21 Day Central and Northern Vietnam Culture Guided Motorcycle Tour

Day 1: Arrival - Hoi An

Depending on the airline, you will arrive at Da Nang airport either in the morning or the afternoon. It’s a 45-minute drive to the hotel in the centre of the old town. Hoi An is a small town with traditional houses that many travelers experience as one of the most attractive and fun places in Vietnam. Situated along the river is a colorful market and traditional streets filled with historical Chinese-influenced buildings and small Chinese shrines.

Day 2: Hoi An - stay

Today we will test the motorbikes and ride to My Son (30 km from Hoi Ann). My Son was the political and religious centre of the Cham people who held sway in Vietnam from the fourth to the thirteenth century. Although the war has left its mark here as well, it is still an interesting and attractive place to visit. The rest of the day, you can explore the town. You can take a boat trip across the river and visit the nearby beach. Delicious restaurants and charming cafes are in abundance in Hoi An.

Day 3: Hoi An - Hue

We ride northwards via the Marble Mountains to Da Nang. During the war, American ships on the coast were bombarded from caves in these mountains. Nowadays, it is a marble quarry and the surrounding villages are home to marble artists. Then we take a stunning mountain pass along the sea and ride through the Bach Ma National park before ending in Hue. There we will visit the ancient Hue Citadel where the Forbidden Purple City is located.

Day 4: Hue - Dong Hoi

We will visit the tunnel complex Vinh Moc. Where the Chi Chi tunnels in the South – near Ho Chi Minh City – mainly functioned as war routes, the Vinh Moc tunnels were shelters for village inhabitants to escape the intensive American bombings. In that time, approximately 60 families lived there and 17 children were born there. After the guided tour, we will get back on our motorcycles and ride via the coast to Dong Hoi. Having been shattered during the Vietnam War, this riverside town has made a comeback in recent years, with its beautiful beaches, colourful markets and addiction-worthy Vietnamese coffee

Day 5: Dong Hoi - Phong Nha

This morning we partake on an adventurous route as we ride through part of the Ke Bang National Park. Ninety percent of this park is primary forest meaning humans have not influenced the area and it has a high level of biodiversity. Here we also find the most covert part of the Ho Chi Minh trail: the section which ended in the DMZ - Vietnam’s Demilitarized Zone. During the Vietnam War, this was a neutral zone between North and South Vietnam. The US Secretary of Defence at the time established a defence line here named after him, the McNamara Line. This line joined a ribbon of US bases across the entire width of the land. Vietnam is at its narrowest here, a mere 90 kilometres between Laos and the coast. In the afternoon we take a boat ride to visit the Phong Nha caves. These caves were formed about 250 million years ago and are the largest and most beautiful caves in the country. The cavern is at least 8 kilometres deep with a network of underground rivers. We spend the night in a small village nearby.

Day 6: Phong Nha - Thai Hoa

Today is a travel day. We are already driving on the Notorious Ho Chi Minh road and we continue this road north. This legendary road was once just a trail through the jungle that the North Vietnamese troops used to supply the Vietcong in the South during the Vietnam War. We follow almost deserted roads through spectacular mountains. We will ride along the Vu Quang National Park, a remote area on the border with Laos. Several years ago, the Saola or Spindlehorn, also known as the Vu Quang ox, was spotted for the first time. It is one of the rarest animals in the world. People of the Muong ethnic minority group live in and around this national park.

Day 7: Thai Hoa - Tam Coc

We continue to follow the Ho Chi Minh trailas we ride through small villages and rice fields. The road is getting slightly narrower and the region even more sparsely populated. Tourists hardly come here. We will gain insight into the life of the countryside of Vietnam. We will ride through small villages, along rubber plantations, tea and cornfields and past bullocks that graze and plough in the rice fields. Remarkably, there are more churches than temples in this area.

Day 8: Tam Coc - stay

Today we will first make a rowing boat trip (1,5 hours) to enjoy the magnificent limestone mountains, natural caves and authentic farming activities. It is a short ride to Hoa Lu, the ancient capital of North Vietnam. There are some temples built in honour of, amongst others, the first Vietnamese emperor Đinh Tiên Ho� ng (924–979) (r. 968–979), following the liberation of the country from the rule of the Chinese Southern Han Dynasty.

Day 9: Tam Coc - Mai Chau

We continue our journey in the west direction. We ride on narrow and quiet country roads and pass a few national parks on the way to Mai Chau. The town is situated in an idyllic valley, hemmed in by hills and rice fields. The valley holds several Thai villages, characterized by traditional stilt houses. If time and weather permits, we can take an optional loop through the hills and partially unpaved tracks to visit a chopstick factory.

Day 10: Mai Chau - Nghia Lo

We are awoken by rural soundtracks defined by gurgling irrigation streams and birdsongs. Today we again follow a narrow but surfaced road. It is a beautiful area and along the route there are many small villages and tea plantations. Throughout the morning, one still comes across mostly Thai people but later in the day one sees more and more Hmong people. We cross over the Black River on a small ferry and make our way to Nghia Lo. This is a fast growing mountain town situated on the junction of two important roads. In town you will come across Dao and Hmong people.

Day 11: Nghia Lo - Sa Pa

We ride further north. The landscape is beautiful here. On both sides of the roads, there are green rice terraces built against the mountainsides. We ride through the mountains, crossing over a few high passes. There are more Dao people in this area. 40 kilometers before Sa Pa we will climb the highest pass of this trip. Sa Pa is the most touristic place we visit on this trip. However, since we avoid visiting during the weekend market we do not encounter too many tourists. Sa Pa is situated at an altitude of 1500 meters; during the French colonization it developed as a summer retreat to escape the oppressive heat in the lower parts of the country.

Day 12: Sa Pa - stay

Sa Pa is a charming place to spend a day. You can walk in the valley just behind the town, rent a bicycle or quietly explore the town and the market.

Day 13: Sa Pa - Bac Ha

The first 110 kilometres of the day we ride on a fully surfaced road. Along the way, we stop in Lao Cai to take a look at the Chinese border. The Red River separates the two countries here and a railway bridge connects them again. Across the river one can see the tall buildings of the relatively-speaking much richer China. For a short time we follow the highway and quickly make a turn to proceed on a small country road that slaloms eastwards along the Chinese border. Our journey will be full of hilly curves, rice terraces and river views. Bac Ha is a typical Northern Vietnamese village with vibrant people located in a valley.

Day 14: Bac Ha - Ha Giang

Just north of Bac Ha we turn right onto a small road. We then ride through a spectacular area studded with jagged rocks. The people of the small Hmong villages are surprised to see us as they hardly see any foreigners passing through their villages, especially ones on a motorbike. After a beautiful descent, we arrive in Xin Man. Just outside Xin Man we cross the bridge and turn right. We follow the river to the village of Huang Su Phi. There are many Nung people here and Nung villages on route. After each bend, there is yet another splendid view of the beautiful green terraces. Once we reach the junction with the highway, we will take small tracks more or less following the main road. For the last part to Ha Giang we have to ride n the main road. One needs to be careful in the busy traffic. Ha Giang is the capital of the province. Tonight we stay the night in a resort next to the river just outside the center.

Day 15: Ha Giang - Dong Van

Today we leave for our ride through the exceptionally beautiful and unique karst mountain region. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site named ‘Karst Plateau Geopark’ and locally known as ‘Dong Van - Meo Vac’ after the two largest villages. Immediately after Ha Giang, the road narrows and we climb over a beautiful ridge. We take our time to experience and absorb the breathtaking landscape and the hardworking hill tribes that are able to grow maize on apparently impossible places.

Day 16: Dong Van - Stay

Today we take the time to explore the area, relax in the town, or both. There is the option to visit one of the former Hmong king’s Palace or enjoy a short but adventurous trail will bring us further north towards the Chinese Border. There are also short loops via small pads trough small hamlets.

Day 17: Dong Van - Bao lac

This morning we wake up at the spectacular Ma Pi Leng Pass. It is only 21 kilometers, but Vietnamese poets have expressed their love for it. We take plenty of time today to explore the back roads of this area. It will be a peaceful route through a rolling landscape covered with rice terraces.

Day 18: Boa Lac - Ba Be

We ride along narrow roads to Lake Ba Be. We have to put our motorbikes on small boats to cross the river. Than we arrive at our accommodation. The Ba Be lakes are located in the eponymous national park. The lakes are surrounded by jagged karst rocks. The National Park is made of limestone, so there are lakes, waterfalls, caves and strange rock formations in abundance. You can encounter special animal species such as the king cobra, the Asian black bear and the Asian golden cat, and there are more than 350 species of butterflies. The Ba Be lake is the largest in the country. It is about seven kilometres long and one kilometre wide. Within the park boundaries there are also a number of villages with ethnic minorities, such as the Tay, Red Dao and White H’mong.

Day 19: Ba Be - Hanoi

This is a long day’s ride back to the capital. The roads are quiet in the morning but after passing Than Nguyen it gets busier. It is the last stage of the trip but perhaps the most special one. For many participants, riding into the city in the massive traffic is a fantastic finish to the trip.

Day 20: Hanoi - stay

Today you can explore Hanoi. During the colonial era, Hanoi was the capital of French Indochina. The French history is still plainly visible, for example, in the wide boulevards and the old villas. You can stroll around the old quarter and enjoy its small streets and busy shops. Alternatively, you can visit museums and pagodas. In the evening you can enjoy delicious Vietnamese cuisine at our last dinner.

Day 21: Departure

If you have not booked an extension for Ha Long Bay, then you will leave early in the morning to go to Hanoi airport for your flight back home.