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.

Delayed departure

Our original plan was to leave the hotel at 7:30 a.m., but heavy rain delayed our departure until noon. The route took us southwest, towards Laos, gradually leaving the city behind as we headed for Muong Waterfall and Mu Resort in a national park area. The final 200 metres of the day led across a landslide that had cut through the road, but was still passable on a motorbike. It was quite exciting, being our first landslide crossing—although, as it turned out, this was only the first of many we would encounter on this trip.

Our accommodation was located right next to a waterfall, and naturally, a swim was mandatory.

Waking up to the sound of the waterfall and the surrounding forest was something special. Regardless of the rain, it’s hard to beat waking up in nature like this. The rain, however, showed no mercy and continued practically all day as we rode towards Moc Chau Valley.

Finally, upon reaching Moc Chau Valley, the rain paused for the evening. We made full use of the break in the weather and the nearby attractions at Moc Chau Mountain Park & Resort: the world’s longest glass bridge, the Bach Long Glass Bridge, as listed in the Guinness World Records, a very long and impressively high zip line, and even some go-karting.

The evening was rounded off perfectly with a BBQ in the garden of our hotel, House by the Lake. A great day with plenty to do—and a good night’s sleep was guaranteed.

Another day began with heavy rain. The only real issues we had with the bikes were caused by the persistently wet conditions. Fortunately, Duc’s support van carried two spare bikes, and Petri got the chance to try a very different kind of machine – still a motorbike – for the rest of the day. The rain certainly added its challenges, but the scenery was becoming increasingly spectacular with every kilometre.

Finally – The Sun with a Black Tai wedding!

Finally, a sunny day—with fantastic routes and beautiful bridges to match.

And what a surprise: we were invited to a Vietnamese Black Tai, or Tai Dam, wedding. The celebration was traditional in many ways, fitting with the Black Tai people’s customs, as this area is their home. The Black Tai are a relatively small ethnic group, numbering around 400,000 people.

One distinctive feature of married women in the Black Tai culture is a high bun of hair tied on top of the head, marking their marital status. As motorbikes are the primary form of motorised transport here, even the crash helmets are designed to accommodate the bun. Practical and cultural at the same time!

The wedding was filled with incredibly beautiful and welcoming people, and, of course, plenty of dancing and moonshine.

Our route then took us across two impressive hanging suspension bridges on the way to the Ngoc Chien Hot Springs.

The night was spent soaking in the hot water high up in the mountains at PAPA Garden & House, sleeping dorm-style.

A perfect way to end a memorable day on the road.

Under a Truck and Over the Landslides to Sapa

Heavy rain and consistently challenging wet terrain began to take their toll on the riders, and we decided it was time for a rest day off the bikes. Conveniently, we were approaching Sapa, which felt like the perfect place to pause and explore the sights of the area on foot.

But we weren’t there just yet.

Getting to Sapa still required some demanding off-roading, made even more interesting by fresh landslides and trucks sliding sideways across the road, blocking the way. One truck we had to pass by carefully wiggling the bikes underneath it.

Another obstacle required crossing a landslide, with Minh demonstrating how it’s done—just to be sure, he did it with more than one bike.

Not to mention some of my own unintentional exploration of the surrounding bushes and undergrowth along the way.

In Sapa, we stayed at the very friendly, family-run Cat Cat View Hotel. It was the perfect place to catch up on laundry and attend to some general rider maintenance. A good massage followed by a steam bath in a wooden box was waiting for us—a welcome luxury after days in the rain.

A couple of Long Island Ice Teas later at a friendly pub next to the hotel, and the night was officially done.

The Roof of Indochina – The Fansipan Mountain

SaPa is a popular tourist destination, especially for visitors coming from Hanoi—and for good reason. It has excellent connections to the capital, a lively town atmosphere, and is close to the highest peak in Indochina, Fansipan Mountain.

But most importantly, the roads around SaPa are absolutely magnificent—literally breathtaking. There are truly spectacular routes here and in nearby Ha Giang, where local motorcycle riders offer tours for tourists. More about these easy riders later.

As for SaPa itself, it’s a bustling town built around tourism and has a lot to offer for the traveller. There are dozens of restaurants and hotels, with new ones popping up constantly, each more spectacular than the last.

Fansipan Mountain is well developed for visitors, with cultural displays, gift shops, gondolas and funicular railways taking you up to the summit at 3,150 meters. Even with all that, you still need strong legs to make it all the way to the top.

All in all, it was a very satisfying day—perfect for relaxing off the bikes and soaking in the scenery.

Xin Man Town

Heading towards Xin Man town, we had finally arrived in what felt like true rider heaven in the far north—stunning views and challenging off-road tracks everywhere. My private excursion to a buckwheat field proved it once again: another perfect opportunity to showcase my ukemi skills!

The off-road tracks weren’t the only exotic experience—so was dinner: a bowl of wasps! By now, though, it had become customary to accompany meals with a few shots of local moonshine to aid digestion.

At least the shots made the evenings a lot more fun, and remarkably, no one suffered any major stomach problems over our 11-day ride.

Moonshine at Ha Giang

From Xin Man, we headed northeast toward the famous Ha Giang Loop and Ha Giang city itself. The ride was tough, with dozens of landslides to navigate, particularly as we got closer to Ha Giang.

Our accommodation was the comfortable Mr. Win, located in a small village just outside town. With some bicycles available at Mr. Win, we decided with Pade, that it would be fun to ride into town for a bit of exploration. Naturally, we opted for the off-road route, and eventually, hot and tired, we called for backup—Duc came in the van to fetch us.

In return, we brought along some wine from the local Family-Mart as small souvenirs from our excursion. The wine was well received and went down nicely with yet another round of the local moonshine.

A quick note on the moonshine:

Every place we stayed had its own version, each slightly different depending on the spices and ingredients used. Alcohol content varied, roughly between 25% and 35%, and the distillery was often just outside, near the rooms. A small taste of local craftsmanship with every sip.

Ha Giang Easy Riders

Around Ha Giang, the roads are absolutely to die for— sometimes literally! Dozens of groups ride along the hillsides in spectacular fashion, offering tourists thrill rides on the mountain roads. These riders are called “easy riders,” since it’s easy to hop on a bike and let a local take you around.

That said, it’s certainly not for the faint of heart. I saw riding that appeared to border on reckless, with young pillion passengers wearing little more than shorts and a t-shirt as they sped through treacherous mountainside corners. Judging by the looks on their faces, though, it was pure exhilaration.

Accident data for these roads isn’t officially published, so the numbers are mostly speculative and vary by season. From different sources, it appears there are a couple of accidents each month, averaging about one fatality per month. The data covers the whole Sapa and Ha Giang regions and  the numbers involve tourists on their own bikes as well, not just “easy riders.” These easy riders seem to know the roads and their own limits remarkably well. Still too exciting for me – I’d rather ride my own.

Dong Van and the very, very north of Vietnam

Today would take us furthest north on this ride, to the Dong Van Karst Plateau. The route featured dozens of landslides and led us to a fantastic old Hmong village. The village was difficult to reach, perched on an extremely slippery mountainside along narrow concrete slabs. The Hmong people live in the far north along the Chinese border, on both sides of the border, as well as in Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand. In Thailand, they are officially recognised as “Mountain People.” Their history is colourful but often difficult. As a result, the villagers traditionally keep their coffins outside their houses, ready for when needed.

Best to check Wikipedia for a more detailed account: Hmong people.

And speaking of “easy riders,” this area is really where they gather in large numbers, and it’s easy to see why. The mountain roads are simply incredible—the curvy tracks hugging the slopes, the scenery often rising above the clouds, absolutely spectacular. These views alone make the journey here completely worth it. Definitely a strong reason to come back one day.

Local police are also active in controlling riders around the city. While they do enforce the law, there are frequent whispers of corruption, and having a bit of cash on hand is said to make interactions easier. Thanks to Minh and Duc’s experience and reconnaissance, we never encountered any problems—or the police, for that matter.

That evening, we enjoyed one of the best dinners of the trip in the most wonderful setting. Green, beautiful landscape hight on the mountains.

Turning South to Ba Be

While it might sound a bit daunting to head back toward Hanoi after the incredible riding we had just experienced, we actually had one of the very best days on the bikes. Riding down the Ma Pi Leng road from the mountains and stopping to visit some sticky-rice fields along the way was simply unforgettable.

Min had planned our route perfectly, and there was always a surprise waiting around the next corner. This time, we loaded ourselves and our bikes onto a narrow boat at Ba Be Lake and sailed to Hoanh Tu Homestay for a wonderful final night’s celebration.

The evening was filled with local games, dancing, singing, delicious food—and, naturally, more moonshine!

Unique sense of satisfaction after completing a tour

After the festive last night, it was time to return to Hanoi and re-enter the heavy traffic we had so successfully avoided over the past days. Riding through the congestion was exhausting, but there’s a unique sense of satisfaction after completing a tour like this. Everyone was happy unpacking their bikes, reflecting on the past days, and preparing for their journeys ahead. It would take a few quiet days for everything we had experienced to truly sink in.

A farewell lunch with Minh Do and Duc wrapped up our northern adventure. Back at the hotel, though everyone was exhausted and probably should have taken a nap, we decided to meet at the rooftop bar and venture into the streets of Hanoi. No rest for the wicked, especially on the last night for some of the group.

As for me, my Vietnamese journey was far from over. I was looking forward to some R&R in southern Vietnam on Phu Quoc Island, followed by Taipei and  Thai beaches.

Oh, tough life…