Recommended viewing

Severi from Mad.Bike gathered all the footage from our trip and crafted a fantastic video diary of our ride.

The video captures the ever-changing scenery, the shifting landscapes and the unique atmosphere of the ride, made special by an incredible team.

The video serves as a shared memory of the trip for us as riders. For you, if it feels long in one sitting, you can watch it in smaller doses and it still offers a vivid sense of what an adventure motorcycle journey through Northern Vietnam is like.

Hit play and let it spark your appetite for an adventure ride in Northern Vietnam.

A very short teaser below…

 

Photos by Pade, Severi and Reijo

The very north of Vietnam – north of Hanoi all the way to the Chinese border – is one of the few parts of the country I had not yet visited. I’ve ridden the classic Hanoi–Ho Chi Minh City route, zigzagging through the country, and crossed into Vietnam from Laos at the Lao Bao land crossing, heading for Hue, Hoi An, and other well-known destinations. I’ve also done the more touristy highlights, such as Ha Long Bay and the Mekong Delta. However, riding the north on a dirt bike has been on my bucket list for a long time. Well, now was the time.

As usual when planning a ride, I explored the options online, and eventually the buck stopped at Vietnam Dirtbike Travel. I contacted Minh Do, who was quick to respond and provided all the details I needed. His professional and straightforward communication reassured me that I had chosen the right rental company. We were offered Kawasaki and Yamaha 250s, which turned out to be more than adequate for the ride.

When planning a tour like this, there’s always the choice between simply renting bikes and heading out on your own, or hiring a guide and even a support van to lead the way. Our team is usually inclined to go fully DIY, as we did recently in the Philippines. However, considering the regions we were heading into and how remote parts of the area are, we decided to have a guide with us. With the benefit of hindsight, having Minh Do as our guide, was the right choice.

The support van, driven by Duc, proved equally useful. It saved us a large part of a day of riding in heavy rain when one bike refused to continue, carried our own beers, and even doubled as a taxi when needed. All in all, it was great value for the convenience and peace of mind it provided.

Hanoi

It was a long, sleepless night, landing at Suvarnabhumi at 5 a.m. I had planned to acclimatise to the time difference in Bangkok, one of my absolute favourite cities. However, arriving so early felt a bit too early for a hotel check-in, so I decided to continue straight on to Hanoi and arrive at a more civilised hour, saving a full day of travel in the process.

Sometimes I wonder why air travel seems deliberately designed to be so laborious. At Helsinki Airport, there were massive queues at security, with only five out of seventeen lanes open. The airport effectively showed its middle finger to travellers. This could not dampen my mood or excitement, and in contrast, Suvarnabhumi was smooth and efficient, including the transfer to Don Mueang and passing through customs.

Miraculously, my first night in Hanoi turned out to be simply brilliant: a solid 8.5 hours of sleep, followed by a hearty breakfast at the rooftop restaurant of the Rex Hanoi Hotel. The hotel is a very good mid-range option, perfectly located in the heart of the Old Quarter. The staff were exceptionally helpful, making the stay genuinely pleasant. Richard, in particular, went well beyond the call of duty, assisting me with countless arrangements related both to the trip itself and my onward travel afterwards.

We are now a group of five plus one biker on this trip, but as the others had not yet arrived, I took the opportunity to check out the bike rental and do some important scouting—namely, identifying suitable bars to take the guys to once they arrived. I even stumbled upon a wine bar, which would have been almost unthinkable in Hanoi just a few years ago.

The weather is very hot and humid, forcing me to take showers throughout the day just to stay operational. The city is relentlessly busy, and it only gets more intense towards the evening. I found Grab motorbike taxis to be the best way to get around—by far the fastest and also the cheapest option.

The day’s sightseeing included a visit to Train Street, which is genuinely impressive when a train barrels through. I also paid another visit to the Hanoi Hilton.

After buying a new pair of shoes, the day’s tourist duties were officially completed—well in time before my riding buddies started arriving. And most importantly, to guide them into the busy nightlife of the Old Quarter, with its endless streets, bars, and general chaos. Two of our group were still stuck in Shanghai and were expected to arrive sometime during the night.

Then the rain started…

On the bikes

The weather in Asia had been unusually wet far longer into the year than normal. By this time, the rainy season would typically be almost over, but several typhoons had recently passed through the north.

Another typhoon was approaching, and the forecast looked relentlessly wet. Writing this now, after the tour, we were actually lucky enough to hit a small window between the typhoons. Although the weather was challenging at times, it was still far better than what came before—or what followed immediately after our ride. Continue reading Vietnam – The Very North →