Fascinating Northeast Vietnam Offroad Motorbike Tour

Itinerary:

Day 1: Hanoi motorbike tour to Thac Ba Lake – Vu Linh
Day 2: Vu Linh motorbike tour to Bac Ha
Day 3: Bac Ha motorbike tour to Ha Giang via Hoang Su Phi
Day 4 : Ha Giang motorbike tour to Dong Van
Day 5: Dong Van motorbike tour to Bao Lac
Day 6: Bao Lac motorcycle tour to Ba Be Lake
Day 7: Ba Be Lake motorcycle tour back to Hanoi

Day 1: Vietnam Motorbike Tour to Thac Ba lake, Bac Ha, Ha Giang, Dong Van, Meo Vac, Bao Lac, Ba Be lake: Hanoi motorbike tour to Thac Ba Lake – Vu Linh 

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. Tonight our accommodation is a homestay of local Dao people in Vu Linh commune, we will have an unforgettable dinner with the hosts, who are really big drinkers, the hospitality here is just unbelievable!

Summary:
Distance:  160 km
Meals: Lunch, dinner
Accommodation: Hotel

Day 2: Vietnam Motorbike Tour to Ha Giang via Bac Ha, Ba Be: Vu Linh motorbike tour to Bac Ha

Our ride start at 9 o’clock today, in the morning we ride along Thac Ba lake on a nice backroad, there are chances for some offoad. We stop for lunch in Yen The town-a place which is famous for gemstones industry. From Yen The we follow National road 70 and Road 153 to Bac Ha – our destination today. The town is famous for its cool climate and the remarkable “Bac Ha periodical market”, a unique event of this lovely place. Bac Ha Market is considered as the largest and most colorful market in the area. On weekends, throngs of villagers from the surrounding hill tribes walk to the market to purchase and exchange food, animals, clothes and household goods. The Bac Ha Market sees the attendance of variety different ethnic groups including Flower H’mong, Phu La, Black Dao, Tay and Nung minorities, who gather together to buy and sell their own products (ranging from everything made from hand-embroidered skirts to all manner of 4-legged animals) that cannot be found elsewhere. That’s why the market is frequently very crowded and bustling.

One of Bac Ha’s main industries is the manufacture of alcoholic home brews (rice wine, cassava wine and corn liquor). The corn hooch produced by the Flower H’mong is so potent it can ignite! Bac Ha is the only place in Vietnam where you’ll find this particular moonshine; there’s an entire area devoted to it at the Sunday periodical market. This town is also famous for growing the best plums in the North of Vietnam.

We stay in a homestay tonight.

Summary:
Distance:  200 km
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Accommodation: Hotel

Day 3: Vietnam Motorbike Tour to Ha Giang via Bac Ha, Ba Be: Bac Ha motorbike tour to Ha Giang via Hoang Su Phi

After breakfast, we take a motor ride on the track to Xin Man and Hoang Su Phi on many small backroads with scenic mountain views. Xin Man is right on the border between Vietnam and China. It is, as of this writing, well hidden and completely surrounded by wild mountains and forests. There are a bunch good photo spots on the way from Bac Ha to Xin Man, we will stop for good view down to valleys and rice terraces. Lunch will be served in Hoang Su Phi, this place is among the most untouched area of Ha Giang Province of Vietnam and was separated from the mainstream society until very recently. From Hoang Su Phi we take a winding backroad and immese ourselves in the pristine beauty of the wild mountains and the authentic culture of the local ethnic groups which include: the Nung, the Flower H’mong, the Tay and the Ha Nhi People…After lunch, we join the main road heading up to Ha Giang City,

Summary:
Distance:  200 km
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Accommodation: Hotel

Day 4 : Vietnam Motorbike Tour to Ha Giang via Bac Ha, Ba Be: Ha Giang motorbike tour to Dong Van

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.

Summary:
Distance: 140 km
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Hotel

Day 5: Vietnam Motorbike Tour to Ha Giang via Bac Ha, Ba Be: Dong Van Motorcycle tour  to Bao Lac

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.

Distance: 100 kilometers

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Accommodation: Hotel

Day 6: Vietnam Motorbike Tour to Ha Giang via Bac Ha, Ba Be: Bao Lac Motorbike tour to Ba Be Lake

Our journey starts at about 9 o’clock today after breakfast, from Bao Lac we can take a beautiful backroad through the bamboo forests of Lung Pan village, or challenge ourselves with some dirt trails nearby. After lunch we head straight to Ba Be lake to do a boat trip in the lake while enjoying nice, cold beers.

Ba Bể Lake (Vietnamese: Hồ Ba Bể, Ba Bể meaning “Three Lakes” in the local Tay language) is the largest natural fresh water lake in Vietnam, stretching about 8 kilometers in the north-south direction. The surface area of the lake fluctuates between 3 and 5 km2 between dry and wet season. Unlike many lakes in Karst limestone areas, Ba Be Lake never falls dry. Its average depth varies between 17 and 23 meters, the maximum depth is 35 meters. The lake lies about 150 meters above sea level, making it also Vietnam’s highest. The name “Three Lakes” refers to the three parts of the lake named Pe Leng, Pe Lu, and Pe Lam. All these three parts are connected into a single continuous body of water, however.

We stay in a homestay of a local Tay family this night.

Summary:
Distance:  100 km
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Accommodation: Homestay

Day 7 :  Vietnam Motorbike Tour to Ha Giang via Bac Ha, Ba Be: Ba Be Lake Motorbike tour back to Hanoi

One last big day to complete our trip of a lifetime, it’s a long way to go this day so we’d better depart early. An easy motor ride in the morning will take us through peaceful villages and rice fields before reaching very busy road in the afternoon. After our last meal in Thai Nguyen city, traffic will get worst on the way back to Hanoi, so we should be back before rush hour and finish our trip around 3 pm.

Summary:
Distance: 230 km
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

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