Northeast Motorcycle Tour from Hanoi to Lang Son via Ha Giang – 8 days

Our motorcycle tour to Ha Giang will start in Hanoi, with our first destination being a small commune called Vu Linh. To avoid Hanoi’s nightmarish rush hour traffic and adapt to our plan, we will depart early in the morning. For our first day, we will cover a 180 km-long stretch on highways and single-track roads that would take about 7 hours. Though the hours look daunting, it will be an easy drive to Vu Linh. Our crew will follow the sealed road to Thac Ba Lake, then turn on a smaller road to reach the day’s destination.

Vu Linh, a quiet and beautiful commune, is home to Dzao ethnic minority groups. Escaping from the noisy Hanoi, this destination makes you feel comfortable and refresh yourself along with views of Thac Ba Lake, romantic enough to charm even the most skeptical. The remarkable scenery will drop our souls, and we will have a memorable trip with a friendly and hospitable host. This night, our crew will stay overnight at a homestay hosted by friendly and hospitable local people.

Distance: 180 km

Meals: Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Homestay

Don’t forget to get full energy for the second day’s long-distance riding to Ha Giang. Goodbye Vu Linh with a nice breakfast; we follow the small road offered with palm trees and huge mountains on the two sides to hit up Ha Giang straightly. Ha Giang welcomes you with magnificent sceneries, showing up with the blending of peaceful nature and plenty of roof-colored houses. Being closed by many winding roads are rugged deep pools and cross-sections that make any riders heartless. After 6 hours of riding such a distance, it is expected to reach Ha Giang.

Distance: 180 km

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Hotel

Evaluated as the most exciting attraction of the tour, Dong Van will charm us today. Located 132 km from Ha Giang town along 4C Road, Dong Van stone plateau is a rugged and majestic rocky area possessing speechless beauty. From Ha Giang to Dong Van, we go through Ma Pi Leng Pass, a dangerous but worth conquering. You will be amazed by thrilling roads formed around mountains and the crystal clear water of Nho Que River here. Putting your foot on Ma Pi Leng once Pass is extremely deserved since when reaching the top of it, or “heaven gate”, you will feel overwhelmed by the spectacular scenery blessed by Mother Nature here.

Distance: 180 km

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Hotel

Although the road from Dong Van to Bao Lac is just 80km long, it is impressive to several experienced off-road riders with the complex and dangerous terrain, strongly divided by the long mountain ranges with big slopes. Like the topography, the weather is quite severe here. It is cold and icy in winter, while in the summer, the sunburns. Fortunately, Highway 34 leading to Bao Lac is now renovated and upgraded to supply off-road Vietnam motorcyclists with smoother running.

The view of both sides is breathtaking, with the green color of the mountains and hills alternating between the bamboo forests. Besides, there is the neighborhood with the moss-roofed roof of the ancient stilt house located between the terraces on the hillside and the rice and cornfields of ethnic groups. That all contributes to dreamy scenery and creates a peaceful feeling whenever you ride passing through this place. Because the riding distance for today is not too long, you will have more time to participate in the weekly market here. At the end of the day, our crew will sleep at a homestay.

Distance: 80 km

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Homestay

On the way from Bao Lac to Cao Bang, you will be expected to pass several winding roads. These beautiful and dangerous passages have been the source of inspiration for many artists and writers and attracted many northern loop trail adventurers and motorcyclists. The mountain passes undulating on the sea clouds floating around the year while the fog hides trees on both sides and throughout the valleys, making the scenery more poetic. It can be said that this place is a great choice for those who love to discover the majestic beauty of mountains and forests and want to get out of the rat race.

Although the road is not hard, there still exist some risks that you need to pay attention to while riding on motorbikes. Sometimes, you can stop by on the pass road to take some photos of the stunning scenery here to keep the memory of this tour. When arriving at Cao Bang, we will have dinner and stay overnight to prepare for the next day.

Distance: 150 km

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Hotel

From Cao Bang, it takes you only 1 hour and a half to stop your motorbike right in front of the peaceful village of Quang Uyen district, which is famous for traditional cultural festivals. If our northeast Vietnam motorbike tour – 8 days crew is lucky enough, we can attend the crop- praying ceremony of Tay people held annually in April and May of the lunar calendar. In the morning of the ceremony, people prepare offerings and cook. In the afternoon, there are two parts: worshiping and gathering at the neighborhood culture house. The offerings of Land Gennie are carried out by the village chief, consisting of pork, meat, sticky rice, and wine. Therefore, the seasonal praying ceremony is done thoughtfully.

When the worship ritual finishes, the village leader will inform people to visit the neighborhood culture house. Everyone has fun eating and drinking and talking about family and agricultural work here. This ceremony reflects their wishes for favorable weather, bumper harvests, good health, and happy life. It is a popular form of community cultural activity of Tay people in Quang Uyen district. Besides, this festival is also a harmonious combination of spiritual life and national solidarity.

From Quang Uyen, you can ride more than 50 km to Ban Gioc waterfalls. The waterfall possesses the magnificent and charming beauty that nature has bestowed on the place. The cool summer water of Ban Gioc waterfall will make you want to release yourself and immerse into it. To get ready for the next day, you will stay overnight at a lovely homestay at Quang Uyen.

Distance: 140 km

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Homestay

Today, our crew will follow the well-known historical Highway No. 4, which connects Quang Uyen and Lang Son. Lang Son is a province in the northeastern region of Vietnam. Thanks to nature, it possesses a lot of beautiful landscapes. Coming to Lang Son, you also have a chance to enjoy many delicious dishes and specialties. Roasted duck with bile leaves and sour noodle soup are two famous specialties that you should take the time to enjoy.

Roasted duck requires the chef to be skillful so that the duck does not get fishy and smells good. To have the best taste, you can add some more dipping sauce. Sour noodle soup is also a sophisticated dish with dozens of special ingredients such as sweet potato, pig liver, stomach, bacon, sausage, not to mention herbs, cucumbers, and roasted peanuts. With such diverse materials, sour noodle soup in Lang Son converges full of spicy, sweet, cool, and sour. According to the schedule, our team will spend the last night at a hotel in Lang Son.

Summary:

Distance: 180 km

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Hotel

On the last morning of the tour, you will have free time to discover Lang Son. There are several places to visit as well as admire picturesque scenery here. If you have a special interest in ancient architecture, the old Mac Dynasty citadel will surely be your first recommendation.

Mac Dynasty citadel, located in Tam Thanh ward, Lang Son city, used to be a military architectural monument in the feudal period of Vietnam. According to the remaining documents, the citadel is a military base vulnerable to the unique path connecting Ai Bac to the south. Mac Kinh Cung built it – the eighth emperor of the Mac dynasty in the 16th century as a base against Le – Trinh armies.

We planned to leave Lang Son behind and return to Hanoi in the afternoon following the new Highway 1B. Because of 7 hours of riding back to Hanoi, the feeling of being tired and exhausted will be inevitable. It is hoped that we are lucky enough to reach Hanoi before the rush hours to take a rest after the long journey.

Summary:

Distance: 150 km

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Hotel

End of Tour