Hanoi Motorcycle Tour to Saigon via Hoi An, Da Lat, Nha Trang on Ho Chi Minh Trail and Along Coast

There are many small roads that lead into the mountains around Mai Chau so we’ll take the chance to motorcycle out to isolated H’mong, Dao and Thai villages. We will take on the challenge of an old road built by the French army and spend the afternoon exploring nearby villages.

Overnight in a Thai ethnicity stilt house in Mai Chau.

Summary

• Distance:  150 km
• Accommodation: Homestay in Mai Chau
• Meals:   Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Motorcycle on a small, spectacular and paved trail along the Ma river until Cam Thuy town where we stop for lunch. Hit the Ho Chi Minh trail (now a newly built highway) all the way to Tan Ky town where we spend the night in a hotel.

Summary

• Distance:  290 km
• Accommodation: Hotel in Tan Ky
• Meals:   Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Ride on Ho Chi Minh Highway until Pho Chau where we stop to visit the HCM Trail victory monument which is in fact the real starting point of our HCM Trail ride. Motorcycle all the way to Phong Nha – Ke Bang, the biggest and also the most beautiful cave in Vietnam and Indochina and is now a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site.

The karst formation of Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park has evolved since the Paleozoic (some 400 million years ago) and so is the oldest major karst area in Asia. Subject to massive tectonic changes, the park’s karst landscape is extremely complex with many geographic features of considerable significance. The vast area, extending to the border of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, contains spectacular formations including 65 km of caves and underground rivers.

Summary

• Distance:  280 km
• Accommodation: Hotel in Phong Nha
• Meals:   Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Boating and exploring World Heritage site of Phong Nha where local civilians and military sheltered from incessant bombing during wartime. Then we drive down to the coastal town of Dong Hoi, which was heavily shelled by US warships during the war. At a hotel over looking the beach, we can take in some sunbathing by the beach.

Overnight in Dong Hoi.

Summary

• Distance:  60 km
• Accommodation: Hotel in Dong Hoi 
• Meals:   Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

We strike south through foothills which were once sprayed heavily by Agent Orange towards the former DMZ. There is still much evidence of bombing on the mountain sides and from time to time we will see remnants of the original Trail. We take in the Vinh Moc tunnel, the famous Hien Luong Bridge (former demarcation line between North and South Vietnam, the Truong Son Cemetery and finally Khe Sanh (former US Marine base).

Overnight in Khe Sanh.

Summary

• Distance:  200 km
• Accommodation: Hotel in Khe Sanh
• Meals:   Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

In the morning we head south over the Da Krong Bridge (built by the Cubans in 1973) into the infamous A Shau valley, an area of intense wartime activity. Passing Hamburger Hill and mountains still barren due to the extended effects of Agent Orange, we arrive at A Luoi, where there are many Bru Van hill tribe people. Then, cruising through green back country down the steep Me Oi Pass, we continue on to the beautiful city of Hue which lies along the banks of the Perfume River.

Overnight in Hue.

Summary

• Distance:  180 km
• Accommodation: Hotel in Hue
• Meals:   Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

See the Forbidden Citadel in the morning. Join the National Highway 1 and head up the Hai Van Pass (Cloudy Pass) before the World Heritage site of Hoi An, a major trading centre in SE Asia in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Overnight in Hoi An.

Summary

• Distance:  150 km
• Accommodation: Hotel in Hoi An
• Meals:   Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Whole morning exploring the old town of Hoi An. Afternoon at the Cua Dai beach, about 6km from the old town. The former harbour town of the Champa people at the estuary of the Thu Bon river was an important Vietnamese trading centre in the 16th and 17th centuries, where Chinese from various provinces as well as Japanese, Dutch and Indians settled down. During this period of the China trade, the town was called Hai Pho (Seaside Town) in Vietnamese.

During the French colonial period (1883 – 1945), it was called Faifo. Originally Hai Pho was a divided town, because across the “Japanese Bridge”, it used to be the Japanese settlement (16th – 17th century). The bridge (Chua Cau) is a unique covered structure built by the Japanese, the only known covered bridge with a Buddhist pagoda attached to one side.

The town is known to the French and Spanish as Faifo, and by similar names in Portuguese and Dutch. A number of theories have been put forth as to the origin of this name. Some scholars have suggested that it comes from the word “Hai pho” meaning “sea town”, while others have said that it seems more likely to simply be a shortening of Hoi An pho, “the town of Hoi An”, to “Hoi pho” which became “Faifo”.

In 1999, the old town was declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) as a well-preserved example of a Southeast Asian trading port of the 15th to 19th centuries, whose buildings display a unique blend of local and foreign influences.

Today, Hoi An is still a small city, but it attracts a fair number of tourists, also being a well established place on the backpacker trail. Many visit for the numerous art and craft shops and tailors, who produce made-to-measure clothes for a fraction of the western price.

Summary

Accommodation: Hotel in Hoi An

Meals:   Breakfast

We strike back up to the mountains, rejoining the Trail at Phuoc Son (also known as Kham Duc). From there we head up the towering Lo So Pass, passing through remote areas thinly populated by peoples of the Ba Na ethnicity. Edging close to the border with Laos, where a number of Trail arteries crossed over in Laos, we continue on to Kon Tum. Overnight in Kon Tum.

Summary

• Distance:  290 km
• Accommodation: Hotel in Kon Tum
• Meals:   Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner 

In the morning we motorcycle head south through the Central Highlands, passing Pleiku and the Ia Drang valley battlefield, before continuing onto Buon Ma Thuot (also known as Buon Me Thuot), the city where northern forces launched their final assault on the then Saigon. Buon Ma Thuot produces most and best coffee products in Vietnam. Overnight in Buon Ma Thuot.

Summary

• Distance:  240 km
• Accommodation: Hotel in Buon Ma Thuot
• Meals:   Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

We take an easy motor ride back down off the Tay Son highlands towards the coast, arriving at Highway 1 some 30 km north of Nha Trang. Taking in this scenic coastal stretch past turquoise waters and scarlet fishing boats, we arrive in the bright lights of Nha Trang and its relaxing holiday options.Overnight in Nha Trang.

Summary

• Distance:  190 km
• Accommodation: Hotel in Nha Trang
• Meals:   Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

A free day by the beach before gathering for a seafood feast to recount our adventure and toast the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

Summary

• Accommodation: Hotel in Nha Trang
• Meals:   Breakfast

This 150km ride shows you some footages of the famous 2008 BBC’s Top Gear Vietnam Special show. Mountainous motor ride on the Central Highland. Da Lat is known as “The City of Love” and is a favorite holiday resort for Vietnamese as well as the French. With evergreen forests, waterfalls, beautiful lakes, the country’s best flower gardens, and delicious fresh produce, Da Lat has always provided a welcome respite from the heat of the lowlands.

We can spend the day visiting the highlights of Da Lat – its gardens, cathedral, waterfalls, market, Valley of Love, convent, university, train station and key pagodas. Overnight in Da Lat for the second night.

Summary

• Distance:  150 km
• Accommodation: Hotel in Da Lat
• Meals:   Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Down on road 20, we ride to Cat Tien National Park. This forest area used to be the head quarter of Vietnamese army during the war. The park suffered historically during the Vietnam War when it was extensively sprayed with herbicides like the defoliant Agent Orange. To this day these areas have extensive bamboo and grassland cover and trees have not yet grown back.

Summary

• Distance: 190 km
• Accommodation: Guest-house in Cat Tien Park
• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner 

This is not so long but is a big day as traffic is very crazy when we enter Saigon (HCM City). We ride straight to the train station where we end the ride. If you need information about places to stay and/or to eat, our guide will be able to recommend some.

Summary

• Distance: 160 km
• Accommodation: Not included
• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch