North Vietnam Highlights

Day 1 - Home - Departure

Day 2 - Arrival in Hanoi
Depending on your airline, you'll arrive at Hanoi Airport in the morning or afternoon. It's then a half-hour drive to your hotel in the heart of the 
old city.

Day 3 - Hanoi - Nghia Lo
From the bustling capital, we drive north. The first part is still busy with trucks. But once on the narrow roads along the Red River, it's quiet and there's much to 
see. In the afternoon, we enter a hilly area, with many tea and coffee plantations along the way. You'll also see many veneer workshops here. Just before arriving in Nghia Lo, we have the option of taking a challenging off-road section. This is optional. Nghia Lo is a small, charming town where you'll encounter Dao and Hmong people. We'll spend the night here. There are a few restaurants in the village.
 

Day 4 - Nghia Lo - Sapa
We drive further north. The landscape immediately becomes very beautiful here. On both sides of the road, you'll find green rice terraces built against the mountainsides. We'll be driving in a higher mountain range here and will cross a few high passes. You'll encounter more people of the (white) Dao tribe here. After the second high pass, with its stunning views, we stop in the town of Mu Can Chai for lunch. It's still a long way to the last pass of the day. At 2,000 meters, this pass is also the highest of the entire trip. If you're lucky with the weather, you can see the country's highest mountain on the right from the pass: Fansipan, at 3,600 meters. Our final destination, Sa Pa, used to be a weekend getaway for French generals. Situated at an altitude of 1,600 meters, it enjoys a very pleasant climate. However, the town has now become a huge tourist attraction, which is still a worthwhile experience. The journey there remains fantastic.
 
Day 5 - Sa Pa - Bac Ha
We descend back into the lowlands. It's about 30 km to the capital of Lao Cai province, located on the border with China. After the descent, we enjoy coffee with a view of the border. Leaving Sa Pa, it's not far to a short off-road section. The next route follows the border with China. Here you can see the barbed wire wall the Chinese built along the entire border, equipped with cameras. On the other side of the road are banana and pineapple plantations. In the town of Muong Khuong, we stop for lunch. Then follows one of the many most beautiful routes of the trip. The narrow road past small villages offers stunning views, and later in the afternoon, a view over a deep valley with a beautiful lake. Just after the dam, we stop for a final drink and then take a beautiful, very narrow but paved shortcut over a high pass to Bac Ha. 

Day 6 - Bac Ha - Ha Giang
Just north of Bac Ha, we turn right onto a now paved road. This road takes us across a small mountain plateau. Halfway there, we turn off and follow very narrow concrete paths with beautiful views of the high peaks on the border with China. In this area, you'll find small Hmong villages whose people haven't seen many tourists. If we're lucky, we'll arrive here on the day the buffalo market is held. We'll then descend to the town of Coc Pai, where we'll have coffee. Then we'll follow the river and a small reservoir, and have an optional ride uphill on narrow, steep paths. After lunch in Huang Su Phi, we'll take a new shortcut. The first section has recently been paved, but the second section still consists of very narrow concrete paths. Again, you'll find beautiful rice terraces on both sides. Then we descend further and reach the busy main road to Ha Giang. It is another 30 km via this road to our resort just north of the city. 

Day 7 - Ha Giang - Meo Vac
After breakfast in the big city, we drive into a particularly beautiful mountain area. This is popularly called 'Dong Van - Meo Vac', after the two largest villages. Immediately after Ha Giang, the road narrows and we climb over a magnificent ridge. In the valley beyond lies the small town of Yenh Minh. Just before this, we have an optional off-road route, assuming it hasn't been too wet. The Dong Van region is known for its karst mountains. This is a very special area, steep, rugged, and much rockier than other parts of this trip. It has also become a popular area, especially for the Vietnamese themselves, who travel through it in large groups. But it is fantastic. We took a few routes through the area that are unknown to most tourists and are therefore very quiet but stunningly beautiful. The last section of the route between Dong Van and Meo Vac is the absolute highlight of the entire trip. The deep gorges and high, steep peaks provide a striking contrast. 

Day 8 - Meo Vac - Ba Be
Meo Vac is located at approximately 1100 meters. Immediately after departure, we descend to 200 meters after a short climb. You immediately feel the heat, and the vast rice terraces are back. After the descent, we have a particularly enjoyable off-road section on a narrow track through the jungle. And after coffee, we have a longer optional section to Bao Lac. After lunch, we take a shortcut. This one is narrow and occasionally very bad, but again offers beautiful views. The last part of the route has recently been paved and goes over a beautiful high pass. Upon arrival in Ba Be National Park, we put the engines on the boat and sail to the other side where we spend the night in a simple room with a local. Although most rooms have a private toilet and shower. 

Day 9 - Ba Be - Hanoi
It's a long day back to the capital. The route from Ba Be leads through idyllic countryside with steep mountainsides, streams, and rice paddies. This continues until coffee time, when it gets busier. From the town of Thai Nguyen onward, the terrain becomes low-lying, and it gets even busier. Although most traffic now uses the new highway, which we're not allowed on with our motorcycles. In any case, arriving in Hanoi by motorcycle will be a unique experience, as we mingle with the hundreds of thousands of motorbikes teeming through the city. A beautiful end to a fantastic trip. 

Day 10 - Hanoi - Amsterdam
If you manage to book a return day flight, you will be home the same day, otherwise in the early morning of the next day on day 11.



EXTENSION 

Day 10 - Hanoi - Halong
Bay In the morning, you'll be picked up by bus and taken to Halong Bay. Here, you'll board a large boat and spend the rest of the day cruising the famous bay. You'll share the boat with other tourists of all nationalities. You'll spend the night on the boat in your own cabin. There are various optional excursions during the cruise, such as sightseeing, canoeing, and more.

Day 11 - Halong Bay - Hanoi
You'll sail from your overnight stop in the bay back to the harbor. The bus will be waiting there, and you'll be taken back to Hanoi. You'll arrive there in the afternoon and will then have an overnight stay in the city.

Day 12 - Hanoi - Departure
If you manage to book a return day flight, you will be home the same day, otherwise in the early morning of the next day on day 13.