Tour Highlights
px">Experience an authentic homestay.
px">Enjoy a variety of Vietnamese cuisine and western style picnics provided by our support crew.
px">Stay at beachfront resorts.
px">Finish in Hoi An City - an ancient trading port.
px">Take a boat trip into the World's largest cave at Phong Nha National Park - a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
px">Visit a Ho Chi Minh Trail museum and ride parts of the infamous route.
px">Visit the underground tunnels at Vinh Moc.
px">Stay in the bustling 'Old Quarter' of Hanoi.
From the bustling streets of Hanoi to the karst limestone mountains that tower above lush green rice paddies, this on-road motorcycle tour in Vietnam traverses some of the most beautiful landscapes in Vietnam.
Riding some of the best motorcycling roads in the country, you’ll explore tribal villages, the infamous Ho Chi Minh Trail and stunning coastal routes and mountain passes. You’ll visit war tunnels & museums, travel through a UNESCO World Heritage Site and take a boat trip deep into the world’s largest cave before finishing with a glorious ride over Hai Van Pass.
If you can spare 9 days for an incredible road riding motorcycle tour in Vietnam, this is the trip to tick all boxes!
You’ll be greeted from Hanoi’s ‘Noi Bai’ international airport and transferred to our luxury hotel, ideally located in the Old Quarter of the city. Relax by the pool or take some time to explore the bustling streets before meeting with the group in the afternoon for a trip briefing.
In the evening we’ll go out for an excellent welcome meal at an authentic Vietnamese restaurant. If you weren’t in love with Vietnamese food before, you will be now!
- Accommodation: 5* hotel.
- Included Meals: Dinner.
Suitably rested, we’ll be collected from our hotel after breakfast and taken to the workshop where the bikes await. After meeting the local team it’s time to hit the road!
The first riding day of this on-road motorcycle tour in Vietnam kicks off with a 45km stretch of main road that takes us away from the city. We then branch off onto smaller roads that snake through picturesque hills and villages that will feel a world away from city chaos that we left behind this morning!
We meet the Black River (much more beautiful than it sounds!), stop at numerous viewpoints and witness colourful hill tribe culture as we near our destination of Pu Luong valley.
Tonight we will stay with local families in their stilted houses, surrounded by terraced rice fields and the relaxing sounds of snorting pigs, cow bells and ducks. This is the real Vietnam right here and you can look forward to more of that incredible Vietnamese food – our host puts together one hell of a feast!
- Accommodation: Homestay.
- Included Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner.
Wake up to the sound of the village coming to life, as the locals walk their buffalo to the fields and the kids march off to school.
After breakfast we saddle up and hit the road, heading southwest, riding alongside the Nam Ma River and stopping at a bamboo chopstick factory and small riverside villages en route.
- Accommodation: Hotel.
- Included Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner.
As we’re now venturing onto parts of the Ho Chi Minh Trail, it’s only right that we stop at the Ho Chi Minh Trail museum on the way out of town. You’ve read the books and seen the films, but there’s nothing quite like learning about the ‘American War’ from the point of view of Vietnamese locals.
The landscapes today offer some of the most stunning views in all of northern Vietnam, with karst limestone mountains towering above the green rice fields. The riding too is phenomenal, with twisting mountain passes that lead us down towards our destination of Phong Nha National Park – a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Phong Nha National Park is home to the World’s largest cave, where civilians and military took shelter from the bombings of the war. The best way to explore this monster cave is by water, so we’ll take a boat trip deep inside before finishing the day at our hotel.
- Accommodation: Hotel.
- Included Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner.
It’s a fantastic ride today as we pass through the spectacular green scenery of Ke Bang National Park. We pass by a number of significant wartime points of interest, including overgrown remnants of the original Ho Chi Minh Trail that brushes alongside the border of neighbouring Laos.
As we near our destination of Khe Sanh, we’ll stop at a former US marine base that underwent a famous siege in the prelude to the Tet Offensive in 1968 – one of the largest military campaigns of the Vietnam War.
- Accommodation: Guesthouse.
- Included Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner.
Today we cross the country, from close to the Laos border in the west all the way to the east coast. We stop at Vinh Moc Tunnels, where hundreds of locals lived during the war beneath the ground.
We follow the coastal roads south, riding alongside rice paddies and sand dunes down to our destination of Hue, the former imperial capital.
- Accommodation: 4* beachfront resort.
- Included Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner.
Hue is a great place to spend a couple of nights and explore the local area! You can spend your morning exploring the city, visiting the forbidden palace and the elaborate tombs in the countryside that were built by former Kings. We’re staying in an excellent resort tonight, so an afternoon by the pool or on the beach is not a bad way to recharge the batteries before a final day on the bike tomorrow.
- Accommodation: 4* beachfront resort.
- Included Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner.
It’s the final day of riding on this road riding motorcycle tour of Vietnam, and boy, is it a good one! We’ll leave the resort and continue south on stunning coastal roads, passing over the incredible Hai Van Pass, stopping at a viewpoint for some stunning views across the South China Sea. This is the area where the famous Top Gear trio did some of their best filming, so it’s no surprise that this is one of the best riding roads in Vietnam!
We’ll enjoy a final lunch on the beach before arriving in the ancient trading port of Hoi An and celebratory beers by the hotel pool.
In the evening we’ll enjoy a farewell dinner for a final feast of that exceptional Vietnamese food.
- Accommodation: 5* hotel.
- Included Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner.
Saying our farewells, we’ll arrange a taxi to take you to Da Nang international airport so you can catch your flight home. Bon voyage!
- Accommodation: Not included.
- Included Meals: Breakfast.
On this trip we stay in a mixture of hotels & resorts, traditional homestays and guesthouses. Please see the daily itinerary detail for more info on each nights accommodation.
You’ll be collected from Nội Bài International Airport in Hanoi (airport code: HAN) on the morning of the first day. (You are of course welcome to arrive a day or two earlier, but there will be an extra cost for airport pickup).
At the end of the trip we will arrange transfers from our final hotel to Da Nang International Airport (airport code: DAD).
Take a boat trip deep into the depths of the World’s largest cave!
All entrance fees or boat fees for river crossings during the ride.
Your tour will be led and managed by a highly experienced member of the Ride Expeditions team (trained as a wilderness first response medic).
Ride Expeditions Ltd is committed to customer satisfaction and consumer financial protection. At no extra cost to you, and in accordance with ‘The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018’, all passengers booking with Ride Expeditions Ltd are fully insured for the initial deposit, and subsequently the balance of monies paid as detailed in your booking confirmation form.
The policy also includes repatriation if required, arising from the cancellation or curtailment of your travel arrangements due to the insolvency of Ride Expeditions Ltd. This insurance has been arranged by Towergate Travel through Evolution Insurance.
During the COVID-19 crisis, every rider that requested a refund was issued a cash refund.
All fuel for your motorcycle is provided by us.
This motorcycle tour is accompanied by a GPS tracker that displays our live location and track history on an online map. We will provide you with the link and login details which you can then share with your family at home so they can track your progress throughout the trip.
This motorcycle tour will be guided by an experienced local Vietnamese guide.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner is provided on most days.
Please see the daily itinerary to see what meals are included on each day.
A mechanic will be riding at the back of the group, ready to attend to any issues that may arise.
At least one member of the support team will have been trained as a Wilderness First Response medic.
An extensive medical kit including a defibrillator (AED) & stretcher is carried in the support vehicle.
We also have consulting doctors on call, 24/7, who are always ready to assist in the case of an emergency. Our doctors are fully briefed on all riders medical info prior to the tour, they know what we do, where we are riding, exactly what we have in our medical kit and what training our medics have.
Tours are accompanied by GPS trackers and a satellite messenger device so our doctor and office can see exactly where we are and can maintain communication.
If you have you your own suitable & reliable motorcycle at the start point, you are quite welcome to use that for this trip. If not, we will provide a rental motorcycle for you… Please see the Dates & Prices section for available bikes.
The cost of shipping your motorcycle to and from the start and end destination is also included.
Since the day Ride Expeditions started running tours in Cambodia back in 2012, we have been dedicated to supporting the local community.
Part profits from every motorcycle tour are donated to M’Lop Tapang – a local Cambodian charity dedicated to bettering the lives of young children & their families.
A Ride Expeditions riding jersey with your name printed on the back.
Playing our part in rainforest & wildlife conservation and in an effort to off-set our carbon emissions, we donate part profits to World Land Trust.
This tour is accompanied by a large support vehicle, equipped to carry your luggage, an extensive medical kit + stretcher + defibrillator (AED), drinking water, snacks, tools, and spare parts.
We’ll welcome you with a bag of Ride Expeditions goodies which will include:
- T-shirt;
- Map;
- Stickers;
- Water bottle;
- Keyring;
- Neck tube.
3rd party motorcycle insurance is a legal requirement in Vietnam. We advise you first check if this is included (or can be added as an extra) in your travel insurance policy. If not, we can arrange this within Vietnam for an additional cost. Please see the 'Optional Extras' section for more information.
You’ll need to book a flight to arrive in Nội Bài International Airport in Hanoi (airport code: HAN) on or before the morning of Day 1 of this trip. You will then fly out of Da Nang International Airport (airport code: DAD) airport on the last day of the trip.
It is important you either:
- Book a flexible flight ticket that allows you to make amendments or cancel without penalty;
- Have travel insurance that you will reimburse you for out of pocket expenses incurred by a cancelled trip;
- Do not book your flights until we have notified you that this departure is guaranteed.
Please be aware that you are liable for all damage to the motorcycle. Please see the 'Optional Extras' information on 'Damage Protection Plan'.
- Alcohol;
- Laundry;
- Souvenirs;
- Any meals that are not mentioned in the itinerary;
- Emergency transportation;
- Any other item, optional excursion, activity or entrance fee that is not specifically mentioned as being included.
It is a condition of booking that you obtain appropriate travel insurance that covers you for riding the same capacity motorcycle that you’ll be riding on this motorcycle tour.
The insurance must cover emergency evacuation, medical bills, repatriation etc.
Adventure style kit with decent ventilation is the way to go on this motorcycle tour, rather than enduro or road leathers. So that means a good helmet, protective riding jacket and trousers, ideally with CE or equivalent approved armour on the pointy bits – elbows, knees and shoulders.
You are also going to need good riding gloves, a neck tube and a sturdy pair of motorcycle boots.
Please bring waterproofs if your kit doesn’t keep out the wet stuff.
If you're unable to obtain this with your travel insurance, we can organise this within Vietnam.
All damage to the motorcycle is then covered by us. Please bear in mind that this excludes damage caused by irresponsible riding.
Single room accommodation is available at all of the resorts, guesthouses and hotels, but not the homestays.
Yes, and we advise you do. They’re cheap to top up and easily obtainable at the airport or small shops in the cities.
While the Vietnamese locals love their meat, it’s no problem for the restaurants / hotels to prepare vegetarian meals. Fresh vegetables & fish are plentiful in Vietnam. That said, the vegetarian options will be quite limited in the more rural areas.
As for food allergies, we will make every effort to communicate your requirements to the kitchen. If you have concerns, please do get in touch so we can discuss these with you.
For the most accurate and up to date info on travel advice for Vietnam, we advise you to visit the foreign office website.
Follow this link for Vietnam’s entry requirements. This is a link to the UK foreign office website – if you are not a UK resident, please search for the equivalent info from your home country’s foreign office.
To secure your place we simply need a 20% non-refundable deposit (subject to a minimum of £500). The remainder does not need to be paid until 60 days prior to the tour start date.
As this is a largely inclusive tour, you won’t need much. You will only need money for the items not listed as inclusions, which is mainly just alcohol, souvenirs and any other personal spending. Unless you go mad in the gift shops and bars, around £5 – £10 per day should be adequate. Shopping in Vietnam tends to be very reasonable so you can get quite a lot for not much!
Yes. Here at Ride Expeditions, we take the necessary precautions to ensure that we protect both ourselves and you as the customer, with insurances covering financial failure, public liability, professional indemnity and employers liability (you will need your own travel insurance).
To obtain this insurance we must meet strict safety standards and local regulations. We must also carry out thorough risk assessments about all aspects of a tour before tyres can hit tarmac (…or dirt!).
Yes. All passengers booking with Ride Expeditions Ltd are fully insured for the initial deposit, and subsequently the balance of monies paid as detailed in your booking confirmation form. The policy also includes repatriation if required, arising from the cancellation or curtailment of your travel arrangements due to the insolvency of Ride Expeditions Ltd. This insurance has been arranged by Towergate Travel through Evolution Insurance.
Not riding the motorcycle, no (although this will of course depend on the extent of your limited mobility). However, we may be able to accommodate you in our support vehicle. We advise you to give us a call and we can discuss.
Yes, there is wi-fi at almost every overnight accommodation.
For the most accurate and up to date info, we advise you visit the ‘Travel Health Pro’ website. Follow this link for Vietnam info.
Please also consult with your own doctor at home at least 8 weeks before your trip.
Average group sizes are 8-9 riders and we limit the groups to 12 riders.
If you cancel your booking before departure, cancellation charges will be applied as follows:
- 61 days or more before tour start date – retention of deposit
- 42-60 days before tour start date – retention of 50% of tour price
- 28-41 days before tour start date – retention of 70% of tour price
- 0-27 days before tour start date – retention of 100% tour price
Please refer to our Terms & Conditions for further info regarding cancellations, changes and transferring your trip to a friend.
For the most accurate and up to date info on travel advice for Vietnam, we advise you to visit the foreign office website.
Follow this link for Vietnam travel advice from the UK foreign office. As we are a UK company, this is the official government advice we follow. If you are not a UK resident, we advise you search for the equivalent info from your own country’s foreign office, as travel advice may differ.
We’d like all of our riders to have at least two years of active riding experience before booking up. Should you have any doubts, please give us a call and we can talk you through it in more detail.
The average riding temperatures should be 20 – 25°C, but you should prepare to ride in temperatures anywhere between 15 – 35°C!
As with all of our tours, we only schedule the trips for the very best riding months of the year. But it’s always better to be safe than sorry, so please pack plenty of layers and waterproofs to cover all bases!
Please also bring warm clothes for the evenings.
The minimum required number for this trip to run is 6 riders. We reserve the right to cancel the tour if this number is not met and we will provide you with a minimum of 56 days notice. Please know that this is an absolute last resort for us and we will always do everything in our power to avoid this happening.
The following countries driver’s licences are NOT ACCEPTED and their IDP (International Driving Permits) are not recognised/accepted in Vietnam – China, India, USA, Canada, Ireland, Iceland, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. Guests from these countries will need to make sure that their insurance will cover them for the size motorbike as well as in case of an incident while riding in Vietnam.
Should your insurance not provide an incident or medical cover in the event of an accident, then the liability is solely for the rider’s account. If an accident involves a local Vietnamese resident, then the (civil liability) compensation is your responsibility as well.
To legally ride in Vietnam you are required to carry your local driving licence, which must cover the size of bike you will be riding. This will also be a stipulation of any travel insurance company too. You will also need an International Driving Permit (IDP). An IDP is basically an official, multi-language translation of your driving licence.
We accept GBP payments by Visa, Mastercard & American Express and direct bank transfers. Please get in touch if you would rather pay in another currency – we’ll do our best to accommodate!
For Vietnam there are three associated plug types, types A, C and F. Plug type A is the plug which has two flat parallel pins, plug type C is the plug with two round pins and plug type F has two round pins with two earth clips on the side.
Dates & Pricing
Tour Price
- Rider (Incl. bike rental): £3060
- Rider (own bike): £2650
- Pillion: £2140
The Motorcycles
- Honda CRF 300 L Included
Optional Extras
- 3rd Party Insurance + £190
- Motorcycle Damage Protection Plan + £210
- Single Room Supplement + £235
- Start Date: May 2, 2024
- End Date: May 10, 2024
Expedition Leader:
Rob
Tour Price
- Rider (Incl. bike rental): £3060
- Rider (own bike): £2650
- Pillion: £2140
The Motorcycles
- Honda CRF 300 L Included
Optional Extras
- 3rd Party Insurance + £190
- Motorcycle Damage Protection Plan + £210
- Single Room Supplement + £235
- Start Date: May 1, 2025
- End Date: May 9, 2025
Expedition Leader:
Rob
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