Taste of Ho Chi Minh Trail by motorbike

4 Days

4 Days Request This Tour

Activities: Motorcycling

Tour duration: 4 days tours with 04 days motorcycling at moderate grade

Country: Vietnam

Rating customer: Base on 2 review - Excellent 4.9

Route: Hanoi - Mai Chau valley - Pu Luong nature reserve - Tan Ky - President Ho Chi Minh homeland - Phong Nha - Hanoi

Grading:

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Taste of Ho Chi Minh trail is our top picked motorcycling adventure because various highlights of nature, history, and riding experience are included in this very short motorcycling tour. You first start on mountainous roads to Mai Chau with stunning Thung Khe pass and terrace fields. Then ride to Pu Luong Nature reserve before changing into the smooth rides on Ho Chi Minh trail and starting the historical stories. Visiting President Ho Chi Minh homeland, Dong Loc intersection, Huong Khe etc will show you how important the road was in wartime and why it is our legend. The fantastic ride via plenty plantations of tea, dragon fruits, and rubbers will end at Phong Nha awesome caves.

1Map & Itinerary

Tour Highlights

Stunning terrace fields at Mai Chau valley.
The mountainous twisting road at Pu Luong.
Visit homeland of our greatest President Ho Chi Minh.
Boat trip and cave visiting at Phong Nha.
Fantastic ride from Tan Ky to Phong Nha.

Brief Itinerary

Day 01: Hanoi - Mai Chau

Day 02: Mai Chau – Pu Luong Nature reserve – Tan Ky ( 280 km)

Day 03: Tan Ky - Phong Nha ( 290 km)

Day 04: Phong Nha cave – Dong hoi – night train to Hanoi (50 km)

Day 05: Arrive Hanoi

Day 1: Hanoi - Mai Chau

Being greeted by our Vietnam adventure tour guide. You will have some time to get familiar with the bikes while our guide brief about the program, Vietnamese laws, and safety guide.

Start riding up to the famous Mai Chau valley that is about 170km from Hanoi. The road is paved but twisting around mountains and you are expected to climb up then down several passes. One of the most notable passes is Thung Khe where you can stop to watch over a local fair of Muong ethics. You can even try some local products if interested.

Before arriving in Mai Chau about 7km, there is a flagpole where you will have an overview to Mai Chau valley with vast terrace fields dotted by lovely, tiny stilted houses. That is the great chance for photos.

We reach to Mai Chau then check in our homestay. Leaving your things and bikes at the house, we take a short walk into the Thai village whose costume is the most charming and beautiful. You can join dinner with the host, taste the local wine if you are fancy. Our suggestion for wrapping this day is a music performance by local artists (expenses excluded). You can join and... sing and.... dance. That’s so much fun. Overnight in a stilt house of the Thai people.

Summary:

Distance: 170 km

Meals: Lunch

Accommodation: Homestay in Mai Chau village

Day 2: 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 3 : 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 4: Phong Nha cave – Dong hoi – night train to Hanoi (50 km)

After breakfast, this morning we will take a boat trip and visit one of Phong Nha caves. So leave all your items at the hotels, just bring with a camera and really necessary things, we will get in a boat along Son river to Uot (Wet) cave in Phong Nha. The visit takes place for about 2-3 hours then you walk back to the hotel for checking out.

In this trip, we manage a night train ride back to Hanoi at around 5pm then you will have the afternoon for awesome swimming at the white sand and absolutely quiet beach, Nhat Le. Refreshing after a few days motor riding, we back to Dong Hoi station, load up our motorbikes and take the overnight train back to Hanoi.

If you connect your trip from Dong Hoi to Danang or Ho Chi Minh City, get ready for the flight after we finishing the cave visit.

04.30 AM next day, you arrive in Hanoi railway station. You can easily find a taxi at the station for a short transfer to your hotel in the center. Our service for “Tastes of Ho Chi Minh trails motorcycling” ends here.

Summary:

Distance: 50 km

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: 4 soft berth sharing cabin on train

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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

Motorcycling rentals for the trip
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
Tips and gratitude
Gasoline about average US$ 10/day
Transportation between hotel and check-point location (restrictions may apply at certain locations)
Personal expenses
Personal motorbike protection gears
Others not mentioned
Mechanic and support truck
Bike Upgrade: Suzuki DRZ 400 CC

THIS ADVENTURE INFORMATION
Depart from: Hanoi - End at: Hanoi
Accommodation: 3 nights at hotel/guesthouse + 1 night on train
Tour guide: English speaking guide
Support crew: support vehicle, mechanic

MOTORBIKING GRADE
Introductory Grade that means the tour involve up to 2-3 hours of active, physical-required activities per day at a slow but steady pace. Your track trails are predominately on good conditions and tracks and might include some easy pass crossings such as a mix of quiet paved roads, forestry tracks and easy double tracks.

Your muscles are going to relatively tense sometimes, especially for adventurous newcomers however there are some relax intervals helping you back to the phase. You should have an average level of fitness. No special notices required.

*
Suggested preparation: having good routines of exercises, active lifestyle with physical-related activites, 2-3 times per week.
(read our training guide here)
Who suits: Great for newcomers to active travel.

Activity: 2-3 hours most days

Distances: Hike average 5 miles (8km),
motorbiking 100-125miles (or 150– 200km) on paved, no or few twist road most days

Surfaces: flat or rolling terrain with some possible steeps

Elevation change: up to 2,000 ft/day (about 600m)

Altitude: up to 4,000 ft (about 1200m)

MEALS AND FOOD
Day 1: Lunch
Day 2-4: Breakfast, Lunch
All meals, which are indicated in the itinerary, are included in the price of this trip. As we travel away from big towns, the emphasis will be on healthy and nutritious fresh local produce. Dinners will be cooked by family that we stay overnight with. Lunches will be at local restaurant on the way.

HOMESTAYS

Home stay in villages is basic in term of bedding condition and amenities. We stay overnight in the traditional house-on-stilt of the Thai and Muong people and, as the locals do, we will sleep on bamboo floor with mattress, clean sheet, pillows and mosquito nets. Toilet is usually steps away from the house and in western style.

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.

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 4.30 or 5. During the riding we will have short breaks for rest, snack and photographing.

OUR MOTORBIKES & 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, frequency of visits to a village, or for any other factor which may influence client safety.

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3comments & rating

2 reviews are submitted by our customers after using service:

Taste of Ho Chi Minh Trail by motorbike

Excellent

4.9

Base on 2 reviews

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Tour Reviews Breakdown

Guide

5.0

Stays

5.0

Transport

5.0

Food/Drink

4.5

Activities

5.0

Support

5.0

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 *

Stephen Suzuki

Australia

We had a wonderful trip 5.0

It was a great trip. Hai was an excellent guide. We had a wonderful trip. We would recommend it to anyone.

Stephen Suzuki & Wylie Griffin
(Riding on 24-26 Sep 07)

5.0

Jonathan Rosenthal

United State of America

Long was a great guide 4.8

Long was a great guide, personable, well trained and easy to get along with. Tam was an excellent driver.

Jonathan Rosenthal
(Traveled in Dec09)
USA

4.8

4Gear List/Notes

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).
- 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"

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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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