FROM WEST TO EAST + HO CHI MINH TRAIL MOTORCYCLE TOURING
21 Days / 20 nights.
Day 1: Hanoi - Mai Chau. 170 km, ~4-5 hrs.
Heading out of Hanoi on road number 6 to Mai Chau, and idyllic valley populated by mainly White Thai ethnic people. Visiting Mai Chau, you have a chance to enjoy folk songs and traditional colourful culture of White Thai in Mai Chau. The scenery of the arrival to Mai Chau is characterized with beautiful limestone mountains and colourful hill tribes who can be seen and visited on the way. We also have an opportunity en route to learn about the culture of the rice-cultivating inhabitants in the Red River valley and Da River down stream. After lunch, we have the whole afternoon free to climb up to the top of Thung Nhuoi pass. From the top of the pass there is a beautiful view of Mai Chau valley, often engulfed by clouds but still a sight to be enjoyed. After visiting this wonderful site, we drop down to explore more of the area of White Thai people.
In the evening, we can enjoy a local dinner and overnight in a beautiful village at the edge of a river. After dinner, you can spend the evening sitting together around a fire and join in a Thai traditional music show. In their traditional attire, typical of their culture, Thai women invite visitors to participate in the Xoe dance. To the rhythmical and ebullient music, the hosts and guests will dance for hours hand-in-hand. When they get tired, they stop for a while to drink special sticky rice liquor called "ruou can". Visitors who participate in the Xoe dance once, especially by the light of a fire at night are likely to remember it forever.
Day 2: Mai Chau - Phu Yen. 150 km, ~4hrs.
A real challenging ride, after an hour on the new Highway no. 6 we make our own way on to the torturous and bumpy road to explore the H'mong hill tribe’s colourful customs and majestic mountainous scenery. Visit our H’mong friends’ families, walk in the village and then continue on the dirt road to Moc Chau.
These beautiful grasslands of Moc Chau have the best of both words and breath-taking scenery which is favoured by nature and covered with clouds all year round. It seems to offer the most ideal climate condition in Northwest Vietnam. Moc Chau's flora is diverse, ranging from forest and tea plantations to fruit hills.
Moreover, we can walk to the local dairy farms and try produce from the local processing factories. Dairy produce is Moc Chau’s specialty being exported to many other countries.
We drop down to Da River and take a boat to pass the river. Then we ride along the river to visit Phu Yen valley, one of the most prosperous and beautiful villages of Thai people in Northwest Vietnam.
Day 3: Phu Yen - Tuan Giao. 210 km, ~6hrs.
The journey north continues onto Son La, following the 113 Highway. Along the way, there are superb landscapes with green valley and terraced rice fields. Passing the Bac Yen Mountain top, through Chen Pass to the largest "maize" and "manioc" forest, we arrive at Son La plateau.
After lunch in Son La town, we will visit the former French Prison and provincial museum. We have more mountain passes to challenge us, such as Son La, Chieng Pac, and Pha Din. You will enjoy the beautiful landscape on your way from Son La to Lai Chau town. The afternoon will provide free time to climb over the top of the Pha Din Pass - known as the interface between Heaven and Earth. Pha Din forms a natural border between Son La and Dien Bien Phu, the site of the decisive battle in Vietnam’s struggle for independence in 1954. Then we take time to travel to Tuan Giao to view the sunset.
Day 4: Tuan Giao - Sin Ho. 150 km, ~5 hrs.
Today we continue venturing in to northern Vietnam with the 98ksm remainder of the historical Highway 6. The road is rough, but the scenery is unbelievably beautiful and magnificent with the 7 tall passes cutting though steep mountain along the Da River flowing around the foot of the passes, which can be found nowhere else in the Northwest route. Moreover, part of the pleasure of travelling by motorbike in this region is the simple joy of the friendly smiles and greetings of the local people, which make the hardship all worthwhile. Along the way, we stop to visit the Black Thai, Kho Mu, Lu, Black H'mong, Green H'mong and White H'mong, just some of the many hill tribe groups and discover their simple lifestyles and colourful cultures.
After lunch at Lai Chau, we take a boat to travel along the Nam Na River, passing the high, dangerous and sheer rocks, the pretty villages on the two sides of the river and the hillside green rice fields. The boat is not a big one, but the boatman is skilled enough to make your cruise safe and adventurous to the next destination. After that we make our way to Sin Ho.
Day 5: Sin Ho - Tam Duong. 110-170 km, ~4-5 hrs.
Due to the environment and a height of 1,700m, getting there is very hard journey, so the people living here mostly retain their long-lasting lifestyle. The unchanged way of life from ancient days is hard to maintain in the modern world, however it should be said that there is no way for urbanization to occur in these areas. Moreover, only a handful of tourist agencies can visit this remote area. The reason Sin Ho is regarded as the richest mountain market in the northwest province, is because anybody who is courageous enough to visit the area is rewarded with the fortune of visiting. This does nothing that limits the bright motley colours of traditional clothes of various ethics such as the Green H'mong, the Black H'mong, the White H'mong, the Dzao Dau Bang, and the Lu.
Sin Ho market lasts till late in the afternoon but due to a long hard road down the mountain, we need to prepare lunch and equipment for the trip. When arriving at the foot of the mountain we will ride along Nam Na River to Pa So. After climbing Hong Thu Man pass, home of the Dzao Khau and the H'mong people, we will reach Tam Duong, a small town surrounding by brilliant tea fields and a tapestry of green mountain ranges.
Day 6: Tam Duong - Sapa. 70 km, ~2 hrs.
This morning finds us on the road for the 50km ride to the village of Lu ethnic minority whose origin comes from Lao. We’ll have a chance to see beautiful stilt houses and girls who blacken the teeth and have a seductive smile. After that we have to cross the Muong Kim River back to National Highway 4D to travel to Sapa.
We will enjoy a picnic lunch at the top of Tram Ton Pass, the most beautiful one in Sapa. In the afternoon we are free to explore Sapa, which is usually engulfed by clouds. After enjoying an Artichaux cup of tea, a special drink from Sapa, we embark on a walk to discover this charming town and get acquainted with the host people who are the soul of this area.
Sapa was founded in the early years of the last century as a hill resort for the French administration at the time. It soon became famous in Indochina for its ideal climate. Nowadays, Sapa’s breathtaking scenery is some of the best in Asia.
Day 7: Sapa - Thac Ba Lake. 180 km, ~5 hrs.
We start from Sapa and ride down to Thac Ba lake. Very nice road in the countryside. We stop at many villages to chat and talk with local people and discover their culture. After Luc Yen, we follow along the side of Thac Ba lake with beautiful villages, limestone mountains, rice and palm fields.
Arrive in Vu Linh, a village of White Trouser Dao locates on the side of Thac Ba Lake. Leave the bikes in our host family - where we will stay for a night - and then we experience of paddling a small single boat by our feet with local people to discover the life of local Dao and Cao Lan minority people…
Day 8: Thac Ba -Ba Be lake.220 km , ~7hrs.
Quite a long drive but easy from Vu Linh to Ba Be. We go throughout many small villages to reach Babe – the most beautiful natural lake in the north of Vietnam where you will appreciate the warmly welcome of ours host from ethnic Tay in their stilt - house.
Day 9: Babe - Quang Uyen. 180 km, ~5 hrs.
Time to prepare for the quite difficult riding ahead, steep mountains and passes. To reach Cao Bang, we avoid National Highway No 3 but take the Colie Pass road, through dense old-growth forest. The road is rough but the scenery is unbelievably beautiful and magnificent. After lunch at Nguyen Binh town, we continue our journey for about one and a half hours to visit Cao Bang township. The national vestiges are some of this hill town’s major sights. We have a chance to visit these before we head out in the direction of Ma Phuc Pass to enter an area of innumerable vast steep limestone karsts and visit the North and North East’s district which is home to Nung and Tay ethnic people.
Day 10: Quang Uyen - Ban Gioc - Quang Uyen. 100 km, ~5 hrs.
Today we will take the opportunity to explore the spectacular scenery and wonderful world of local ethnic minority people. Along the way we will visit Ban Gioc waterfall, one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Vietnam, which form a natural border between Vietnam and China. The echo of the falls can be heard kilometers away. In rainy season, the waterfall makes the scenery even more magnificent. While here we will take a bamboo raft trip and have a picnic lunch. We also have a chance to visit China on the other river bank. Before the sun sets, we ride back to Quang Uyen and visit Phjia Chang village, settled by Nung An ethnic people 300 years ago. This village is famous for the traditional handicraft, such as basketware, weaving and so on. We will have dinner with our friends in the village.
Alternatively, in the afternoon we will return to Quang Uyen town to visit some villages of Tay and Nung An people where they make incense and local rough paper from mulberry trees to burn when praying to their ancestors.
Day 11: Quang Uyen - Mau Son. 180 km, ~6 hrs.
The most impressive landscape of Cao Bang is the riding from Quang Uyen to Dong Khe. The scenery of the road is unequalled with the steep limestone mountain and a green rows of sugar-cane fields. After seeing this scenic site, we continue our journey following the historical National Highway No 4 with the famous battles, such as Dong Khe, That Khe, Coc Xa or Lung Phay Pass…We stop for lunch in That Khe.
The journey north continues along the National Highway 4 and follow the Ky Cung river which flows around the foot of limestone mountains to Lang Son. It’s about 30kms from Lang Son city to Mau Son. The winding narrow mountain path is like a snake tucked between two steep mountains. Then we climb to the top of Mau Son , 1,542 m above the sea level. This area's picturesque scenery turns it into a miniatuare Sapa characterized by beautiful steep mountains. We can enjoy the sunset in Mau Son and observe China at the foot of the mountain.
Day 12: Mau Son - Ha Noi. 180 km, ~6 hrs.
On the way down hill, we will stop for a short walk to visit Dzao Ta Pan, Nung Phan Sinh villages on the hillside, where you can have a good time with family specializing in wine brewery. For hundreds of years, Mau Son wine has been Lang Son’s specialty; it sells well in Hanoi, the South of Vietnam and even China.
Then we will visit some war relics at the centre of Lang Son town or International Friendship border gate to buy a variety of Chinese goods. The return trip begins on National Highway No 1 with a possible visit to Chi Lang vestige surrounded by steep mountains.
Day 13: Hanoi – Ninh Binh. 90 km , ~ 2 hrs.
Ride to the south of Hanoi for ~ 90 km on National Highway 1, and then follow the little road (~8 km) through rice fields to Hoa Lu. Around 10:30, we propose to visit two temples in Hoa Lu of the two kings, King Dinh and King Le - Dinh Dynasty (968-980) and Early Le Dynasty (980-1009). This is the old capital of Vietnam with natural protection afforded by the region’s bizarre landscape.
Ride on the back road of Yen Ngua Mountain along the mountain range, snaking through limestone 8 km until Linh Xuan village. The road is narrow but newly sealed and easy to ride. There is a possibility to take many photos of this region and the landscape look like “Halong Bay without water”. We talk with local people we meet on the way and have a cup of tea with them. Then there are two roads: Ride to Ninh Binh for 1 km from Linh Xuan village (or straight from Linh Xuan village) to Tam Coc.
Day 14: Ninh Binh – Tan Ky
Today we drive from Ninh Binh to Tan Ky (Nghe An province), we leave the big roads and take the small roads via the Laos border then take the Ho chi minh trail (highway nowadays). The road is nice and there is not many traffic, belong it we will discover the local life of warmly people living in the countryside.
Day 15: Tanky - Huong Khe
We continue our trip heading south to Huong Khe. The road is good and quite throughout many Viet traditional villages. We arrive in Huong Khe at 5h30 pm. O/n in hotel.
Day 16: Huong Khe - Phong Nha
Continue to visit Dong Loc intersection that was the main junction of the supply lines from the North to Ho Chi Minh Trail. US aircraft concentrated a great numbers of bomb and ammunitions in repeated efforts to destroy the junction and the surrounding areas.
We head southwest to follow this famous historical trail along the Laotian border to Phong Nha National Park in Quang Binh provice where we pass overnight in hotel.
Day 17: Phong Nha - Khe Sanh
Boating in the morning to explore this world heritage site then after-noon, we continue to Khe Sanh, one of the most violent battlefields during the year 1973 in the War against American. O/n in Khe Sanh.
Day 18: Khe Sanh - DMZ - Cua Tung
Not far from Khe Sanh is DMZ - The Demilitarized Zone which was established in April 1954 according the Geneva Conference. The site was one of the fiercest battles; one time you visit this zone, you will see how was terrible this illegal War.
After Khe Sanh, we follow the route No 9 to visit Truong Son Nation Cemetery where more than 10,000 Vietnamese soldiers died, most unknown when US troops occupied the area during the US war.O/n in Cua Tung at hotel.
Day 19: Cua Tung - Hue
In the morning, ride along the coach up North to visit Vinh Moc tunnel. This tunnel wasn't setup as army tunnel in Cu Chi. It was a shelter for fishing and farming villagers lived and hidden from the extirpation of American bombardment.
We continue our trip to Hue with stops at two other battlefields - Thach Han and Quang Tri citadel - during the year of 1968 and 1972 respectively. O/n in hotel.
Day 20: Hue – Ancient citadel.
We visit the imperial citadel where the last king of Vietnam- Bao Dai had lived during his fist years on the throne.
After-noon: along the Perfume River, we visit Hon Chen temple, Thien Mu Pagoda and Minh Mang mausoleum. After dinner, we enjoy the Hue folkloric song on the boat drifting downstream of Perfume River. O/n in hotel.
Day 21: Hue - Da Nang
We ride up the Me Oi pass to A Luoi Commune where we visit some ethnic minority villages such as Ta Oi, Co Tu… before riding to Danang City. O/n in hotel - end of our trip.
COST
Voyage Vietnam organizes only all-inclusive full package tours. The only exception is at the request of the travellers when they want to upgrade their accommodation to something more luxurious.
* Price: 1.972 EUR/Rider
* Including:
- Motorcycle, 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, bus or flight tickets, food and accommodation in Vientiane and tips are not included in our fee.
Contact us now to book this tour or to know more details about the going price.
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