Eye-watering Northern Vietnam Motorcycle Tour via Ta Xua and Suoi Giang

This great motorcycle tour to the north of Vietnam starts at around 8 AM. We try the best to avoid busy city road in the morning until Cho Chu town (in Thai Nguyen province) where we have lunch. After lunch, we surely have enjoyable motorcycle ride to Ba Be because the roads have less traffic and give you a lot of grand mountain view. At about 4 PM. We arrive Pac Ngoi – a beautiful village of Tay people which located peacefully at Ba Be lake’s side. Diner and stay with the Tay’s family.

Ba Bể Lake is the largest natural lake in Vietnam. It is located in Nam Mẫu commune, Bắc Kạn district, Bắc Kạn Province in the northeastern region of the country. Having been formed approximately 200 million years ago, the lake is surrounded by limestone cliffs, which in turn are covered by primary forests.

The lake comprises three zones named Pé Lầm, Pé Lù, and Pé Lèng. Three rivers, named Năng, Tả Han, and Nam Cường, are the main inflows of the lake. The Năng river enters the lake through a large waterfall called Đầu Đẳng. In the lake there are also three islands, named Án Mã, Khẩu Cúm, and Po Gia Mải (literally “Widow’s Island”).

Ba Bể Lake is a featured geographical science and is a biodiversity reservoir. It is a part of the Ba Be National Park.

It is home of a range of animals and plants.

Overnight in Ba Be

Saying good bye to  the family, we’ll ride motorbike on the back-roads through some rustic villages and the jungle. Then we motorbike across some streams. This promise to be a great day for off-road Vietnam motorbike touring. We will stop in Bao Lac town for lunch and then continue the beautiful motorcycle tour Northern Vietnam to Meo Vac by taking a scenic route climbs over many Passes where we can enjoy beautiful mountain ranges and the Nho Que river.  Arrive at Meo Vac by 5.00PM. Dinner in town, Hotel stay.

Meo Vac Town is located in the heart of the Dong Van Rock Plateau, which was recognized as part of the Global Geo-Park Network in 2009, the Dong Van old quarter is home to age old and unique architecture near Ha Giang Province’s border with China. Therefore, the Motorbike tour to Ha Giang, Dong Van is always the best choice of the motorcyclists.

Today’s ride promises to be the highlight of this motorcycle trip in north Vietnam as we will visit one of the most remote land in Motorbike Tour Around Northern Vietnam – 8 Days Vietnam where we can see many ethnic groups with their unique cultures and imposing mountains such as : Pi Leng Pass – one of the 4 longest and most beautiful passes in North Vietnam, the Rock Plateau, the Vuong palace in Dong Van, The “Heaven Gate” in Quan Ba.

This is for sure the best motorbike ride in Vietnam with many interesting and amazing things in every meter of the road.  Arrive Ha Giang in the late afternoon.Dinner and stay with the other Tay’s family or stay in hotel in Ha Giang city

Ha Giang, 300 km away from Hanoi, located at the highest latitude in Vietnam. It is surrounded by Cao Bang, Tuyen Quang, Lao Cai, and Yen Bai. It shares a border with China in the north. Many ethnic minorities, including the Dao, H’mong, Tay, and Nung, live in Ha Giang province Vietnam.

Overnight in Ha Giang

Today we head straight towards the North-western mountain where the main Fanxipan Mountain range dominates the road until Sapa. The road is very smooth with a good view of green mountain, rice fields between lovely villages of the hill tribes. After a short break in Lao Cai to see Chinese border, we will have very beautiful motorbike ride up to Sapa. This motorbike ride is up and up till 1.600 meters above sea level. It offers a great  view of mountain with terrace fields and it must be one of the best motorbike ride in North Vietnam.

Arrive in Sapa at around 5: 30 pm, overnight at hotel in Sapa.

You are free to explore Sapa until 1.30PM, check out hotel and we continue the route to Than Uyen, we will make a splendid climb up from Sapa to the top of the highest road pass in Vietnam (Tram Ton Pass). Crossing into Lai Chau Province at over 2000m above sea level. This is a short motorbike ride but could be the most enjoyable motorbike tour from Sa pa. The ride offers you amazing view of the Hoang Lien mountain ranges for miles and miles. We arrive in Mu Cang Chai by 5.00PM.

Dinner and overnight in hotel.

We keep riding up and down into a forested and high mountain region populated by H’mong peoples, We will hike up a very high mountain pass before descending into a mountainous tea-growing region. Soon after we follow a long the valley floor covered in a sea of rice surrounded by Hmong and Thai’s villages all the way to Ta Xua peak. At the highest point of 2865 meters, the Ta Xua peak is the tenth highest peak in Vietnam. The three most important peaks form a line that looks like the back of a dinosaur. It is a real off the beaten track destination. 

After having lunch at local restaurant else where en route of the national road No32 where we view nice terrace fields and high mountains, we’ll keep riding to Ta Xua to have a special chance to see cloud flying over or beneath your feet

Arrive Ta Xua town at 5:00Pm. Overnight at homestay

Summary:

Distance: 180 km

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Hotel

In this morning, we’ll keep exploring beauties of this amazing land with some dirt tracks to get deeper inside the villages before leaving to Tram Tau of Yen Bai province on a newly-opened short-cut by our iron horses. Tram Tau is home to 11 groups of peoples of which the Hmong accounts for 77%, the Thai 16% and the others are Kinh, Khmu, Tay, Muong… The terrain of Tram Tau is dissected by high mountains and deep ravines becomes hot destination for adventure motorbike riders. The averaged altitude is 800m above sea level, the lowest altitude is 390m above sea level. The temperatures in Tram Tau are below 30 Degrees Celsius almost all year round and it may get below freezing point in the winter

Upon reaching Tram Tau, we’ll challenge ourselves with some dirt tracks to explore some stunning nearby villages with great rice terraces otherwise you can relax yourself with a top-notch service of Hot-Spring here (your own account) before riding to Suoi Giang (Van Chan) for an overnight. Gifted by nature with precious tea varieties, the H’mong people in Suoi Giang commune in Van Chan district, Yen Bai province, are skilled at producing different tea products. Suoi Giang is known for its tourist sites with ancient Shan Tuyet tea trees, pristine H’mong villages, immense primitive forests and mild climate.

To Suoi Giang you will discover the Mong people to enjoy the beauty in the culture, the typical characteristics of the Mong people in the northwest. Take the chance to learn the traditional sports of the Mong people such as push sticks, tug, turn, throw pound, thick cake traditional Mong; Constructing traditional rituals and customs in the wedding of the Mong ethnic group; Festival of traditional culture and music of ethnic Mong. Visiting households to produce handicraft products such as pottery, flute, knife, hammer, brocade weaving.

Overnight at hotel.

Summary:

Distance: 120 km

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Hotel

In this morning, we’ll be at leisure a bit before riding back Hanoi. En route, we’ll stop by some very nice places / great spots to defy yourself with some dirt tracks to discover the beauties of Muong Lo Valley with tea plantations / terraces, villages . Finally, We will be back to the hotel before rush hours in order to end the 8 Day motorbike tour in north Vietnam safely.

Summary:

Distance: 220 km

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: None