Six days, 1,060 km and the highest pass in Vietnam
The long northwestern circuit from Hanoi through Mai Chau, Moc Chau, Son La and Dien Bien Phu, then over the O Quy Ho pass into Sa Pa and back. For experienced riders.
At a glance
- Days
- 6 days, 5 nights
- Ridden
- 1,060 km
- Group
- 2 to 8 riders
- Start
- Hanoi
- Finish
- Hanoi
- From
- USD 690 per person
Who this route is for
This is the serious one. Two of the six days are over 200 km on mountain roads, the surface varies from new tarmac to broken concrete, and the O Quy Ho pass reaches about 2,073 metres, which is the highest road pass in Vietnam and cold enough in January to need proper gloves.
What you get for that is the northwest, which almost no cycling or general tour goes near: the tea plateau at Moc Chau, the Black River valley, the battlefield at Dien Bien Phu, and then the climb over the Hoang Lien Son range with the cloud usually sitting somewhere on the road.
The licence position is the same as on the Ha Giang loop and we apply it the same way. Read the licence section on the Ha Giang page before you enquire — this route has no pillion option except by prior arrangement, because the days are too long to sit on the back of somebody else's bike.
Day by day
Hanoi to Mai Chau
Out of Hanoi at 08:00 on the western road, 150 km to the Thung Khe pass and down into the Mai Chau valley. An easy first day designed to find out how the group rides together before the distances start.
Mai Chau to Moc Chau
170 km north-west, climbing steadily onto the Moc Chau plateau at about 1,050 m, through pine and tea. The temperature drops eight to ten degrees on the way up.
Moc Chau is dairy and tea country, which looks nothing like the rest of Vietnam, and in January and February the plum blossom is out.
Moc Chau to Dien Bien Phu
The long day: 230 km through Son La and over two passes, on a road that has been rebuilt in sections and not in others. Eight hours on the bike including stops, and the last hour is often in the dark in winter.
If the group is tired we stop in Son La and split it into two shorter days. That decision is made at lunchtime on day three, by the guide.
Dien Bien Phu to Lai Chau
195 km north up the border road, through the Muong Lay valley and along the Da river reservoir, which is a series of drowned gorges with the road cut along the side.
Morning at the Dien Bien Phu battlefield before leaving: the A1 hill and the French command bunker take about ninety minutes together.
Lai Chau to Sa Pa over O Quy Ho
Only 120 km, and the best of them. The climb to O Quy Ho is 30 km of continuous bends to about 2,073 m, usually with cloud sitting on the top half and clear air above it.
Down the far side into Sa Pa, which is a building site of hotels at the centre and a valley of terraces below it. We stay outside the town.
Sa Pa to Hanoi
195 km down the valley to Lao Cai and then south. The last 130 km run beside the expressway on the old road, which is dull and fast, and the van follows for anyone who would rather finish in it.
Back in Hanoi about 17:30.
Prices
| How you travel | Group departure | Private, 2 riders | Private, 4+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Honda XR150 manual | USD 690 | USD 950 | USD 810 |
| Honda CB500X or similar | USD 890 | USD 1,180 | USD 1,020 |
| Single room throughout | USD 810 | USD 1,070 | USD 930 |
What is included
What the price includes
- 5 nights as described, one homestay and four hotels
- Motorbike, fuel, helmet, gloves, rain suit and a knee and elbow set
- Guide riding with the group and a mechanic on departures over four riders
- Support van carrying luggage and available to carry a bike
- All breakfasts, six lunches and five dinners
- Dien Bien Phu battlefield and museum entries, all tolls and ferries
- Basic accident cover as required by law, which is not travel insurance
What it does not include
- Travel insurance covering motorcycling at the engine size you ride
- Fines, bike damage and medical costs
- Anything in Hanoi before or after
- Drinks and tips
Photographs
Who this tour is wrong for
- Riders without real road experience. Two 200 km-plus days on mountain roads, in traffic, some of it after dark. This is not a first motorbike trip and we will decline the booking if your answers suggest it would be.
- Anyone who wants a pillion seat. Six days and 1,060 km on the back of somebody else's bike is punishing. We will do it by arrangement for a strong reason, and we will try to talk you into the Ha Giang loop instead.
- May to September visitors. The northwest gets the same wet season as the rest of the north, with landslides on the Muong Lay and O Quy Ho sections. We run reduced departures in those months and reroute frequently.
- People who want villages and culture rather than road. This route is about riding. If you want to spend time in Hmong and Thai villages, the Ha Giang loop gives you far more of that in far fewer kilometres.
- Anyone travelling in December or January without warm kit. O Quy Ho at 2,073 m has been at 2 degrees with sleet. We carry spare jackets and they are not enough on their own.
Next steps
Tell us about your riding
For this route we want to know what you ride at home, the longest day you have done, and your licence and permit. Then we will talk about dates.
See also the Ha Giang Loop, which is shorter and better for a first trip, and the bikes we run.
Questions travellers ask most
Can this be combined with Ha Giang?
Yes, and it is the classic big northern loop: nine or ten days from Hanoi through the northwest to Sa Pa, across to Ha Giang, round the loop and back.
It is 1,900 km and it is a lot of riding. We only run it privately, from about USD 1,450 per rider, and we will ask for two references from previous tours.
How cold does it get?
On the O Quy Ho pass in December and January, between 2 and 8 degrees, with wind and often cloud. Moc Chau at 1,050 m sits around 8 to 14 in the same months.
Bring a windproof layer, real gloves and something for your neck. Vietnam is not uniformly hot and the northwest in winter catches people out every season.
What if I drop the bike?
Most riders on a six-day trip drop the bike at least once, almost always at walking pace on gravel or in a car park, and the bikes are built for it.
Damage up to about USD 120 we absorb. Above that we charge the actual repair cost with the invoice, and we do not take a deposit or hold your passport, which some operators still do and which you should refuse.
Is the road to Dien Bien Phu really that long?
230 km, and it takes about eight hours because of the two passes and the surface, not because of the distance.
We split it into two days for any group that wants it, staying in Son La. It adds a night and about USD 90 per person, and roughly one group in four takes that option once they have seen the first two days.
Read next
Tell us about the ride you have in mind
Dates, party size and the places you care about are enough to start. You get a draft route and an indicative price, not a brochure.