrounding and a pillow and cotton sheet or warm blanket in Winter. In many places there would only be fans and not any aircon but this is changing with the times.
Nowadays, many of these families are catering more and more to tourists that wish to have more modern conveniences such as private rooms, private bungalows, gallons of hot water on tap along with two way aircon.
There is still a strong element of cultural immersion as you will eat with the family and share stories over dinner. This is usually with plenty of rice wine alcohol, which is a very strong element of this experience. In larger and more touristy places this is starting to die out as well, because there are so many tourists that families cannot add that personal touch.
The food provided has improved over the years and you will most likely be offered a delicious home cooked meal that has dishes such as: spring rolls, grilled chicken, papaya salad, steamed fish, sticky rice and fresh steamed vegetables, for example. NOTE: it is important to call ahead to book so the family has time to prepare. Do not turn up unexpectedly and expect quality food.
Breakfast is usually included in the cost of the overnight lodging and could be pancakes with honey and fruit, noodles, or egg and bread. This can be quite repetitive and is a good reason to vary the places you stay to then vary the breakfast dishes you can try.
You may find it harder to determine the quality when browsing online and also to communicate effectively with your hosts. Therefore, try and get a recommendation and you also need to prepare yourself for a more basic experience that might not go 100% to plan.
However, homestays should definitely be tried so that you can experience the local cultures and also the local dishes on offer. They are not overly expensive and do offer something unique.
Other Unique Options
As Vietnam grows and more and mroe tourists flood in, the range of options available is increasing greatly. Nowadays, on a Vietnam Motorcycle tour, you will now find that there are some of the less conventional options available.
Camping
There are now a few areas that have tents permanently erected and you can either book these to stay in, or take a tour that will include them in the itinerary. The level of comfort will vary but they are usually set up with a premium customer in mind. Things like fans, portable toilet tents, and soft mattresses are becoming standard.
Such places that offer this like Vinh Quy, and Nui Mat Than in Cao Bang spring to mind.
Wild Camping
Strictly speaking this is not legal for foreigners due to the requirement for them to be registered with local police for their own safety. We would advise against wild camping as in may be uncomfortable and cause issues with the local authorities.
However, there are those who do it and enjoy it. It is wise to take the same precautions that you would anywhere else and with luck you will have an uneventful night.
Eco Lodges
These are growing in popularity and are quite boutique and expensive. You also need to check carefully that these places are what they say they are because many simply use the name as a moniker. There may be very little effort to be sustainable, reduce environmental impact or offer guests the chance to connect with nature.
Those that are well run, such as Topaz Ecolodge will be on the more luxury end of the scale and prices will definitely reflect this.
A Word of Warning
Naming conventions mean very little here so there is a great deal of confusion over what is a homestay, farmstay, lodge, resort, eco resort etc… It is best to try to research as much as possible online and check the comments and photo sections to get a real idea of what you are booking.
Check-in and Local Police Registration
Foreigners are legally required to register their temporary residence for every day they spend in Vietnam.
Legal Requirements
This registration is usually handled by the accommodation and is why they ask you to present a form of official ID. This could be a passport, driving license, temporary residence card. It could even be a photo, held on your phone, of any of these documents.
It is important to note that policy is flexible on this and each accommodation may have a different policy.
Many accommodations will use this as a reason to take and hold your passport, which is not actually necessary. It is most likely that they wish to have some collateral in case of damages or refusal to pay any bills.
Not registering is a problem, but usually for the accommodation management and not you. This is because the management are aware of the rules and are duty bound to follow them. However, you could find that in the worst cases there could be a minor fine or you could be delayed, which is arguably worse as this could have a knock on effect on your trip.
Practical Tips
– It is best that you check that you are registered and take the management’s word for it when they say, ‘Yes.’ Then, if you do have any issues you can say that you double checked.
– Carry a photocopy of your passport and have a photo on your phone.
– Consider finding different accommodations if the management refuses to register you.
Motorcycle Security
Vietnam is a relatively safe country but this doesn’t give you any excuse to tempt fate. It is wise to take precautions and make sure the bike is secure as a stolen bike is going to ruin everyone’s day.
Parking Considerations
When you arrive at your accommodation, visit a cafe or restaurant or stop at a sight for viewing, always ask the people around you what the situation is with parking. Look closely at what others are doing and follow their lead.
Also, do not be too quick to trust someone in the city or at a tourist spot. Try to confirm what they tell you is the truth. There are the occasional cheaters who will fool you, particularly around train stations.
Most hotels and restaurants of any standing will have designated areas for parking that are safe and may well be guarded. When you arrive, check with them where to park and they will then be partially responsible for any issue.
You may wish to use a lock on your bike and we offer U locks for anyone who asks. However, we find that paying attention and asking locals means that these locks are rarely used and just become a noisy burden.
It may look like the streets are safe and that many motorbikes are simply left out unattended, but this is not true. An unattended bike, especially if left overnight is highly likely to not be there in the morning. If it is a choice of this or paying for parking, which is probably on 50c to 1USD, it is infinitely better to choose to pay for a ticket.
Use your common sense and DON’T LEAVE VALUABLES ON THE BIKE, such as phones or cameras, and you should be free from problems.
Recommendations and Tips for Choosing Accommodation
– You should book ahead, especially in the high season and especially if your Vietnam Motorcycle Tour has more than 4 or 5 riders.
– Choose a variety of different types of accommodation so that you get a varied experience and have more to tell friends back home.
– To avoid difficulty with translation, use aps such as Google Translate or websites such as booking or Agoda.
– Be aware that food in hotels and homestays in particular might seem a little more expensive than options outside the accommodation but that the convenience and quality may be better.
Remember: No amount of planning will make things perfect, so be ready to roll with the punches and make compromises. Even if you lose money due to a missed booking it can sometimes be better to change plans or choose different accommodation to that which you booked. This is all part of the fun and excitement of a Vietnam Motorcycle Tour.
FAQ
Are homestays comfortable for foreign tourists?
Homestays on a Vietnam Motorcycle Tour will vary. Expect basic amenities, but the cultural experience is invaluable. Many now offer modern conveniences, but be prepared for shared bathrooms and simpler facilities.
How do I ensure my motorcycle is safe at night?
Choose accommodations with secure parking. Use motorcycle locks, ask locals for safe parking recommendations, and never leave valuables on your bike.
What should I expect from the food at homestays?
Expect delicious, home-cooked local dishes. Meals often include rice, vegetables, meat, and traditional specialties. Notify your host of any dietary restrictions they can cater for all diets.
Is Wi-Fi readily available in accommodations in Northern Vietnam?
Yes, not only hotels and homestays but cafes and restaurants, too. They usually offer Wi-Fi, but it can be limited or unavailable in remote homestays or guesthouses. Check with the accommodation beforehand.
Are credit cards widely accepted at accommodations?
Most hotels and larger chains will accept credit and debit cards but there will be a fee of up to 4%. Homestays and smaller hotels will accept local bank transfers by QR code if you have it. However, cash is still the most common form of payment, especially in rural areas. Carry Vietnamese Dong.
