Motorcycle Chronicles - Northwest Vietnam - Sapa

By Brian Keels

Jacob and I started our 800 km epic motorcycling northwestern Vietnam on a 5 day loop through the rugged mountains and countryside.  What started out as one of the greatest experiences of my life, it's definitely an experience I'll never forget.  We planned to visit an old French hill station high in the mountains in a town called Sapa which lies near the Chinese border as well as several other interesting towns along the way.  

We explored Sapa by motorbike and ended up picking a place high up on a hill (with an awesome balcony) overlooking the cartoon-like emerald green valley.  $10 a night between the two of us for a ridiculous view, free internet, and clean sheets -- what more can one ask!  Many of the people around Sapa are Hmong, which is an ethnic minority that I believe originated in Mongolia, but over time were pushed further and further south into Vietnam, Laos, China, and Thailand.   The town really has an out of this world feeling.  The Hmong men wear navy blue French pettycoats with popped collars and silver bands around their necks. Women wear traditional clothing which they make themselves from hemp and dye with local indigo.  They are a truly 'ethnic' looking people and those involved in tourism speak excellent English.  

We hired a tour guide to take us on a trekking Sapa tritp through the local Hmong villages and the countryside.  The views were almost beyond what I can describe.  It was the kind of thing that sent chills down your spine.  The entire mountain was a network of terraced rice fields framed by impossibly steep peaks .  Again, I don't think I can even put into words how beautiful the scenery is and I am convinced there is no other place like this in the world. It's as if the scenery was digitally enhanced by some computer nerd and you're sitting in a movie theatre with 3D glasses just soaking it in.   Words really can't describe the place or the feeling, but see the pictures for yourself and just know that pictures can't even do the place justice.

During our time in Sapa, we met a lot of the Hmong women as they were selling handmade hemp clothes, bags, etc. They would all come up and with broken English say "You buy from me?!". It was funny because it was all ages (from 4yrs to 85yrs old), and they would say the same thing. I assume that tourism must be their main source of income, aside from the old days of opium cultivation

The next day Jake and I spent time exploring the town and checking out the local markets, which had some interesting hand made souvenirs we bought.  Realizing that we needed to get on with our trip, we left early the next morning for what turned out to be a 10 hour test of endurance.  We drove through every type of terrain imaginable: mud, gravel, potholes, washed out sections due to small rivers crossing the road or because of rock slides, dusty back roads, you name it.  The weather varied nearly as much as the terrain: rain, cold, and fog turned to radiating heat and humidity.   We were literally in the middle of nowhere and due to some major construction on a new highway, we were forced to take all the back roads through small and remote villages. 

The hard work was completely worth it though because the scenery was even more impressive than Thailand and Laos with continuous views of the mountains and rice terraces that constantly gave us goose pimples. The elements and construction work slowed us down a lot, and although we tried to make good time we didn't make it to our stop in Dien Bien Phu (the famous site where the Vietnamese won a decisive battle that ousted the French) until 8:30pm. When we arrived we were both covered from head to toe with mud and backcountry Vietnamese dust. To say the least we slept good that night!

That next morning we got on the road early in anticipation for another long-haul day.  The views again were absolutely stunning.  

I am probably a good 2 weeks behind on the blog, but will do my best to catch up...for some reason I can't access the blog site.  Stay tuned.

Vietnam: A taste of village life in the north

By Anna Murphy

Travel Northern Vietnam

It was 3.30am when the cockerel first crowed, an alarm all the more bone-jangling because it was right underneath the hut on stilts in which we were sleeping. Every 10 minutes or so that darn cockadoodle-do split the silence, until around the time when one actually might want to be woken up, at which point it went quiet.

Vietnamese village life is not without its challenges for the unsuspecting tourist. (Home-brewed rice wine the colour of pond water, anyone? More on that later.) But they are nothing alongside its many delights. We were in rural Ha Giang, a mountainous northern region of Vietnam, close to the border with China. Ha Giang is a six-hour drive from Hanoi, and a world away, a place where currently very few tourists visit.

Driving ever upwards into the mountains, we passed through a narrow gorge between two giant cliffs, the aptly named Heaven's Gate. Beyond was a landscape of toothsome crags and wild forest and jungle, offset with the gentle, shimmering emerald of paddy fields. The mountains of Vietnam's north, along with those of its interior, are where the majority of the country's 53 minority groups live (the 13.8 per cent of the population who are not ethnic Viet), many of them upholding a way of life that has remained largely unchanged for centuries.

Travel Northern Vietnam

Our first night in the region was spent at a pretty French-owned guesthouse in the village of Panhou, its rice paddy surrounds reinvented as an exotically planted water garden. No middle-of-the-night cockerel crows here; just some fairly low-key frogs. In the morning we went to the nearby market in the district of Thong Nguen, where we saw women from two different tribes meeting to shop and, more importantly, to gossip.

The Red Dao women wore a navy hemp outfit with a red trim. Their heads were haloed with a big coil of red trim, and on their chests was a large pewter necklace that looked more like the breastplate on a suit of armour. The Black Dao wore a black hemp outfit trimmed in white, and on their head was a black kerchief decorated with white cords.

Whichever their tribe, the men wore modern clothes. Our guide Quang told us that women, especially unmarried ones, had less sartorial freedom because their reputation as a "good girl" would be at risk if they chose to abandon the traditional dress. The youngest had abandoned one practice however – the chewing of betel leaves. The older women were all betel chewers, their blackened teeth considered by them and their peers to be beautiful.

Travel Northern Vietnam

Such is the comparative rarity of tourists in Ha Giang that we were as much an object of fascination to them as they were to us, a fact that lessened that uncomfortable feeling of voyeurism that you can sometimes suffer when you travel off the beaten track.

There was very little food to be bought – dried fish and pork was pretty much all that was left by the time we got there. Instead there were numerous stalls selling the yarns and the braiding that decorated the Dao costumes. When we walked out of the market up into the surrounding hillsides we quickly saw how self-sufficient the Dao were; why there was very little they needed to buy.

Every house was the Good Life personified: aside from the rice paddies themselves there were immaculate vegetable and herb gardens (the Vietnamese diet includes copious herbs and salad leaves at every meal, often added to a meat-based noodle broth called pho or bun). Most of the dwellings were traditional wooden affairs, the Red Dao houses built on the ground, the Black Dao houses on stilts. Outside several homes, a woman was winnowing rice using a large flat-bottomed basket, tossing the rice up high into the air to separate it from the dry husks.

Unfortunately, we had lunch at the home of someone who was going up in the world, which meant we ate our delicious picnic not in a picturesque traditional house but in a breeze-block carbuncle, breeze blocks being such a status symbol as to be like the Rolex watch of the Dao world.

Travel Northern Vietnam

We sat with the son of the family and a son-in-law, the former a city worker back to visit for the weekend, the latter still a country boy. They were both in their late twenties, yet the difference between the two was remarkable, the former confident and chatty, asking us lots of questions and telling us about himself with the help of Quang, and the latter not uttering a word, barely able to bring himself even to look at us. This was a typical distinction between city and country folk, Quang told us.

The next day we drove a couple of hours to the Phong Thien commune, home to the Black and White Tay and, as we were later to find out, that excruciating cockerel. The Tay villagers no longer wear their traditional costumes – they are nearer to the city, and its influences – yet it is still an ancient-seeming place. It was raining on our first morning and we saw one woman using a large leaf as an impromptu umbrella. In the paddy fields the women – and, yes, it is the women who work there – wore not only their traditional woven conical hats but a kind of backplate, also made of woven bamboo, to protect their body from the rain as they bent over.

Even aside from the rain, this was a watery place, with numerous little rills and jerry-built aqueducts made of rubber piping and bamboo, all designed to bring water down into the villages from many miles up in the mountains. We saw one local woman with the ubiquitous twin baskets, one on each end of a carrying pole, transporting her ducklings between home and paddy field, where she took them daily to gobble up insects and snails.

Our walk around the local villages was full of such unforgettable sights. Lunch was similarly memorable. Our hostess was a 75-year-old tribeswoman, little more than 5ft tall, a mother of 10 and a brewer of rice wine. Hers was a specially doctored variety of the local spirit, the noxious-looking bottle steeped with ginseng and assorted other anonymous roots and leaves, all of them believed by the tribespeople to give their elderly extra pep.

Well pep she certainly had, in abundance. We had to down a heady shot as a sign that we were grateful to enjoy her hospitality. As I reeled, my boyfriend jokingly held up five fingers, implying he was game to drink five measures. She quickly held up all 10 fingers. "Ten!" she exclaimed in the local dialect excitedly.

"Ten! Ten!" Quang told us that the old women can often drink their visitors under the table, hardened as they are by their traditional role as party starters at village gatherings. Several shots later, Quang had to lie down, and his excellent commentary went quiet for a while.

Back at the house that night we were given a local footbath, stewing our feet in a herbal brew that looked remarkably similar to what we had been drinking that lunchtime. Then there was a delicious supper of rice-paper spring rolls, sweet and sour pork, carp with tomato and garlic, deep-fried tofu and perfectly nutty white rice.

Lying down on our floor mattresses, in a corner cordoned off from the rest of the open-plan floor space by sheets hung on two lines, we were buzzing with delight at all that we had seen. Our stay in the mountains had been worth those 3.30am wake-up calls, we told each other. It was 10pm. Five and a half hours later… well, our thoughts were a little different. But as we drove back to Hanoi the next day, we knew we would never forget our Vietnamese mountain interlude.

ACTIVETRAVEL ASIA would like to recommend Motorcycling adventure in Northern Vietnam tour.The mountainous area of Northern Vietnam has long been famous for its beautiful scenery and great diversity of ethnic minorities. With our adventure motorcycling trip you will make a big loop to experience all the bests that area can offer. Starting in Hanoi you will explore Northwest before jumping into Northeast, back to Hanoi after a day relaxing in Ba Be Lake. The perfect itinerary and the support crew ensure you get the most out of the trip in terms of comfort, enjoyment and adventure. Along the way we encounter dramatic landscapes and sweeping panoramas as the rural population goes about its business. Highlights include the terraced valleys of Sapa, beautiful Ban Gioc Waterfall and many different colorful minority groups. 

Travel Vietnam on Motorbike

A motorcycle tour (ACTIVETRAVEL ASIA)  is one of the best ways to see Vietnam and understand the local people. Many travelers talk of it as being the adventure of a lifetime and I agree… After all, I live the adventure.

Travel Vietnam on Motorbike

There are thousands of local and hundreds of offices offering similar motorcycle trips and services in Vietnam, Many of them very good. Most of them travel the same routes and visit the same places….. all worth seeing. Why travel with us? We will also take you to many of the same places, but you will find our services different than the rest.

I am a resident foreigner that understands what you want in an off the beaten track adventure. Some might argue that as a foreigner, I cannot offer a good tour…. They are mistaken. It is because I am a foreigner that understands the language, culture, and geography of Vietnam, or maybe more importantly, I understand what a foreigner wants that makes our tours exceptional. Perhaps that is why so many easy riders wish to join my team.  At the current time, I am still leading tours and training new team leaders.

Travel Vietnam on Motorbike

All of our team leaders have a better understanding of how a foreigner thinks in order to give them the best holiday possible. We do not just randomly assign easy riders to you. We will assess your group and destination and assign the riders whose personality and experience fits with where you want to go and how you like to spend your time. If not otherwise booked, I may be leading your group. Because of Laws and Liabilities in Vietnam, we do not travel with guests wishing to drive their own motorcycle. Each individual will have their personal guide and driver. I can understand the desire, but it is just not safe. You must also be aware that you will be driving illegally and be non insured. Besides, how can you enjoy the countryside when watching for pot holes and crazy drivers, not to mention livestock, stinging insects, and incredibly aggressive commercial vehicles? Leave that concern to us. So again….. Why travel with us? Following is what makes us unique

Travel Vietnam on Motorbike

Our tours are heavy into interaction with the locals and not just drive, stop, and take photo.All of our riders have larger, comfortable motorcycles and are able to handle large travel packs.We offer the security of you being able to research and trust the people you are booking with. All leaders are accountable, reliable and will give you a full day’s value. At the end of the day we will stay with you dining or socializing or offer you to join us for local evening entertainment with local friends until you are finished with us.

Travel Vietnam on Motorbike

Unlike many who claim to go on untraveled roads…. We actually do and often you will be one of the very few who have been some locations.We only use good and clean accommodation. We do not use local places that are better financially for the riders than the customer. A good night’s sleep makes the next day so much better.

Tours are custom built for every group and we assign riders most knowledgeable for your destination. Whether is it photo shoots, research into ethnic minorities, war history, or the ecology.I personally follow up all tours to assure quality. Our exemplary reputation is very important to us and we wish to keep it that way.

Our package prices are very competitive and often work out less because what you see is what you get! There are no hidden expenses, no surprises and no schemes to get at your dollar. We provide everything. All you need pay for is daily dinner, and your drinks, (even that can be included if you wish) and have a worry and stress free holiday.

ACTIVETRAVEL ASIA would like recommend Motorcycling Northwestern Trails tour.Discover Vietnam’s rugged and scenic northwest and its people first hand. By taking to the roads and riding from the capital Hanoi to the remote area of the northwest we can see life as it truly is for the Vietnamese. The perfect itinerary and the support crew ensure you get the most out of the trip in terms of comfort, enjoyment and adventure. Along the way we encounter dramatic landscapes and sweeping panoramas as the rural population goes about its business. Highlights include the terraced valleys of Sapa, challenging roads, stunning scenery and many different colorful minority groups.

Motorbiking Northern Vietnam !!!

Written by Orna

So, I have now returned from my 5 day motorbike tour of some of the north of Vietnam and am now in crazy Hanoi. The destinations changed a little and hopefully for the best because my tour guide - Mr Binh said he was taking me to places that were far less touristy than those mentioned in Lonely Plant. I wrote a bit of a journal while I was away and will re-write what I wrote:

Motorcycling Northern Vietnam

Day 1 - Thursday 22 Sep

So! Right now I am at a homestay with White Thai people (a minority group) somewhere west of Ninh Binh in a village that is not mentioned in Lonely Planet. And I am exhausted from sitting on the back of the bike! I don't know how it can be so exhausting just sitting!! Anyway, the scenery has been absoluetly stunning - there are the rice fields that are elevated like they show in Sapa - absolutely stunning! And apparently I've found out that today is the first sunny day after 20 consecutive days of rain!! I am soooooooooooooo lucky!! (So much for it not raining much in the north as per the information provided by the woman at the guest house selling me the tour!!)

Motorcycling Northern Vietnam

Anyway, this homestay is in one of the gorgeous rice fields in the hills. And their toilet is Western style - yay! Already today I was taken to a "toilet" which was just floor boards with a hole in the wall at the bottom and I figured you just had to somehow pee through the hole in the wall! Don't ask me how they dispose of their no. 2's in this "toilet"! Here at the homestay their shower is just a cold water tap that you have to try wash yourself under - I can deal with that! Though they don't seem to use towels here??

So I also had a bit of an unexpected and slightly unwanted adventure today that I wasn't so happy about. We were riding along on the motorbike and my guide suddenly stops and tells me to walk down a track off the road for about 100m and he will meet me at the other end (he does not communicate this information in a very clear way and I am unsure whether I understood right). So anyway, I think ok, and start walking down a track by someone's house in a small village. But soon I come across a fork in the track and don't know which way I'm supposed to go! So I choose one direction and walk for a bit and then decide that I should just go back to the road and find the guide because I don;t want to go the wrong way and get lost in this village where no-one speaks english! So I go back to the road and start walking along the road hoping to meet with the guide soon.

So I'm walking, walking, walking and no sign of the giude! Great! And once again I'm thinking - well thank g-d I have my water, passport and money on me! And I'm thinking that I might have to stay with someone in the village if I don't find the guide and how will I ever get back to the city?? Anyway, there are lots of nice people and kids along the way all saying hello which was very nice, but I was just very pissed off about the guide leaving me to walk a path with many directions!!

So, 1-2 hrs later of me walking through the village, my guide drives up from behind me. And I say to him - "so! There wasn't one path where you left me! And I didn't know if I would see you again!!" and how does he respond? "No problem!!". Yeah! No problem for him but BIG problem for me!! So I was quite pissed off by this stage - imagine just leaving me without any clear information!! Luckily I even had my water cause I would have gotten dehydrated for sure without it cause it was quite hot and hardly any shade!

Hill -Tribes people

So, after this he made it up a little by at least taking me to a really beautiful village with the staggered rice fields. This time, when he told me to get off the bike and walk he at least kept waiting for me down the way to make sure I went the right way. So again I walked through another village where all the people were very friendly and I walked through the rice fields to the homestay where I am now. Living in this house is a husband and wife and their daughter. And it was really nice cause we all ate dinner together on the floor sharing dishes and then afterwards they put bamboo mats down on the floor and hung mosquito nets over the mats with bits of fabric hanging in between for us all to sleep. So it felt like a little sleepover! I was quite happy though when we went to bed about 7pm cause they were all just talking in Vietnamese and of course I couldn't join in so it felt a little strange.

Day 2 - Friday 23 Sep (Happy Birthday Dad!)

So right now I am at a homestay with Hmong people (another minority). This morning, Mr Binh told me to walk to the next village via apparently ONE path with no forks! He drew me a map of the things I would pass along the way - i.e. first a school, then mountains and then I would look down and see a village and then I would come to a road where I would meet him. So, it was again very beautiful because I was walking through the staggered rice fields watching people work in the fields, BUT - I came across forks in the path!!! I was soooooooo mad!!! So I just chose one and hoped for the best, all the while seething at Mr Binh!! Luckily for me it was the right path because I did see the things he said I would and I did meet him later on at the road!

Hill- Tribes People at Market

We then drove through a small market where Mr Binh bought food to cook for dinner that night. There was a family there who just kept pointing at my nose ring and commenting and laughing!! After this I walked some more for maybe another hour through the next village where everyone was again very friendly - "hello!, "bye bye!" "xin chao!" (hello).

Later that afternoon we walked to a waterfall which I swam in which was absolutely divine! Clear mountain water - cold and refreshing!

So this homestay is again a traditional bamboo hut in the most beautiful setting. I walked up the hill a bit from their home to a "stadium" where boys were playing soccor. The "stadium" was just a cleared bit of land with bamboo goal posts surrounded by the beautiful mountains! Then, it was bound to happen, on my way back down the hill I slipped in the mud/clay and fell on my bum - so embarrising! These people do full on work in the mountains with just these flimsy plastic slip on sandals and I slip with my proper colombia walking shoes!

So, I've had a yummy dinner of tofu, fish, bean sprouts and bamboo and it's now 7pm and things are winding down - no TV or sun to keep people awake! Tomorrow we head to Mai Chau (which is in the Lonely Planet) which is maybe 1/2 day of driving.

Day 3 - Saturday 24 Sep

Woman at the field

So I'm now in a homestay in Mai Chau which has other western people!!! I hadn't seen another western person for 2 days! Also because it's the weekend it's very busy because apparently people can get the local bus here from Hanoi and there are many Vietnamese tourists who come here for the weekend. So when we arrived we went for a beautiful 2 hr walk through villages and rice fields. Then we had a communal dinner with my guide and other tourists staying at the homestay - I even tried fried insects!! I'm not sure what they were - maybe grasshoppers and other things but i guess they just tasted of chips! Vietnamese chips! They really do eat everthing here - even cat I found out...like I said, anything...

Then after dinner my guide said there was some dancing happening tonight that I could go and see in the village - I couldn't decipher whether this dancing happened every sat night or if it was some festival (you ask my guide something and the answer that comes back makes you realise he totally didn't understand the question!!).

So we walked to this field where there was this crazy / bizarre partying going on - groups of people around bonfires where there was traditional dancing and costume mixed in with really loud pop music and really drunk young Vietnamese people (probably from Hanoi?) jumping around with the traditional dancers! It was really bizarre... so we stayed for a bit and then walked back to the homestay where next door a family were holding their own event of traditional dancing which was much better!

Day 4 - Sunday 25 Sep

We left Mai Chau at 7am for the most spectacular market - Pa Co Market - a market for the Blue, Red and Flower Hmong people which was one of the most exhilarating experiences I have ever had!!! This market is not listed in the Lonely Planet and my guide took me here instead of the Bac Ha market further north because he said this one does not have tourists and it is much better because the people don't pester you to buy things like they do in Sapa and Bac Ha.

So we arrived at 8am and it was all fully happening with Blue, Red and Flower Hmong people everywhere in their amazing traditional clothes and silver hand made jewellery - I really was absolutely brimming with exhilaration!!! It was just one of the most incredible things I have ever seen and I felt so privaleged to be there watching everyone!!! I could have sat and watched all day! And I really was one of the only westerners there - people really were looking at me as if to be thinking what are you doing here? The market was mainly selling the traditional clothes of the Red and Blue Hmong and some for the Flower Hmong (whose colour is mainly purple). In amongst all my exhilaration I realised that I had lost my glasses that I had tucked into my top!!! (I was wearing my sunnies). I got such a shock and started searching the stalls and LUCKILY I went back to one stall and indicated that I had lost glasses and they had them!! But they made me PAY them to get them back! Ha! I don't think it was much but I bargened and got a purse thing as well :)

Later on we went to a Red Hmong village and I recognised one of the women from the market and vice versa! She was quite lovely and let me take some photos with her. Being in this village was so surreal... being among these minority people who wear these exquisite clothes...like it was unbelievable that I was really there!

Next stop was a Blue Hmong village but I didn;t feel welcome there - some kids started yelling at me and pulling at the purse thing I had bought at the market and I didn;t understand what was happening other than that I didn't feel welcome! Overall, on the road as we passed more minority people, some kids were friendly and some seemed very angry or mistrustful of me - some threw things at me! Generally the adults were very wary of me and also seemed not to like me - I was very conflicted because I so wanted to take photos of them and yet I felt it was not ethical to take something from them that they did not seem willing to give! Ahh the ethical dilemmas of travel photography!! So it felt really good whenever I saw a minority person that was friendly! I definately got the impression that they were not familiar with tourists - at least not the people I was seeing. They also seemed to be poorer than other village people I had seen.

But everytime I saw someone wearing the traditional dress I got so excited!! And now I am sooooooo glad to have been able to see them - definately one of the most amazing parts of my trip.

Now we are at another homestay by this massive man-made lake for electricity in the mountains. Tomorrow we head back to Mai Chau and then to Hanoi I think.

Motorcycling Northern Vietnam

Day 5 - Monday 26 Sep

Today we went on a long and bumpy journey through the mountains back to Mai Chai. Probably the only really interesting part of the journey was that I saw some Xao people (another minority) who were wearing their traditional clothes!

When we arrived back at the homestay it started to rain - so we were lucky that we had missed it! Again I ended up going to sleep early cause everyone else were talking and laughing in Vietnamese!

Day 6 - Tuesday 27 Sep

Today we left for Hanoi in the rain and cold. I was glad my motorbike journey had ended with the bad weather and that I had had amazing weather for all the good bits! The journey to Hanoi took 5 hrs - it was cold and rainy and very foggy and I couldn't wait to arrive! Though it definately felt sad leaving the beautiful countryside - going to Hanoi all of a sudden on the roads you have all the beeping and honking and cars and trucks and buses with crazy sounding horns that are really annoying!! I was getting very irritable with the honking!!! So unnessesary!!

Arriving in Hanoi has certainly been crazy. First of all, my guide just drops me off with my bags and tells me there are many guest houses here - not so far to walk. The goodbye was very quick and distant - it seemed bizarre. So I start walking with my pack to find a guest house and of course there are none where he has dropped me off - only shoe stores!! So I'm walking and walking trying to find signs of guest houses and I'm very annoyed at my guide for just dropping me off on the road without at least dropping me of on a street with many guest houses like I thought he had! So I thought that was really bad and rude of him and I'm thinking of seeing if he is on Trip Advisor so I can make a comment!

Finally I get my Lonely Planet out and realise that the guest houses are too far to walk to and I get a xe om (motorcyle taxi) to the guest house. Rrrr - so rude of my guide!!!

So I am now in the room of my guest house and have settled in a bit - I've had a walk around the crazy streets and lanes of the old city of Hanoi and felt quite overwelmed at the craziness after spending 5 days in small villages! I had a shower in the bathroom which has such a low ceiling that anyone who is a bit taller than me would have to crouch! It's like they have really crammed as many floors and rooms into this tiny space as possible!

Tommorrow I will spend the day in Hanoi and then the following 2 days I will go to Halong Bay before flying back to Bangkok!

ACTIVETRAVEL ASIA would like to recommend Motorcycling adventure in Northern Vietnam tour.The mountainous area of Northern Vietnam has long been famous for its beautiful scenery and great diversity of ethnic minorities. With our adventure motorcycling trip you will make a big loop to experience all the bests that area can offer. Starting in Hanoi you will explore Northwest before jumping into Northeast, back to Hanoi after a day relaxing in Ba Be Lake. The perfect itinerary and the support crew ensure you get the most out of the trip in terms of comfort, enjoyment and adventure. Along the way we encounter dramatic landscapes and sweeping panoramas as the rural population goes about its business. Highlights include the terraced valleys of Sapa, beautiful Ban Gioc Waterfall and many different colorful minority groups. 

Highlights:

• Stunning scenery
• Stunning Pha Din Pass and Tram Ton Pass
• Terraced valley of Sapa
• Ban Gioc Waterfall
• Babe Lake
• Colorful ethnic minorities

Motorbiking in Southeast Asia: two-wheeled adventures from mountain to coast

Southeast Asia is home to some of the greatest adventures on earth. Throw a motorbike into the mix and you’ll have the time of your life. Here’s our guide to a two-wheeled adventure in the Mekong region.

Vietnam and Laos – sublime scenery from mountain to coast

Ho Chi Minh Trails, Vietnam

To kick off, the infamous Ho Chi Minh Trail has been upgraded into a major highway running along the spine of the country and offers some sublime scenery. The stretch from the old US airbase of Khe Sanh north to Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park is a beauty.

Elsewhere in Vietnam, Ha Giang is the final frontier for motorbiking aficionados in Indochina. Like Halong Bay on high, karst peaks protrude from the top of rolling mountains and secluded villages are home to a colourful mosaic of ethnic minorities. The gorge road from Dong Van to Meo Vac is the stuff of biker yore, its towering cliffs looming high above and plummeting to the Nho Que River in the distance below. Just remember to keep an eye on the road, despite the breathtaking scenery. A word of caution, however, Ha Giang still requires an official permit to visit more remote areas.

Ha Giang, Vietnam

If the coast is more your cup of tea, then try the Top Gear thing and ride notorious Highway 1 between Saigon and Hanoi. The traffic can be daunting around major cities, but there are some remote and desolate stretches with empty beaches. Aim high over the Hai Van Pass, ignoring the tedious tunnel that has been conveniently burrowed through the mountain.

Take the Top Gear theme further and team up with some friends to ride a Minsk, a Vespa and a Honda Cub. Converting the bikes to amphibious vehicles to explore Halong Bay might be a step too far for a holiday.

Back to the Ho Chi Minh theme, for experienced dirt bikers, it is possible to explore remnants of the old Ho Chi Minh Trail across the border in Laos. Rusting tanks and forgotten field guns litter the jungle of Southern Laos. Combine a ride through the region’s recent history with some of the most remote and wild regions of the country in Salavan and Attapeu.

Recommended tours:

Motorbiking Adventure Vietnam
Motorbiking Adventure Cambodia

Source: lonelyplanet