Northeast Vietnam Motorbike Tour to Thac Ba Lake, Ha Giang, Ban Gioc Waterfall

Itinerary:

Day 1: Vietnam Offroad Motorbike Tour to Thac Ba Lake, Ha Giang, Dong Van, Cao Bang, Ban Gioc Waterfall, Quang Uyen, Lang Son: Hanoi Motorcycle Tours to Vu Linh village, Thac Ba lake

On the first day, after leaving the busy city of Hanoi, we hit the countryside, roaming through peaceful villages, rice fields and backroads. In the afternoon, we ride along the Red River heading to Vu Linh, a peaceful village of Dao ethinic people in Yen Bai province. Depending on your demand, we can do some light dirt track before and after lunch to warm up your a bodies for the next challenging days. We finish the day on a boat trip on Thac Ba Lake – one of the biggest lakes in Vietnam. Located in the north west of the country, formed in 1971 on Chay river to be the water supplier for the operation of Thac Ba hydropower plant.

Thac Ba Lake has nearly 23,500 hectares in width with over 1,300 large and small green islands, the system of  beautiful caves hidden deeply in the limestone mountain ranges, boating on the Thac Ba lake is a lovely way to commune with nature. Relax yourself by a nice swim in the fresh and clean water here before a fancy dinner at the homestay of a Dao family. The Dao ethnic group in Vietnam has a total population of nearly 1 million people. They live mainly in the northern mountain provinces of Cao Bang, Ha Giang, Lao Cai, Yen Bai, Lai Chau and Tuyen Quang and the midland provinces of Phu Tho, Vinh Phuc, and Hoa Binh.

Summary:
Distance:  170 km
Meals: Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Home-stay

Day 2 : Vietnam Offroad Motorbike Tour to Thac Ba Lake, Ha Giang, Dong Van, Cao Bang, Ban Gioc Waterfall, Quang Uyen, Lang Son: Thac Ba Offroad Motorcycle Tours to Ha Giang City

We begin riding today at about 9 o’clock, from Vu Linh we ride on Road 170 through countryside villages, rice terraces and limestone mountains. After about 25 kilometers we roll on a backroad alongside Thac Ba lake and stop for some nice pictures, from here we head to Yen The where we will have lunch, this town is famous for gemstone industry, especially ruby. In the afternoon, we take a backroad ride where we cross a river on a bamboo bridge to Road 279, from Road 279 we ride to National Road 2 heading to Ha Giang city, our destination today.

Ha Giang province is one of the most adventurous destinations in the country. Filled with beautiful karst mountains, steep mountain passes, winding roads and foggy villages. The province is home to a wide variety of local ethnic minorities who still preserve their traditional culture and lifestyle.

The topography of Ha Giang is fairly complex with “temperate, but highly localized montane weather patterns create variable conditions among different regions”. It has impressive limestone and granite peaks and outcrops. It has three regions. Climatically, it has two seasons, dry and monsoon, dependent on the altitude of the region. The two northern Indochinese climatic zones on the border influence the climate in that part of the province.

The lower areas in the province comprise low hills, the Lo River Valley and the town of Ha Giang. The major rivers of the region are the Lo River (Ha Giang town is located on its left bank) and Mien River. Hà Giang has many mountains, including the two highest peaks, namely, the Tay Con Linh (2419 m) and the Kieu Lieu Ti (2,402 metres (7,881 ft)) and forests that provide lumber. It has about 1000 species of herbal plants. Fauna include tigers, peafowl, pheasants, and pangolin.

We stay in a hotel tonight.

Day 3: Vietnam Offroad Motorbike Tour to Thac Ba Lake, Ha Giang, Dong Van, Cao Bang, Ban Gioc Waterfall, Quang Uyen, Lang Son: Ha Giang Offroad Motorcycle Tour to Dong Van (Ha Giang)

After a nice breakfast at 8 o’clock, we get on our iron horses again at about 9 o’clock, the ride today could be both relaxing and challenging since we can enjoy breathtaking landscapes literally on every kilometer of the road. It’s difficult to describe the epic beauty of Ha Giang, it just overwhelms us!

In the morning we can do some ofroad tracks that lead us to beautiful rice terraces and forests. Along the tracks lie some small remote villages and local schools where we have chances stop to meet local people and lovely kids, we can also do some small charity in these places to share the hardship with them, sharing is caring!

In the afternoon, we head to Tham Ma pass, a legendary pass in local H’mong culture of Ha Giang province, the view from the top of this pass is just spectacular!

The next interesting place to see today is the H’mong King’s Palace (or Vuong Family Palace) located 14 kilometers before Dong Van. In 19th century, a H’mong family was considered the royal family of H’mong territory in Ha Giang – the Vuong family. Their residence was built in the scenic valley of Sa Phin with a mixed architecture influenced by H’mong, French and Chinese architecture. The whole palace was built out of wood and rock by the best builders and craftsmen, it costed a huge fortune at the time. Vuong family palace is a masterpiece of man work in the valley of heavenly beauty of Ha Giang, built in 1914, the palace survived 2 major wars: the Indochina war and the Vietnam war. As such, Vuong Palace is also treated as a symbol of the past glory of H’mong people.

This is a remote area and we can meet the hard-working local people here. It is inspiring to see how they survive as they manage live in the rocks.When we reach Dong Van Town we will have some extra time to wonder the ancient streets lined with H’mong homes of clay bricks and tiles roofs built centuries ago.

Note: Dong Van, where we spend the night today is the most touristy town on this tour so you can spend a little time to find some bustling corners for entertainment if you want to.

Day 4:Vietnam Offroad Motorbike Tour to Thac Ba Lake, Ha Giang, Dong Van, Cao Bang, Ban Gioc Waterfall, Quang Uyen, Lang Son: Dong Van Offroad Motorcycle Tours to Bao Lac (Cao Bang) via Meo Vac

We begin riding at 9 o’clock today, head to Lung Cu flag pole, a prominent landmark located in Lung Cu Commune of Dong Van. The flag tower was built to mark Vietnam’s sovereignty and border protection efforts in the northernmost region. Due to its elevated position, the flag tower offers a panoramic view of the surrounding landscapes, including both Vietnam and China. We take a few steps to the top of the pole to enjoy a stunning view and take some good pictures. For it’s a short ride today and the sceneries on the route is extremely gorgeous so we have more chances to stop to relax and feast our eyes with stunning landscapes.

From the Flag pole we head back to Dong Van town, ride on a backroad where we can see China land over a majestic cliff then head to Ma Pi Leng pass – the highlight of the day. Ma Pi Leng pass is a breathtaking mountain pass located between Dong Van and Meo Vac, renowned for its awe-inspiring beauty, the pass cuts through the majestic limestone peaks of Dong Van Karst Plateau Geopark, a UNESCO-recognized site. We stop for a nice coffee at the middle of the pass to immerse ourselves in stunning landscapes of Ma Pi Leng and experience its unique geological features.

We stop for lunch in Meo Vac town, from here we take a challenging hidden track where we have an eye-opening experience which is crossing the vibrant Nho Que river on a bamboo raft.

We overnight in Bao Lac, a peaceful town of Cao Bang province.

Summary:

Distance: 100-120 kilometers
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Accommodation: Hotel

Day 5 :Vietnam Offroad Motorbike Tour to Thac Ba Lake, Ha Giang, Dong Van, Cao Bang, Ban Gioc Waterfall, Quang Uyen, Lang Son: Bao Lac Offroad Motorcycle Tours to Cao Bang City

Day 6:Vietnam Offroad Motorbike Tour to Thac Ba Lake, Ha Giang, Dong Van, Cao Bang, Ban Gioc Waterfall, Quang Uyen, Lang Son: Cao Bang Offroad Motorcycle Tour to Ban Gioc waterfall and Homestay Tours in Quang Uyen

Lunch in local restaurant before we get an other way back to Quang Uyen. This is the territory of Nung An people. Home stay in a host family and the hostess is a great cook.
This could be the best ride ever.
Overnight in Quang Uyen.

Day 7: Vietnam Offroad Motorbike Tour to Thac Ba Lake, Ha Giang, Dong Van, Cao Bang, Ban Gioc Waterfall, Quang Uyen, Lang Son: Quang Uyen Offroad Motorcycle Tours to Lang Son City

Day 8: Vietnam Offroad Motorbike Tour to Thac Ba Lake, Ha Giang, Dong Van, Cao Bang, Ban Gioc Waterfall, Quang Uyen, Lang Son: Lang Son Motorcycle Tours back to Hanoi