NORTH-EAST, HA GIANG & HALONG BAY CRUISE 9 DAYS BY MOTORBIKE

North-east, Scenic Ha Giang & Halong Bay cruise 9 days / 8 nights.

Booking code of Ha Giang & Halong Bay: HLNE904

The video below has some portions of this North-east, Scenic Ha Giang & Halong Bay in 9 days. In case you want to watch more videos of our Vietnam motorbike tours please check our YouTube channel.

Day 1: Hanoi – Vu Linh (~180 km, ~7 h).

We start this North-east, Scenic Ha Giang & Halong Bay cruise in 9 days after a briefing with the tour guide. He will show you the easiest way to get out of Hanoi. It’s an easy ride to on the sealed road (dyke road) to Son Tay. Then we ride to Thac Ba Lake and follow the little road to Vu Linh. Vu Linh is a Dzao village by the side of the lake, very friendly people and the welcome is exceptional. The people here like to party!

Day 2: Vu Linh – Ha Giang (~180 km, ~6 h).

After breakfast, ride along the Thac Ba lake on a small road lined with palm trees and scenic mountain views to join the main road heading up to Ha Giang where we stop for the night and apply for a permit to crawl the border area.

Day 3: Ha Giang – Dong Van (~180 km, ~6 h).

After getting the permit to ride in border areas at Ha Giang’s Immigration Police, we ride on small challenging mountain roads (but incredibly beautiful) on the land of colourful mountain hill-tribes.

Head up the Ma Pi Leng Pass. Here is yet another amazing place, with cloudy mountain ranges and the poetic Nho Que river winding off in the distance. Ride on a zig-zag track until Dong Van, a remote area and meet the hard-working local people here. It is inspiring to see how they survive as they manage to live in the rocks. When we reach town we will have some extra time to wander the ancient streets lined with H’mong homes of clay bricks and tiles roofs built centuries ago. Honestly, this is the best day of this 9-day Northeast, Scenic Ha Giang & Halong Bay motorbike tour.

Day 4: Dong Van – Bao Lac (~80 km, ~4 h).

The road is still under construction and tracks that make the ride relatively long in spite of few kilometres. However, the landscape is among the most beautiful of Vietnam, and therefore the slow tempo is only more appreciable.

While riding, you cross the wild regions of the mythical province of Ha Giang. Then you stop for the night at Bao Lac, the ethnic crossroad of North-east Vietnam. Right here, many other ethnic groups on the two sides of the border meet at the market every Sunday.

Day 5: Bao Lac – Cao Bang (~150 km, ~5 h).

This is a beautiful ride down to Cao Bang province. There are a few passes from where you can dominate the area. The road is easy but there are many blind curves. While riding, we can stop very often for photos. Altogether, stop for drinks and food it should be an 8-hour journey. Stay in a hotel.

Day 6: Cao Bang – Lang Son (~180 km, ~6 h).

Ride from Cao Bang to Lang Son on the famous historical Highway 4. It’s, in fact, another great riding day on this trip. We will have time to discover Lang Son city which has become a big trading post between China and Vietnam. This is the place you can shop for cheap (fake) Chinese products at the nearby Dong Kinh market.

Overnight in hotel.

Day 7: Lang Son – Bai Chay. ~180 km, ~7 h.

In fact, we have a long ride mainly on a secondary road, passing many coal mines along the road. We hope you are not covered in coal dust when we arrive in Halong City (the new name of Bai Chay).

Day 8: Halong Bay cruising. Sleep on the boat.

Relax in the morning to recover from the long ride yesterday. There are two options:

1. Join a group trip at noon. Depart by boat to Halong Bay, start cruise and check-in cabins. Then have lunch on the boat, enjoy deluxe Vietnamese set menu. Transfer by tender from boat to Surprising Cave. Enjoy kayaking and swimming, or relaxing on the boat. Dinner served with Vietnamese food. Evening activities – choose from optional evening activities: enjoy movies, sing karaoke or join squid fishing with our crew (in case the weather is good).

2. Book a private boat and cruise in Halong Bay. Sleep on the boat. However, this option costs extra and we will let you know the cost if you want this upgrade.

Day 9: Halong – Hanoi. ~160 km, ~5 h. End of Ha Giang & Halong Bay in 9 days.

Two options with the cruise:

1. Transfer by tender from boat to Titov island, swimming or just relaxing. Then continue the cruise and refresh onboard and come back to Bai Chay. Check-out cabins and pay for your drinks. Lunch at Thang Long restaurant in Halong city (or on the boat).

2. Continue cruising in Halong Bay. Lunch on boat and return at noon. In fact, this option costs extra and we will let you know the cost if you want this upgrade.

Pick up the bike(s) and ride back to Hanoi on Highway 18 and then 1B.

We try to arrive in Hanoi before 5pm to avoid rush hours. Otherwise, you should be good with city traffic from the experience you got over the last days.

Contact us now to book this tour or to know about different itineraries and options of this Northeast, Scenic Ha Giang & Halong Bay 9 days motorbike tour.