Motorcycling West to East Northern Vietnam 5 days

Hanoi – Mai Chau – Son La – Than Uyen – Thac Ba Reservoir – Hanoi

This motorcycling trip reveals a different route to get from Son La to Thac Ba. It offers adventurous riders stunning scenery and great tribal culture exploration. The route is not yet popular thus you do not share the roads with other tourist but mainly share the roads with the locals who are on their Honda to the farm. The perfect itinerary and the support crew ensure you get the most out of the trip in terms of comfort, enjoyment and adventure.

Day 1: Hanoi – Mai Chau

Leave Hanoi around 8.30am, we ride our motorcycles west to Mai Chau, an area of beautiful landscape and home to the Thai ethnic minority. We will ride on road No6 passing expansive rice paddies and scenic villages. We will have a stop for refreshment before tackling 70km of undulating road with great view of mountains and valley. We will reach Mai Chau at noontime. We ride straight to Pom Coong, a peaceful village of White Thai ethnic minority where we have lunch, dinner and spend our night in a traditional stilt-house of a Thai family. After lunch we will have a short rest and then take a leisure ride toward Ma River. We will take a short boat ride upstream Ma Rive to reach a remote Thai Village. Relax and have interesting conversations with the villagers before we walk back to the dock.

Return to Pom Coong Village for dinner and overnight.

Summary

• Riding: 170km
• Meals: Lunch, Dinner
• Accommodation: Home-stay in the village

Day 2: Mai Chau - Son La

Breakfast at the home-stay before we embark on a beautiful ride up north to Son La. The road is in good condition and the scenery is stunning. We may take frequent stops to visit minority villages of H’mong, Black Thai,… or to take photos. Lunch will be in local restaurant en route. The highlight of our ride today could be the tea plantations in Moc Chau Plateau, where you find the best green tea in Vietnam grown along the roads on hillsides. We reach Son La in the afternoon. Dinner and overnight in Son La.

Summary

• Riding: 187km
• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
• Accommodation: Mini hotel in Son La

Day 3: Son La – Than Uyen

Breakfast in the hotel before heading to Tuan Giao, a small quiet town located at the junction of Road 279 to Dien Bien Phu and Road 6 to Muong Lay. We will take Road 279 heading to Than Uyen where we overnight in a small hotel. To day we ride 162km on smooth road with beautiful scenery and interesting tribal villages along the way. Lunch stop in Tuan Giao. Dinner and overnight in Than Uyen.

Summary

• Riding: 162km
• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
• Hotel: Mini hotel in Than Uyen

Day 4: Than Uyen – Thac Ba Reservoir

Today we will ride through a beautiful area of Yen Bai Province . The first stop is Mu Cang Chai, that has been long famous for its stunning rice terraces. After here we ride to Nghia Lo for lunch. After lunch we continue on Road 32 down to Van Chan where we make a turn left to Yen Bai Town. From Yen Bai we ride 13km more to reach Thac Ba Reservoir. We stay overnight in a homestay on the bank of the lake. Enjoy the quietness of the lakeside after a long riding day of 173km. Dinner and overnight in Thac Ba.

Summary

• Riding: 173km
• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
• Hotel: Homestay in Thac Ba

Day 5: Thac Ba – Hanoi  

Breakfast in the homestay. We have time to swim or rowing boat on the lake before heading back to Hanoi . Stop in Viet Tri for lunch. In the afternoon, we ride straight back to Hanoi . We reach Hanoi around 6pm. Trip finishes.

Summary

• Riding: 250km
• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Tour Cost 

• 25% surcharges applies for Christmas, New Year and Tet Holidays  
• Surcharge for upgrading to Dirtbike 175CC, 230CC or 250CC (Yamaha, Honda): US$30/motorbike/day

Tour cost includes: 

• Support van for the ride
• Minsk motorbike 125CC
• Helmet
• Gasoline on tour
• English or French speaking guide
• Accommodation as indicated in the itinerary (based on twin shared)
• Home-stay permission
• Meals as indicated in the itinerary
• Water & Snacks
• First-aid kit
• Entrance fees & Sightseeing fees

Tour cost excludes: 

• Travel insurance
• Visa
• Tips
• Personal expenses 

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.