Motorcycle tour to Ha Giang and china border visit ethnic market of H'Mong, Ha Nhi, Lo lo

ROCKY FAR NORTHCENTRE10 days / 9 nights

The northernmost province of Ha Giang developed with the migration of the H'mong people who arrived from south China about 300 years ago. Ha Giang’s natural environment bears the same characteristics as other mountainous areas; that is, an unfavorable all year round dry climate with little rainfall, constant fog in the winter, and rocky unfertile soils cut across by countless streams. Due to transportation difficulties, the province has long been an isolated border area with little contact between the local ethnic minorities and the provincial governments.

The scenery through to the coast is magnificent, the craggy mountain ranges covered in mystic clouds make travellers feel like wandering in a fairyland, valleys between the mountains are enhanced by spectacles of coloured villages each with distinctive architectural features and fascinating spots for watching the sunset. If World Heritage had a cultural hotspot for diversity, this would be it. There are an estimated 20 ethnic minorities in the area. If lucky, or planned well, the weekly market in Meo Vac will provide an opportunity to see this wonderful mix of cultures and people.

Motorcycle touring North Centre Vietnam

It’s not an easy challenge though; to get there, travelling through bamboo forests and cloud forests where these ethnic minorities live sporadically, the journey is hard. Roads are currently under construction and biking terrain is anything from wet, slippery mud baths to 1-meter wide rough gravel mountain passes. If you’re looking for an adventure you know where to find it.

Those who have come here will be amazed at the exotic ethnic cultures of which local fairs are characteristic. It is recommended that travellers come on New Year's day when ‘khen’ dancing, music played with instruments made from leaves, folk songs, traditional corn-made alcohol and the bizarre custom of ‘stealing the bride’ will keep you amazed forever. The total route is 1,300 km, equivalent to 40-45 hours on a bike.

The itinerary below is standard and very typical. If you have less time, then we customize this loop in:
- 4 days

Day 1: Hanoi - Thac Ba. 170 km, ~5 hrs.

To head out of Hanoi city, we follow the Red River to avoid the city traffic jams. This exciting river road will gives a taste of things to come, including testing your biking abilities. After that we’ll board a ferry to cross the traditionally famous Lo River, in which a number of important events took place during our resistance war against the French colonialists. We continue our journey north to Babe Lake by riding along the river Chay. By evening we should reach the village of Dao with white trousers. A local meal will be prepared and you have an opportunity to spend the evening sitting around a fire together, chatting and laughing with the local people. The host family will provide accommodation where we will all share a room with several beds, complete with mosquito nets. The locals live a very simple life and are very friendly. A dugout canoe is provided for an excursion to Thac Ba Lake containing crystal clear water where there is an opportunity for a refreshing swim.

Day 2: Thac Ba - Luc Yen. 80 km, ~3 hrs.

An early morning start to Thac Ba lake by canoe will provide an opportunity visit to Dzao; a Caolan minority people and partake in the daily life of the locals. This experience is unique as the Caolan are a very colourful people. After lunch, to aid our digestion, we take a walk along Thac Ba Lake and view hundreds of beautiful green islands.

By late afternoon, after several hours driving, we will stop for the night in a Tay ethnic village and before dusk enjoy a 2km walk to mountain-top Dong Tinh village. The Red Dzao ethnic people populate this village. During the dry season a day’s travel is hard by any means of transportation except by our ‘iron buffalo’ as road conditions become very poor. The local Red Dzao earn their living by collecting forestry products, hunting and farming a variety of subsistence crops and some fruit. Only when the sun sets will we return to the Tay family for dinner.

Day 3: Luc Yen - Xin Man. 160 km, ~5 hrs.

The morning will start with a walk along a small path, through numerous beautiful villages and terraced rice fields. It is an opportunity to enjoy the picturesque landscape of the Vietnamese countryside. It’s not a long distance but a climb up to Xin Man is a must. Vehicles haven’t appeared on the tortuous road up the mountain for a long time. The local ethnic family leaves the travellers with a very impressive experience.

Day 4: Xin Man - Ha Giang. 140 km, ~5 hrs.

The regular Sunday Xin Man market is located right at the edges of Xin Man itself. Here you will see people from the H'mong, Nung; Tay, Dao… ethnic minority groups. They all walk through mountain paths and rough terrain from their mountain villages to the Xin Man market to trade items and socialize. This market is one of the most isolated in Vietnam, so it has never been given much attention. To reach Xinman, it's at least a 3 hour ride along narrow meandering roads from the town of Bacha, on this leg you have to be careful not to lose yourself in the dense woods. An easier but longer route can be taken on the curving road cutting through steep mountains for the 100 km ride from Xinman. This will still take about 4 hours despite the newly upgraded bitumen road and the absence of other vehicles.

The lively central market of Xin Man will be visited in the morning before we depart for Bac Quang where you will have to be alert as the road has many dangerous meandering turns. After reaching Heaven’s Gate II and the Hoang Su Phi Pass, a picnic lunch will be provided amongst superb surrounding landscape. When dropping down into Tan Quang the tour will take a leisurely ride along the National Highway No 2. If time permits we’ll have a dip in the warm waters of the hot springs. The remainder of the day we will spend relaxing. This night will be spent in a hotel.

Day 5: Ha Giang - Meo Vac. 165 km, ~5 hrs.

Rise and shine for a few hours trek to many of the Heaven Gates such as Quan Ba, Yen Binh, Dong Van. They are so called because one gets the feeling of touching the sky - heaven's gates. This is the best time and place to enjoy the wonderful sightseeing of this vast limestone mountain range and perpendicular walls of rock, which brings one a feeling of adventure whilst being lost in a magic land. Here we are surrounded by many rocks of all shapes and sizes. After lunch at Yen Minh town, the scenic route climbs over a pass before arriving in Pho Bang, also called Pho Bang Street, which was built a long many centuries ago and features multi-storey houses made of clay bricks and tile roofs. Then we continue our trip to visit the infamous Vuong Palace, a H'mong family of high rank during French colonial rule. This palace attracts keen interest from architecturally minded visitors due to its mixed style of European and Chinese architecture. After bidding farewell, we take time to climb over the Ma Pi Leng Pass from which we can see and enjoy a beautiful sunset over the Nho Que river.

Visiting these remote areas, we will witness how hard the local people struggle with their environment for their survival and development. Living conditions are extremely harsh, there is barely any arable land within the rocky mountains and the people survive on a diet of corn, which is about the only crop able to grow in the rocky soil. Even through this hardship, the local people are very friendly, simple yet develop a strong attachment to other people. They are the soul of this remote area.

Map for Motorcycle touring North Centre Vietnam

Map for Motorcycle touring North Centre Vietnam

Day 6: Meo Vac - Bac Me. 150 km, ~5-7 hrs.

The Meo Vac market lasts till the mid-afternoon. However the tour will hit the road before lunch, as today is a real challenge as the group travels by a track through a forest. This 80 km motorcycle ride is a measure of your bravery and skill. The rolling rocky roads take you to hell on a rainy day. However the breath-taking scenery makes the hardship all worthwhile.

Meo Vac is a land of rugged mountains and beautiful hill villages remaining unchanged for centuries. The Meo Vac market attracts a wide variety of ethnic minority groups who walk all the way from their mountain villages to Meo Vac market in order to trade goods and produce. Market sessions provide a chance for locals to promenade and young men and women in colourful costumes to meet, date or seek sweethearts. For this reason, markets in the northern mountainous areas are often called the Love Markets. Visiting Meo Vac on Sundays, one can shop in a very original mountain market where all kinds of goods and multicoloured clothes can be purchased.

Day 7: Bac Me - Ba Be Lake. 80 km, ~7 hrs.

Yesterday you had an opportunity to develop your riding skills, and again today its time to muster up all your skill, technique and experience for the 80 km of forest road. Only with the help of our experienced guides will you not get lost in one of the 16 branching roads. Along the way, we traverse many tall passes and deep river valleys. This road trip will take you only 3-4 hours during the dry season, but at least 7-8 hours during the rainy season. However, the feeling of ‘conquering nature’ makes the hardship all worthwhile. Upon arrival, we will cross 3 rivers between 20-30m in width and up to 70cm in depth, all managed with the instruction of our experienced guide. The remaining 3kms of the journey is a pleasant and relaxing ride. You’ll ride along an open hillside road along the Nang river. Catch your breath while you can. We complete our journey at the Dau Dang waterfall. This is basically an overnight stop to break our long journey and stretch our legs, take the tiredness away and share the day's adventure with the owner of the Nang river restaurant; Mr. Pirate’s. The next day we canoe our hearts out through the tranquil lakes of Babe, renowned for their majesty. Then we can swim or trek to visit the Tay ethnic minorities and talk with the local people. We overnight with our host family.

Day 8: Ba Be lake.

Today is a full day to take advantage of lake Babe. During the cruise on the lake, we visit Babe National Park and witness the simple lifestyle of local people in these remote areas, including the Tay, H'mong and Dao ethnic groups. After another delicious meal cooked by our hosts, we spend the evening sitting together around a fire, discussing and enjoying the days sightseeing with the local people.

Day 9: Babe - Tan Trao. 150 km, ~4 hrs.

Motorcycle touring North Centre Vietnam

Having a full day for the excursion on Babe lake will soon take your tiredness away get your ready for another leg of our journey towards Tan Trao. After bidding farewell to the friendly people on Babe lake, we travel to visit the Northernmost Vietnam community which was the headquarters to the Vietminh; the League for the Independence of Vietnam. After establishing the government in 1945, they moved here to build a resistance base in order to prepare forces for the arduous struggle against the French colonialists. Not until Independence was gained in the whole of Indochina, did the Vietnamese government return to Hanoi in October 1954. In this area, President Ho Chi Minh led the uprising of the whole nation to mark a great victory over 50 years ago.

After this journey, we will dine on local specialties, such as baked pork, bamboo-tube rice, bamboo sprout and many more traditional specialties. After dinner spend the evening sitting around the fire recalling the heroic Nine-Year Resistance War with the local people who recount history so vividly. We spend another night at a host family's house.

Day 10: Tan Trao - Hanoi. 160 km, ~5 hrs.

The morning will provide free time for you to explore this heroic land before returning to Hanoi. On the way back there is an opportunity to admire the splendid scenery of the Pho Day River containing crystal clear water with beautiful images of country girls in small basket boats, as we ride past.

A stop in Tam Dao, a Sapa like miniature town, will provide lunch and time to relax after a long journey. We will arrive in Hanoi late afternoon.

COST

Voyage Vietnam organizes only all-inclusive full package motorcycle,motorbike,motorbiking and adventure tours. The only exception is at the request of the travellers when they want to upgrade their accommodation to something more luxurious.

* Including:
- Motorbike Minsk, all fuel;
- Tour guide / Translator;
- Motorbiking protective pants, jacket, gloves, helmet, rain gear, and other safety equipments;
- Sleeping bags, mosquito nets, sheets, pillows and accommodation;
- Third party motorbike insurance;
- All food;
- All entrance fees, permits, tickets, boat trips, ferries, bamboo rafts, etc...
- Voyage Vietnam assistance throughout your trip;
- We also love to celebrate our guests' birthday ... well any excuse for a celebration on the open road.

* Personal expenses (such as souvenirs), personal insurance, drinks, train or flight tickets, food and accommodation in Hanoi and tips are not included in our fee.

Contact us now to book this tour or to know about different itineraries.

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