Wander the North | Dual Sport Expedition - 12 days+

This route takes you through many of the same key destinations as our Northern Road Journey - but in a more adrenaline-driven way, built for riders who prefer to stay off the busy roads.

Distance: ~160 km.

Starting from Hanoi, it takes about an hour and a half to escape the capital.
After getting through the busy traffic, we fuel up and stop for a good coffee.

This day actually surprised me a lot when I first researched this route.
There are three main tracks, with a good mix of dirt, bushes, plantations, and one steep hill.

Technically, you could keep riding off-road until 7 PM if you wanted to.
But we prefer to take it easy - enjoy a proper lunch, a few cold drinks, and arrive at the homestay early.

We check in, grab a cold beer with friends, maybe a massage, and finish the day with a great traditional dinner.

Distance: ~170 km.

It’s a relatively short ride if we go direct, but we take a detour through the villages, getting deeper into the local countryside.

A bit of wet weather actually makes this day more interesting - the jungle and cornfield trails can get slippery, and the tea plantations turn muddy, making the ride more fun.

We stop for a hearty bowl of noodle soup for lunch, then cross the Black River on a local ferry.
This is one of the most powerful rivers in Vietnam, with two of the country’s largest hydroelectric dams, and it’s also the only major river that flows north.

In the afternoon, we climb up into the mountains, visit a small grassland on top, and catch the sunset before checking into our hotel.

Distance: ~110 km.

This is one of my favorite days of the trip. After breakfast, coffee, and fueling up, we stop by a local grocery store to grab some snacks - just in case we don’t make it to lunch on time.

It takes about 2 hours to reach the famous Dinosaur Backbone if we go direct.
Instead, we take the more interesting way - climbing over the mountain with around 40 km of dirt.
The last 10 km can be a bit challenging if it’s wet.

If we can’t make it over the mountain, we loop back towards Phu Yen for a coffee, then take a different set of trails towards Ta Xua.
We finish the day in Bac Yen, staying at a comfortable local hotel.

Distance: ~170 km.

This is the day with the biggest amount of off-road riding - up to 70 km or more.
That said, we don’t usually do all of it; we pick the best sections depending on the group.

If you’re not into river crossings, we can skip them. Same with single tracks - we can easily stay on more accessible trails.
Most of the time, we stick to village trails, which have been improved quite a bit since the last typhoon.

We stop for a good coffee in Muong La, then enjoy a smooth 40 km ride on paved roads to Ngoc Chien.
Our homestay is located right by the hot springs.

Distance: ~160 km.

This is the day with the second most off-road - around 70 km of dirt.
It used to be a well-known off-road route, first explored by one of the early Vietnamese dirt bike groups.

What I like about this day is that it stays off the main tourist routes, so you won’t see many other riders.
Starting from Ngoc Chien, we take a 20 km trail back towards Muong La - partly for the ride, and partly for that same good coffee spot from the day before.

The next 30 km of off-road takes us through local villages, rice terraces, single tracks, and some stunning views, with a river crossing and even a hydro-dam construction site along the way.

From here, we have two options.
We can head straight to the hotel, making it a shorter day at around 120 km - a good call if you want to take it easy after the big ride the day before. Or we can add another 20 km dirt section before joining QL32 to reach Mu Cang Chai.

Either way, the backroads connecting these sections are beautiful to ride.

Distance: ~160 km.

We take the backroads, with some dirt sections, to explore more of the local rice terraces - not just looking at the views, but really getting into the countryside and seeing how people live here.

If we’re here during the “yellow season” in September, when the weather is good, and you’re up for a 3 km local trail, we can visit the Lao Chai Horseshoe Terraces.

The QL32 from Mu Cang Chai to Tan Uyen reminds me a lot of the legendary Ho Chi Minh Road - a smooth ride with great mountain views and a river running alongside.

After lunch - one of the best fried rice dishes I’ve had - we take a 20 km trail through tea plantations, then head up into the mountains, climbing O Quy Ho Pass to Sapa. The goal is to arrive early, giving us more time to enjoy the town.

Sapa to Bac Ha via Si Ma Cai - Chinese border ride

Distance: 175 km

Leaving Sapa, we ride about 40 km to Lao Cai - the main border city to check out the Chinese border gate.

Unlike the more familiar routes in Ha Giang or the Northeast, the scenery here feels raw and untouched - massive mountains, dense jungle, deep valleys, and sometimes you find yourself riding straight into the clouds.

One thing that always gets me thinking - why is the border set halfway up the mountain? Not at the top, not at the bottom - but right in the middle.
It looks incredible, but it must have been a nightmare to build.

We also stop by a waterfall along the way and grab lunch at a local buffet.
The ride to Bac Ha is quiet and very local - almost no tourism.

Before reaching the hotel, we visit Hoang A Tuong Castle - a unique little landmark in the area.

Sapa to Bac Ha - Cable car to Fansipan - The Top of Indochina

Distance: 95 km

We keep the morning easy - no bikes, just Sapa.

We start with a short mountain train ride overlooking rice terraces.
The station is just a few minutes’ walk uphill from the hotel, and it connects straight to the cable car.

From there, we take the cable car up to Fansipan.
The views keep getting better, and if you’re lucky, you’ll be “cloud hunting” - a thick layer of clouds rolling through the mountains under a clear blue sky.

There are around 600 steps to reach the summit at 3,143 m.
You can take the full ticket to shorten the climb a bit, but honestly, walking it makes it more rewarding.
Take your time at the top - explore the pagoda, grab a hot drink or even an ice cream, and of course, take plenty of photos.

After heading back down, we return to town for a proper lunch - often one of the best meals of the trip.
Then we gear up and ride out to Bac Ha in the afternoon. It’s a short ride, around two hours, and still a beautiful one.

Distance: ~160 km.

This day takes you into a quieter part of Ha Giang - even many local riders don’t often come through here.
As a traveler, this is something you can really only experience on a motorbike.

Departing from Bac Ha, just down the street from our hotel, you’ll find the Buffalo Market on Wednesdays or the Dog Market on Sundays in the morning.
Don’t worry - this is a well-known local breed, quite valuable, and commonly kept as pets.

The ride from Bac Ha to Xin Man is great, with plenty of viewpoints and even a waterfall right by the roadside.

We stop early for lunch - mainly because we don’t want to miss one of the best chicken noodle soups I’ve ever had.
It’s a homemade pho, using local rice. The fresh rice sheets are steamed right there, hung up next to where you sit.
As soon as you order, the lady takes one down, slices it into noodles, and serves it to you. The whole process happens right in front of you, within just a couple of square meters - super cool.

From Xin Man to Ha Giang, we take Road 197C - an unfinished route with around 30 km of local dirt roads, jungle sections, and single tracks. The final stretch is a fun downhill with ruts.

Distance: ~160 km.

Welcome to Ha Giang.

The idea of this day is to ride some of the same highlights as the famous loop - but in a different way.
As dirt bikers, we can reach places that larger group tours simply can’t.

From Ha Giang to Quan Ba, we cross to the other side of the Lo River, staying away from the main traffic.
The route takes us along quiet backroads and into village trails, with great views all the way.
We only rejoin the main road near Quan Ba to visit the Twin Mountains (Boob Mountains) and stop for a good lunch.

From Quan Ba to Dong Van, we continue north on trails that run close to the Chinese border. In some sections, the border is literally just behind the bushes. We’ll stop for a quick photo - you, the bushes, and your GPS showing how close you are.

And of course, plenty of stops for Ha Giang’s iconic views - the kind you can only reach by dirt bike.

Distance: ~150 km.

You can’t ride the Ha Giang Loop and miss the northernmost point of Vietnam - that would be a big mistake.
It’s about 30 km north of Dong Van, and we visit the Lung Cu Flag Pole before heading back.

Ma Pi Leng - the most beautiful mountain pass in the country - is also part of today’s ride.
We stop at the Tu San viewpoint, where it’s easy to see why people fall in love with the Ha Giang Loop.

One of the highlights of the day is crossing the Nho Que River on a local bamboo ferry.
The family has been running it for over 20 years - it’s well-built and rebuilt every year.

We arrive in Bao Lac via a mix of dirt tracks and rough roads leading to our hotel.

Distance: ~160 km.

From Bao Lac, we take it easy in the morning - even a bit of a sleep-in - before heading out onto a mix of gravel roads, easy dirt tracks, and sections through bamboo forest.

Along the way, we stop for a local lunch in a small village, where there’s also a great little coffee spot.
After that, we continue riding on quiet countryside roads, taking our time before reaching the lake.

We have an appointment with the boat driver at 4 PM.
We load our bikes onto the boat, which takes us through Puong Cave and on a 1-hour journey across Ba Be Lake - the largest natural lake in Vietnam.

The lake is vast, deep green, and full of local life. Feel free to grab a beer from the ice bucket - we’re not riding anymore from here.
The boat will take us straight to our homestay.

Distance: 220 km.

This day used to be a big ride in terms of distance, but not anymore since the new road was built.
You don’t even see it on Google Maps yet - it’s a wide, smooth, and quiet paved road.

We blast through the mountains before joining the highway towards Thai Nguyen.
The good news is the highway allows motorbikes and is not very busy.

We stop for coffee and a simple lunch - beef noodles and fried rice.
Then we make our way into Hanoi traffic. We normally arrive back around 2 PM in the afternoon.