ESSENCE OF VIETNAM NORTHEAST MOTORCYLE TOUR

Day 1: Hanoi to Ba Be National Park (Bac Kan)

We start our North-east Vietnam motorbike tour by getting out of Hanoi to head up Road 3. Busy motor ride in the morning until lunch. And then we turn into most empty road, passing peaceful villages and rice fields before through Ba Be National Park.

Ba Be National Park is an abundant bioreserve area containing the world’s only fresh-water karst lake and several rare species of fauna and flora. Ba Be lake in VietnamThe biodiverse 10,048ha park – home to 1,268 species of flora and fauna, a series of caves and a gigantic fresh water lake – was established in 1992 by the Vietnamese Government to preserve forest ecosystems in the northeast.

Ba Be is home to over 3,000 people from the ethnic minorities of Tay, Nung, Dao and Mong, who live in 13 villages within the park. The Tay people have inhabited Ba Be area for centuries and make up 58 per cent of the population within the park’s boundaries.
Ride into Bac Ngoi village, which is located inside Ba Be National Park. Our home-stay in Tay’s family is right by the side of Ba Be lake with wonderful and peaceful view.

Summary:
Distance:  210 km
Meals: Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Home-stay

Half-day boat ride on the lake to the other side, where we can explore Dau Dang waterfall on Nang river. As one of the 27 ASEAN heritage gardens, Ba Be has the potential to attract nature lovers with its 450ha natural fresh water lake, and 553 species of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish.

According to a survey from the Viet Nam Institute of Geo-sciences and Mineral Resources, over 11,000 years ago, an earthquake caused a collapse of the subterranean Nang River, creating a natural dam which led to the formation of Ba Be Lake.

After boat ride, we get out to Cho Ra for lunch before ride up to Cao Bang Town. Cao Bằng is a province of the Northeast region of Vietnam, home to many people belonging to Vietnam’s ethnic minority groups and the most notable of these are the Tày, Nùng, Dao, and Hmong. The province has borders with Hà Giang, Tuyên Quang, Bắc Kạn, and Lạng Sơn provinces within Vietnam. It also has common international border with Guangxi Province of the People’s Republic of China.

Cao Bằng has several points of historical interest as well as many natural features such as the Pac Bo (at the mouth of the confluence of two rivers, the Bằng Giang and Hien rivers) where Hồ Chí Minh in January 1941 established a revolutionary force at Cốc Bó cave, the Mạc King’s Temple, the Kỳ Sầm Temple, Coi Bin Church, the Bản Giốc waterfall area at the international border between Vietnam and China, and the Thang Hen Mountain Lake.

Overnight in Cao Bang

Summary:
Distance:  130 km
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Hotel

Get out of town, we ride up to Ma Phuc Pass of Cao Bang Province. It is on the way between Cao Bang Town and the Ban Gioc Waterfall. The pass is not famous with the elevation or the danger like some others in Vietnam, but with the natural beauty that one could capture from the top of the pass.Keep riding to Ban Gioc waterfall, one of Vietnam’s best-known waterfalls. It’s a very scenic spot, marking the border with China, but sees very few visitors. The name Ban Gioc is derived from the Montagnard languages spoken in the area, and is sometimes spelt Ban Doc.

The waterfall is the largest, although not the highest, in the country. The vertical drop is 53m, but it has an impressive 300m span; one end of the falls is in China, the other is in Vietnam. The falls have three levels, creating a sort of giant staircase, and there’s enough water any time, most years, to make the trip worthwhile.

Lunch in local restaurant before we get an other way back to Quang Uyen. This is the territory of Nung An people. Home stay in a host family and the hostess is a great cook.
This could be the best ride ever.
Overnight in Quang Uyen.

Summary:
Distance:  140 km
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Home-stay

Ride from Quang Uyen to Lang Son on the famous historical Highway 4. Passing Dong Khe town, Battle of Route Coloniale 4.

The Battle of Dong Khe was a major battle of the First Indochina War. The fight began on 15 September 1950 and ended on 18 September with a French defeat. It took place in Dong Khe, in the Province of Tonkin, Vietnam, from September 15 to September 18, 1950, ending with a Viet Minh victory.

Arriving Lang Son at noon. We have a late lunch before time to discover this city which has become a big trading post between China and Vietnam. Lạng Sơn is 155 kilometres (96 mi) to the northwest of Hanoi and National Highways 1 and 1 A and passes the Chi Lang pass (the site of Lê Lợi’s victory over 100,000 Ming invaders from China in 1427) and Bắc Giang on National Highway 1A. Lạng Sơn is 135 km from Cao Bằng on the National Highway no 4. You can shop for cheap Chinese products at the nearby Dong Kinh market.

Overnight in hotel.