Motorcycling North East Vietnam

5 Days

5 Days Request This Tour

Activities: Motorcycling

Tour duration: 5 days tour with 05 days motorbiking at challenging grade

Country: Vietnam

Route: Ha Noi - Ba Be lake - Bao Lac - Ha Giang - Flagpole Lung Cu for North furthermost - Dong Van - Hanoi

Grading:

See Definition

This motorcycling adventure is about to take you to one of the 4 greatest mountainous passes of Vietnam, Ma Pi Leng with the high over 1500m to the sea level before the starting up with Ba Be Lake – the very special and biggest lake in North Vietnam. You will also reach to the Vietnam north furthermost, Lung Cu flag point. These stunning destinations are connected by challenging road paths offering the best climbing ride as well as awesome off-road experiences in some days.

1Map & Itinerary

Tour Highlights

Challenging roads offering awesome sceneries
Boat trip on Ba Be Lake
Conquer Ma Pi Leng pass
North furthermost of Vietnam, Lung Cu
Exceed your limit with the last ride up to 300km

Brief Itinerary

Day 1: Ha Noi - Ba Be lake (240 km)

Day 2: Ba Be boat trip – motorcycling to Bao Lac (140km)

Day 3: Bao Lac – Flagpole Lung Cu for North furthermost – Dong Van ( 150 km)

Day 4: Dong Van – Ha Giang (130km)

Day 5: Hà Giang – Hanoi (310km)

Day 1: Ha Noi - Ba Be lake (240 km)

ActiveTravel ASIA’s guide greets you at the hotel then we will prepare our motorbikes for startup. It may take 15 – 30 minutes depending on your experience while our guide will brief about the itinerary, Vietnamese law for motor and safety notes.

This morning, we commence our trip to Ba Be Lake via Thai Nguyen. After about 80km riding on good roads, we pass by Thai Nguyen province that is the first industrial zone of Vietnam and also very famous for its green tea products.

We keep our motorbikes on the National road No3 and reach to Pac Ngoi – a beautiful village in Ba Be National Park. Tonight, we have dinner and overnight here – a house of Tay ethnic people.

Summary:

Distance: 240km

Meal included: Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Homestay in Ba Be.

Day 2: Ba Be boat trip – motorcycling to Bao Lac (140km)

Morning, we have breakfast at the house then take a short walk to the boat pier. The boat trip takes place in next 2 – 3hours to enjoy the very special lake surrounded by stunning mountains. Go back to the house, say goodbye to our kind host then we ride to Bao Lac.

This part is one of the highlights of this motorcycling trip. You are going to pass and stop to see lovely water wheels as the homemade irrigation system for terrace fields. Riding further, you should prepare for some challenging and long off-road portions (maybe 50km or more) when you ride over the road covered by streams or under constructions. For less experienced riders, an alternative easier way is using temporary wooden connectors. Lunch will be served en route.

You arrive in Bao Lac in the late afternoon. Check in the hotel and manage your own dinner with our guide’s help.

Summary:

Distance: 140km

Meal included: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: Hotel/guest house in Bao Lac

Day 3: Bao Lac – Flagpole Lung Cu for North furthermost – Dong Van ( 150 km)

Morning, take the hot breakfast at your accommodation. Today will be another stunning and challenging day because we are going to conquer one of the 4 greatest, highest passes of Vietnam – Ma Pi Leng.

Start from your hotel, we ride toward Dong Van via Meo Vac path. This is the place where Ma Pi Leng Pass located at about 1500km to the sea level. A Vietnamese write one wrote about this breathtaking path via Ma Pi Leng (20km): this was the road completely constructed by manual forces, took over the highest plateau, consumed the biggest labor days, took place in the longest time and hide some of the most tragic stories during the entire Vietnamese road construction history.

We reach to Dong Van – the first Karst Plateau Geopark in Vietnam and stop for lunch.

Afternoon, we take another ride to the North furthermost of Vietnam, Lung Cu flag pole then we ride back to Dong Van for checking in the hotel, relaxing and timing for your dinner.

Summary:

Distance: 150km

Meal included: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: Hotel/guest house in Dong Van

Day 4: Dong Van – Ha Giang (130km)

Start the day with a breakfast at your hotel to refresh up. Then we ride to Ha Giang city with an en route stop at King H’mong Vuong Grand House. This house played as the palace for the King of H’mong people with very interesting building skills as well as the unique tradition of Hmong people. After that, we continue our ride to Yen Minh where we stop for lunch.

When you’ve done with your lunch, we will visit Lung Tam village – where you can witness the Hmong people weaving clothes from flax trees. Stop our motorbikes for photo shooting at Quan Ba before we conquering Heaven Gate pass to Ha Giang city.

Check in the hotel and free time for dinner.

Summary:

Distance: 130km

Meal included: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: Hotel/guest house in Ha Giang

Day 5: Hà Giang – Hanoi (310km)

Breakfast at the hotels. If previous days are all about natural challenges, this day will be the day you exceed your limits by yourself. We leave this day with the ride up to 300km per day on good, paved road directly to Hanoi capital.

The road is not very challenging along Lo River but the long riding request other skills of focusing, keeping the right space to your fellow passengers and our tour guide.

For less experienced motorbikes, we suggest you should take an extra day with an overnight in Thac Ba reservoir, for instance. Arrive in Hanoi late afternoon and party time. Let’s celebrate this awesome day with beers.

Our services for “Motorcycling for Bests of North East Vietnam” ends here.

Summary:

Distance: 310km

Meal included: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: Not available

See Pricing Details & Book

CUSTOMIZE YOUR ADVENTURE TOUR

2Pricing Details

Price valid till Sep 30, 2020 Exchange rate: 1US$ = 23.500VND (in Apr 2024)

Book This Adventure

Departure date

Package

Number of person

(Adults)

DO YOU KNOW?

All tours are private. No joined-in, customized. No fixed dates. (except Amazing Thailand on Motorbike)
You can customize to pick one or some most favorite sections.
The price - if not customized - is fixed. No hidden cost, no surprised.
We are full licensed operator and only work with similar legal status partners. It's adventurous, not risky
Many discounts available from May to Sep. Minimum surcharges on peak days (Xmas, New Year etc)
Still questions?! Please contact us or email: info@activetravel.asia

What is Included

Semi Automatic Honda Future 125CC
Best Rated Hotel Accommodations
Unlimited Mileage
Helmets for the driver and passenger
Daily breakfast & meals as indicated in itinerary
Homestay permission
Professional English speaking tour leaders
Water & Snacks on driving days
First-aid kit
National Park and other Entrance Fees
Preparation and Orientation
All taxes, fees, and environmental surcharges

What is NOT Included

Travel insurance
Visa process and stamp
Tips and gratitude
Transportation between hotel and location (restrictions may apply at certain locations)
Gasoline average US$ 10 per day
Mechanic and support truck
Personal expenses
Personal motorbike protection gears
Surcharge Suzuki DRZ 400CC
Others not mentioned

THIS ADVENTURE INFORMATION
Duration: 5 days, 4 nights
Depart from: Hanoi - End at: Hanoi
Guide: English speaking guide
Support crew: Support vehicle, Mechanic
Accommodation: Hotels, home-stay

MOTORCYCLING GRADE
Motorcycling grade: Moderate Grade that means this tour involve in active, physical-required activities can be up to 4 - 5 hours a day at a steady pace. The tour is going to involve a considerable amount of ascent or descent under different weather conditions. Support facilities may not be available on-site and there are some occasional difficult days. You will need a good level of fitness.

* Suggested preparation: 30 - 45 minutes of aerobic, physical exercise, 3-4 times per week for a few weeks leading up to your adventure are recommended.(read our training guide here)

Who suits: For outdoor novices and above.

Activity: 4-5 hours most days

Distances: Hike up to 8 miles (or 13km) most days,
motorbiking 100-125miles (150-200km) on paved, twist road most days, sometimes off road

Surfaces: rolling or mountainous terrain with some steep ascents/descents and uneven trails

Elevation change: up to 3,000 ft/day (about 900m)

Altitude: up to 8,000 ft (about 2500m))

MEALS AND FOOD
- Day 1: Lunch, Dinner
- Day 2 - 5: Breakfast, Lunch

All meals, which are indicated in the itinerary, are included in the price of this trip. While in big towns we will enjoy Vietnamese cuisine in fine restaurants. Once we travel away from big towns, the emphasis will be on healthy and nutritious fresh local produce.

HOTELS AND HOMESTAY
In big towns we use fine 3-star hotels with center location. Please contact us if you prefer higher hotel categories.
In remote areas we use the best hotels or guest houses available.
Home stay in villages is simple in term of bedding and amenities condition. We will sleep on beds or floor with mattress, clean sheet, pillows and mosquito nets.

OUR MOTORBIKING TOUR GUIDE
The tour will be led by one of our tour guides who are experienced in guiding motorcycling tours in Vietnam. He has been carefully selected and trained in this field and is fully licensed in tour guiding by the government. In addition, he has been trained in first-aid by SOS International and he knows how to deal with difficult situations. You will have a great time traveling with him.

THE MOTORCYCLING DAYS
A typical motorcycle riding day starts at about 8.30 am after breakfast. Lunch times can vary depending on the distance. We aim to reach the next overnight stop by 5 or 5.30pm During the riding we will have short breaks for rest, snack and photographing.

MOTORBIKES AND UPGRADE

The upgrade to Dirt Bikes are always available and upon your request. We have many Dirt Bike models various from 125CC up to 650cc for wide range of riders' experience. They are very much suit to Vietnam roads.

Due to the road conditions of Vietnam, big-size or big-engine motorbikes (such as: 1000cc up) are not popular and expensive. Such big-engine motorbikes may not maximize their power as well as technical specs while highway express in Vietnam is not good enough and the awareness of traffic attendants are relatively low. Moreover, the rental prices can be very high due to high imported taxes added into the price. We strongly encourage you contact to our team if you decided to take those ones.

SUPPORT VEHICLE

Vietnam with various terrain and great scenery is an ideal place for adventure motorcycling. Although it is so fun and adventurous to ride in Vietnam it is surely a challenge for any foreign rider since the traffic is so different from the rest of the world. Moreover, we want everyone to enjoy their motorbiking experience on this trip and we recognize the importance of group members being allowed to ride at their own pace. At times there can be a fair distance between the front and rear riders in the group, with the support vehicle and tour leader out of sight. The support vehicle will pick up any group members who wish to take a break from motorcycling at any time.

Note on client safety
We reserve the right to deviate from this itinerary for any reasons, including road and weather conditions or for any other factor which may influence client safety.

Need more satisfy, Start your customize here

3comments & rating

Be the first giving Feedback for this Adventure!

Your first-hand experiences really help other travelers. Thanks!

Guide

Stays

Transport

Food/Drink

Activities

Support

Title of review *

Travel time *

Your email *

Your country *

Your name *

Your review *

4Gear List/Notes

WHAT ATA SUPPLIES?

We use Future Neo 2009 125CC in this quotation by default. The reason is that the neat and very good design by Honda Vietnam is perfectly suitable for Vietnam road paths. The gear shift is changed easily and smoothly. This models can give you good experiences over almost motorcycling paths of Vietnam. Honda Future Neo is our choice in the quotation as its very affordable price, popular spare parts, easy-to-control even for motorcycling beginners
- Curb weight : 105 kg
- Overall length: 1890mm
- Overall width: 705mm
- Overall height: 1085 mm
- Wheel base: 1,240 mm
- Seat height : 767 mm
- Fuel tank capacity: 3.7l
- Engine oil capacity: 0.9 litre when dismantling machine; 0.7 litre when changing lubricant
- Engine type: Gasoline, 04-stroke, single, air-cooled
- Gear box: Mechanical, 4-step rotary system
- Starting system: Electric/kick starter

For Upgrade Dirt Bike Honda XR 250. The upgrade surcharge is affordable while the experience back is far more.
- Displacement: 249.00 ccm (15.19 cubic inches)
- Engine type: Single cylinder, four-stroke
- Fuel control: Double Overhead Cams/Twin Cam (DOHC)
- Cooling system: Oil & air
- Gearbox: 6-speed
- Dry weight: 134.0 kg (295.4 pounds)
- Power/weight ratio: 0.1739 HP/kg
- Seat height: 840 mm (33.1 inches) If adjustable, lowest setting.
- Alternate seat height: 880 mm (34.6 inches) If adjustable, highest setting.
- Overall height: 1,161 mm (45.7 inches)
- Overall length: 2,130 mm (83.9 inches)
- Overall width: 845 mm (33.3 inches)

High Quality Helmets - Manufacturer: Vietnam: Injection-molded thermoplastic shell construction. Full-face helmet, provided in long motorbiking trips, offers maximum protection during off-road use. Half face helmet will be provided for traversing inside the city.
Saddle bags (roughly 7 kg each side)
Extra rucksack or bag strapped
ATA first-aid kit: Available on any ATA trip

If you pick the price option Incl. Mechanic and Support truck, we will supply:
- Support truck will pick up any group members who wish to take a break from motorcycling at any time.
- 01 professional mechanic along the motorbiking trip who greatly understand the technical issues and fix our motorbikes as manufacturer's requirements. That will maximize your safety and the duration of our motorbikes usages.
- Spare parts of the motorbike such as: Tyres, Pump, Plastic tyre levers, Brake cable, Gear cable etc.

WHAT YOU SHOULD BRING WITH?

Original passport – compulsory, of course, you have to declare several times and always keep it in a safest place. Copying your passport for daily usages and putting the original one into a plastic bag is strongly recommended.
Good quality helmet (your own helmet is recommended)
Wellington/riding boots
Waterproof gloves/ summer gloves
Turtleneck shirts
A pair of extra jeans
Bandannas to cover your face
Suitable, familiar shoes/ a pair of string back sandals or slippers.
A small backpack with rain cover.
Clothes:
- 100% cotton, comfortable underwear (top/bottom).
- 100% cotton long-sleeved shirt, trousers (01 piece/day)
- Sleeping clothes (top/bottom).
- Several pairs of socks.
- A waterproof pant and jacket.
Hat, sunglasses, sunscreen.
Light rain coats.
Toiletries – woman’s sanitary products.
Common medicines in your personal first-aid kits. ATA has its own first-aid kit too including sticking band-aid, cotton wool, gauze pads, bandage, small scissor, some pain killer pills, etc.
GoPro Camera – optional – to record details of your journey.
GPS mobile phone with multi sockets – optional – to entertain and keep contacts with your family or fellow passengers.

* Refer more our readings on "Minimizing your Hiking Pack Weight"

See Pricing Details & Book

CUSTOMIZE YOUR ADVENTURE TOUR

This Tour Category FAQs

Do I need travel insurance?

Yes, it is a must, especially for taking adventures. The insurance companies in Vietnam don’t cover if you don’t have Vietnamese driving licenses, which require you a 6-months resident visa as a minimum, plus many paperwork and time to wait. Then we strongly recommend you should buy a travel insurance from your home country. The names that the riders going with us suggested are QBE, Allianz etc.

How the traffic in Vietnam is?

First comes first, Vietnam is the country with the law of right-hand-side riding. That means you keep on the right-hand side and take over on the left-hand side whilst joining the traffic.

You often hear traffic in Vietnam is crazy, hectic, fun or even dangerous. On Vietnam roads, especially inside main cities, motorbikes are the king. That’s why ActiveTravel ASIA select quiet and countryside roads for our Vietnam motorcycle tours. The first reason is your safety, the second and maybe many other following reasons after that are the sceneries and challenging hardship. Once you get out the cities, the traffic heaviness drops remarkably. However, we still ask you drive slowly and carefully because there are obstacles possibly jumping out the roads.

To support your safety riding, we always include a tour guide who are local and very experienced of motorcycling tours. The tour guide is not only your friendly accompany but a safety instructor for your whole tours with us.

What have I to do if I got an accident?

First of all, stay calm and notice our guide immediately, because our guide is always around you. Our guides are trained to call us in an eye blink and deal with the situation. Don’t panic, don’t ever get any offensive action to the locals, just leave the situation to our guides and our staffs. We will try our best to find a way to settle it down before the traffic police involving.

This is very strange in Vietnam that when an accident happened, the compensation often comes from the bigger vehicles regardless of right or wrong sides eg: drivers pay to motorbikes, motorbikes pay to cyclist etc. That sounds ridiculous but “when you are in Rome, do as Roman does”. If the police got involved, they would tow away all related vehicles, take paper works and you have to wait the whole time until an official outcome.

Then once again, we strongly emphasize that you should stay calm, leave this to our tour guide and staffs. If you are requested to pay a small amount of money by the end, don’t be surprised even if you are right.

Do I need international driving license?

Even though, in Aug 2016, there was a decree by Vietnam government to recognize International Driving Permit (IDP), the detailed documents to guide of converting your foreign driving license into the accepted ones in Vietnam are a quite long way to implement smoothly and effectively. An IDP, if granted by a Vietnamese transport authority, will be valid in 85 countries which are contracting parties to the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic. Then you should check whether your country joined the Convention or not? If yes, you can convert your driving license into IDP that is accepted in Vietnam. Please take your original license, your passport, some photos and a small fee to your transportation controlling authority in your home country to convert it.

In reality, the traffic warden hardly stops you for driving license checking due to their limit in English and no confident to handle with. We have just noticed the situation starts changing a bit in South Vietnam where police commence to stop foreigners for driving licenses.

What is the best time to ride? And why this time?

From Sep to Dec and from Feb to May annually. They are autumn and spring, early summer in Vietnam (refer more: best time to travel in Vietnam). This time is not too hot, not too cold and rather dry all over Vietnam for outdoor activities. Sep to Dec is harvesting seasons in mountainous areas where are famous for stunning terrace fields; Feb to May is spring, early summer that are full-bloomed seasons of hundred flowers along Vietnam.

Jan is nice for riding in Central and South Vietnam, but it is rather cold and foggy – in some years, it is freeze and snowy, in North Vietnam.

From May to Aug is rainy and stormy seasons. If you are ready to get wet, this time will be awesome with very sweet and big deals on price.

What are the best places you recommended?

For intermediate and experienced riders, North Loop Vietnam is the best with stunning, majestic scenery and challenging with twist turns, highest passes, sneaky and dirt trails. This is the haven of adventures in Vietnam. Top itineraries are North West route, North East challenge.

For all riders, riding Ho Chi Minh trail is undeniably the best. Depending on your time & physical level, the length of the tour can be vary. The road is quiet, less traffic; the ride is silky, smooth in many parts and the experience is combined with fantastic sceneries, historical and cultural stories.

I ride a big bike at my home, is 110 - 125CC able to tackle to Vietnamese roads?

Yes. Vietnamese road conditions and traffic awareness are the biggest obstacles for such big “beast” to roar their power. And another issue is that there are not many shops offering the bigger engine motorbike rentals because it is not cost-effective. The imported taxes to those motorbikes are very high that leads to the selling and renting prices rocket to the roof.

We often use 110 - 125CC by Honda, various models because they are strong enough to carry up to 2 riders, light enough to traverse and fantastic enough to control to have fun. Moreover, Honda is the biggest motor manufacturer in Vietnam, then you can easily find spare parts even in very remote areas. The minimum model is 110CC that is very affordable, while 125CC is our top recommended. (see some of our motor models)

How far should I book in advance?

As far as possible we recommend. The further you book, the easier and better services and prices you may get. As our Vietnam motorcycling tours are private, then you will have more time to customize and get consulted by our experts to find the best one suit your experiences.

We also can deal with last minutes booking (such as by Stephane – he came to our office in morning, booked and started his motorcycling to North West Vietnam in early afternoon – see how fun he got!). With such fast bookings, knowing well your time, budget, and interests will make everything work “smoothly as silk”

I travel alone, can I join a group?

We don’t provide joined a group tour for motorcycling in Vietnam until this time. All our tours are private and customized, then we will have you to tailor-made it until it fit your budget while relatively keep a good balance of a motorcycling adventure.

Don’t worry much about budget, leave everything for us. Just think about you in your all own, standing in front of majestic views – one bike one ride, you explore our Vietnam! That’s we often call a lifetime adventure.

See Pricing Details & Book

CUSTOMIZE YOUR ADVENTURE TOUR

Refer Similar Adventures

4 Days

Taste of Ho Chi Minh Trail by motorbike
Route: Hanoi - Mai Chau valley - Pu Luong nature reserve - Tan Ky - President Ho Chi Minh homeland - Phong Nha - Hanoi
Grading:

Activities: Motorcycling

17 Days

Hanoi (North) to Sai gon (South) on Motorbike
Route: Hanoi - Bac Quang - Sapa - Than Uyen - Mai Chau - Pu Luong – Tan Ky – Phong Nha – Hue – Hoi an – Phuoc Son - Kon Tum - Buon Ma Thuot - Dalat - Mui Ne - Ho Chi Minh city
Grading:

Activities: Motorcycling

5 Days

Motorcycling North East Vietnam
Route: Ha Noi - Ba Be lake - Bao Lac - Ha Giang - Flagpole Lung Cu for North furthermost - Dong Van - Hanoi
Grading:

Activities: Motorcycling

4 Days

North West Vietnam in 5days on Motorbike
Route: Hanoi - Mai Chau valley - Son La - Than Uyen - Sapa - Hanoi
Grading:

Activities: Motorcycling

9 Days

Motorcycling North Loop Vietnam
Route: Hanoi - Mai Chau valley - Son La - Than Uyen - Sapa - Ha Giang - Dong Van - Lung cu Flagpole - Bao Lac - Ba Be Lake - Hanoi
Grading:

Activities: Motorcycling

CONTACT US

Address: Floor 11, Thai Holdings Building, No. 17 Tong Dan, Trang Tien Ward, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi, Vietnam.
Hotline: (+84)903278856
Email: info@crystalholidays.vn

TOP ADVENTURE TOURS

Adventures by Destinations

FANPAGE FACEBOOK