I took the most adventurous, amazing and memorable motorbike tour in Vietnam and the sceneries, as well as the experience, absolutely did not let me down. The sceneries in the Northwest provinces of Vietnam were astonishing, really worth seeing. Those were the most exciting 6 days in my tiring life and I’m about to share it with you.
Day 1: I Rode From Hanoi to Mai Chau
I and the crew began our trip at the capital of Vietnam, means Hanoi, and took our way headed North. We passed Hong Son lake, the sceneries along the banks were stunning! The small iconic islands lying in the heart of evergreen forests, the endless limestone peaks comprise an idyllic scenery of unparalleled beauty... everything was worth seeing at least once in your life! The peacefulness even made it prettier.
The stunning view we met on our way from Hanoi to Mai Chau
As time passed by, we continued to head North and reached the smooth road, where traveling became so much easier. The roads were a little bit bumpy, but not too much. By afternoon, we arrived at Mai Chau.
It was a lovely sunny day so we took our precious time walking around the town, exploring, meeting people and watching how their lives going. The day ended with traditional Thai Dance music shows, which was fun to take part in. The first day was kind of exhausting, mostly because we were not that familiar to motorcycles, but we were also hyper and eager for the next day.
We took our time walking in the sunlight of Mai Chau
We had traveled about 170 kilometers on the first day, so then I decided to go to bed at a Thai stilt house – the house was amazing, I must say. That wasn’t a bad begin for a Vietnamese motorbike tour at all.
Day 2: I Left Mai Chau for Son La
Another long journey for the next 8 hours, but we were all excited to go. Bidding Mai Chau goodbye, we continued on our way ride and hit the small dirt road. That day we hit West, follow the famous Da river of Vietnam. On the way, we went past several caves of much archeological significance, with excellent findings of stone axes and pieces of striped stone. I wished we could stop for a picture, but seeing it was quite enough.
Along the way of the Da River, Vietnam
Then it was time to cross the lake to its other side by the local ferry and move on with the rest of our journey. With majestic mountain ranges to our right and the river on our left, the ride is truly breath-taking. I couldn’t imagine seeing such a view in Vietnam, yet it appeared right in front of me.
Son La was so beautiful so it was worth traveling
After that was a quick stop at Bac Yen for a small lunch, then we headed over the wild river bank and continue to the north. The 8-hour way took us way more energy than we thought but Son La was so beautiful, so we could get some peaceful sleep and prepared for the next day.
Day 3: Headed to Muong Lay
Like the two previous days, we woke up early, had a quick but delicious breakfast then hit the road again. Not like before, that road we took on the 3rd day was in poor condition and off beaten track, but the sceneries along the way were definitely worth every mile! The mesmerizing natural surroundings were hard to be overlooked. It was hard to believe that Vietnam has such magnificent landscapes.
We were on our way motorbiking from Son La to Muong Lay
Along the way, we went past some dark caves to get to Black Thai village. There, we rested for a bit, recharged ourselves with the energetic lunch and took our sweet time taking a magnificent picture. The journey in our third day took longer than the previous two, about 200 kilometers or so, but the view was totally worth it!
Before the day end, we arrived at Muong Lay, and after that, we had some free time to relax and explore around. I was surprised at how friendly the Vietnamese people were, and we definitely had a great time in Muong Lay.
The peaceful beauty of Muong Lay street
Day 4: Hit the road for Sin Ho and Lai Chau
This is it, the highlight of the motorbike tour in Vietnam. Sin Ho and Lai Chau are both famous destinations and I was super excited. As soon as the tour guide told us to go, I got up immediately, because I was thrilled to see more beautiful landscapes of Vietnam.
With a tributary of the Black River on the right, we drove upstream, on a dirt road, went pass a magnificent green forest and introduced ourselves to the forgotten in time pockets of Thai, Tay, Man and H’among. We got to meet its friendly people and won our way to the Lai Chau plain, with astonishing limestone-karst topography. All of those experience was something that I would remember for a really, really long time.
The mystery view of Black River in Vietnam
Not far from Sin Ho, I and the crew had the chance to help the local economy by purchasing handmade products, which later I found in Mang village. I did buy some for my nephews because I knew they would love it. Not every day you got to see a significant Vietnam stuff, right?
Day 5: Hit for the famous Sa Pa
To be honest, this is the destination that I had the most expectation because I’d been hearing my friends bragging about Sa Pa for God knows how long. Just with 100 kilometers on the motorbike, we had arrived at the place of my dream.
With mesmerizing primordial landscapes with profound wild beauty, Sa Pa was really the place that charmed me. We took a short, yet amazing, ride to the pass of O Quy Ho and Hoang Lien Son. That was where I came face to face with one-of-a-kind, heart-stopping, and most virgin lands on the face of the Earth! And on that day, I took the challenge of riding over 2000 meters above sea level and went pass an all-year cloudy cover pass – also the highest place I could get to in Vietnam. The view was so spectacular that I was lost at the word. If you ever set your foot on O Quy Ho, I promise that you won’t be able to forget such an amazing view.
The O Quy Ho pass which was covered by the clouds
Continue to ride, we arrived at the centre of Sa Pa - a beautiful tourist attraction that had gained elevated interest by more and more people all over the world. The weather here was so cool and comfortable that I forgot all of the tiredness from riding on the road. Everything in Sa Pa was lovely, from the people to the cuisine and landscapes. I did not regret coming here at all.
Day 6: Went to Lao Cai, Vietnam
On the last day, we followed the road for a while and then descent to meet the spectacular Muong Hoa valley with the fascinating scenery, and then rode along the river at its bottom. Muong Hoa valley is a famous destination in Vietnam and I was glad we got to visit it, the view was stunning!
The Muong Hoa valley from above
After that, we continued to be awed by the gorgeous views of rice terrace fields that located along the way to Lao Chai village, where the Black Hmong live. They were super lovely, friendly minority, and their lunch was delicious too! I took my time eating with them, they were pretty fun to hang out with.
Finally, the last kilometer of our trip took us from the village and all the way to the town of Lao Cai, where we took the night train back to Hanoi. That was where my trip end.
Sa Pa, Lao Cai was our last stop in the motorbike tour
Where did I book my Vietnamese Northwest motorbike tour in 6 days?
I did not regret choosing the trip, because it had brought me so much amazing and memorable experience. If you also want to have a time of your life like me, visit Frontier Travel Vietnam right away! I can guarantee that you won’t be disappointed.
frontiertravelvietnam.com
