How much riding is there each day?

Between four and seven hours in the saddle, averaging about 160 km. Two stages — day 3 and day 10 — go over 200 km. We break every hour or so and the guide sets a pace that suits the slowest rider in the group, not the fastest.

Do I need to be an experienced rider?

For this one, yes. Ten consecutive days on mountain roads is a lot of riding, and some stages are long. You should be comfortable riding a manual motorcycle all day in traffic and on loose surfaces. If you are newer, the 4-day Ha Giang Loop is the better place to start.

What happens to my luggage?

It travels in the support vehicle, which meets the group at every stop and at the hotel each night. You ride with a day bag only. The vehicle also carries spares, tools and a seat if anyone needs to sit a stage out.

Can the route be shortened or changed?

Yes. The most common variations are dropping the Ba Be section for an 8-day version, or adding two days in Cao Bang for Ban Gioc waterfall. Tell us how long you have and we will build the route around it.

10 days / 9 nightsHanoi · Sapa · Ha Giang · Ba Be

Northern Vietnam Grand Loop — 10 Days

Every great road in the north, in one ride

From $1,500 See the itinerary

Duration: 10 days / 9 nights
Distance: ~1,620 km
Difficulty: Challenging
Starts: Hanoi
Ends: Hanoi
Group size: 2–10 riders
Best season: September – November · March – May

About this ride

This is the trip riders come back for. Ten days, roughly 1,600 kilometres, and a route that strings together every road worth riding in northern Vietnam without doubling back on itself once.

You start in Hanoi and head west into the Thai stilt-house valleys, climb the Mu Cang Chai terraces, cross O Quy Ho — the highest pass in the country — into Sapa, then swing east through Bac Ha and Hoang Su Phi to pick up the Ha Giang Loop. The last three days run out through Cao Bang's limestone country to Ba Be Lake and back to Hanoi.

It is a long ride but not a punishing one. Two hundred-kilometre days are the exception, luggage travels in the support vehicle, and there is a rest day built in at Sapa.

Challenging. Ten consecutive riding days with some 200 km+ stages. You should be comfortable riding all day and have real road experience.

Trip highlights

O Quy Ho PassThe highest and longest pass in Vietnam, 50 km of switchbacks under Fansipan.
Mu Cang Chai terracesThe most photographed rice terraces in the country, ridden through rather than looked at.
The full Ha Giang LoopThree days on the Dong Van Karst Plateau, including Ma Pi Leng, built into the route.
Bac Ha Sunday marketTimed so you hit the Flower Hmong market — the biggest in the northwest.
Ba Be LakeA boat across Vietnam's largest natural lake before the last run into Hanoi.

Choose your style of ride

Honda CB500X · XL750 Transalp · Ténéré 700

$200/ person / day

10-day total $2,000 / person

The right bike for ten days and 1,600 km. Comfort, luggage and range.

Book on WhatsApp

One tap — a real rider replies, usually within a few hours

Your motorcycle, fully serviced, for the whole tour
Fuel for the entire 1,600 km route
9 nights accommodation — hotels, guesthouses and homestays
All meals listed in the itinerary
Professional English-speaking local guide
+ 6 more included — see the full list below

Prices in USD per person. Group and private rates on request.

Day by day

The itinerary

Hanoi to Hanoi over 10 days. Tap any day to open it. Routes flex with weather, road closures and how the group is riding — the guide makes that call on the day.

10 riding days · 1,620 km total

01
Out through the western edge of the Red River Delta and into the hills. The Thung Khe pass drops you into the Mai Chau valley, a flat green floor of rice paddy ringed by limestone, where the night is in a White Thai stilt house.
Escape from Hanoi traffic
Thung Khe Pass
Mai Chau valley and Thai stilt-house village
Stilt-house homestay, Mai ChauLunch, dinner
02
Tea plantations and dairy farms on the Moc Chau plateau, then off the main road onto farm tracks and a crossing of the Da River. Quiet, green, and the first proper taste of dirt.
Moc Chau tea plantations
Dirt detours off the highway
Da River crossing
Guesthouse in Phu YenBreakfast, lunch, dinner
03
The longest day of the trip, and worth every kilometre. Over the Lung Lo Pass and into Mu Cang Chai, where the terraces stack a thousand metres up the valley walls. A climb to Mam Xoi hill for the view before the run to Than Uyen.
Lung Lo Pass
Mu Cang Chai rice terraces
Mam Xoi (Raspberry) hill viewpoint
Hotel in Than UyenBreakfast, lunch, dinner
04
A short day built around one road. O Quy Ho climbs to 2,000 m under Fansipan, the highest mountain in Indochina, and the cloud usually sits right on the top of it. Afternoon free in Sapa and the Muong Hoa valley.
O Quy Ho Pass — the Heaven's Gate of the northwest
Silver Waterfall and Love Waterfall
Muong Hoa valley villages
Hotel in SapaBreakfast, lunch, dinner
05
An easy stage along the Chay River valley to Bac Ha. If it is a Sunday you land in the middle of the biggest ethnic market in the northwest — Flower Hmong textiles, livestock, and corn wine before lunch.
Chay River valley road
Bac Ha Sunday market
Hoang A Tuong palace
Hotel in Bac HaBreakfast, lunch, dinner
06
The crossing into Ha Giang province on the back road — broken tarmac, long climbs, almost no traffic. Hoang Su Phi's terraces are the equal of Mu Cang Chai and a fraction as busy. Into Ha Giang City for the night.
Xin Man remote border road
Hoang Su Phi terraced valleys
Arrival in Ha Giang City
Hotel in Ha Giang CityBreakfast, lunch, dinner
07
The Ha Giang Loop begins. Heaven's Gate at Quan Ba, the pine forest above Yen Minh, the Sung La valley and the Hmong King's palace, then into Dong Van and its old quarter for the night.
Quan Ba Heaven's Gate and Twin Mountains
Sung La valley
Vuong family palace
Dong Van old quarter
Hotel in Dong VanBreakfast, lunch, dinner
08
Ma Pi Leng in the morning: nine hairpins cut into the cliff with the Nho Que gorge a kilometre and a half below. Through Meo Vac and across into Cao Bang province, following the Gam River to the small town of Bao Lac.
Ma Pi Leng Pass
Nho Que River gorge viewpoint
Meo Vac market
Gam River road into Cao Bang
Guesthouse in Bao LacBreakfast, lunch, dinner
09
Empty roads through Cao Bang's karst hills to Ba Be National Park. The lake is the largest natural one in Vietnam, sitting in a bowl of forest, and the afternoon is spent on the water rather than the bike.
Cao Bang limestone country
Ba Be National Park
Boat trip on Ba Be Lake
Tay village homestay
Homestay at Ba Be LakeBreakfast, lunch, dinner
10
The long ride home, timed to reach Hanoi ahead of the evening rush. Hand the bikes back, get the drive footage, and go and eat something.
Final morning ride out of the park
Back in Hanoi late afternoon
Trip film and photos handed over
Tour endsBreakfast, lunch

On the road

What it looks like

Swap these for your own tour photos

What’s included

Your motorcycle, fully serviced, for the whole tour
Fuel for the entire 1,600 km route
9 nights accommodation — hotels, guesthouses and homestays
All meals listed in the itinerary
Professional English-speaking local guide
Helmet, gloves, jacket and protective gear
Support vehicle carrying all luggage
Dedicated mechanic travelling with the group
Cameraman, plus an edited film of your trip
Ba Be Lake boat trip, entrance fees and permits
Hanoi hotel pickup and drop-off

Not included

International and domestic flights
Hotel nights in Hanoi before and after the tour
Travel insurance covering motorcycling (required)
Drinks, snacks and personal spending
Guide and support crew tips

Before you book

How much riding is there each day?: Between four and seven hours in the saddle, averaging about 160 km. Two stages — day 3 and day 10 — go over 200 km. We break every hour or so and the guide sets a pace that suits the slowest rider in the group, not the fastest.
Do I need to be an experienced rider?: For this one, yes. Ten consecutive days on mountain roads is a lot of riding, and some stages are long. You should be comfortable riding a manual motorcycle all day in traffic and on loose surfaces. If you are newer, the 4-day Ha Giang Loop is the better place to start.
What happens to my luggage?: It travels in the support vehicle, which meets the group at every stop and at the hotel each night. You ride with a day bag only. The vehicle also carries spares, tools and a seat if anyone needs to sit a stage out.
Can the route be shortened or changed?: Yes. The most common variations are dropping the Ba Be section for an 8-day version, or adding two days in Cao Bang for Ban Gioc waterfall. Tell us how long you have and we will build the route around it.

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