Iconic Vietnam Motorbike Tour on Ho Chi Minh Trails from North to South

Itinerary:

DAY 1: HANOI MOTORBIKE TOUR TO PU LUONG VIA MAI CHAU

Jump on your bike e to ride along the dyke of Red River where you can have a chance to witness our peaceful & green villages with bamboo trees, gardens of flowers, paddies & local markets. You will pass Ba Vi mountain and Black or Da River as well as Ba Khan 

En route, you’ll stop by to visit other spectacular destinations with jungles, waterfalls, streams, bridges & villages of Thai ethnic people. On arrival, you are taking a swim at the infinity pool overlooking the mountain range!

Overnight at Pu Luong Eco Garden or similar

Summary:

Distance: 160 km

Meals: Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Home-stay

DAY 2: PU LUONG NATURE RESERVE MOTORBIKE TOUR TO TAN KY (NGHE AN)

Ride on a small, spectacular, and paved trail along the Ma river until Cam Thuy town where we stop for lunch. Hit the Ho Chi Minh trail (now a newly built highway) all the way to Tan Ky town where we spend the night in a hotel. Along the road, you’ll take chances to stop by nice places for photos as well as communicating with locals to understand more their daily life.

Summary:

Distance: 260 km

Accommodation: Hotel in Tan Ky

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 3: TAN KY MOTORBIKE TOUR TO PHONG NHA (QUANG BINH)

Ride on Ho Chi Minh Highway until Pho Chau where we stop to visit the HCM Trail victory monument which is in fact the real starting point of our HCM Trail ride. Motorcycle all the way to Phong Nha – Ke Bang, the biggest and also the most beautiful cave in Vietnam and Indochina and is now a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site.

The karst formation of Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park has evolved since the Paleozoic (some 400 million years ago) and so is the oldest major karst area in Asia. Subject to massive tectonic changes, the park’s karst landscape is extremely complex with many geographic features of considerable significance. The vast area, extending to the border of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, contains spectacular formations including 65 km of caves and underground rivers.

Summary

Distance: 230 km

Accommodation: Hotel in Phong Nha

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinne

DAY 4: PHONG NHA MOTORBIKE TOUR TO KHE SANH IN QUANG TRI (ROUGHLY 250 KM – 7 HOURS OF RIDING)

Continuing west on highway 9, we will climb into the Truong Son foothills, pass the Rock Pile and stop at some villages and beautiful natural springs and waterfalls near the highway. Boating and exploring World Heritage site of Phong Nha where local civilians and military sheltered from incessant bombing during wartime. Then after having lunch, we will keep riding on Ho Chi Minh Trail and have a short stop at Truong Son Cemetary to pay respects to the soldiers who fought and died on the trail during the American War.

Approx 5 pm we arrive in Khe Sanh which was established as a forward base by General Westmoreland near Laos to secure highway 9.

Check in to hotel, free time at night

Summary

Distance: 250 km

Accommodation: Hotel in Khe Sanh

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 5: QUANG TRI MOTORCYCLE TOUR TO DMZ & VINH MOC TUNNELS – MOTORBIKE TOURS TO HUE (200 KM – 6 HOURS OF RIDING)

In this morning, we ride along highway 1 tô Quảng Trị town, visiting Long Hưng Church and Quảng Trị Old Citadel which was a battlefield in 1972 between North and South Vietnam for 81 days and nights. We ride along the coast from Cua Viet Beach tờ Của Từng Beach a long stretch of beautiful and peaceful coastline.

Next, we visit the Vinh Moc tunnels and explore the Demilitarised Zone, stopping for lunch at the Doc Mieu Firebase. And then we will keep on riding on Ho Chi Minh Trail via Dong Ha town, where we will stop by to take a look at Dong Ha market known as one of the most hassle and bustle markets in Central. Later on, we will ride directly to Hue and en route, our guide will stop by to show you more war relics before reaching Hue.

Upon arrival in Hue, if time permits, we will take a ride to visit Imperial Citadel and one of Royal Tombs then enjoy sunset on the bank of Perfume River. Check in to hotel, free time at night

Summary

Distance: 200 km

Accommodation: Hotel in Hue

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 6: HUE MOTORCYCLE TOUR TO HOI AN VIA HAI VAN PASS

Today, we’ll have an easy motorbike trip to weave around the city to visit some more royal tombs as well as other important travel sites & relics in Hue.

In this afternoon, we will keep on riding along the coastal line via Hai Van Pass, where we could look down from the top to view the splendid beauties of Lang Co beach and ocean then time to refresh yourself by a cup of coffee. You will take time to visit Marble Mountains before heading straight to Hoi An via Da Nang coastline for a check-in. Free time on your own. Overnight at hotel in Hoi An

Summary

Distance: 150 km

Accommodation: hotel in Hoi An

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

DAY 7: HOI AN MOTORBIKE TOUR PASSING MY SON – DONG PHU TO KHAM DUC (PHUOC SON)

Time to hit the road again! We leave Hoi An in the morning and head to My Son, a world heritage site that is the Cham version of Angkor Wat. Most of the temples are dedicated to the Hindu god, Shiva, considered by the Cham as the founder and protector of their dynasties.

From My Son, we will continue along the highway, busy at first, until the road shifts and becomes smaller, although paved. Then the drive becomes challenging, but a lot of fun and progress is far slower.

We will continue riding along the river, but the road itself, new and not very busy, climbs up along a very steep valley with the river rushing below. The river below is dotted with unique rock formations and there are waterfalls along the way. Lunch will be in Dong Phu.

Leaving Dong Phu, eventually, we will come to the town of Kham Duc or Phuoc Son. Overnight in Kham Duc Hotel.

Summary

Distance: 200 km

Accommodation: Hotel in Kham Duc

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 8: KHAM DUC MOTORBIKE TOUR TO KON TUM

After breakfast in local restaurant, we continue riding north on Highway 14 today on a bit of a bumpy section of the road to Kon Tum.

Today is really a day to visit different minority villages. We will ride over Lo Xo Pass, making lots of stops along the way to meet De and Trieng minorities, who live along the Dak Po Ko river. Along the river are many amazing hanging bridges, built by the local people to cross to the opposite shore. Lunch will be in Tan Canh, and we can visit a village of Se Dang, before driving on to Kon Tum.

Along the way, we also pass one of the key towns and battle sites of the Vietnam War – Dak To and outpost Charlie. In Kon Tum we can visit the Catholic church and the orphanage, based behind the Catholic Church in town and run by a group of French nuns. If time permits, you can also visit a beautiful Bahnar village near town.

Overnight in Kon Tum at the Dac Bla Hotel.

Summary

Distance: 190 km

Accommodation: Hotel in Kon Tum

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 9: KON TUM MOTORBIKE TOUR TO BUON ME THUOT

The new Ho Chi Minh Highway was built on the old trail, but from Kon Tum to Daklak, the historic HCM trail (Highway 14C), runs parallel to Highway 14 linking Kon Tum, Pleiku, and Buon Me Thuot.

We will continue riding Highway 14 today, finding that traffic is busier than usual. Lunch will be in Pleiku. From here, we ride along the Tun River and up over a pass. Along the way are coffee plantations and the stilt houses of the Central Highland’s largest ethnic group, the Gia Rai. Eventually, we will cross the Nha Rong pass down into Buon Me Thuot, the provincial capital of Dac Lac Province, and the site of the last battle of the Vietnam war in March 1975.

At night we can stop by the beer parlors or sample the local coffee grown in the region. It is far and away the best coffee in Vietnam and worth bringing home. Overnight at the Thang Loi Hotel.

Summary

Distance: 240 km

Accommodation: Hotel in Buon Ma Thuot

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 10: BUON MA THUOT MOTORBIKE TOUR TO LAK LAKE THEN ONWARDS TO DALAT

This morning, we take a motor ride to Lak Lake on Rte. 27, a small paved road with poor surfacing and quite busy. Here we can have a break for refreshment and troll around the by the lake. There are said to be about 31 different ethnic groups in Dac Lac, each with their own traditional dress and customs. Some of the villages are known for elephant hunting and taming, some for weaving and other arts.

After lunch in Lak Lake, we continue on to Da Lat. The road is narrow, winding, but not busy. We have three passes to cross – Krong No, Chuoi, and Phu Son. The drive itself is quite beautiful and lined with dense forests. Late in the afternoon, we will arrive in the hill town of Da Lat. Overnight in Dalat.

Summary

Distance: 200 km

Accommodation: Hotel in Da Lat

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 11: DA LAT MOTORBIKE TOUR TO NAM CAT TIEN NATIONAL PARK

Motorcycle down on road 20, we ride to Cat Tien National Park. This forest area used to be the headquarter of Vietnamese army during the war. The park suffered historically during the Vietnam War when it was extensively sprayed with herbicides like the defoliant Agent Orange. To this day these areas have extensive bamboo and grassland cover and trees have not yet grown back.

Summary

Distance: 190 km

Accommodation: Hotel in Da Lat

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 12: NAM CAT TIEN NATIONAL PARK MOTORBIKE TOUR TO SAIGON

This is not so long but is a big day as traffic is very crazy when we enter Saigon (HCM City). We ride straight to the train station where we end the ride. If you need information about places to stay and/or to eat, our guide will be able to recommend some.

Summary

Distance: 160 km

Accommodation: Not included

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

End of the trip