FANTASTIC MIDDLE NORTH TOUR BY MOTORBIKE

The Middle North Tour in 4 days is an excellent short adventure on two wheels. In fact, this 4-day Vietnam motorbike tour offers a great combination of mountain riding, winding back roads, and peaceful countryside roads. Along the way, you will have opportunities to meet Thai, Dao, Viet, and other ethnic minority communities, while experiencing the landscapes and local cultures of Northern Vietnam. All in all, it is one of the best 4-day motorbike tours in Northern Vietnam for riders who want a taste of the mountains without committing to a longer journey.

Below is a video clip featuring some sections of our Middle North Vietnam motorbike tour. It gives you a glimpse of the roads, scenery, local villages, and riding conditions you can experience on this adventure. If you would like to watch more videos from our Vietnam motorbike tours, please visit our YouTube channel, where we regularly share videos from our motorcycle adventures.

MIDDLE NORTH TOUR BY MOTORBIKE ROUTE

Day 1: Hanoi – Mai Chau. (~170 km, ~4-5 h)

We start our Middle North motorbike tour by leaving Hanoi on Road 6 and heading southwest toward Mai Chau, an idyllic mountain valley inhabited mainly by the White Thai ethnic community. Visiting Mai Chau allows you to experience the traditional lifestyle, hospitality, music, and rich cultural heritage of the White Thai people. The approach to Mai Chau is particularly beautiful, with dramatic limestone mountains, green valleys, rice fields, and colorful ethnic minority villages that can be seen and visited along the way.

En route, we also have an opportunity to learn more about the traditional culture and daily life of rice-growing communities in the Red River Valley and along the Da River. After lunch, we have the afternoon available to ride and explore the area, including climbing to the top of Thung Nhuoi Pass. From the summit, there are impressive panoramic views over the Mai Chau Valley. Depending on the weather, the valley may sometimes be partly covered by clouds or mist, creating an atmospheric mountain landscape and a memorable sightseeing stop.

After visiting this wonderful viewpoint, we descend into the valley and continue exploring the villages and countryside of the White Thai people. In the evening, we enjoy a delicious local dinner before spending the night in a beautiful traditional village beside the river. This peaceful setting is a wonderful way to experience rural Northern Vietnam after a day of riding.

After dinner, you can relax around a traditional fire and enjoy a Thai cultural music and dance performance. Wearing their traditional costumes, Thai women may invite visitors to participate in the famous Xoe dance, a traditional communal dance performed to lively and rhythmic music. Hosts and guests can dance together hand-in-hand for hours, creating a warm and friendly atmosphere.

When everyone needs a break, there is often an opportunity to enjoy ruou can, a traditional Vietnamese rice wine served from a communal jar. Taking part in a Xoe dance around a fire at night, surrounded by the mountains and local people, is one of those authentic cultural experiences that many travelers remember long after their Vietnam motorbike adventure has ended.

Day 2: Mai Chau – Hang Kia – Phu Yen. (~165 km, ~5 h)

After breakfast, we return to Highway 6 and continue northwest in the direction of Moc Chau. After approximately 30 minutes of riding, we turn onto a small trail and leave the main road behind. From here, the Vietnam motorbike adventure becomes much more exciting as we follow a tortuous, rocky, and bumpy dirt road through the mountains. The riding can be challenging, but the opportunity to experience the colorful customs of the H’mong hill tribes, together with the spectacular mountain scenery, makes the effort worthwhile.

Use your best off-road riding skills as we work our way up toward the highest points of the trail. The rough surface, steep sections, rocks, and uneven terrain provide plenty of challenges, but our experienced guide will be there to give you a helping hand and share useful riding tips whenever necessary. This section is a great introduction to the more adventurous side of our Middle North Vietnam motorbike tour.

It takes approximately one and a half hours to reach the Moc Chau area using this rough dirt trail, but the journey is as important as the destination. Along the way, there are many opportunities to visit Flower H’mong communities and Thai villages, meet local people, and enjoy the beautiful landscapes surrounding the Moc Chau Plateau. After lunch, we have the afternoon free to explore the dreamlike countryside and grasslands of Moc Chau.

The beautiful Moc Chau grasslands offer the best of both worlds: breathtaking mountain scenery and a relatively pleasant climate. Clouds and mist are common throughout much of the year, giving the plateau an almost dreamlike atmosphere. The region is also famous for its diverse vegetation, with forests, tea plantations, fruit orchards, and green agricultural land covering the surrounding hills. Riding through this peaceful landscape makes Moc Chau one of the highlights of this 4-day Northern Vietnam motorcycle tour.

Day 3: Phu Yen – Thac Ba. (~120 km / ~160km, ~3 / ~5 h + 2 h boating)

Phu Yen is home to the famous Muong Coi Valley, one of the traditional Muong districts, or muongs, associated with the Thai ethnic communities of Northwest Vietnam. It is also one of the most beautiful valleys in the region, with extensive rice paddies, streams, springs, and green mountain scenery. Depending on the season, especially during summer and winter, you may be lucky enough to enjoy particularly impressive views of this peaceful valley.

There are two possible riding options today, and our guide will decide which route is most suitable according to the current road and weather conditions. This flexibility is an important part of our Middle North motorbike tour, as mountain roads can change considerably after heavy rain.

Option 1: A 120-km trip

Our guide will check whether it is possible to take the shortcut over Lung Lo Pass. This is a relatively new road, but not long after its completion, heavy rainfall caused a landslide near the summit, blocking part of the route. For this reason, we can only use this road when conditions are dry and safe. When it is open, however, it provides plenty of off-road riding fun and a real challenge as we work our way toward the top of the pass.

Option 2: Approximately 60 km of winding mountain roads

The alternative route follows approximately 60 km of winding roads, climbing and descending through the mountains of Yen Bai Province. This is the homeland of the Tay people, and the hillsides are often covered with beautiful green tea plantations. The route offers a different type of riding experience, combining mountain curves, countryside scenery, and opportunities to observe rural life along the way.

After arriving at Thac Ba Lake, we take some time to rest before loading our motorcycles onto a local boat. We then cross the lake toward the opposite shore, surrounded by spectacular scenery and thousands of green islands. Depending on conditions, there may also be time for swimming and exploring the islands before continuing to our overnight destination.

The boat eventually drops us in the heart of the White Trouser Dao ethnic minority area. Here, we stay with a local host family and experience another authentic Northern Vietnamese homestay. In the evening, we can enjoy local hospitality, traditional food, and hop tuiu – sharing rice wine as a gesture of friendship and good health. The warm and welcoming people, beautiful surroundings, and peaceful village atmosphere make this a memorable part of the Middle North Vietnam motorbike adventure.

Day 4: Thac Ba – Hanoi. (~165 km, ~5 h) End of Middle North Tour.

We leave Thac Ba Lake and begin our final day riding toward Hanoi, following a scenic dirt road along the Lo River. This peaceful riverside route offers beautiful views of the water, local boats, and occasional rafting activities. Along the way, we make several stops in traditional villages inhabited by Viet people, giving you more opportunities to observe everyday rural life and experience the authentic spirit of Northern Vietnamese culture.

The final riding day is deliberately relaxed, allowing us to enjoy the countryside rather than simply rushing back to Hanoi. The combination of riverside dirt roads, rural villages, farmland, and local communities makes this a pleasant final section of the Middle North motorcycle adventure. It is also a great opportunity to take photographs and enjoy the changing scenery before returning to the capital.

If weather and local conditions are suitable, we can make an additional stop for a refreshing swim at a clean, white-sandy riverside beach. After several days of riding through the mountains and countryside, taking a break beside the river is a wonderful way to relax before the final stretch to Hanoi.

We aim to arrive back in Hanoi at around 3:00 pm, before the main afternoon rush hour begins. This timing helps us avoid some of the city’s heaviest traffic and allows you to finish your 4-day Middle North Vietnam motorbike tour comfortably. After arriving in Hanoi, the tour officially comes to an end.

Contact us at [email protected] if you would like more information, alternative routes, or additional options for this Middle North Vietnam motorbike tour. We can also customize the itinerary according to your available time, riding experience, and preferred level of adventure.