This is our favorite sections of the Ho Chi Minh Road - and exactly the kind of tour we want to build.
It has everything: long riding days, good road conditions, beautiful mountain scenery, deep local culture, layers of history, and the people you meet along the way. There are also plenty of great stops, interesting side activities, and comfortable places to stay throughout the route.
If you want to explore Vietnam but don’t have much time, this is a complete experience - enough distance to feel like a real journey, and enough variety to truly understand the country.
Starting in Hanoi and finishing in the coastal city of Da Nang makes this route easy to access, with a great ride in between and time in two of Vietnam’s most loved cities.
What kind of rider are you?
Do you prefer a quiet mountain village or a chill, fun city?
Distance: 180 km
Leaving Hanoi, we take the quickest way out - escaping what might be the craziest traffic in Vietnam.
No need to rush. A start around 8:30-9:00 AM works perfectly, once people have dropped their kids off at school and settled in at work.
About an hour in, we stop for our first coffee - right on time for coffee o’clock. Another hour down the road, we reach one of our favorite local lunch spots, set by the Black River.
From Thung Khe Pass toward Mai Chau, the ride begins to open up. This is where the mountains start, the roads get more interesting, and the journey really begins.
The highlight of the day is where we stay. It’s not fancy, but it’s perfectly placed in Pu Luong - tucked into the mountainside, surrounded by rice terraces and wide, open views. There’s even a panoramic pool to wind down after the ride.
Distance: 100 km
Leaving Hanoi, we take QL1A - a long, straight stretch that gets us to Ninh Binh in about two and a half hours.
After a good local lunch, we park the bikes and hike up to Lying Dragon Mountain for a panoramic view over Tam Coc.
From there, we slow things down with a boat ride through the limestone karsts - Ninh Binh’s “Ha Long Bay on land” - passing through caves and stopping at small temples along the way, before checking into our hotel.
What we love most about Ninh Binh isn’t just the scenery, but the atmosphere. It’s calm, easy, and you feel it the moment you arrive.
In the evening, we wander into town - good food, a few drinks with friends, maybe meet some locals at a bar, and if the night goes right, a karaoke song or two.
Notes: Ninh Binh was one of Vietnam’s first capitals over 1,000 years ago, marking the end of a thousand years of Chinese rule - rich in history, deep in culture, and also known for its goat dishes.
There will be quite a bit of walking during the day, so please bring comfortable shoes.
Distance: 280–290 km
This is where the Ho Chi Minh Road begins.
Don’t worry - around 300 km on this section isn’t too much. The roads are good, the riding is fun, and it’s a day that usually gets everyone excited. We often arrive at the hotel early.
We cruise along quiet, flowing roads, with the landscape slowly shifting from the Northern mountains to a more Central Vietnam feel.
Along the way, we stop at the Truong Bon Historical Site for a quick break and a few photos with a MiG-21 on display.
Vinh is a laid-back local city - also the hometown of Ho Chi Minh - and makes for a great overnight stop, with good hotels and plenty of local food options.
Distance: 210 km
The road just keeps getting better - smoother, quieter, and way more fun to ride.
It’s one of those days where you don’t rush. Just settle into the rhythm, stop when it feels right, and enjoy the scenery as it rolls by.
We ride straight through the old Khe Gat airstrip - it has now become part of the main road - one of those random moments that makes the ride feel a bit different.
We get to Phong Nha early, leaving the afternoon wide open. A visit to Paradise Cave, then back to a riverside homestay - cold beers, a swim, and time to properly unwind.
We wrap up the day with a solid dinner at one of the best spots in town.
Notes: The world’s largest cave, Son Doong, is located in Phong Nha, and tours to visit it are often fully booked up to two years in advance. If you’re into caving, there are plenty of other great options here - worth spending an extra 2-3 days to explore.
There will be quite a bit of walking during the day, so please bring comfortable shoes.
Distance: 240 km
This is one of the best rides in Vietnam, in our opinion. If you’ve never ridden this section, you haven’t truly experienced the Ho Chi Minh Road.
The road is in great condition, with excellent grip and endless corners. We always take a lot of photos every time we pass through here.
Khe Sanh is a historic area where many events of the American War took place.
It is known for Highway 9, Lang Vei Camp, and Ta Con Airport.
We visit the Ta Con Airport museum before checking into the hotel.
Khe Sanh is a quiet local town. Sometimes we have dinner at the hotel, sometimes we go out to try Lao food.
Notes: An optional ride to Lang Vei Camp adds around 50 km round trip. There is not much to see on site, just a memorial and a Soviet-made PT-76 tank on display, but the story behind it is interesting - marking the first use of tanks by VC forces in an attack against American positions. On the way, we can also stop at Lao Bao border gate for a quick visit.
Distance: 210 km
This is a very interesting day. We ride towards the coast for a couple of reasons:
Both the Western and Eastern sections of the Ho Chi Minh Road are busy with large trucks heading to the Lao border.
Most traffic stays on the main highway (QL1A).
As a result, the coastal backroads are quiet and scenic. We stop along the way at the DMZ and the Vinh Moc Tunnels.
If you are a fan of seafood, today’s lunch will not disappoint.
We stay at a lovely hotel in the city center, enjoy a royal-style dinner for ourselves, then head out to DMZ Bar - Hue’s first bar, with over 30 years of history.
Notes: Hue was the former imperial capital of Vietnam’s last dynasty, and is rich in history and culture from the country’s imperial peak. An extra day in Hue to visit the Imperial City (Royal Palace) is highly recommended.
Distance: 150 km
We ride over the Hai Van Pass - famously featured in the Top Gear Vietnam Special.
We stop for a good local seafood lunch along the way. After that, we ride up the Monkey Mountain pass to reach Ban Co Peak, where you can enjoy panoramic views over Da Nang city.
We return the motorbikes in Da Nang, where the tour ends.
Notes: Da Nang is a beautiful coastal city with stunning beaches, known as one of the best places to live in Vietnam. A few days here, along with a visit to Hoi An, is highly recommended.