12 Day Vietnam Motorbike Tour - Experience & Exploration

Highlights

This is one of our most popular motorbike tours in Vietnam. In only 12 days, you'll ride your motorcycle to nearly every part of Northern Vietnam, passing through some of the most dramatic mountain passes in the Northwest and Northeast, and see all of the most magnificent terrace rice fields, Dong Van, a unique Rock Plateau in Ha Giang, is home to the world's largest waterfalls, Ban Gioc, and one of Vietnam's most beautiful natural lakes, Ba Be Lake. This 12-day Vietnam motorbike tour combines on- and off-road riding with learning about the local culture. It's a fantastic opportunity to get a taste of real Vietnam. 

Tour Details

Day 1: Ha Noi to Mai Chau valley (distance 170km)

At around 9:00 a.m., depart from Hanoi's western outskirts and begin motorcycling to the northwest of the city on the major freeway. After a one-hour ride, we'll be in the countryside, where the motorbike tour will be very delightful, with easy rural back roads, green scenery, and friendly locals. 

The afternoon motorbike riding is perhaps the feature of our North Vietnam motorbike tour, with several photo stops. At around 5:00 p.m., we'll arrive at Mai Chau Valley. In the villages of the Thai people, you can stay in a Thai family's home.

Day 2: Mai Chau to Phu Yen (distance 160km)

We continue our motorbike journey through North Vietnam to Phu Yen after breakfast and bidding our goodbyes to our Thai hosts. The trip today is brief, but it includes some easy off-road challenges as well as several pauses for scenery photography and visits to local hill tribal settlements. This trip also brings you to the Moc Chau plateau, where you can see the huge and green tea farms that have become well-known among Vietnamese people. In the afternoon, motorbike riding to Phu Yen provides an outstanding view of the lovely Da river. At approximately 5:00 p.m., the delightful second day of the motorbike tour in North Vietnam comes to a close in the tranquil village of Phu Yen.

Day 3: Phu Yen - Mu Cang Chai - Than Uyen (distance 210km)

Northern Vietnam has some of the greatest motorcycle touring roads in the world, with the route from Phu Yen to Than Uyen through Mu Cang Chai being one among them. With magnificent rice terrace fields, colorful hill tribes along the route, peaceful traffic, and a lengthy mountain pass with an intimidating perspective, the road today is all you could want on a motorbike vacation in Vietnam.

The journey includes several pauses for photographing and chatting with the locals. This promises to be one of the greatest motorbike excursions in Vietnam. We'll arrive in Than Uyen town about 5:00 p.m. and end a fantastic day of riding at a motel. Staying in a hotel.

Day 4: Than Uyen to Sapa (distance 110km)

This short motorbike excursion to Sapa gives a magnificent perspective of the mountain with huge green tea plantations and the majestic Fanxipan peak. The journey will traverse the O Qui Ho - one of Northern Vietnam's longest and most picturesque mountain passes. Riding a motorcycle on this renowned pass is undoubtedly a fantastic experience, and it is undoubtedly one of the most memorable parts of our Vietnam motorcycle vacation. We'll finish riding in Sapa around midday and then spend another half day seeing Sapa on foot or simply relaxing in town. Spend a night there.

Day 5: Sapa to Bac Ha (distance 160km)

We'll leave Sapa after breakfast and take the route down the other side of the Hoang Lien mountain range. It also has a beautiful view of the countryside, with additional terrace rice fields. Today's motorcycle journey is nearly entirely on smooth roads along the Chinese border, passing through rural towns and lovely terrace fields. At about 4:00 p.m., we'll finish the fifth day of our Northern Vietnam motorcycle tour in the little town of Bac Ha. Book a room at a basic hotel in this town.

Day 6: Bac Ha - Ha Giang (distance 190km)

Today's Vietnam motorbike tour to Ha Giang will provide you with an entirely different riding experience. There are additional off-road motorbike riding opportunities here, as well as a different view of the mountain than you've seen before. Furthermore, if you arrive at the appropriate moment, the trip via Hoang Su Phi may provide you with one of the greatest views of rice terraces, making you feel privileged to be here.

This might be the pinnacle of this 12-day North Vietnamese motorcycle tour. At approximately 5:00 p.m., we'll arrive in Ha Giang. Staying in a hotel.

Day 7: Ha Giang to Dong Van, Meo Vac (distance 170km)

Ha Giang – North Vietnam has always been the best option for motorcycle touring in Vietnam, being famous for the huge and stunning plateau of rock with brightly colored and pleasant people living around, Ha Giang and Dong Van Global Geo-park is always an appealing destination for riders whenever they come, and you'll see the different masterpieces here at different times and seasons.

This short Ha Giang motorcycle tour should be the highlight of this Vietnam motorcycle vacation. At approximately 5:00 p.m, we'll finish the day in the midst of the rock plateau, in the little hamlet of Meo Vac. Staying in a hotel.

Day 8: Meo Vac to Quang Uyen (distance 200km)

Leaving the magnificent granite plateau of Dong Van in Ha Giang for Quang Uyen in North Vietnam, where you may see another side of the country. Today's motorbike journey takes you to a different region of North Vietnam, where the mountains are greener but lower, and there are more villages and ethnic groups. We'll pass via Cao Bang on our way to Quang Uyen, a little village where we'll spend the night in a guesthouse.

Day 9: Quang Uyen - Ban Gioc - Cao Bang (distance 180km)

Another highlight of our motorbike trip in North Vietnam is today's ride. We'll ride through several calm communities on nearly silent backroads with a green serene view of nature. After lunch at the Ban Gioc waterfalls, we'll snap some photos of Vietnam's tallest waterfall before returning to Cao Bang along another gorgeous road. Arrive at Cao Bang about 4:30 p.m.

After checking into the hotel, take some time to sample some of the city's local brews.

Day 10: Cao Bang to Ba Be Lake (distance 150km)

We'll have a relaxing day on the bike. After leaving town, we'll ride almost on smooth mountainous terrain to Ba Be Lake, the world's largest natural lake. We'll arrive at lunch and spend the afternoon with a team of Vietnam Motorbike Tour Experts discovering the lake by boat, paddling in the lake, or taking a short walk around the villages near the lake and the Ba Be National Park.

Day 11: Ba Be Lake - Thac Ba lake (distance 170km)

Today's motorbike journey from Ba Be Lake is almost entirely on sealed back roads with beautiful views of nature and farmland; the trip is rather straightforward, going up and down on not particularly high mountains but providing enough sights and opportunities to visit hill tribal settlements. At around 3:30 p.m., we'll arrive at a lovely Dzao village where we'll spend the night. Leave the bikes at the homestay and use the remainder of the day to go for a boat trip around the Thac Ba lake or a leisurely stroll through the calm village. Spend the night in the Dzao people's village's stilt-house.

Day 12: Back to Hanoi (distance 180km)

After saying goodbye to the family, the ride will begin at 8:00 a.m. We'll go some simple off-road to get out of the villages, then stay safe and relaxed on the dyke road that runs beside several small rivers as we make our way down to Hanoi. Because we're getting closer to Hanoi, the last 15 kilometers should be more challenging. At roughly 4:30 p.m., we'll wrap up this fantastic motorcycle trip to Vietnam at our bike store on the city's western outskirts. Leave your bikes in our shop, and the Vietnam Motorbike Tour crew will drive or taxi you back to your hotel.