Day 1: Hanoi - Lu Vinh village (180 kilometers / 112 miles)
You start your motorbike tour by riding on to dyke roads following the Red River to Thac Ba Lake. See the beautiful countryside, rice, and green tea fields. Then, you turn to the little road to Vu Linh village, where populated by Dzao ethnic minority by the side of Thac Ba Lake. The people are friendly and the welcome is exceptional.
Day 2: Thac Ba - Ha Giang city (180 kilometers / 112 miles)
After breakfast, you ride along the Thac Ba Lake on a small road lined with palm trees and scenic mountain views to join the main Road 2, heading up to Ha Giang where you stop for the night and apply for a permit.
Day 3: Ha Giang - Dong Van - tribal villages (160 kilometers / 100 miles)
After getting the permit to ride in border areas at Ha Giang's Immigration Police, you motorbike on small challenging mountain roads (but incredibly beautiful) on the land of colorful mountain hill-tribes. Head up the Ma Pi Leng Pass. Here is yet another amazing place with cloudy mountain ranges and the poetic Nho Que River winding off in the distance.
It is really difficult to find the exact words to describe Ma Pi Leng Pass, located between Dong Van and Meo Vac, near the northernmost tip of Vietnam, as a painting of astonishing beauty and magnificence that captures the eyes of all viewers and nature lovers. Ride on a zigzag track until reaching Vuong Family's Residence, 14 kilometers before Dong Van.
Vuong Family was considered the King of the Hmong People in Dong Van, Ha Giang. Their residence was built in the scenic valley of Sa Phin with Chinese architecture. The whole house was built out of wood and rock only. The rocks for the buildings were imported from China. Vuong Family Residence is a masterpiece of man work in the valley of heavenly beauty of Sa Phin.
This is a remote area and you can meet the hardworking local people here. It is inspiring to see how they survive as they manage to live in the rocks. When you reach Dong Van Town, you will have some extra time to wonder the ancient streets lined with H'mong homes of clay bricks and tiles roofs built centuries ago.
Day 4: Dong Van - Ba Be National Park (Bac Kan) via Meo Vac (160 kilometers / 100 miles)
The road is still under construction and tracks what make the ride relatively long in spite of few kilometers. The landscape is among the most beautiful of Vietnam and the slow tempo is only more appreciable. You cross the wild regions of the mythical province of Ha Giang and Meo Vac is included. It shares the border with Dong Van District of Ha Giang Province and Bao Lam District of Cao Bang Province.
Meo Vac has most of the terrain in the Rock Plateau of Dong Van and above 1000 meters above sea level. Meo Vac has a harsh climate in the winter which is from November to April with dry and freezing cold weather. It is inhabited by different ethnic minorities including the H'mong, the King, Tay, Dzao. Most ethnic groups have maintained their culture untouched by the outside world.
Beautiful motor ride down to Bac Kan Province in the afternoon. Take a local boat-ride on the reservoir of Na Hang Hydro Power Factory to the village near by Dau Dang waterfall in Ba Be National Park for homestay.
Day 5: Ba Be - Hanoi (230 kilometers / 143 miles)
Please note that this is a very big day. You should start early and ride back carefully on Road 3. After breakfast, take another boat-ride on Ba Be Lake to other side before jumping on your our motorbikes to Cho Ra, head up to main Road 3. On Road 3, the way back to Hanoi, the traffic is getting worst and worst, so you should be back before rush hour.
Intermediate
- Can ride for 3-4 hours
- Average riding experience
- Little assistance required
- Comfortable with extreme curves and leans
- Average experience with unsurfaced roads
- Steep ascents and descents
Advanced
- Can ride for 5-6 hours
- Extensive riding experience
- Assistance on demand (if required)
- Experienced with riding a variety of motorcycles
- Comfortable with any terrain and weather conditions
