14 Days Guided Top Gear Guided Motorcycle Tour on Ho Chi Minh Trail and Coastal Lines in Vietnam

Day 1: Hanoi - Mai Chau - Pu Luong (220 kilometers / 137 miles)

First of all, Top Gear Vietnam motorbike tour will start the journey around 8:30 a.m. to avoid rush hour when getting out of Ha Noi. You will ride towards Hoa Binh thenturn at Kim Boi to follow provincial road. This route is among crops of rice paddies, corn fields, lemon trees, and remote surrounding mountains.

After that, have lunch then keep riding to Pu Luong nature reserve (off- beaten-track area) for the wonderful view of terraced rice fields and villages living along the valleys. Stop in Don village down to the valley and up to hills for the great views of the region.

Top Gear Vietnam motorbike tour spends the first night in a local house on stilts for homestay - the best one with efficient facilities that you could find in the village. Have dinner with local foods prepared by the local.

Day 2: Pu Luong - Tan Ky (240 kilometers / 149 miles)

After breakfast with the family, the Top Gear Vietnam motorbike tour gets back on the bikes and say good bye to hill-tribal villages and then motorbike about 50 kilometers on road 15C to get on Ho Chi Minh trail.

You will get to Ngoc Lac town at noon time when the lunch is served at the local restaurant. After lunch, just enjoy an easy and relaxing motorbike tour on Ho Chi Minh road to Tan Ky town. Stay in town.

Day 3: Tan Ky - Phong Nha (280 kilometers / 174 miles)

Most noteworthy, Tan Ky is known as the starting point of the Ho Chi Minh trail during the war time. From here, the northern communist with food and weapons travel down to the South Vietnam to join the war.

After breakfast, Top Gear Vietnam motorbike tour travels down to the South Vietnam with your motorbikes on the historical trail. The ride is almost on the repaired part of the trail but still offers a great view of mountain and the daily life of the local.

The motorbike ride on Ho Chi Minh trail in the afternoon must be the highlight of the trip.

Day 4: Phong Nha discovery

Certainly, Phong Nha UNESCO world heritage is the world longest river cave. Take a boat trip to discover inside it is worthy. Have breakfast and check-out hotel at 7:30 a.m. By 8:00 a.m., take a boat along Son River to the gate of Phong Nha Cave. The wildly and weirdly beautiful of that cave will make be good impression to the travellers.

At 10:30 a.m., continue by boat on Chay River to visit Dark Cave, then motorbike pickup to Paradise cave, take some pictures with natural forest, limestone mountain on the way. Around 11:30 a.m., walk about 10 minus to Paradise Cave.

Enjoy the voice of many kind of birds over there. Begin explore “Paradise Cave” and you will be surprised increasingly by the structure of these stalactites and the stalagmites inside. At 1:00 p.m., come back to Phong Nha National Park. Enjoy the local food before coming back Hue City.

Day 5: Phong Nha - Khe Sanh (220 kilometers / 137 miles)

Similarity, the trip today’s another highlight of this Top Gear Vietnam motorbike tour! After departing from Phong Nha town, you will make a turn to join the western Ho Chi Minh trail known as the hidden trail that the US army did never know and bomb.

The western Ho Chi Minh trail offers you the wonderful motorbike ride today: with the length of more than 200 kilometers, this western Ho Chi Minh trail motorbike ride is almost under the Phong Nha Ke Bang national park where the traffic is completely empty.

In the late afternoon when you get out of national park you will pay an interesting visit to Khe Sanh - the former important US Marine Base including US Air base, tunnels, and new Khe Sanh museum. Top Gear Vietnam motorbike tour will head down to the Khe Sanh town and finish the great day for motorbike touring Vietnam at about 5:00 p.m and stay overnight there.

Day 6: Khe Sanh - Vinh Moc tunnels - Hue (170 kilometers / 106 miles)

Next, you will leave the Ho Chi Minh trail today to ride along the historical road No. 9 along the Dakrong River. The motorbike ride is straight to the eastern side of Vietnam along the 17th parallel where you can visit the Hien Luong bridge - a symbol for the border between the north Vietnam and south Vietnam.

You can also visit Vinh Moc tunnels where you can have short motorbike ride on coastal roads which offers different view from the ride on Ho Chi Minh trail days before. Top Gear Vietnam motorbike tour arrives Hue at 4:30 p.m. Hotel stay.

Day 7: Hue - Hoi An (150 kilometers / 93 miles)

Likewise, the end destination for this day is the ancient town of Hoi An, another World Heritage site, most famous for its contribution to trade with South-East Asia, back in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Riding National Highway 1 until you meet one of the greatest attractions though, is the Hai Van Pass, the mountain pass, whose scenic beauty will amaze you and its twisting roads will challenge your riding skills!

No wonder it has been featured by Top Gear, in 2008, as one of the best cross roads in the world. The pass was controlled by the U.S army during the American war and what remains of the base, are still visible and open to explore.

After a short coffee break, Top Gear Vietnam motorbike tour descends down the mountain and following the coastal road, which will bring you to Hoi An, where you will stay overnight.

Day 8: Hoi An relaxing

After breakfast in the hotel, Top Gear Vietnam motorbike tour will have short walking tour around the ancient town Hoi An to see some famous attraction in Hoi An such as: the Japanese bridge, Chinese temples, local markets, and the traditional houses.

In the afternoon you can have your free time at the beach or keep motorbike touring Hoi An to some peaceful and green villages of the local people who plant the vegetable all year around.

Day 9: Hoi An - Quy Nhon (290 kilometers / 180 miles)

Today will be one of the longest riding with the Top Gear Vietnam motorbike tour team. You will ride from Hoi An to Quy Nhon. Just follow the way directly to the south of Vietnam along the coastal line. It will be the day with full of challenges but also variety of excitements for you.

The crew reaches Quy Nhon at about 4:00 p.m. You can feel the salty wind from the sea because this town is located adjacently with the sea. Enjoy your dinner and one night here in this sea town will be an amazing experience.

Day 10: Quy Nhon - Nha Trang (240 kilometers / 149 miles)

The sceneries two sides of the road with the romantic and tranquil beaches, where there are almost no human. It could be one of the best Vietnam motorbike tours on Top Gear Vietnam routes. You will come to Nha Trang in early afternoon. You can take a tour around the city and then head back to the hotel to enjoy your night in this city.

Day 11: Nha Trang (relax and boat trip)

This is your day of relaxation on this Vietnam motorcycle tour and a full-day boat trip. In the morning, you sail away and visit four different islands. Lunchtime finds you on the boat. Spend beer time or swimming time on the beach in late afternoon or at night. Top Gear Vietnam motorcycle tour spends the night in Nha Trang.

Day 12: Nha Trang - Da Lat (150 kilometers / 93 miles)

After yesterday’s relaxation day, you are ready to ride today’s 150-kilometer mountainous trail that will unveil some of the most famous footages that you might have seen in the BBC Top Gear Vietnam Special show in 2008. Head to Central Highland and reach the City of Love, Dat Lat.

It is a very favorite destination for both locals and the French, due to its extraordinary beauty, majestic waterfalls, evergreen forests, mesmerizing lakes, the best flower gardens found in the country, and fresh and tasty agricultural products.

It has always been a pleasant oasis for those that wanted an escape from the lowlands’ high temperatures. With more than many places to see, you can spend the day visiting Da Lat’s highlight, which could include the gardens, the Valley of Love, the key pagodas, the waterfalls, or admire the architecture and beauty of the cathedral, the convent, and the university. Top Gear Vietnam motorbike tour spends the night at Da Lat.

Day 13: Da Lat - Cat Tien National Park (200 kilometers / 124 miles)

Riding on Road 20, Top Gear Vietnam motorbike tour heads for the National Park of Cat Tien that was used as a Vietnamese militia headquarters, during the Vietnam War. It is a park that has endured much suffering, as it was massively sprayed with herbicides during the war.

Up to this day, you cannot find proper vegetation and tree growth in the land and it is predominantly covered with grass and bamboo trees. You will spend the night in a hotel, in Cat Tien National Park.

Day 14: Cat Tien - Saigon (160 kilometers / 99 miles)

Despite the relatively short route, today’s trip will be rather tiring as the traffic as you enter Saigon can be mind-blowing. Top Gear Vietnam motorbike tour ends as soon as you reach the train station.

If you require any additional information on accommodation and places to eat, your guide will be more than glad to make some recommendations. This is where the tour ends.

The bikers can spend some days more to see the city or take boat trip on Mekong Delta then fly back home at Tan Son Nhat International Airport.

Bike rental deposit

If any bike has a technical break down, you will replace it with the same type of bike and your guide / mechanic will attempt to fix the bike within a day. If you damage / break the bike, you will be charged to replace / fix the bike depending on the extent of the damage.

A damage cost of 15 to 1000 USD or more is required for each motorbike. In case of a self-caused accident, one own participation is up to 2000 USD or more.

Requirements for participants

• Participation on tours is with motorcycle models that meet the demands of the respective trip!
• It is mandatory for the participant to wear helmet and motorcycle riding gears that is appropriate for the demands of the tour.
• If the participant takes part in the trip with his or her own motorcycle, then the participant takes the sole responsibility for ensuring that the motorbike is in perfect technical condition and in compliance with all regulations and requirements stipulated by law and by the organizer. The organizer and the tour guide are under no obligation to verify the participant’s compliance with these requirements.
• It is the sole responsibility of the participant to determine whether his or her individual abilities are sufficient to cope with the determinant route. The organizer and the tour guide are not under obligation to determine and verify the participant’s abilities.

Riding licenses

Firstly, none of the foreign licenses is valid in Vietnam, consisting of your country license. There are conflicting discussion on this but the reality is unfortunately not a good news. Nevertheless, the good news is IDP (international driving permit, 1968 Convention and) is now valid in Vietnam from August 1st, 2016 with the 46/2016/ND-CP decree.

You can try an insurance policy easily when you have a 1968 IDP. If you have 1968 Convention IDP, please take your home country driving license with motorbike endorsement to Vietnam. If you don’t have IDP or Vietnamese driving license, the police rarely stop you checking license unless you do something wrong.

Indeed, traffic police nearly don’t stop foreigners in Vietnam to check licenses because they don’t speak English well or feel confident to deal with it and they have to deal with many other local people. However, younger cops speaking English and using smart phones get easier for communication. Mui Ne and Nha Trang, South of Vietnam, have been the only exception where they started checking licenses.

Skill level(s) required for this tour: intermediate

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

This tour starts from Hanoi and ends in Ho Chi Minh. You will be riding through various destinations such as Pu Luong, Tan Ky, Phong Nha, Khe Sanh, Vinh Moc Tunnels, Hue, Hoi An, Quy Nhon, Nha Trang, Da Lat, and Cat Tien.

Being famous for the remarkable and valuable collection of war remnants, Ho Chi Minh legendary trail is the most worthy visiting place in the centre of Vietnam. Apart from it, on the way down south, there is naturally prioritized with long coastal line and bunch of wonderful beaches.

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Included in your package are breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. Fruits and water, soft drinks, and coffee on tour are also included.

• 1 good motorbike per person
• Hotel pick up and drop off
• Riding gears: helmets, gloves, knee, and elbow pads (but you are recommended to bring your own)
• Bungee cords and tie downs
• Dry / waterproof bags to pack your clothes for the trip
• Gasoline on tour
• English speaking guide
• 13 nights accommodation as indicated in the itinerary (standard hotel or home stay based on double, twins or triple shared room)
• Meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
• Entrance fees and sightseeing fees
• Fruits and water, soft drinks, and coffee on tour
• GoPro use, SD card, and all video of your trips (Loop Bike Tours can film your trip and create a free video (send two to four days later after the ride)

• Visa to Vietnam
• Flight tickets
• Personal travel insurance
• Alcoholic beverages
• Gratuities, tips for tour guides / drivers
• Damage to motorcycles (upon the fact of damage)
• Personal expenses

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• A reservation requires a deposit of 20% of the total price.
• The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.
• The rest of the payment should be paid on arrival.