Day 1: Hanoi – Vu Linh. ~180 km, ~7 h.
Today is the first day of this 9 days Vietnam Northwest motorcycle tour. Before starting to ride, we will have a short briefing to let you know about the rules. In addition, the guide will show you how to understand him by his body language. We start around 9.30am after the rush hour.
Today is an easy ride on the sealed road to Thac Ba Lake from Hanoi. Then 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.

Day 2: Vu Linh – Luc Yen – Bac Ha. ~180 km, ~6 h.
Ride to Luc Yen in about 2 hours around the lake on a small road lined with palm trees and scenic mountain views. In particular, The 20-km drive from Luc Yen to Road 70 is quite bumpy and takes about one hour. Then sealed road again all the way to Pac Ngam, where we turn right and drive up the mountain 26 km to Bac Ha. Walk around Bac Ha for the rest of the day.

Day 3: Bac Ha – Coc Ly – Sapa. ~80 km, ~4 h.
Drive down to Pac Ngam to meet the boat that is waiting to take us to Coc Ly for the beautiful market on Tuesday where you will meet H’mong, Dzao, and Phu La people. Coc Ly is wild, surrounded by forest, and could only be reached by boat or bike. We would leave the bike behind to enjoy the comfort of boating on Chay River for over 1 hour (20 km). Lunch in Coc Ly before coming back to Pac Ngam and drive up to Sapa.
In Sapa the humidity is normally high and it gets colder after midnight.
Golden Trail Travel Motorbike Adventures - 9 days Vietnam Northwest motorcycle tour via Sapa.

Day 4: Sapa. Trekking.
In general, Sapa and Bac Ha are now quite touristy. However, we can trek to Ta Van village where is dominated by Giay people. We pass Lao Chai village on the way and lunch could be in Lao Chai, Ta Van, or wherever we want. The children will go together with you along the way. We stay O/N in a stilt house of Giay family, which is basic and rough.

Day 5: Sapa – Tam Duong. ~100 km, ~5 h.
Walk back to Sapa in the morning to pick up the bike and drive to Tam Duong. The distance is short but the road is narrow and lots of blind corners. However, the landscape is very beautiful with the view of Fansipan Mount.

Day 6: Tam Duong – Lai Chau. ~150 km, ~6 h.
While riding, you meet Tay, Thai, H’mong, and Mang people. We drive through Tam Duong plain which is covered in shark’s teeth-like limestone karst. We would visit the village of Mang people near Sin Ho.

Day 7: Lai Chau – Son La. ~200 km, ~7 h.
There are 15 passes in total. In general, you have a very nice road and a stunning landscape. Probably the most beautiful journey of the whole trip even the road is in poor condition.
Golden Trail Travel Motorbike Adventures - 9 days Vietnam Northwest motorcycle tour via Son La.

Day 8: Son La – Mai Chau. ~180 km, ~7 h.
We follow a long valley floor covered in a sea of rice surrounded by Black Thai villages with its bargain filled market, descending into a mountainous tea-growing region and head down into a forested region populated by H’mong people before descending into the hidden valley of Mai Chau where we spend the night with friends in a traditional Thai stilt house.
For intermediate and experienced riders, there is an alternative track to ride off-road as you can see in the video above. However, we only recommend doing it if the weather is dry because if it rains, the track is very slippery and there can be unexpected landslides.

Day 9: Mai Chau – Hanoi. ~165 km, ~5 h. End of 9 Days Vietnam Northwest Motorcycle Tour.
Trek around Mai Chau in the morning. Then have lunch in Mai Chau before driving back to Hanoi on karst road via Hoa Binh to Hanoi.
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.

Including
– Motorcycle(s);
– Fuel;
– Tour guide (also a translator, leader, and handy mechanic);
– Standard hotel (double, twins, or triple shared room) and/or homestay (sleeping bags, mosquito nets, sheets, pillows, etc. are provided);
– Third-party motorbike insurance in case you have a Vietnamese motorbike driving license;
– All food (Vietnamese food, Western food costs extra);
– All entrance fees, permits, tickets, boat trips, ferries, bamboo rafts, etc;
– Golden Trail Travel provides premium assistance (1). We are with you along the way;
– Vietnamese green tea.

Not including
– Personal expenses, personal medical insurance;
– Drinks other than tea and local rice wine;
– Single room supplement in case you request a single room;
– Motorbiking protective pants, jacket, gloves, helmet, rain gear, and other safety equipment at favourable rental rate;
– Bike shipping and tour guide’s travel back to Hanoi (for Ho Chi Minh trail/road trips or tours that don’t end in Hanoi);
– Train or flight tickets before and after your tour;
– Breakfast on the departure day and dinner on the return day;
– Accommodation and food in Hanoi;