9 Day Northwest Vietnam Motorcycle Tour from Hanoi to Ba Be Lake

Today we will gather at the meeting point at 8 am and listen to our detailed instructions for a safe and fun trip. After breakfast, we will leave the bustling Hanoi city and head to Mai Chau – a rural district of Hoa Binh Province in the Northwest region of Vietnam. It’s expected to arrive in Mai Chau before sunset. We will have dinner here and get an unforgettable night dancing around the fire and drinking “Ruou can” with local people.

Today we ride to the remote area where H’mong houses are located. Then we keep riding over a mountain pass before a tea plantation opens up our view. On the way to Nghia Lo town in Yen Bai Province, you will be stunned by endless golden rice fields of Thais and Hmong people which are considered one of the most amazing parts of the tour. After a long day exploring nature, we will have dinner and stay overnight in Nghia Lo town.

From Nghia Lo, the team keeps riding the off-road track toward the highest peak of the Fansipan mountain range. From the Tram Ton Pass (O Quy Ho Pass) as known as “Heaven Gate”, we will cross into Lao Cai province at the height of 2000m above the sea level. Here you can take the breathtaking panoramic view of nature in front of your eyes. We arrive in Sapa at 4 pm. Have dinner and stay there overnight.

Sapa is one of the most reputable destinations in north Vietnam, along with Ha Long Bay and Trang An Ninh Binh. Running along the Chinese border, you can have a motorbike tour through all the boundary provinces before reaching Sapa and back to Hanoi. This could take you at least 1 week wandering the North of Vietnam. Take care of the time to visit Sapa. It is the most ideal from March to May and September to Mid-December. 

A short motorbike tour around Sapa is taken after breakfast. The ride to Muong Hoa valley, Lao Chai – Ta Van village would be full of enjoyable moments. Fantastic views of nature and the colorful local life of indigenous people working hard on the rice terraced fields will captivate anyone’s heart. In the afternoon, you will have free time to explore the local market, French church, etc in dreamlike Sapa town. Stay another night in Sapa town before tomorrow’s long ride.

After breakfast, we will ride to Lao Cai town through the mountain pass. Our team will have a quick stop to see the busy and crowded Chinese border and enjoy a cup of coffee on the bank of the Nam Thi River. After that, we keep riding to Viet Quang from Lao Cai on rugged and small roads with tranquil villages and local markets on both sides. Lunch is served in Viet Quang. After that, we keep motorbiking to Ha Giang in the afternoon. We will have dinner at Ha Giang and spend one night at the hotel to relax after a long-distance riding day.

Let’s visit the northernmost part of Vietnam. Ha Giang is home to many ethnic groups with cultural diversity and has a lot of stunning attractions like Quan Ba Heaven Gate, Dong Van Karst Plateau Geopark, Vuong’s Palace and a whole lot more. You will be really impressed with the beauty of nature and local life here in Ha Giang loop. Have dinner and enjoy your one-night stay in peaceful Dong Van town.

Leaving Dong Van after breakfast, our team keeps riding to Bao Lac. The breathtaking view when passing Ma Pi Leng pass will definitely astonish you to the bottom. In the corner of the pass, you can have a quick stop overlooking picturesque Nho Que river and don’t forget to take some nice shots to show off with your friends. Keep riding down the Meo Vac valley, a place near the Chinese border and enjoy lunchtime here. It’s expected to reach Bao Lac at 4 pm, we will have dinner and spend one night there.

Just about 30km riding away from rugged and narrow roads, our team will reach a small beautiful trail crossing the forest. The fresh air and the sound of nature will help relax your mind and bring back your energy right away. We continue riding from Ha Giangto Ba Be Lake where has spectacular sceneries and tranquil villages scattering in the forested hills. When our team reaches Ba Be Lake, we will have a relaxing time on the boat to discover the raw beauty of nature. We will stay there overnight at a local family.

“Ba Be Lake is in the core area of Ba Be national park- with the high biodiversity of fauna and flora. This topography here is typical of karst with the primitive forests on limestone mountains and system of caves and grottos. In that area, the disturbances of tourists, even small or big can somehow change the ecological balance. Therefore, the tourism here should be minimized to balance conservation and tourism development. With the Vietnam motorbike tour, we ensure that the impacts are minimized under control. It is so glad that you did have moments with nature and people there”.