NORTHEAST VIETNAM DIRT BIKE TOUR TO YEN BAI, HA GIANG, CAO BANG

Itinerary:

Day 2 : Thac Ba to Ha Giang City

After breakfast, we motorcycle along the Thac Ba lake on a small road lined by palm trees and scenic mountain views to join the main Road 2, heading up to Ha Giang where we stop for the night and apply for a permit. Hà Giang is bounded by Cao Bằng, Tuyên Quang, Lào Cai, and Yên Bái provinces and has common international border with China in the north. Hà Giang has many high rocky mountains, limestone formations and springs; the important mountains are the Cam and Mo Neo.

 The topography of the province of Hà Giang is fairly complex with “temperate, but highly localized montane weather patterns create variable conditions among different regions”. It has impressive limestone and granite peaks and outcrops. It has three regions. Climatically, it has two seasons, dry and monsoon, dependent on the altitude of the region.

The two northern Indochinese climatic zones on the border influence the climate in that part of the province. The lower areas in the province comprise low hills, the Lô River Valley and the town of Hà Giang. The major rivers of the region are the Lô River (Hà Giang town is located on its left bank) and Mien River. Hà Giang has many mountains, including the two highest peaks, namely, the Tây Côn Lĩnh (2419 m) and the Kiều Liêu Ti (2,402 metres (7,881 ft)) and forests that provide lumber. It has about 1000 species of herbal plants. Fauna include tigers, peafowl, pheasants, and pangolin.

Day 3 : Ha Giang to Dong Van ~ 160 km

After getting the permit to ride in border areas at Ha Giang’s Immigration Police, we motorbike on small challenging mountain roads (but incredibly beautiful) on the land of colorful mountain hill-tribes.Head up the Ma Pi Leng Pass. Here is yet another amazing place, with cloudy mountain ranges and the poetic Nho Que river winding off in the distance. It is really difficult to find the exact words to describe Ma Pi Leng Pass, located between Dong Van and Meo Vac, near the northernmost tip of Vietnam, as a painting of astonishing beauty and magnificence that captures the eyes of all viewers and nature lovers. Ride on a zig-zag track until reaching Vuong Family’s Residence, 14 kms before Dong Van. 

Vuong Family was considered the King of the Hmong People in Dong Van, Ha Giang. Their residence was built in the scenic valley of Sa Phin with Chinese architecture. The whole house was built out of wood and rock only. The rocks for the buildings were imported from China. Vuong Family Residence is a masterpiece of man work in the valley of heavenly beauty of Sa Phin.

This is a remote area and we can meet the hard-working local people here. It is inspiring to see how they survive as they manage live in the rocks. When we reach Dong Van Town we will have some extra time to wonder the ancient streets lined with H’mong homes of clay bricks and tiles roofs built centuries ago.

Đồng Văn is a market town 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) from Sà Phìn and 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) from Chinese border is inhabited by the Tày and H’Mông people. It is an altitude of 1,025 kilometres (637 mi) and experiences freezing temperature of 0 °C (32 °F) in winter and 24 °C (75 °F) in summer months. The highland region is famous for fruits such as Hau plums, peaches and persimmons without seeds. It has such medicinal plants as ginseng, cinnamon and anise.  

Day 4: Dong Van Offroad Tours to Bao Lac (Cao Bang) via Meo Vac

The road is still under construction and tracks what make the ride relatively long in spite of few kilometres. The landscape is among the most beautiful of Vietnam, and the slow tempo is only more appreciable.

We motorcycle across the wild regions of the mythical province of Ha Giang, Meo Vac is included. Mèo Vạc is a mountain pass at about 1,500 metres (4,900 ft) elevation which forms the basin boundary of the Nho Que River on the border with China is restricted zone. The market held at Khâu Vai which is about 20 kilometres (12 mi) from Mèo Vạc, is where once a year on the 27th day of the third month of the Lunar calendar is known famously as the Khâu Vai “Love Market”.

The ethnic clans of White H’Mông, Tày, and Lô Lô congregate here, particularly the young people assemble here in search of life partners or to exchange partners. The Lô Lô people who dominate the local village by the same name in particular come here in their colourful regale.  It shares the border with Dong Van District of Ha Giang Province and Bao Lam District of Cao Bang Province. Meo Vac has most of the terrain in the Rock Plateau of Dong Van and above 1000m above sea level.

Meo Vac has a harsh climate in the winter which is from November to April with dry and freezing cold weather. It is inhabited by different ethnic minorities including the H’mong, the King, Tay, Dzao…Most ethnic groups have maintained their culture untouched from the outside world.

In the afternoon, we stop for the night at Bao Lac, the ethnic crossroad of Northeast Vietnam. Many other ethnic groups on the two sides of the border meet at the market every Sunday. 

Day 5 : Bao Lac to Cao Bang City ~ 130 km

Beautiful motor ride down to Cao Bang  province. Few passes from where you can dominate the area. The road is easy but there are many blind curves. We can stop very often for photos in Nguyen Binh and Tinh Tuc.

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.

Day 6: Cao Bang to Ban Gioc waterfall and Homestay Tours in Quang Uyen

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. 

Day 7 : Quang Uyen Offroad Motorcycle Tours to Lang Son City

Day 8 :  Lang Son Motorcycle Tours back to Hanoi