Written by AARON BEAUDOIN

Reaching northern Vietnam is great, but what about the journey you’ve taken to get there?

Bus?

Train?

How about riding a motorbike?

Your destination will be made all the more rewarding when you do it yourself.  Grab the handlebars and hit the highway.  Onward to Sapa!

Motorbike Northern Vietnam

Motorbike Northern Vietnam

When considering a tour around Vietnam, think motorbike.  Swerving routes and hilly terrain offer an exhilarating trip.  With a selection of destinations ranging in both distance and difficulty, you need only rent a bike and hit the road. 

Sapa

Hanoi to Sapa

One of the more challenging routes around northern Vietnam is also the area’s most popular.  From the capital city of Hanoi, take to the road and make your way directly to Sapa.

Getting from Hanoi to Sapa should take about 10 hours.  The deceptively long ride will include a series of small highways, winding roads, and sharp turns.

Though the route seems fairly direct, an unprepared rider may well get lost only a short distance into his/her journey.  Whether you need to print out instructions, bring along a map, or learn to read Vietnamese road signs, you should prep yourself before making the trip.

Ta Van Village 

The Northwestern Loop

The Northwest Loop can vary from one to three weeks depending on how much distance is covered each day.  Along the way, highlights will include the agricultural district of Mai Chau, the hot springs at Dien Bien Phu, and the rural region of Lai Chau.

The trip will reach its apex in Sapa where most riders may decide to spend a couple of days resting.  The way back will probably be more direct as it’s assumed that fatigue will be starting to set in.

Solo Riding

Once it’s been decided that you’ll be making the trip up towards Sapa, you need only decide whether to go at it unaided or with a preplanned itinerary.  As a solo biker you will have the advantage of making your own decisions.  You’ll be able to go at your own pace and you’ll be left to your own devices.  You’ll also be responsible for finding accommodation in small towns and villages.

For those who aren’t interested in riding with a group but would like some guidance along the way, there is the interesting option of a preplanned itinerary.  This plan involves arranged accommodations, occasional meals, and guided tours at notable sites along the way.  On a six-day excursion look to pay around $600 per person for this service.

"Four wheels move the body. Two wheels move the soul." - Unknown

When To Go

As you’ll be on a motorbike, it’s best to avoid any potential rains.  The wet season is at its worst in July and August.  If you aren’t comfortable riding in the cold, it’ll be best to avoid December through February.  Prime biking months run from September to November and March to May.

Climate

Weather during prime biking months will range anywhere from 59°F (15°C) to 77°F (25°C).  Keep in mind that the weather changes quickly in Vietnam’s northern region and though the day may start out warm, it can quickly get nasty.

Getting There & Around

To get to Hanoi, fly into the Noi Bai International Airport which services a number of international airlines.

Do’s

Bring along a GPS if you’re going at it alone.

Plan stops ahead of time.

Choose to bike in a season with a favorable climate.

Don’ts

Plan on spending over $60/day.

Rush yourself if you’re a novice rider.

Leave Hanoi without a tire-repair kit.

Fun Facts

Vietnam has a total of seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The nation has an impressive unemployment rate of under 5%.

The Vietnamese equivalent of ‘Thank You’ is ‘Cam On’, pronounced gum-un.

Recommend Motorcycling tour in Northern Vietnam by ACTIVETRAVEL ASIA:

Motorcycling adventure in Northern Vietnam:

Highlights:

• Stunning scenery
• Stunning Pha Din Pass and Tram Ton Pass
• Terraced valley of Sapa
• Ban Gioc Waterfall
• Babe Lake
• Colorful ethnic minorities

North of Vietnam is a region of high mountains and beautiful mountain valleys. Travelers to Northern Vietnam have opportunities to explore the life of hill tribes, and plenty of adventure activities – hiking, mountain trekking, motorbike tours and many others.

High mountain & beautiful valleys 

Why travel to the North of Vietnam?

• North of Vietnam has one of the most beautiful scenery in the country. The region has high mountains, green mountain valleys, beautiful rice fields, waterfalls and lakes.

• The region has both places with well-established tourist infractructure, such as Sapa, and virtually unexplored places, such as Ha Giang province.

• Plenty of adventure activities in Northern Vietnam, including motorbike tours and mountain trekking

• North of Vietnam is the best place in the country to experience the life of local hill tribes

• Several national parks are located in the highland areas across the region. The most famous is Ba Be National Park, north of Hanoi. It is well accessible, and has organized tours and accommodation options.

Best time to visit North of Vietnam

Best time to visit the North of Vietnam is spring months (mid-March to May). You can see mountain valleys and rice fields in their best spring colours.

• Autumn months (September to November) is also a good time to visit the mountains in the North of Vietnam. 
• Winter months bring nearly freezing temperatures to mountain regions. Summer, particularly July and August, is the peak of the rainy season in Vietnamese north.

 Must see places in Northern Vietnam

•  Sapa

Hiking trip through minority village in Sapa

See our travel guide to Sapa

•  Bac Ha

Ethnic minority market on weekends

•  Ba Be National Park

 Beautiful lake, surrounded by the mountains

Other popular destinations/ travel experiences

•  Fansipan

Climb the highest mountain in Indochina (3143m./10310ft.)

•  Ban Gioc Waterfalls

 The highest and arguably the most beautiful waterfalls in Vietnam 

With an adventure motorcycling trip you will make a big loop to experience all the bests that area can offer. Starting in Hanoi you will explore Northwest before jumping into Northeast, back to Hanoi after a day relaxing in Ba Be Lake. The perfect itinerary and the support crew ensure you get the most out of the trip in terms of comfort, enjoyment and adventure. Along the way we encounter dramatic landscapes and sweeping panoramas as the rural population goes about its business. Highlights include the terraced valleys of Sapa, beautiful Ban Gioc Waterfall and many different colorful minority groups.

You can refer itenerary Motorcycling adventure in Northern Vietnam of Activetravel Asia at: http://www.activetravelvietnam.com/tour.php?op=detail&tourId=66

Hanoi - Mai Chau - Son La - Dien Bien Phu - Sapa - Hanoi  

Explore Vietnam's remote northwest - the historic battlefields of  Dien Bien Phu, the thriving hilltribe markets of Sapa and the stunning mountain scenery of Son La and Lai Chau.

Road map Northwestern Trail

The remote northwest of Vietnam appeals to those wanting to get off the beaten track in one of Vietnam's most beautiful, unaffected and untouristed areas.

Mai Chau, Northwestern Trails

The travellers who do venture to Mai Chau, Son La and Dien Bien Phu often do so by way of a hired jeep and driver or do it by motorbike, while those striking straight north to Vietnam's hilltribe capital of Sapa avail themselves of the comfortable and efficient overnight train to Sapa. Whichever way you're headed, prepare yourself for stunning scenery as you pass through spectacular ravines and over breathtaking passes.

Sapa, Vietnam

Best known for the burgeoning trekking centre of Sapa, there is a lot more worth investigating in this part of the country. The remote French firebase of Dien Bien Phu remains a drawcard, but it's as much the attraction of the trip there as the town itself that is worth visiting. A trip to Dien Bien Phu is easily combined with an approach to Sapa via "the back way" over the Fansipan pass (Vietnam's highest), allowing for more stunning scenery and the opportunity to see some of the less touristed parts of the country.

Tram Ton Pass

Another popular destinations is Mai Chau whose day-trekking and stunning scenery have helped it develop into a small tourist centre en-route to Dien Bien Phu -- many trips from Hanoi run out to Mai Chau -- and with good reason. It also forms a comfortable spot to rest those weary limbs before continuing onwards and up into the hills.

Road to Son La, Vietnam

More and more travellers are now heading up into this part of the country, in part due to the long-awaited opening of the border crossing into Laos near Dien Bien Phu -- yes, it's true, you really can cross here now!

This is a time consuming part of Vietnam to visit, but if you have the time, the northwest is well worth adding into your trip plans.

Ethnic minorities in Sapa

Now if you’ve seen that episode then you’ll know just how amazing that experience looked. After seeing the episode for the first time, the initial awe of the entertainment, and speculation as to the reality of personally carry out something like this soon passed, after realization of the fact that this was a incredibly well funded show and each trip has a small army for back up and support.

Discover Vietnam’s rugged and scenic northwest and its people first hand with ACTIVETRAVEL ASIA. By taking to the roads and riding from the capital Hanoi to the remote area of the northwest we can see life as it truly is for the Vietnamese. The perfect itinerary and the support crew ensure you get the most out of the trip in terms of comfort, enjoyment and adventure. Along the way we encounter dramatic landscapes and sweeping panoramas as the rural population goes about its business. 

Highlights 

• Stunning scenery
• Challenging roads
• Stunning Pha Din Pass and Tram Ton Pass
• Terraced valley of Sapa
• Colorful ethnic minorities

By David Atkinson

Motorbiking North Vietnam

Traveling around Vietnam by motorbike, seeing breathtaking landscapes, beautiful mountain passes, interesting historical relics, colorful, friendly and happy people…makes you love Vietnam more and gives us extremely special feeling.

I love the thrill of the open road. Shades on, foot to the floor and cruising through alien landscapes with the stereo cranked right up.

But Vietnam was just about the last place I expected to find myself on a road trip. Self-drive isn’t really an option here.

And, as for the State-approved backpacker bus trips, well, let’s just say that rubbing knees with the tie-dye clad hordes and eating in the tourist restaurant, where the bus driver always collects his kickback, isn’t my scene.

Easy rider

It sounded perfect. A way to get my engine running and get out on the highway while staying off-the-beaten-track and seeing the real Vietnam.

Road to Northern Vietnam

Activetravel Asia is one of the Indochina's leading adventure travel companies. They offer a wide selection of Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia adventure tours, including hiking and trekking, biking, motorcycling, overland touring and family travel packages. ATA’s packages and tailor-made private itineraries take you through exotic destinations to really experience the culture, history and nature of Asia.  They have made hundreds of trips into the backwaters of the far north, building up a comprehensive motorbike guide to northern Vietnam.

“The bikes are old 50’s designs straight out of Belarussia. They’re the backbone of the country and used by everyone to haul goods around,” 

“They don’t go very fast, use a lot of petrol and billow out a lot of smoke, but they’ll get you anywhere,” he adds.

“Besides, they’re very easy to fix. If you’ve got a stick and a rock you can fix a Minsk.”

Cruise control 

With the sun in our faces, we join the highway near Hanoi’s Noi Bai airport and start the slow climb northwards. As we progress at a steady 35km/h, overtaking lumbering trucks soon gives way to overtaking lumbering water buffalo who eye suspiciously as we file past the paddy fields.

We stop for dinner that night in Tuyen Quang. It’s a dusty one-ass town dominated by trucker rest stops and so-called bia om or ‘cuddle beer’ outlets where the town’s two attractions make for natural bedfellows.

As we settle down for the night in the shabby state-owned hotel, one of my fellow easy riders, Casey McCarthy from Texas, tells me why she has chosen a severe buttock buffing on a motorbike in the rain for her holiday.

“I’d never seen a Minsk before Vietnam and, although it’s ancient technology, it’s a very easy ride,” she says. “I guess I just wanted to get away from those cattle-truck bus trips and a bike trip is the best way to see the countryside as you decide where and when you want to go.”

The next day we’re up with the light and, after a hearty bowl of Vietnamese pho bo(a rice noodle soup with strips of beef), we’re back in the saddle and on the road for Ha Giang.

As we stop for petrol at what looks like a roadside chemistry set, I ask Digby what kind of people are attracted to the idea of driving around rural Vietnam on a piece of Russian war-era machinery.

“Half are motorbike riders back home or people with some previous experience but not all. I’d never ridden a bike until I came to Vietnam,” he explains, taking a little bottle of engine oil and mixing it with petrol.

“Drive bikes and you will crash but drive slow enough and you’ll be OK,” he adds, handing over a dollar for two litres. “If we go over, we’ll just slide – unless we hit something. But it’s nothing like driving at 130km back home when you get washed up off the road”.

Alien invasion

Hagiang province, Vietnam

The last 50km to Ha Giang is made up of winding country lanes. It’s a drive not best experienced at dusk when huge trucks with dazzling headlights tear around blind corners with scant regard for approaching fellow truckers, let alone a bunch of foreigners on motorbikes in dayglo jackets.

As we make the final approach, it feels like entering a long-forgotten Wild West outpost. The locals stare at us like aliens just beamed down from another planet but Digby is used to it.

“I regularly go to places where only a handful of strangers have ever been before. Just two weeks ago, I took a tour to a place where only three foreigners had ever visited before the new road was built,” he smiles.

“Just as I was thinking that I’d been everywhere possible, the Vietnamese Government has launched a programme to build roads to each commune so a there’s now a whole bunch of new roads to explore,” he adds.

“That’s why I do this. It isn’t so much a tour as a road trip where the guide is having as much fun as the customers.”

More travel information about motorbike northern Vietnam at: http://www.activetravelvietnam.com/tour.php?op=detail&tourId=66