Northwest Motorbike Tour from Hanoi to Vu Linh via Sapa – 7 days

Start our first day with a ride from downtown Hanoi to Mai Chau by going over Ton Duc Thang and Nguyen Trai Street towards Tran Phu/NH8 in Trung Van. Hit the Ho Chi Minh Trail/National Highway 21, then turn right to Highway 12B. Next, take a left turn on NH12B to reach Highway 6. Heading for 30.1km and left to QL15 before a right turn at the shop. Clear the route Vang Luong – Pha Ngan to get to Mai Chau.

Our 1st destination is a beautiful valley between towering cliffs hemmed in rice paddy fields, lush green forests, and nature reserves. With the unique terrain, the site offers riders a fully exciting off-road loop trail and breathtaking sceneries like the black river, the limestone mountain, Ba Khan Lake, and Thung Khe Pass. Get to know a new world through the Muong ethnic minority group’s culture and enjoy a warm greeting from the endearing locals here. We are ending the 1st fun day after a long ride at a homestay in Mai Chau. 

Summary:

Distance: 180 km

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Hotel

After breakfast, we follow Na Pho and Highway 15 to Highway 6 in Tong Dau, then go along Route 6 to Highway 14 in Phieng Luong. Cross Highway 43 to Phu Yen. Today’s ride is quite hard for beginner bikers because the whole single track is rocky, slippery, and muddy. You can get back to wild nature and immerse yourself into the charm of Phu Yen at the height of over 1000m. Looking like a giant art painting, Phu Yen is without dispute a wonderful masterpiece of creativity with high mountains, majestic green forests, and amazing valleys. Casting downward, you will see rice fields and cornfields in vivid colors.

Make an exploration of “General Vo Nguyen Giap” – a historic forest in Gia Phu Commune and also a place bold military footprint. The forest was named after the nation’s great hero for showing the respect and gratitude of the locals. You can hear nature’s echo: streams, birds, insects, and even the wind. Our 2nd day ends with unforgettable moments in the mysterious land of Phu Yen. Stay overnight at a hotel.

Summary:

Distance: 150 km

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Hotel

Today’s travel distance is the longest of our tour, so we will depart early at 7 a.m., following the route: Than Uyen – Ql37 – QL32 – Ta Ya – QLL279. After breakfast with coffee, we will have a real off-road single track (if the weather permits). With a long ride of over 200km, our crew shall take care of each other, or it will take much longer for us to reach the destination.

In the afternoon, we will make it to one of the most wonderful landscapes of rice-terraced fields in Vietnam – Mu Cang Chai. Considered a must-visit spot once you come to the Northern mountainous area, Mu Cang Chai is famous for the stretch of hazardous roads, ancient landscapes, and lofty ranges of mountains, not to mention the peaceful and poetic picture of ethnic’s houses covered by terrace fields.

We’ll arrive in Than Uyen at 4 p.m., then visit the Khau Co site on the Khau Co Pass, sure to captivate you instantly with its grandeur of nature. After that, we will return to the hotel for a rest after a long day filled with emotion.

Summary:

Distance: 210 km

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Hotel

Leaving Than Uyen, we continue onwards to Binh Lu crossroads. On the way, we will get the chance to cross one of the four long, rugged, and majestic passes in the Northwest – O Quy Ho. The pass is a dreamy motorcycle off-road track for bikers of all. Silver Falls is the highlight of today’s trip. It’s the waterfall falling down O Quy Ho Valley from the height of over 100m. On foot, travelers can have a picnic and swim in the summer.

After lunch in Sapa, we’ll visit Muong Hoa – a romantic valley whose beauty added to some unspoiled nature and the indigenous people’s cultural richness that inspires many tourists. The next must-visit site in Sapa is Fansipan – the highest mountain in Southeast Asia, with a 3.143m. Along the route to the peak, there’re many rare plants and animals. To touch the famed peak, we have got to get in the cable cars. Subsequently, we return to the town of Sapa for dinner and spend the night at a hotel.

Summary:

Distance: 100 km

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Hotel

Head northeast on Xuan Vien to Ngu Chi Son; after turning right onto Dien Bien Phu Street / National Road 4D, we will run on wheels for 4km, then take National Highway 4A and Highway 70 to Luc Yen. Before landing at the destination, spend some time exploring Sau Chua Peak. Standing on the top of which, you can see all the best Lao Chai and Ta Van Valley in the romantic land of Sa Pa.

Luc Yen is not only a gem mining area but also Luc Yen Gem Market. Blessed with a large deposit of gemstones, all kinds of stones here are used to make eye-catching paintings and works of art. Aside from admiring the grace of gems, we’ll delve into the charm of the villages and cultural traditions of the Tay people. Abounding with historical and cultural vestiges and scenic spots, the Luc Yen tourist area has a magic attraction for tourists. Head back to the homestay for dinner and sleep.

Summary:

Distance: 180 km

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Hotel

Today will be the tour’s shortest, funniest, and most relaxing day. We’ll clear a short off-road track from Luc Yen to Vu Linh. After breakfast, we’ll depart from QL70 and go along DT152 to road 170. We arrive in Vu Linh at noon and have lunch. Enjoy the local foods such as rice fields, flower banana salad, fish salad, shrimp salad, and chicken cooked with sour bamboo shoots, to name a few.

After that, we made our tracks for Thac Ba Lake – one of Vietnam’s largest artificial lakes dubbed “Ha Long Bay on Land”. The water in the lake is blue and clear, imprinted with the reflections of the surrounding ancient forest. Stay overnight at a Tay house, where you can overlook Thac Ba Lake and feel the fresh wind.

Summary:

Distance: 80 km

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Hotel

For an easy return to Hanoi, we will take the uncrowded road 2B, leaving the state of the countryside behind. However, we will not pass through the majestic Red River without relishing its peace and rustic beauty. It is the largest river in Vietnam which rises in China’s Yunnan Province and flows 1.175km southeast through deep, narrow gorges to enter Vietnam and discharge into the Gulf of Tonkin via a great delta. On the two banks of the river, there are rustic villages, ancient temples, and vast maize fields. The river is a source of life, yet for Hanoians, it reflects Vietnamese history and the capital city’s long prosperity. At 4 in the afternoon, we reach Hanoi. It is the end of the 7-day Motorbike Tour, full of emotion and excitement.

Summary:

Distance: 170 km

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

END OF TOUR