6 Days Amazing Vietnam Guided Motorbike Tour From Hanoi to Ha Giang

Day 1: Hanoi to Thac Ba Lake - Vu Linh (180 kilometers / 112 miles)

Start the motorbike tour to Ha Giang, north Vietnam at 8 a.m. from the Northeast side of Hanoi. You will ride up to the north of Hanoi by taking a small, winding road along the Red River. Enjoy great view of river and rice paddies as you ride through the countryside and extensive farming lands comprising a sea of paddy fields split by tree-lined roads.

Meet the daily life in the wild environment. Lunch at a local restaurant in Doan Hung Town. Arrive in Vu Linh, a nice village of the Dzao people that located nearby the Thac Ba Lake, the largest man-made lake with more than 3000 islands. If time permits, you will have boat trip around the Thac Ba Lake.

• Accommodation: homestay
• Meals: lunch, dinner

Day 2: Vu Linh - Ha Giang (180 kilometers / 112 miles)

After breakfast, ride along the Thac Ba Lake on a small road lined by palm trees and scenic mountain views to join the National road No 2 heading up to Ha Giang, where you stop for the night. Before getting to the Tay village where the homestay is located, you should stop at Ha Giang city to ask permit for the motorbike tour to Dong Van rock plateau and the frontier area in following days.

• Accommodation: homestay
• Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 3: Ha Giang to the Dong Van Rock Plateau (150 kilometers / 93 miles)

Today you will have one of the best highlights of the Vietnam motorbike tour. The ride today is mostly on small challenging mountain roads (but incredibly beautiful) on the land of colorful hill-tribes.

You will be on some of the most beautiful passes in Vietnam such as the Ma Pi Leng, "Heaven Gate" pass. Here is also a good chance to learn and experience the colorful culture of local tribes. It is inspiring to see how they survive as they manage to live in the rocks. When you reach the 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.

• Accommodation: hotel
• Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 4: Dong Van - Bao Lac (110 kilometers / 68 miles)

The motorbike ride in the morning is still winding along the Rock Plateau. After breakfast, enjoy slowly Vietnam motorbike tour on some beautiful mountain passes until Meo Vac where you stop for lunch. In the afternoon, you will navigate your bike downhill along the river and see the different mountain view (less rocky and more green). Arrive in Bao Lac town at 5 p.m.

• Accommodation: hotel
• Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 5: Bao Lac - Ba Be Lake (150 kilometers / 93 miles)

To save time for the boat trip in Ba Be Lake, you should start the day earlier so after breakfast, you'll start riding at around 8 a.m. Today is exactly the best offroad Vietnam motorbike tour.

Just after 20 kilometers from Bao Lac you turn to a narrow and bumpy road with a breathtaking view of terraced rice paddies. Especially, you have to cross a few rivers instead of riding on some bamboo bridges.

Finish the memorable riding day with lunch in a peaceful village of the Tay people nearby Ba Be Lake. It’s time for relaxing on one of the most beautiful and biggest natural lake in Vietnam in the afternoon.

• Accommodation: homestay
• Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 6: Ba Be - Hanoi (240 kilometers / 149 miles)

Stay off the main road for as long as possible as you head back towards the Red River Delta, passing through areas inhabited by Hmong, Dao, Tay and Nung minority peoples. A mixture of both challenging track and glorious sealed road all the way back to Hanoi. The tour will end safely in Hanoi before rush hours.

• Meals: breakfast, lunch

Bikes available for this tour:

Honda XR150L

• Model: Honda XR150L
• Year: 2015
• Category: Enduro / offroad
• Rating: 60.4 out of 100
• Displacement: 125.00 cm (7.63 cubic inches)
• Engine type: Single cylinder, four-stroke
• Compression: 9.2:1
• Bore x stroke: 52.4 x 57.8 mm (2.1 x 2.3 inches)
• Valves per cylinder: 4
• Fuel system: Carburettor. 20mm piston-valve
• Fuel control: Overhead Valves (OHV)
• Gearbox: 5-speed
• Front suspension: Telescopic fork
• Front brakes: Single disc. Dual-piston calliper
• Front brakes diameter: 240 mm (9.4 inches)
• Rear brakes: Expanding brake (drum brake)
• Seat: Two-person seat
• Dry weight: 129.0 kg (284.4 pounds)
• Seat height: 825 mm (32.5 inches)
• Overall height: 1,126 mm (44.3 inches)
• Fuel capacity: 12.00 litres (3.17 gallons)
• Starter: Electric & kick
• Carrying capacity: Rear rack

Honda CRF 250L

Being just imported in October 2014, These brand new motorcycles promise to be the perfect ones for most of the road conditions in Vietnam. With experienced riders, this kind of bike is the last but not least condition to have perfect motorcycle touring.

Specifications:

• Engine Type: 249cc liquid-cooled single-cylinder four-stroke
• Bore and stroke : 76.8mm x 53.8mm
• Induction: Dual-timing programmed fuel injection (PGM-FI), 46mm throttle body
• Ignition: Full transistor with electronic advance
• Compression ratio: 13.5:1
• Valvetrain: Unicam®, four-valve; 30.5mm intake, titanium; 25mm exhaust, steel
• Transmission: Close-ratio five-speed
• Final Drive: #520 Chain; 13T/49T
• Front Suspension: 48mm inverted Showa cartridge fork with 16-position rebound and 16-position compression damping adjustability; 12.2 inches travel
• Rear suspension: Pro-Link® Showa single shock with spring preload, 17-position rebound damping adjustability, and compression-damping adjustment separated into low-speed (13 positions) and high-speed (3.5 turns); 12.3 inches travel
• Front brake: Single 240mm disc with twin-piston caliper
• Rear brake: Single 240mm disc
• Front tire: Dunlop MX51FA 80/100-21
• Rear tire: Dunlop MX51 100/90-19
• Rake: 27° 23′ (Caster Angle)
• Trail: 118mm (4.6 inches)
• Wheelbase: 58.6 inches
• Seat height: 37.4 inches
• Curb weight: 231 pounds (Includes all standard equipment, required fluids and a full tank of fuel-ready to ride)
• Fuel capacity: 1.66 gallons
• Ground clearance: 12.7 inches

The price of this tour includes the use of Honda XR 150 cc. Bike upgrade to Honda CRF 250L incurs an extra cost of 40 USD per day per bike.

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 will take you to many places in Vietnam. Starting in Hanoi, the tour will cover Vu Linh, Ha Giang, Dong Van Rock Plateau, Bao Lac, Ba Be Lake, and back to Hanoi.

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Daily meals are included in the price.

• Use of Honda XR 150 cc
• All fuel / gasoline
• Helmets, gloves and bright reflecting jackets
• English-speaking motorbike tour guide / mechanic
• Meals on tour (local Vietnamese food): 5 breakfasts, 6 lunches, 5 dinners
• 6 nights accommodation (standard hotel and homestay)
• Boat trips on lakes or ferry cruise
• All entrance tickets / permits to remote areas
• Hotel pick up / drop off

• Travel insurance
• Tipping / gratuities
• Accommodation in Hanoi
• Support vehicle for the tour (135 USD per day, including tax, fuel, accommodation, meals, driver, parking fee)
• Airport pick up / drop off at the Hanoi Airport

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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 30 days before arrival.