HA GIANG MOTORBIKE TOURS IN 11 DAYS

Destination details of this 11 Days Ha Giang Motorbike Tours could be found at the end of this page

Ha Giang Motorbike Tours In 11 Days Booking Code: OV49

Offroad Vietnam invites riders from all over the world to come and discover this wild and remote area of Vietnam. You ride on all types of roads (from flat and smooth to gravel and bumpy), dirt tracks, and jungle paths. Best of all, any road could easily turn into a dirt road when it rains. In addition, the spectacular view of cloudy mountains is a great memory from a motorcycle trip. On our Ha Giang motorcycle tours, you skirt along the Vietnam/China border, starting in Hanoi to Nghia Lo, Than Uyen and Sapa in Northwest Vietnam, and continue to the most beautiful part of the trip in Ha Giang, Dong Van, and Bao Lac before descending on Highway 4 to Cao Bang, Quang Uyen and Lang Son.

If you return via Ba Be, the trip can be reduced by one day but then you miss the historical Highway 4. However, you can ride more off-road if you select this option.

This trip is the most popular motorbike tour we provide in North Vietnam. Just tell us your time frame and we will get back with a proposal and hopefully, something works out.

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Tour Routes

1st day: Hanoi – Nghia Lo.
2nd day: Nghia Lo – Than Uyen.
3rd day: Than Uyen – Sapa.
4th day: Sapa – Bac Ha.
5th day: Bac Ha – Ha Giang.
6th day: Ha Giang – Dong Van.
7th day: Dong Van – Bao Lac.
8th day: Bao Lac – Cao Bang.
9th day: Cao Bang or Cao Bang – Quang Uyen.
10th day: Cao Bang – Ba Be or Quang Uyen – Lang Son.
11th day: Ba Be – Hanoi or Lang Son – Hanoi.

This trip can also be completed in 10 days returning via Ba Be lake instead of extending to Lang Son on Highway 4.

If you are looking for a shorter riding version in fewer days, please click here for a detailed itinerary of 8 days motorbike tours of Ha Giang.

1st day: Hanoi – Vu Linh.
2nd day: Vu Linh – Ha Giang.
3rd day: Ha Giang – Dong Van.
4th day: Dong Van – Bao Lac.
5th day: Bao Lac – Cao Bang.
6th day: Cao Bang or Cao Bang – Quang Uyen.
7th day: Cao Bang – Ba Be or Quang Uyen – Lang Son.
8th day: Ba Be – Hanoi or Lang Son – Hanoi.

Important! Ha Giang Immigration Police office issues one permit for each person and luckily we could get this permit at the hotel where we stay. You need to give us your original passport to get the permit.

Offroad Vietnam Motorbike Adventures - 11 Days Ha Giang Motorbike Tours: Ha Giang rocky track. Motorcycling Ha Giang


Ha Giang Motorbike Tours In 11 Days Itinerary

This program is flexible, the following is just a standard itinerary, we will customize it to suit your riding skills and to meet your expectations.

Day 1: Hanoi – Nghia Lo (~250 km, ~7 h). L, D

This is the first day of our 11-day Ha Giang motorbike tours. Before the ride, it takes 30 minutes to double-check the bikes and ensure that we have all the necessary tools and equipment to guarantee maximum fun.

Then we head out of Hanoi skirting along Red River to Son Tay and then head up the mountain to Nghia Lo. The road is easy and flat from Hanoi to Thanh Son, from Thanh Son to Thu Cuc and then Ba Khe to Nghia Lo is beautiful, snaking the foot of Hoang Lien Range. Nghia Lo is a big mountain town where we stop for the night.

Day 2: Nghia Lo – Than Uyen (~180 km, ~5 h). B, L, D

Wild and bumpy road with Lung Lo Pass as the first challenge. The next one is the higher Khau Pha Pass. 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.

Night in a hotel.

Day 3: Than Uyen – Sapa (~140 km, ~5 h). B, L, D

The area of Than Uyen is mainly populated by Flower H’mong and Dzao people. Then direction Sapa. Easy track for 100 km and asphalted mountainous road for the last 40 km. Stay in Sapa and you will find out the reason Sapa is one of the most popular places for tourists in Vietnam.

Day 4: Sapa – Bac Ha (~100 km, ~3 h). B, L, D

The drive from Sapa to Bac Ha takes ~3 hours, down from Sapa to Lao Cai (34 km), a border city where we can take photos with China as the background. After lunch, ride up to Bac Ha (70 km) with a stunning landscape. Overnighting in Bac Ha.

Day 5: Bac Ha – Ha Giang (~200 km, ~6 h). B, L, D

After breakfast, ride on the track to Xin Man and on many small/back roads with scenic mountain views before joining the main road heading up to Ha Giang where we stop for the night and apply for a permit.

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

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.

11 Days Ha Giang Motorbike Tours: Scenic Ha Giang of Vietnam off road motorbike tour. Dong Van GeoPark

Day 7: Dong Van – Bao Lac (~80 km, ~4 h). B, L, D

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

We cross the wild regions of the mythical province of Ha Giang. Stop for the night at Bao Lac, the ethnic crossroad of North-east Vietnam. Many other ethnic groups on the two sides of the border meet at the market every Sunday.

Day 8: Bao Lac – Cao Bang (~150 km, ~5 h). B, L, D

Beautiful ride down to Cao Bang province. Few passes from where you can dominate the area. The road is easy but there are many blind curves. 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 9: Cao Bang – Ban Gioc – Cao Bang (~200 km, ~5 h). B, L, D

From Cao Bang, we make our way through spectacular scenery to Vietnam’s most impressive waterfall, Ban Gioc Waterfalls, about 100km from Cao Bang. Weather permitting we can swim right up to where the 50m high falls hit the river.

In the afternoon, the ride back to Cao Bang takes around 2.5 hours and we can do some alternative roads. The second night in a hotel in Cao Bang.

Day 10: Cao Bang – Ba Be (~180 km, ~4 h). B, L, D

Today is a nice day that allows us to ride through different terrains. The first part is on the sealed mountain roads, then the small tracks through Ba Be National Park. The best part of the ride is the off-road riding in a stream in Ba Be that we suggest for riders from the intermediate level. It’s truly the highlight of today’s ride, lots of fun.

We stay in Pac Ngoi village in the core part of the National Park.

11 Days Ha Giang Motorbike Tours: Scenic Ha Giang of Vietnam off road motorbike tour. Ride in a stream in Ba Be.

Day 11: Ba Be – Hanoi (~230 km, ~6 h). B, L

An easy day back to Hanoi on the small mountain roads and then the new Highway 3. You can wake up late in the morning as we guess you can be tired after 7 long riding days.

Arrival at Hanoi around 3pm, before rush hours.

B: Breakfast.
L: Lunch.
D: Dinner.

 


An alternative route for riders who don’t want off-road riding

Note that Ha Giang motorbike tours have many versions for different weather conditions or riders’ skills. If you are not keen on off-roading like bumpy tracks, streams, and dirt roads then we have an easier version for you. The first 8 days are still the same, but the last three days are in a different direction.

Day 9: Cao Bang – Quang Uyen (~140 km, ~5 h). B, L, D

Ride in 1 hour and a half to reach the beautiful village of Quang Uyen, in the middle of a mountain cirque. This is the territory of Nung An people. Homestay with a host family and the hostess is a great cook.

We make our way through spectacular scenery to Vietnam’s most impressive waterfall, Ban Gioc Waterfalls, 50km from Quang Uyen. Weather permitting we can swim right up to where the 50m high falls hit the river.

8 Days Ha Giang Motorbike Tours: Scenic Ha Giang of Vietnam off road motorbike tour. Dirt biking to Ban Gioc waterfalls

Day 10: Quang Uyen – Lang Son (~180 km, ~6 h). B, L, D

Ride from Quang Uyen to Lang Son on the famous historical Highway 4. We will have time to discover this city which has become a big trading post between China and Vietnam. You can shop for cheap Chinese products at the nearby Dong Kinh market.

Overnight in a hotel.

Day 11: Lang Son – Hanoi (~150 km, ~3 h). B, L

An easy day back to Hanoi on the new Highway 1B. You can wake up late in the morning as we guess you can be tired after 10 long riding days.

Arrival at Hanoi around 3pm, before rush hours.

B: Breakfast.
L: Lunch.
D: Dinner.

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DETAILS OF DESTINATIONS

Nghia Lo

~250km North of Hanoi, in the heart of the second-largest rice field in North Vietnam, Yen Bai province. This is a nice stop on Road 32, at the foot of Hoang Lien range that extends as far as Sapa. The accommodation is good and clean.

Than Uyen

A small town, ~400km North of Hanoi, ~120km South of Sapa, Than Uyen district, Lai Chau province. This is on the high mountain massif of Hoang Lien range with the peak is Fansipan (3,143m above sea level), the roof of Indochina. Accommodation is basic.

Sapa

A hill station built by the French in the early 20th century, ~400km North of Hanoi, Sapa district, Lao Cai province. This town is about 1,600n above sea level and is one of the few places in Vietnam that had snow. Accommodation is good. With the fast extension and more tourists, the town itself usually has more foreigners than local people.

Bac Ha

A new Sapa, ~400km from Hanoi, ~120km from Sapa. The town is famous for its Tam Hoa plum which must bloom three times before they are ripe. Vietnamese whiskey distilled in Bac Ha is also a favourite drink.

Ha Giang

The most beautiful province in North Vietnam and probably of the whole of Vietnam. ~320km North of Hanoi. You take in stunning mountain scenery, meet friendly people and the Sunday market is colourful.

Dong Van

~200km from Ha Giang city, ~500km from Hanoi. Probably the most beautiful place in North Vietnam. Dong Van Karst Plateau Global Geopark is located in the north-eastern province of Vietnam, Ha Giang. It is the first Geopark in Vietnam and the second one in South-east Asia to be recognized by UNESCO. The Geopark formed about 550 million years ago and now is home to 17 ethnic groups which creates the unique and rich cultural heritage of this area. Sunday market is probably the most colourful one in North Vietnam.

Bao Lac

~ 400km from Hanoi, located in the very north of Vietnam, in a mountainous area at the border with China. Local people live mainly in remote small villages with no waterworks or other infrastructure. This area is among the poorest in Vietnam. The town itself is small and there is nothing special rather than the only stop with basic accommodation in this area.

Cao Bang

A big town in Northeast Vietnam, the capital city of a province with the same name, ~180km from Lang Son, or ~400km from Hanoi. The city is also known for the Battle of Cao Bang, the first major decisive victory of the Viet Minh against the French Army along Highway 4. We use this town as a base because there is no better accommodation in the surrounding areas.

Lang Son – an optional destination of Ha Giang Motorbike Tours

A major trading post in Northeast Vietnam, possibly the largest border gates between Vietnam and China, ~150km from Hanoi in the far North. Lang Son and its ancient citadel have been in the path of many invasions and were the site of three French defeats during the colonial era. The city was the centre of fighting during the Sino-Vietnamese War of 1979 and sustained extensive damage. However, with a surprisingly fast recovery, there is almost no trace of the war but a prosperous trading town. A chance to buy cheap Chinese electronic items, fakes that cost from 1/10 of the original products.

Quang Hoa

A commune of mainly Nung people in Quang Uyen district, Cao Bang province, ~400km North of Hanoi via Lang Son or ~500km via Cao Bang. The village is one of the first to offer homestay experiences to foreigners who travel there on two wheels. The host house is basic but cozy. The nearby Ban Gioc waterfalls is a scenic site, however, with the booming trade at Po Peo border gate, the road to this place is usually in bad conditions, either dusty or muddy.

Ba Be

Ba Be (means Three Lakes) is the largest natural freshwater lake, stretching about 8 kilometres in the north-south direction. Unlike many lakes in Karst limestone areas, Ba Be Lake never falls dry. The name “Three Lakes” refers to the three parts of the lake named Pe Leng, Pe Lu, and Pe Lam. All these three parts are connected into a single continuous body of water, however. A boat trip is the only way to see this beautiful complex. In addition, homestays offer a real insight into the local Tay people.

Vu Linh

A commune of mainly Dao people in Yen Binh district, Yen Bai province, 180km North of Hanoi. The village is on the lower end of Thac Ba lake. The homestay we use is not far from the lake where we could have a boat ride and swim in the clear water. In the late 1990s, Ngoi Tu village started to welcome the first foreigners and now it’s a popular place for homestays. However, Ngoi Tu faces a garbage disposal problem and this is evident in the diminishing quality of water sources and a gradual influx of tourists puts a strain on the local environment.

Contact us at [email protected] in case you want more details or options of 11 days Ha Giang motorbike tours of Vietnam.

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