17 Days
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Activities: Motorcycling
Tour duration: 17 days tours with 15 days motorcycling at moderate to challenging grade
Country: Vietnam
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
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This motorcycling tour is a complete adventure overland Vietnam on motorbikes. You are going to start with challenging ride to North West Vietnam with the most famous spots Sapa and Mai Chau. From there, you ride down to Ho Chi Minh trail that leads you from North to South Vietnam. The trail played the strategic role in our wartime. You will have many historical stops such as President Ho Chi Minh homeland, DMZ area the World heritages of Phong Nha, Hue, Hoi An, and My Son. The relaxing stops at nature gems like Hoi an beach, Dalat cool town and Mui ne beach will help you refreshing in addition to create wonderful moments of the whole trip.
Tour Highlights
- Motorcycling on various terrains
- Awesome views of North West Vietnam
- Beautiful terraces at Sapa, Mai chau
- Tackling the complete Ho Chi Minh trail
- Days off at fantastic beaches Hoi an, Mui Ne
- Perfect combination of nature, history and culture heritages.
Brief Itinerary
Day 1: Ha Noi- Bac Quang (260 km)
Day 2: Bac Quang- Sapa (250 km)
Day 3: Sapa- Than Uyên (100 km)
Day 4: Than Uyên- Sơn La (140 km)
Day 5: Sơn La – Mai Châu( 260 km)
Day 6: Mai Chau – Pu Luong Nature reserve – Tan Ky ( 280 km)
Day 7: Tan Ky - Phong Nha ( 290 km)
Day 8: Phong Nha – Hue, former citadel ~ 285km/177miles
Day 9: Hue – Hoi An ~ 175km/109miles
Day 10: Free time in Hoi An - a day off
Day 11: Hoi An – Phuoc Son ~ 150km/93miles
Day 12: Phuoc Son – Kon Tum ~ 190km/118miles
Day 13: Kon Tum – Buon Me Thuot ~ 240km/149miles
Day 14: Buon Ma Thuot – Lak Lake – Dalat ~ 200km/124miles
Day 15: Da Lat touring around
Day 16: Da Lat – Mui Ne – 250 km
Day 17: Mui Ne – Sai Gon – 180 km
Day 1: Ha Noi- Bac Quang (260 km)
Our Vietnam adventure tour guide greets you at the hotel and go to get the motorbikes. You may have some minutes to get acquaintance to the bikes for about 15 – 30 minutes whilst our guide brief about the programs, Vietnamese laws and safety notes.
Hop on our bikes, today we start our ride along National road no2 via Viet Tri then Tuyen Quang to the end stop Bac Quang. This is a remote district of Ha Giang province. The road is quite good and you will pass many green tea plantations, terrace fields and palm hills – that is very plenty in Viet Tri area.
The first day should be easy for you to get used to Vietnamese roads, traffic routine as well as warm up your physical energy. We arrive in Bac Quang, check in our room and relax at your own pace.
Summary:
Riding distance: 260km
Meal included: Lunch
Accommodation: guest house/ hotel at Bac Quang.
Day 2: Bac Quang- Sapa (250 km)
Enjoy the breakfast. Today, we really get into the adventure with the ride to the most famous place in North Vietnam – Sapa.
On the way, we will pass Hoang Su Phi where terrace fields are believed as the most beautiful over entire Vietnam. The path becomes small with many gradients and twists however the scenery is real rewards with stunning views. You may encounter many ethnic people such Tay, Dzao, Hmong etc.
Stop for lunch at Coc Pai area before keep our motorbikes to Bac Ha that is very famous for local ethnic market every Sunday.
We follow the road No70 to Lao Cai city – the border gate city to China. You will have enough time to stop over there to watch the busy trading between two countries.
The last right is about 35km mostly uphill to our overnight place today – Sapa town. The place is so much famous for its terrace fields, valley and the peak of Fansipan.
Check in the hotel. The remaining time is free for your own exploration and dinner.
Summary:
Riding distance: 250km
Meal included: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: hotel at Sapa
Day 3: Sapa- Than Uyên (100 km)
Breakfast at your hotel. We are free or may spend this morning to explore the surrounding villages of Sapa located at stunning valleys and surrounded by majestic Hoang Lien Son range.
We go back to the town for lunch then ride to Than Uyen. This part is the best highlight of the day.
The trail from Sapa to Than Uyen is the best highlight because you are going to ride up to O Quy Ho pass – one of the greatest passes over Vietnam. The trail over O Quy Ho pass is recorded as the highest road trail to the sea level at over 2000m. You will stop at the highest point – called Heaven Gate – to fully enjoy the magnificent view.
You arrive in Than Uyen late afternoon then take your room for relaxing.
Summary:
Riding distance: 100km
Meal included: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Guest house in Than Uyen
Day 4: Than Uyên- Sơn La (140 km)
Breakfast at the hotel. We check out then depart for Son La province. On the way, we enjoy the awesome views of stunning terrace fields, Son La Lake – that is the human-made lake for Son La hydroelectric plant, the biggest one in South East Asia and climb over Pa Uon Bridge that is the highest bridge over Vietnam.
We stop for lunch at Quynh Nhai area then we keep our wheels to Son La.
Depending on your speed, we may have some times to visit Son La prison and learn about the history part of Vietnam French wartime. We reach to our hotel and check in for relaxing.
Summary:
Riding distance: 140
Meal included: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Guest house in Son La
Day 5- Sơn La – Mai Châu( 260 km)
After breakfast, we check out and start driving to Mai Chau valley. We will follow the National road No 06 for about 50km till we meet Co Nui T-junction. From here, take the left turn into Road No37 over the Che Pass, Ta Khoa bridge then Nhot pass.
We arrive Gia Phu where we stop for lunch.
Finishing our lunch, we will enjoy a local experience with a ferry ride in Van Yen. This is the mean of transport that is still very effective for locals here. We continue our ride to Moc Chau with a visit and taking photo of green tea plantations. The last ride of today via Tong Dau will lead us to Mai Chau valley. Tonight we will have dinner and overnight in a stilted house of Thai ethnic.
Summary:
Riding distance: 260km
Meal included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Homestay in Mai Chau
Day 6: Mai Chau – Pu Luong Nature reserve – Tan Ky ( 280 km)
Breakfast at the homestay then we say goodbye to our nice host. After 15km driving on national road No15, we reach to a bamboo chopstick making factory then take a turn into a small road to pass Pu Luong Nature Reserve. “Pù Luông” in Thai ethnic language is “big mountain” then you can definitely expect for awesome twisting, up and down hill ride along beautiful terrace fields, stilt houses by Thai and Muong people. After that, we will ride along Ma River to Ngoc Lac where we meet the first part of Ho Chi Minh Trail.
Stop en route for lunch after 30km commencing ride on Ho Chi Minh trail.
After lunch, we are into a nice ride for about 130km to Tan Ky Town. Our road is fantastic with the views of rubber plantations and especially the 370000ha grass farm – the biggest in Asia by TH True Milk Company, at 40km prior to Tan Ky town. We arrive in Tan Ky, check in the hotel and overnight.
Summary:
Distance: 280 km
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: hotel in Tan Ky
Day 7 : Tan Ky - Phong Nha ( 290 km)
Today is a day for historical and wartime stories. Breakfast at a local shop, we start our motorbikes to Do Luong with en route stop at Truong Bon – a strategic intersection for North to South logistic. The next stop is the highlight of the day when we visit President Ho Chi Minh homeland to admire his humble family and his great life.
Stop for lunch after taking a turn to road No1 – that is parallel with Ho Chi Minh trail with heavier traffic - and passing Ben Thuy bridge about 10km.
After that, we keep our riding along National road No1 for more 15km and turn right to get back to Ho Chi Minh trail again. We will visit Dong Loc intersection where the story of 10 volunteer girls sacrificed their youth heroically is admired by next generations ever. Then we keep our motorbikes along Ho Chi Minh trail passing Huong Khe, Tan Ap etc. to Phong Nha. On the way, we may take some stops at tea, rubber plantations.
Check in hotel in Phong Nha and relax.
Summary:
Distance: 290 km
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: hotel in Phong Nha
Day 8: Phong Nha – Hue, former citadel ~ 285km
Getting up in early morning to prepare for long journey today. Following breakfast, we embark our today tour by a motorized boat to explore the famous Nature World Heritage Site of Phong Nha cave.
After 2 hours boating and caving discovery, we continue our motorcycle tour to Hue. On the way, having a short stop at Truong Son National Cemetery to pay respect to the soldiers who fought and died on the trail during the American War. Keep our wheels riding to Dong Ha Town by passing Ben Tat Bridge, built by the VC over the Ben Hai River. Lunch in local restaurant before we head back to Hue – the Culture World Heritage site - in the late afternoon. Check in the hotel, dinner on your own.
Summary:
Distance: 285 km.
Accommodation: Hotel in Hue.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch.
Day 9: Hue – Hoi An ~ 175km
Breakfast at hotel then we continue our journey.
In the morning, we will spend time to visit Imperial City to visit the impressive Royal Palace and other beautiful royal buildings.
Lunch in local restaurant then we drive to Hoi An via Da Nang. Instead of taking highway along coastline with a tunnel under mountain, we will conquer the most stunning pass of Vietnam – Hai Van. From the top of Hai Van Pass you can see one side is Hue and one side is Danang city with the breathtaking combination of ocean, mountains and cloud (Hai means “ocean”, Van mean “cloud”)
Upon arrival in Hoian Town we check in hotel and free time to enjoy dinner after relaxing. Dinner on your own in Hoi An town.
Summary:
Distance: 200 km.
Accommodation: Hotel in Hoi An.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch.
Day 10: Free time in Hoi An - a day off
Breakfast at hotel, today we will spend your own time to explore small beautiful Hoi An town.
We suggest this day is an easy walk along beautiful ancient streets and enjoy coffee at love, tranquility café shop.
Summary:
Transfer: N.A
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel in Hoi An.
Day 11: Hoi An – Phuoc Son ~ 150km
Say goodbye to this charming town, we start our motorbikes to Phuoc Son. Following toward to National Road No1 and take a 15km riding on this road, we turn right to the World Culture Heritage – My Son Holy land. This was once capital of Cham Pa Kingdom with the unique architecture and hiding inside the relics many mysteries.
Enjoy your lunch at a local restaurant.
We continue the ride on our motorbikes on Highway 14 E, along the bank of Thu Bon River to reach in Phuoc Son in the late afternoon. On the way of riding, you may meet many manmade lakes for hydroelectric plants. Overnight in mini hotel or hostel in Phuoc Son.
Summary:
Distance: 150 km.
Accommodation: Hotel in Phuoc Son.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 12: Phuoc Son – Kon Tum ~ 190km
This day is a bit of a bumpy section of the Highway 14 toward Kon Tum – a province on Central Highland of Vietnam – that is the home of many ethnics with unique culture feature.
While driving over Lo Xo Pass, we make several stops along the way to meet De and Trieng minorities, who live along the Dak Po Ko river. Along the river are many amazing hanging bridges, built by the local people. Lunch will be in Tan Canh. Then we visit a village of Se Dang and passing one of the key towns which once were battle sites of the Vietnam War – Dak To and outpost Charlie.
Arrive in Kon Tum, we can visit the Catholic Church and the orphanage, based behind the Catholic Church in town and run by a group of French nuns. If time permits, you can also visit a beautiful Bahnar village near town.
Summary:
Distance: 190 km
Accommodation: Hotel in Kon Tum
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 13: Kon Tum – Buon Me Thuot ~ 240km
The new Ho Chi Minh Highway was built on the old trail, but from Kon Tum to Daklak, the historic HCM trail (Highway 14C), runs parallel to Highway 14 linking Kon Tum, Pleiku, and Buon Me Thuot.
We will continue riding Highway 14 today, finding that traffic is busier than usual. Lunch will be in Pleiku. From here, we ride along the Tun River and up over a pass. Along the way, there are vast coffee plantations and the stilt houses of the Central Highland’s largest ethnic group, Gia Rai. Eventually, we will cross the Nha Rong and down into Buon Me Thuot, the provincial capital of Dac Lac Province.
At night we can stop by the beer parlors or sample the local coffee grown in the region. Coffee in Vietnam Central Highland is believe one of the best over the world. Even though the tastes for Vietnamese is rather stronger, just taste it and enjoy its bittersweet on your tongue. Overnight in hotel there.
Summary:
Distance: 240 km
Accommodation: Hotel in Buon Ma Thuot
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 14: Buon Ma Thuot – Lak Lake – Dalat ~ 200km
This morning, we drive to Lak Lake on Rte. 27, a small paved road with poor surfacing and quite busy. Here we can have a break for refreshment and troll around the by the lake. There are said to be about 31 different ethnic groups in Dac Lac, each with their own traditional dress and customs. Some of the villages are known for elephant hunting and taming, some for weaving and other arts.
After lunch in Lak Lake, we continue on to Da Lat. The road is narrow, winding, but not busy. We have three passes to cross – Krong No, Chuoi, and Phu Son. The drive itself is quite beautiful and lined with dense forests. Late in the afternoon, we will arrive in the hill town of Da Lat. Overnight in Dalat.
Summary:
Distance: 200 km
Accommodation: Hotel in Da Lat
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 15: Da Lat touring around
Following breakfast at hotel, we can spend a little time for the highlights of Dalat. Today is depending very much on your interest then we can manage accordingly. The suggestions are various from relaxing city tour with the best highlights of highland city to another adventure types such as: biking, cannoning, rock climbing or hiking.
Depending on your choice of tour, the time to back to hotel can be around 2.30PM to 5PM.
Summary:
Distance: upto your interest
Accommodation: Hotel in Dalat.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch.
Day 16: Da Lat – Mui Ne – 250 km
Wake up in early morning for the sound and sense of highland town. Prepare for this long day with full breakfast at your hotel. Don’t forget to enjoy delicious coffee – the specialties of this area.
Start our bikes for the last part of our journey – riding to Mui Ne. We can make stop on the way for lunch or beautiful waterfalls. Arrive in Mui Ne in the afternoon. Check in the hotel, dinner on your own.
Summary:
Distance: 250km
Accommodation: Hotel in Sai Gon.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch.
Day 17: Mui Ne – Sai Gon – 180 km
Breakfast at hotel then head to Sai Gon to complete the wonderful tour. Lunch on route. Check in the hotel in the afternoon and free time for your dinner.
Tonight is the time to explore the biggest and busies hub of Vietnam and celebrating our challenging completion. Our services for North to South Vietnam on Motorbikes end here.
Summary:
Riding: 180 km
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Not Available.
We reserve the right to deviate from this itinerary for any reasons, including road and weather conditions, frequency of visits to a village, or for any other factor which may influence client safety.
Price valid till Sep 30, 2020 Exchange rate: 1US$ = 23.500VND (in Oct 2024)
Book This Adventure
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
- Motorbike rentals as in price options
- Best Rated Hotel Accommodations
- Unlimited Mileage
- Helmets for the driver and passenger
- Daily breakfast
- Other 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
- Mechanic and support truck
- Bike Upgrade: Suzuki DRZ 400 CC
- Visa process and stamp
- Transportation between hotel and location (restrictions may apply at certain locations)
- Tips
- Gasoline average US$ 10 per day
- Personal motorbike protection gears
- Others not mentioned
THIS ADVENTURE INFORMATION
Duration: 17 days, 16 nights
Depart from: Hanoi - End at: Saigon
When: Year round
Activities: Motorcycling
Transportation: motorbikes
Accommodation: 1 night homestay, 16 night hotels and guest houses
Tour guide: motorcycling English speaking guide
Support crew if used: 1 mechanic & Support vehicle
MOTORCYCLING GRADE
Challenging Grade that means this tours involve in active, physical required activities up to 06 – 08 hours per days in remote area, under variable weather conditions or quick attitude changes. You are going to get into remote areas where the support facilities are not always available or facing to passes or river crossing. You should be in very good level of fitness. For those biking or motorcycling adventure, experienced riders with good driving skills may be required.
* Suggested preparation: 45 - 60 minutes of aerobic type exercises, 4-5 times per week for about 04 - 06 weeks before your adventure. Outdoor hill or stair walking is recommended. (read our training guide here)
Who suits: Recommended for fit travelers
Activity: 6-8 hours most days
Distances: Hike up to 10 - 13 miles (or 16-22km), motorbiking 112-143miles (180-230km) on twist, off road most days or longer ride on paved, winding roads.
Surfaces: mountainous, exposed terrain with steep ascents/descents and uneven trails
Elevation change: up to 4,000 ft/day (about 1200m)
Altitude: up to 12,000 ft. (about 3600m)
MEALS AND FOOD
- Day 1: Dinner
- Day 2: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
- Day 3-6: Breakfast, Lunch
- Day 7: Breakfast.
- Day 8-14: Breakfast, Lunch
- Day 15: Breakfast.
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 the finest 3-star hotels with central location. Please contact us if you prefer higher hotel categories.
In remote areas we use the best hotels or guesthouses available.
Homestay in Mai Chau is simple in term of bedding condition and amenities. We will stay overnight in the traditional house-on-stilt of the Thai people and, as the local do, we will sleep on bamboo floor with mattress, clean sheet, pillows and mosquito nets. Toilet is usually western style and some step away from the house
OUR MOTORBIKING TOUR GUIDE
The tour will be led by one of our tour guides who are experienced in Vietnam motorcycling tours. 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
MOTOR CYCLING 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 4.30 or 5. During the riding we will have short breaks for rest, snack and photographing.
OUR 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 VEHICLES
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, frequency of visits to a village, or for any other factor which may influence client safety.
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WHAT ATA SUPPLIES?
- We use Future Neo 2009 125CC for Affordable option. 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. See how Future Neo 125 tackle Ho Chi Minh Trail with full of fun and awesome experiece by Tony group:
- 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 Best Option - Dirt Bike Honda XR 250. The upgrade surcharge is affordable while the experience back is far more. See how awesome they are with North Vietnam motorcycling challenge:
- 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).
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100% cotton long-sleeved shirt, trousers (01 piece/day)
-
Sleeping clothes (top/bottom).
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Several pairs of socks.
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A waterproof pant and jacket.
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- 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.
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.
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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
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