Mighty Northwest Vietnam Offroad Motorbike Tour via Mai Chau, Sapa, Ba Be Lake

Itinerary:

DAY 1:  Hanoi riding tours to Mai Chau  –  170 km

This short Vietnam motorbike tour to northwest starts with a beautiful ride to Mai Chau from outskirts of Hanoi at around 8 AM, we will ride away from the busy traffic by taking some narrow and small country roads. After lunch, we will have enjoyable motorcycle ride on forgotten French road No 6.

That’s a small and winding road long the Black River. It offers the view like Ha long bay. After Northwest Vietnam Motorbike Tour – 4 Days crossing Thung Khe pass – one of the most beautiful mountain passes in North Vietnam we will hit the road down to the mountain valley settlement of Mai Chau. ( Home to the white Thai people who live in houses on stilts).

Diner and overnight in Mai Chau

Day 2:  Mai Chau motorcycle tours to Phu Yen –  160 km

The motorcycle ride to Phu Yen is quite easy, It offers a lot of stops for pictures of amazing mountain view. We can start the day with a easy walk around the village or be lazy with a waking up café . After saying goodbye to the Thai people we ride up to the direction of Moc Chau. Lunch is after the beautiful Hua Tat pass and then after lunch, turn to the less travelled Road 43 that leads to the Da River . After crossing the reservoir of Da river at Van Yen ferry, we ride on a beautiful winding  road until Phu Yen where we stay overnight.

Dinner and stay in Phu Yen

Summary:

Distance: 160 km

Meals: Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Guest-house

DAY 3:  PHU YEN MOTORCYCLE TOUR TO MU CANG CHAI (YEN BAI)

In the morning, we keep motorbiking across Lung Lo pass before head up on Road 32 .

During the First Indochina War, the 15km-long Lung Lo Pass, used by the Vietnamese resistance force to transport weapons, goods and food during the Dien Bien Phu campaign of 1954, was heavily bombed by the French in order to sever the front lines from the rear. Lung Lo Pass, situated in the northern province of Yen Bai, was also recognised as a national heritage by the ministry.

After lunch, we ride through the Mu Cang Chai massif, almost as high as the Fansipan. From the top, it offers one of the most beautiful views of North Vietnam. The ride is challenging but very rewarding.

Overnight in a hotel.

Summary:

Distance: 210 km

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: HotelSapa Motorbike tours

DAY 4: MU CANG CHAI MOTORCYCLE TOUR TO SAPA (LAO CAI)

We motorbike straight toward the main Fansipan Mountain range. There is also the option for a very challenging back route which takes us through several river crossings. The massive mountain range dominates the road until finally we must make a splendid climb up from Binh Lu and up to the top of the highest road pass in Vietnam (Tram Ton Pass).

Crossing into Lao Cai Province at over 2,000m the views looks out over the main range for miles and miles, before we descend to the mountainous Sa Pa valley. Sa Pa is located in Lao Cai Province, north-west Vietnam, and 350 km north-west of Hanoi, close to the border with China. Sapa is famous both for its fine, rugged scenery and for its rich cultural diversity.

French used to consider Sapa as Summer Capital of Northern Vietnam in the early decades of the 20th century. Its naturally gifted beauty keeps attracting more and more people to spend their vacation there since then. Particularly, the place is the foremost choice for honeymoon couples!

Overnight in Hotel.

Summary:

Distance: 110 km

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Hotel

DAY 5: SAPA MOTORCYCLE TOUR TO VU LINH VILLAGE (THAC BA LAKE, YEN BAI)

Get on the road, take a half-day ride to our Dao friends’ village of Vu Linh, which by the side of Thac Ba lake, the biggest man-made lake in Vietnam. This artificial lake has an area of 23,400 ha and 1,331 islands and hills with diverse ecological environments. The water in the lake is blue and clear, and imprinted with the reflections of the surrounding ancient forest. The thousands of hills and islands feature caves such as the Hum, Cau Cuoi and Bach Xa.

After lunch, we take the boat ride, stop by an island for swimming and discover the particularities of this area: the way villagers paddle their boats, the exotic and odd animals living around, the quiet and peaceful beauty of this huge lake, the lifestyle of the Dao among the thousands of islets.

We will have an unforgettable dinner with the hosts, whose are really big drinkers and they party every day. The welcome is exceptional and we hope you will survive.

Summary:

Distance: 210 km

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Home-stay

DAY 6: THAC BA MOTORCYCLE TOUR TO BA BE NATIONAL PARK (BAC KAN)

In the morning we motorcycle passing Tan Trao and Cho Chu. Tan Trao Historic Site is a small valley lying between mountains and jungles in Son Duong District. It was used as a resistance base before the August 1945 Revolution.

It is also where the Indochina Communist Party first carried out the National Congress (13 August 1945). At the National Assembly held on August 1945 in Tan Trao, “the great policies of Vietminh were drawn and a temporary government lead by Ho Chi Minh was elected”.

Cho Chu Monuments prison is on the hill in the neighborhood Chu Cho township, Dinh Hoa district, Thai Nguyen province. In 1889 the French occupied the station has built robots. In 1894 they put the agency ruled this area agents. Conducted in 1916 to build prisons until 1945.

Cho Chu Monuments prison, vivid symbol of the revolutionary soldiers are willing to devote life, sacrifice fighting for independence and freedom of the country.

Keep motorcycling on beautiful road through Ba Be National Park into our home-stay in Bac Ngoi village. It is located inside Ba Be National Park.
Our home-stay in Tay’s family is right by the side of Ba Be lake with wonderful and peaceful view.

Summary:
Distance: 190 km
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Home-stay

DAY 7:  BA BE MOTORCYCLE TOUR BACK HANOI

Note: This is a very big day, we should start early and ride back carefully on Road 3

After breakfast, take a short motor ride in Ba Be National Park to the other side of the lake, before we get out to Cho Ra, head up to main Road 3.

Ba Be National Park is an abundant bioreserve area containing the world’s only fresh-water karst lake and several rare species of fauna and flora. Ba Be lake in VietnamThe biodiverse 10,048 ha park – home to 1,268 species of flora and fauna, a series of caves and a gigantic fresh water lake – was established in 1992 by the Vietnamese Government to preserve forest ecosystems in the northeast.

Ba Be is home to over 3,000 people from the ethnic minorities of Tay, Nung, Dao and Mong, who live in 13 villages within the park. The Tay people have inhabited Ba Be area for centuries and make up 58 per cent of the population within the park’s boundaries.
On Road 3, the way back to Hanoi, traffic is getting worst and worst, so we should be back carefully before rush hour.

Summary:
Distance: 230 km
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

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