Travel to Cat Ba island in weekend by motorbike

Cat Ba island is located in the Southeast of Hai Phong city. The island is an ideal place for a memorial backpacking motorcycle tour in Vietnam.

Cat Ba island has sea, forests and passes, therefore, you can absolutely discover this island by motorbike because of convenient system of roads and ferries.

How to get to Cat Ba island?
From Hanoi, you can get to Cat Ba by 1 of the 2 following ways:
First way: From Hanoi, you can ride Vietnam motorcycle tours to National road No.5 Hanoi – Hai Phong to reach Dinh Vu ferry station. The distance from the ferry station to Cat Ba island is 130km, therefore, you have to catch the two different ferries, so it takes a little bit much time. The first ferry is from Dinh Vu station to Ninh Tiep (Cat Hai island) and the second ferry from Got ferry station to Cai Vieng to reach Cat Ba.
Second way: You can ride along the National road No.18 via Bac Ninh province and Hai Duong province to Ha Long city. From Ha Long, you can catch a ferry at Tuan Chau. Although the distance is longer, about 150km on the way of your Vietnam motorcycle travel but you have to take  only 1 ferry to reach Cat Ba island, so it takes only 40 minutes.

What to eat and where to sleep
Cat Ba island started to develop tourism from long time ago; therefore, all the tourist services are available. There are so many hotels and resorts in this island, so our tourists joining Vietnam motorbike rides and very easy to reach the beautiful beaches and famous landscapes on this island.
The island is a paradise of seafood, so you can enjoy different kinds of seafood here. However, to have cheap and fresh seafood, you can ask the hotel staff to cook for you. In Cat Ba, you should try Tu Hai, octopus, Cat Ba shrimp noodle soup, squid…

Vietnam motorcycle tours’ itinerary in Cat Ba
Cat Ba has both forests and sea; therefore you will have many choices for you trip. To discover the whole island, you should spend from 2 to 3 days.

First of all, spending 1 day to discover Cat Ba national park, the biosphere reserve of the world is good. This is the primary forest on the island, in the form of unique and rare park in the world. A lot of foreign tourists choose Cat Ba National Park for an ideal trekking spot. You should come here to enjoy the fresh and cool air on the island and enjoy the unspoiled scenery.

The beaches in Cat Ba island is so wonderful that can captivate all travel enthusiasts. The most popular beaches are Cat Co 1 and Cat Co 2.

The 2 beaches have blue clear water, strong waves and soft white sand stretching till the high cliffs near the sea.

Interestingly, the two beaches have beautiful trails through the cliffs which are very close to the sea. You can walk along the trails there to see the beaches and stunning coastline below. It is also one of the special features in Cat Ba point that you can not find in anywhere else.

Besides the very close beaches, you can rent a boat to visit Lan Ha Bay - equally beautiful Halong Bay, then can kayak on the bay with hundreds of islands and islets around, visit and experience the monkey Island…
Besides, Cat Ba also has many interesting place that you should not miss such as Café Bastion where you can have the island panoramic view from above to the lighthouse, fishing villages along the bay or visit some Floating Fish Houses. Here are all new experiences that you can have in this Vietnam motorcycle trip.

Cat Ba island is well-known as a pearl island in Hai Phong city. It is not difficult to make up a plan for Vietnam motorbike tours to this island.

5 reasons that you should visit Hoi An in rainy season

Hoi An is a must see destination on Vietnam tourist map. This beautiful ancient town has 2 distinctive seasons. The dry season from January to July and rainy season from August to December, and it rains mostly in October and November.

Tourists love coming here because the old town looks fantastic in all seasons; however, riding Vietnam motorbike tours to Hoi An in rainy season is a great experience to any rider. Not noisy and animated as in summer, Hoi An in rainy season is very peaceful and quiet.

And here is 5 reasons that you should visit Hoi An in rainy season:

Cheap accommodation
Hoi An has a lot of amazing hotels, and home-stay with variety of prices. Because it is rainy season, hotels and home-stay prices are reduced to very reasonable prices to attract more customers. Home-stay is about 200,000vnd and hotel room is from 400,000vnd. It is very important if you can save more money for the Vietnam motorcycle trip to Hoi An.

Cool and comfortable air
In the North of Vietnam, the weather in winter is very severe with prolonged cold spell; however, the weather in Hoi An is much more comfortable. To tourists who love to discover Vietnam by taking part in motorcycle tour in Vietnam but afraid of the coldness in the North and the heat in the South, Hoi An is an ideal place.

Enjoy the peaceful old town, no hustle and bustle of tourists
Because it is not tourist peak season, most of tourists visiting Hoi An is international tourists. Rare domestic tourists come here this time. Therefore, the ancient town is not so crowded and becomes very quiet. Tourists will feel very comfortable to walk or ride bicycles to discover the hundred-year-old town. Although you do Vietnam motorbike tours from Hanoi to Hoi An, but you should not discover this town by motorbike because you will break the quietness of the ancient town.

You can see many couples hand in hand walking under the small drizzling rain in the romantic atmosphere of rain and aloeswood smell. So, it is easy to understand why famous foreign magazine has voted for Hoi An as one of the top 10 most romantic destinations and also worth for your Vietnam motorbike rides in the world.

A walk by the winter sea

Enjoying the feeling of being the only person in front of the immense sea, or sitting in a coffee shop which is located near the coastline, drinking a cup of hot tea, reading book, enjoying the cold and salty air atmosphere is one of the most interesting feeling of tourists when doing Vietnam motorcycle tours to Hoi An.

Discover the town by boat
Lying at the Thu Bon river downstream, in rainy season, many areas in Hoi An town are underwater. Hoi An look even more attractive in rain because of the luxury sadness of the old town and night rain.

In the flooding season, you can see many foreigner groups renting boats to start their adventure of visiting the old town. They can stand long in rain to take photos of green moss roof of the old houses that they can not be easy to see in the other places. Rainwater is on their faces but they all look very excited when sitting on the boat to discover all small streets. To foreigners, travel is to experience the new things.

Best time to visit Bac Son by motorbike

Bac Son fields have stunning beauty because of the splendid yellow color of ripe rice among the identical majestic mountains, and it is extremely hot destination to young people who love doing Vietnam motorcycle tours to the most beautiful places in Vietnam.

Bac Son looks the most amazing in the harvest season

Bac Son valley is located in Bac Son district, Lang Son province, about 160km from Hanoi, so it takes 4 hours for riding to this land. Most of Vietnam motorcycle tours to Bac Son will follow the rout from Hanoi to Thai Nguyen city, pass Gia Bay bridge and ride straight about 80km more to reach Bac Son town.

The road of your Vietnam motorbike rides which leading to Bac Son is very convenient to all means of transportation, even with bicycles. The road is flat and has not as many passes, slopes as the road leading to Hoang Su Phi or Mu Cang Chai…

Bac Son fields look the best in July. Rice in Bac Son has its own beauty because the fields are surrounded by limestone mountain ranges stretching almost endless. Sunrise and sunset are the best times to see the sunlight spreading on the fields and on the high mountains and create a fantastic picture of Bac Son in the harvest season.

Bac Son has an amazing small lotus lake. This kind of lotus is the same with that in the homeland of Ho Chi Minh leader. Although this year, lotus flowers in famous places as Xuan Dinh, Bac Ninh, Ninh Xa look very small and not beautiful at all, in Bac Son, the lotus flowers are very big, fresh, the lotus petals are thick and have light pink color.

If you love photography, do Vietnam motorbike tours to Bac Son in July. Up to now, the most popular place where tourists and photographers flocking to there to gain the best view of Bac Son is the viba station on Na Lay mountain.

However, this year, local people have just inaugurated a new place which is very convenient for hunting sunset and beautiful pictures: on a mountain peak which is 1,5km from Na Lay mountain. In the near future, backpacking riders doing motorbike tours in Vietnam have a plan to discover and conquer more and more wonderful mountain peaks to have better photos.

Accommodation in Bac Son is hotels and home-stay with very cheap price. Hotel and guest house is about 150,000 to 250,000vnd/room, home-stay is 70,000 per person. Backpacking riders love staying overnight in home-stay in Quynh Son cultural village.

In addition, if you want to enjoy local culture via dancing and singing, you can ask the host to organize the program. If you can not arrange time for a motorbike tour in north Vietnam to Bac Son in July, you can come here in October, the season of Tam Giac Mach flowers.

You can combine your Vietnam motorcycle trip to Bac Son with visiting Dang Mo waterfall which is 20km from the town center, where you can enjoy the cool water and contemplate the poetic beauty of mountains and forests. Riding to Bac Son, tourists should spend time on visiting hill tribe villages of the Tay, Nung, Dao and eating their special local food.

Sung La is a worth to visit in the itinerary of Vietnam motorcycle tours to Ha Giang

Believe in us that Sung La is a worth to visit in the itinerary of Vietnam motorcycle tours to Ha Giang province, Vietnam. Sung La lies on the National road No.4C which connects all towns in Ha Giang.

Riding from Yen Minh to Dong Van town, to the T-junction of Pho Bang, you can see a beautiful pass embrace an amazing green valley. It is also the highest and the most beautiful point of your Vietnam motorbike rides to contemplate the whole fantastic scenery of Sung La. Sung La is the most beautiful highland commune in Dong Van Karst Plateau.

From the high roads to look down to Sung La, you will see Sung La lies among the rugger rock mountain ranges, this land looks like a peaceful and charming natural picture with the solid houses with roofs faded because of time.

On the ground or on the upstairs, corn and soybean are dried. Doing your Vietnam motorcycle trip to Sung La, you will see many girls sitting and weaving at the loom. Although she can not speak much Vietnamese or English, she is willing to invite you a bowl of water to reduce your thirst.

The H’mong people which are very familiar to you through your Vietnam dirt bike tours in Sung La grow Tam Giac Mach flower on the high hills and grow corn and rice at the flat land of the valley bottom. The picture of Sung La is very colorful with green color of corn, violet color of Tam Giac Mach flower, yellow color of sunlight and dark green color of Samu forest.

Spring is the best season in Sung La when many kinds of flower bloom everywhere. The white color covers the whole karst plateau. The flower gardens make the cold and severe land become very lively and amazing.
The simple and friendly local people make Sung La become more attractive. The children with many colorful scarves are playing and singing near their houses, on the roads or along the fields, they are always smiling with tourists who ride Vietnam motorbike tours to this land and very happy to take pictures with them.

The beautiful and unique scenery of Sung La make it becomes the place appear in many famous films of Vietnam. A lot of tourist when doing Vietnam motorbike trip to Ha Giang spend their time to ride to Sung La to take fantastic photos because Sung La is very beautiful.

People in Ha Giang compare Sung La as an oasis because this village lies totally inside Dong Van Karst Plateau. Although life here is very hard, you still see big smiles on the H’mong girls’ faces.

Lying highly and dangerously on the mountain sides covered by cloud and fog all year round, although life here is very hard, you still see big smiles on the H’mong girls’ faces. Riding Vietnam motorcycle tours to this land, you will never forget your time in here.

Travel to Hoi An and unforgettable 15 experiences

Along Hồ Chí Minh trail, you can do Vietnam Motorcycle Tours from Hanoi to Hội An, a very famous and stunning destinations that most of foreigner wish to come when they visit Vietnam.

And here are some fantastic experiences that you should have when stopping in Hoi An for about 1 or 2 days. It is no doubt that Hoi An is a highlight in the whole motorcycle tour in Vietnam.

1. Riding bicycle to discover the ancient town: The ancient town is quite small with very special ancient style architecture; therefore, so many tourists choose bicycles as the main mean of transportation to discover Hoi An.

2. Eating roadside sweet soup:  Hoi An is famous for corn sweet soup, black bean sweet soup, green bean sweet soup, lotus seeds sweet soup... These kinds of lotus seeds sweet soups are very cheap and tasty.

3. Having breakfast in the market where selling so many local specialities: The popular dishes for breakfast here are Cao Lau, Quang noddles, Beo cake…After having breakfast, you can walk around the market to discover the kinds of vegetable and some kinds of simple cakes the local sell.

4. Enjoying the best bread in the world through your Vietnam motorbike rides: Phuong bread: Hoi An bread is very small. The main ingredient is meat. The highlight of Phuong bread is its very delicious inside: pork, fresh herbs, salad and sauce. Although you have try different kinds of breads in different destinations in the itinerary of your Vietnam Motorcycle trip, you will find Hoi An bread is the best.

5. Drinking street vendor coffee: Tourists will drink short cup of coffee. The milk coffee is usually divided into 3 different levels: milk, coffee and ice. When drinking, visitors have to stir it to have the best taste.

6. Sewing clothes in the old town: Many tourists agree that sewing service in Hoi An is very fast and beautiful. After requesting only several hours, the tailor finishes his work and you will have very beautiful clothes. Even when you can not wait, the shop will send your clothes to the address you provide.

7. Swimming at Cua Dai beach and eating fresh seafood. In addition, you can come to Cua Dai in the evening to see the shimmering sea under the oil lamps.

8. Reading books at An Bang beach, one of the most untouched beaches in Vietnam voted by CNN.

9. Taking a boat trip on Thu Bon River to contemplate gorgeous sand dunes, smell the scent of rice, and look at mountains on the both sides of the river ... Also have a dinner with friends, singing guitar on the drifting boat are also interesting.

10. Visiting Tra Que vegetable village to learn more about the characteristics of different kinds of vegetable planted here.

11. Riding Vietnam Motorbike Tours to Kim Bong carpentry village in Cam Kim commune to hear the story told by artist about their ancestors who were invited by Nguyen kings to the capital to build and renovate many buildings.

12. Walking to discover Hoi An: From 17:00 every day, all the main streets in Hoi An prohibit vehicles, only for walking people. The places that you should visit are Tran Phu str., Nguyen Thi Minh Khai str., Nguyen Thai Hoc str., Japanese bridge, Phung Hung ancient house…

13. Sitting in one of the coffee shops in your Vietnam motorcycle travel to Hoi An which have river view: In the daytime, you can look at many old houses, tourists who cycling leisurely. With the same location, in the night time, you will see a lot of lanterns, flower boats, and stream of people.

14. Dropping flowers: On the 1st and 15th days of each month, Hoi An has dropping flower festival.

15. Taking photos: The main color of this ancient town is the warm yellow color, so no matter style you choose to shoot the town, the photos are still very beautiful and soulful.

If you want to do Vietnam Motorcycle Tours in Vietnam, please add Hoi An into your itinerary.

How to spend your 2 days in Sai Gon, Vietnam

Here is a very interesting Vietnam Motorcycle trip itinerary in Sai Gon in only 48 hours:

Day 1:

Morning:
The first place to visit in the morning in your motorbike tours in Vietnam should be Ben Thanh market. You can have you breakfast here with a delicious bowel of Pho and please do not forget to order an iced coffee with condensed milk. It is very convenient to ride from Ben Thanh market to the Fine Arts museum in 97 Pho Duc Chinh str. The museum has a big collection of Sai Gon pottery, long lasting precious and rare pictures, historic arts ranging from 7th century to early 20th century…

After visiting the museum, you can ride Vietnam Motorbike Tours to Bitexco building, which is just 1km more. From the 49th floor of the building, you will have a chance to see the nice view to the big area of Sai Gon and you can take so many photos also. Then, if you feel thirsty, try to drink a cup of tea at Plantrip Cha, this tea shop has a lot of kinds of unique tea that make you feel relaxed after drinking. If you feel hungry, come to have lunch at Secret Garden restaurant (158 Pasteur, District 1), the restaurant is located on the terrace of a quiet house in an alley with so many tasty Vietnamese style dishes and countryside atmosphere.

Afternoon
After a short rest at noon, if the hotel is near Le Duan str., you can have a walk to this street to visit Saigon Notre-Dame Cathedral, Sai Gon center post office – the symbol buildings of Sai Gon. Follow the 30/4 street to reach the Independence Palace, you will have time to discover the historical building with so many interesting stories.

Evening:
When the city is lightened, riding Vietnam Motorcycle Tours during this time will be very great. You can ride to District 2 to eat grilled seafood and drink some glasses of cold beer. Sai Gon has a great night life so you do not have to worry about where to go for entertainment. Have a stop at a live music bar to listen to music, enjoy cocktail and look at the city from the eighth floor of M Bar in Majestic hotel.

Day 2

Morning
Start your morning with a breakfast at Cho Lon in District 5, one of the oldest markets in Sai Gon and it is also the largest Chinatown in Vietnam. Here sells so many products made by Chinese and Vietnamese people; therefore, it is a good place for you to buy souvenirs. Besides, you can visit Thien Hau Temple and Phuoc An Hoi Quan pagoda to learn more about Buddhist architecture and culture here.

Vietnam Motorbike trip back to District 1 to have lunch, Propaganda Bistro restaurant in Han Thuyen str. is an ideal restaurant for lunch.

Afternoon
In the second afternoon, you should spend time of your Vietnam motorbike rides on visiting War Remnants Museum in 28 Vo Van Tan in District 3 to learn more about the fascinating history of the nation. In the late afternoon, visit Saigon Zoo And Botanical Garden in Nguyen Minh Khai str. district 1.

Evening
In the evening, please do not be miss the chance to enjoy cold beer with Da Lat flavor, lemon flavor, lemon grass flavor…at Pasteur Street Brewing Company (144 Pasteur, District 1). Finally, you can spend the rest of time of your Vietnam Motorcycle Tours in fantastic bars such as The Observatory in District 1 or Cargo Bar in District 4.

5 villages you should visit when traveling to Sapa

The most special feature of Sapa is so many ethnic hill tribes living together in a small area. To Sapa, please do not miss the 5 following villages, you can go to this village by trekking or ride Vietnam Motorbike Tours to:

1. Cat Cat village

Vietnam motorbike rides distance from the center of Sapa to Cat Cat is only 2 km. It is the village of Black H’mong people where many traditional crafts such as flower planting, flax weaving and jewelry crafting are still preserved. In particular, People here still retain many unique customs that other regions do not have.

Through the looms, the Black H’mong people create many colorful brocade panels and unique patterns that simulate grass, flowers, birds ... Associated with cotton textile making stages, linen is embroidered, dyed and printed, popular technique is to dye cloths in indigo-dyed water.

2. Ta Phin village

The first stop in Ta Phin village is a monastery, a unique ancient western-style building from the late 19th century, so far it has been remained the ancient look. The monastery faces Ham Rong Mountain to the Southeast with spectacular beauty, the Mountain is located on majestic terrain with the shape of a dragon having head up to the sky.

Continue with the Vietnam Motorbike tour, you will go to the brocade club of Black H’mong and the Red Dao here. Visitors will admire the brilliant colors on traditional costumes of Hmong, Red Dao people when visiting this club.

Together with Brocade club, bath indigenous medicinal products are also being restored and developed. Currently, Ta Phin has 18 households of the Red Dao people contribute capital to establish a joint stock company specialized in manufacturing and trading of indigenous medicinal products bath. In addition, they also build the bathrooms to serve the needs of tourists.

3. Ta Van village

Riding Vietnam Motorcycle Tours along the National Road No. 4D, you will reach Ta Van village of the Day people which is 8km from Sapa town. The village provides you an insight into the life, traditional customs of the Day people. The road lead to Ta Van village is very small and narrow. On the two sides are fertile terraced rice fields with the green color of corn and young rice.

The Day people have wet rice cultivation. Besides, they even produce more farming tool and carve silver. They have both houses on stilts and earth houses. The middle room is always the most solemn place to put altar to worship their ancestors and welcome guests. Day people have fairly rich culture with tales, poetry, proverbs, riddles,...The Day costumes are simple: women wear short baggy pants to the ankle, wear canvas bag with embroidery patterns; men wear round necked blouses, pants and a scarf on their head.

4. Ho village

It is not too cold in most of time like in Ta Phin and Ta Van…the weather in Ho village is warmer. You will ride Vietnam Motorbike trip on the winding roads with one side is high Cliff and one side is a deep abyss until you see in front of  you is the yellow, brown and red color of leaves in Hoang Lien Son national park forest and amazing terraced rice fields. Ride a little bit more to pass a house built by stone on the side and a house on stilt where the local buy brocade, cake, candy and some snack…and some foreigners sitting to have a rest, you know you have reach Ho village.

Overnight in Ban Ho village, one of the stops in your Vietnam dirt bike tours, you will live in the friendly and warm atmosphere at the house of the local. In the morning, the guide will take you to the Hoang Lien National park of rich fauna and flora system, go swimming at the Lave spring and contemplate the beauty of spectacular Da Nhay waterfall.

5. Sin Chai village

Sin Chai village is in San Sa Ho commune, 4km from Sapa town, you better trek to this village from Sapa town than ride Vietnam motorcycle trip to this village. The village is not influenced by the development of tourism like others villages in Sapa. This is the village of about 1,400 Black H’mong people. Beside growing rice and corn, local people also grow cardamom on the mountain slopes to get more money.

Sin Chai is one of the 7 villages of Ta Giang Phinh. There are many old people, especially women; therefore, a lot of tourists are very curious about the secret of the longevity. Local people explain that it is because of fresh air, vegetable and water resource.

If you find this journey is so interesting, please do not hesitate to contact Adv Vietnam Motorcycle Tours to Sapa to do the great short trek to some of 5 villages.

5 Must see destinations in the Middle of Vietnam

In the past, the Middle of Vietnam is very poor and even hard to grow anything, but now, it has become so attractive destination to domestic and international tourists. Although it is not endowed as much as the North and the South of Vietnam, it still owns so many amazing places that you still want to come back to visit in your motorcycle tour in Vietnam.

Must see destinations in the Middle of Vietnam
The following five scenic spots are not only endowed with beauty of the Creator but also harbor many cultural values of Vietnam traditions within. Especially all of these destinations have been honored to be recognized by UNESCO as world cultural heritage sites.

Citadel of the Ho Dynasty (Vinh Loc district, Thanh Hoa province)
Vietnam Motorcycle Tours will start from Thanh Hoa, the origin of Bronze drum Dong Son. When you have a chance to visit Thanh Hoa province, please do not miss the Citadel of the Ho Dynasty in Vinh Loc district, about 50km from Thanh Hoa city. In the period of 1398 to 1407, UNESCO has described Citadel of the Ho Dynasty as the magnificent work of large stone art, the combination of unique traditional building in Vietnam in particular and Southeast Asia in general.

Phong Nha – Ke Bang National park (Quang Binh province) 
The complex of Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park stretches over 4 districts of Quang Binh: Quang Ninh, Bo Trach, Tuyen Hoa and Minh Hoa districts. From the center of Dong Hoi city, you just ride Vietnam Motorbike trip for about 90 minutes to get there. In addition to the value of geology, topography and geomorphology, the Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park also attracts tourists by the magnificent scenery with pristine nature formed in over millions of years.

Hue ancient capital (Thua Thien Hue province)
The Vietnam Motorbike Tours to the dreamy land of Hue would not be complete without visiting the ancient capital. It consists of three buildings to be nested as Citadel, Imperial City, and Forbidden City. This architectural complex is considered as the symbol of ancient and modern beauty of Hue. It carries within itself the intangible value when witnessing the rise and demise of the Nguyen Dynasty.

Hoi An ancient town (Quang Nam province)
Hoi An in the past was a trading center and now, it still almost intact in its buildings ancient architecture. This scenic destination is not only the most attractive tourist spot in the Middle of Vietnam but also the big pride of the local people in Quang Nam – Da Nang. It is the truly evidence of interference between ancient culture features and modern Western oriental features. .

My Son sanctuary (Quang Nam provine)
If you do not know anything about My Son sanctuary, you should book Vietnam Motorcycle Tours to this scenic beauty because this is one of the main temples centers of Hinduism in Southeast Asia and it is a unique heritage of its kind in Vietnam. Although nature is pretty much devastated the sanctuary, overall it is still quite untouched. These relics left over today reflect the level of architecture and sculpture of the Cham people in particular and Southeast Asia in general at the time was very sophisticated.

Things that you should bring when joining our motorcycle tours Vietnam

Here are some things that you should bring when joining our motorcycle tours Vietnam.

1. Bluetooth Headset

Adding a bluetooth headset to your helmet is both easy and fairly cheap. Adding the ability to have turn by turn navigation or to talk with your buddies when your gas light comes on or when you're looking for a bite to eat when you pull into town is well worth it.

2. Ear Plugs

Most of riders never like riding without ear plugs. They are ESPECIALLY nice for road trips. It's amazing how loud the inside of a helmet can be, and subjecting your ears to that for hours on end can lead to a greater level of fatigue much faster than when wearing ear plugs. Plus, if you're using a good bluetooth headset, it helps to diminsh some of the tingy sound of the cheapish speakers.

3. Second Pair of Gloves

There is NOTHING worse than soaking a pair of gloves and having a long day of riding ahead of you. Anytime you go on any kind of Vietnam motorbike tours, you should always take a second pair of gloves (usually to fit some other kind of temperature range). Your hands and neck are two of the biggest places where you can control your body temperature and having the appropriate gear for both is very important.

4. A Physical Map

Yes, please use online maps whenever you are planning motorbike tours in Vietnam. That doesn't mean that won't leave you stranded when you make a wrong turn and don't have service, which is why it's important to always bring a physical map. Their maps are designed for motorcyclists, by motorcyclists and are the best resource for the best roads for any kind of riding and they include some of the best places to stop along the way.

5. Tool Kit

Motorcycles break. It's part of life and being a motorcyclist (even if you're a journalist and spend most of your time on new bikes). Another part of motorcycling is riding for pleasure, which often includes remote and deserted roads. Combine the two and you have a wonderful recipe for sitting on the side of the road. We take a small toolkit anytime we venture away from our day to day riding, and we recommend you do the same. Ride something that isn't new? That toolkit is as necessary as your helmet.

6. Cash

Some places in the Vietnam motorbike rides don't accept credit. It's just silly not to keep a decent amount of cash on you should you need to buy something in some remote area that doesn't take card or need to bribe someone to open early, stay late, or help you out in whatever sticky situation you've gotten yourself into.

7. Battery Pack

If you're reading this and under 30, you probably feel the need to Instagram/Tweet/Facebook every single part of your trip. If you're over 30....I don't know, we're all too immature to act like real adults but I'm sure you have to check in with someone to let them know you're ok or heading home or something. Either way, having your cell phone or bluetooth headset die mid trip is a bummer when you get into a new town.

8. Headlamp

Well sometimes those things happen at night. Make sure you have some spare batteries as well.

9. Another things that you find them necessary

A towel, bandana, good book, sense of adventure, rain gear, fishing pole, visor cleaner, a support truck with a spare bike, a hat to hide your helmet hair, a fake mustache, and whiskey (for after you've finished the day's ride obviously)…

Bring them from your country when joining our Vietnam Motorcycle Tours for they are better in quality than you get them from Vietnam

Today, we will introduce you about the funeral of the Red Dao

One of the main reason for customers who want to book our Vietnam motorbike tours is that they want to learn more about the traditional customs and habits of the local people in the North of Vietnam to have the best adventure.

After hard day Vietnam motorcycle tours, they always spend their days on walking around to see more and learn more about the ethnic hill tribes. Sapa attracts visitors a lot for it has a beautiful scenery and friendly people. And you will find many Red Dao women who come to center town for working and selling things.

Today, we will introduce you about the funeral of the Red Dao, and you will learn more during your Vietnam motorbike rides:

In every funeral, there is always a man who called thay tao playing an important role in the funeral. Any family has a death, the family members of the death will invite him to supervise the rituals and fine a piece of land for the grave. The deceased will be wrapped in a mat and placed in the coffin inside the house. Then it is carried by strong men to the grave which built of earth and lined with stones. In many different places where the Read Dao live, the dead body is cremated if the deceased is older than 12 years old of age. Funeral rituals will be celebrated to ensure that the deceased rests in peace. It will be taken in many years after the burial. The ceremony usually coincides with initiation rites for a Dao man of the family. Each celebration will be lasted for at least three days. The first day is to liberate the spirit of the deceased (which like the death will break from jail. The second day is to worship deceased in his/her house.

The last day is for the man’s initiation rite take. It is so special and so different from other hill tribes is that the man has to sit on a throne at the highest place in the village until he falls into hammocks hanging below him. This represents him falling down from the sky to be born on earth, another symbol of the Dao belief that they are the direct descendents of God.

For more details, join our motorcycle tours Vietnam and you can asked directly about the Red Dao funeral procedure.

Long Tong festival

By joining one of our Vietnam motorcycle tours, you will be a part of helping maintain the Vietnam’s Nature and Traditional Villages. It’s a great participation of cultural exchange and an insight view on Vietnam lifestyle.

Today, we would like to introduce you one of the biggest and most important events of Lang Son, Lao Cai, Cao Bang, Tuyen Quang..., the provinces in our Vietnam motorbike rides. It is Long Tong festival held annually on the 4th day of the year (according to Lunar Calendar).

Although the festival has different names in different places in these provinces, it has the same procedures and parts: worshiping the God of agriculture, traditional games, folksong singing contests, etc. Most of local people here live on agriculture so this festival is mostly to thank for the God of agriculture. the God of agriculture is the one who looks after the fields, gardens. He can conjure up the wind, the rain to make a bountiful harvest and give the villagers a peaceful year.

First, Pu Mo, the head of the festival worships the gods and the kings in the main temple of the village. After that, he leads the people of the village to the paddy fields to worship the God of agriculture. Here, people prepare many gifts such as fresh fruits, wine, boiled chicken, and other traditional dishes to send to the God and pray for the good crops.

After the worshiping, local people gather to enjoy the food and after that it is the time for traditional games. Occasionally, people even invite the Lion dance team from adjoining villages to take part in a contest. They believe that if a lion comes in the spring, good luck and wealth would come to the whole family during the whole year

Joining our Vietnam motorbike tours in the time of the festival to learn more about the tradition and culture of the local people in the North of Vietnam.

Vietnam is a just small country in the Southeast Asia but owns a lot of World Heritage Sites

All our customers for Vietnam Motorbike Tours agree that Vietnam is a beautiful lush country offering a rich variety of historical sites, sounds, cultural traditions and friendly people for its visitors. From the French Colonial architecture to the intriguing scent of the Perfume River, from to the hustle and bustle of the markets in Saigon to the war memorials, Vietnam has much to be discovered especially with Vietnam motorbike rides. As you know, Vietnam is a just small country in the Southeast Asia but owns a lot of World Heritage Sites. Vietnam is a country of tourism. From the North to the South, any province has its own advantages to attract visitors.

Today, we would like to introduce you the list of World Heritage Sites from the North to the South of Vietnam as follows:

1.    Dong Van Karst Plateau Geo-park.
2.    Buddhist Sutra Woodblocks of Truc Lam Zen
3.    Xoan singing
4.    Worship of Hung King.
5.    Quan ho Bac Ninh folk songs.
6.    Ha Long bay
7.    Trang An landscape complex.
8.    Central Sector of the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long – Hanoi.
9.    Stone stele records of royal examinations of the Le and Mac Dynasties.
10.    Giong Festival at Phu Dong and Soc temples.
11.    Ca tru singing.
12.    Imperial Records of Nguyen Dynasty.
13.    Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park.
14.    Complex of Hue Monuments.
15.    Nha Nhac, Vietnamese Court music.
16.    Hoi An Ancient Town.
17.    Mỹ Son Sanctuary.

18.    The Space of Gong Culture in Central Highlands.
19.    Woodblocks of Nguyen Dynasty.
20.    Don Ca Tai Tu.

Please come and join the adventure with us for one of the most Vietnam motorcycle tours in your life. Sure, with our beautiful landscapes especially of the World Heritage Sites, you will have a good deep impression of our country.

Kinds of flowers that used to decorate Vietnamese houses in the occasion of Tet holiday

Our customers booking Vietnam motorbike tours were so surprised with the beauty of our country, especially, flowers everywhere. Today, we would like to introduce you 2 kinds of flowers that used to decorate Vietnamese houses in the occasion of Tet holiday.

Peach Blossoms in the North of Vietnam:

Symbolic of the Lunar New Year that you can easy to see in your Vietnam motorcycle travel, peach blossoms are an essential part of the Vietnamese folklore and heritage. The peach flower plant grows only in North Vietnam. It is the special flower of the Vietnamese New Year because of its red colour, which is believed to bring many favourable opportunities throughout the year. The other main reason is the characteristics of the plants because they grow well in cold weather. Northern people say that peach flowers blossom in spring – during Tet holidays while most other flowers still stay silent, symbolizing the strong vitality and a brave heart.

You can visit Nhat Tan (Hanoi) where the delicate art of growing the trees is passed from generation to generation.

Apricot Blossoms in the South of Vietnam

if one does not have Apricot blossoms in the household during the Lunar New Year celebrations then that means they have not really prepared for Tet. The golden yellow of the flower means the noble roots of Vietnamese (folktales said that the ancestors of Vietnamese is a couple of dragon and fairy). In addition, the high rate of blossom of the flower in Tet holidays also symbolizes the wealth and passionate love among people. Although apricot blossom are planted mostly in the southland, now you can easily buy one in Hanoi when doing Vietnam motorbike rides in this city. Apricot blossom is more commonly used for this ceremony in the South because of the warm weather. The value of these flowers is determined by the number of petals - the more petals, the more expensive the flower.

Lunar New Year or Tet is a fete of the family, and the time for family members to gather at home to enjoy warm atmosphere. Enjoy this wonderful time with us when traveling Vietnam motorcycle tours.

Pieu scarf of the Thai women is a specialty of their costume

Vietnam Motorbike Tours with us to the North of Vietnam, you can sometimes meet some Thai people on the way.  Every ethnic group of Vietnam has its own cultural identity which presents via daily activities, customs, especially costumes. To Thai people, the identity is known for the traditional scarf Pieu. Pieu scarf of the Thai women is a specialty of their costume.

It takes about two or four weeks to complete a scarf Pieu because Thai girls only embroider it when they have free time. Therefore, if you want to buy the scarf when doing Vietnam motorbike rides up North, you have to pay more money for it than to buy the other popular scarves. The basic material is cotton thread. Every step of the process of making pieu scarf is done by hand, from spinning and dying to weaving and embroidery. Since early childhood, these women have been taught how to weave brocade. A Pieu scarf is also a mark of skill. Most Thai ethnic girls at 15-16 years old have to embroider their own Pieu scarves to prepare for future marriage because the Pieu scarf is a gift the bride must give to her groom’s family, so the Khan Pieu is like a connector of Thai boys and girls. Perhaps in the thought of Thai people, a beautiful scarf Pieu is the standard to evaluate the quality of Thai women; hence, from young children to the elderly, they all may embroider impressive Pieu scarves.

Using yarn to make the decoration patterns, each has their own style depending on their view of the world as well as their characteristic. When Thai girls embroider their scarf, they often copy other designs, make their own changes, or create completely new designs according to their creativity. Simple designs are worn for everyday working and doing the chores, while more elaborate versions are worn for festivals that mark the defining stages of life. The scarf’s patterns feature animals such as deer, butterfly, bird, elephant or tiger, the moon, and trees such as fern. These same patterns are also seen on the hems of Thai costumes. The colors and unique patterns are cleverly combined. It is the blue of the mountains, sunshine yellow, white and pink rice cultivation of fragrant flowers. With rich color in each pattern, scarf pieu be regarded as gods protect the soul every Thai woman.

Besides conquering new routs of motorbike tours Vietnam, our customers also want to buy souvenirs for their family and friends, scarves Pieu is considered as a good choice.

Learning a lot of traditional customs and habits of the local people is the main reason that makes our Vietnam motorcycle tours become so amazing.

Best places to visit in North Vietnam

To be up North of Vietnam for motorbike tours Vietnam, there are many places you should visit for one of the best Vietnam motorcycle tours. Much of the region is wild and inaccessible, yet it contains some of Vietnam’s most awe-inspiring scenery, sparsely populated by a fascinating mosaic of ethnic minorities.

And here are some suggestions:

1. Hanoi: The capital of Vietnam, it was the Citadel of many dynasties and until now there are several architectural built by these dynasties still stalked as the proud of Vietnam. To Hanoi, you should visit The Temple of literature; Hochiminh mausoleum; Ethnographic and women’s museum; Hoan Kiem (sword return) lake; The old quarter; Long Bien Bridge and enjoy street food.

2. Sapa: a small town inside the rolling hills with cool weather all year around and very breathtaking views, a highlight of any Vietnam dirt bike tours. To Sapa, you should visit Ham Rong mountain; Bac Ha Market; Cat Cat village; Silver waterfall; Sapa church and learn more about the real daily life of Zao, H’mong, Tay’s ethnic, you also can blend with the local by experience the ethnics homestay.

3. Moc Chau: About 190 km from Hanoi to the northwest in the direction of Highway 6. To Moc Chau, you should visit vast forest of peach, plum; Tan Lap commune and Ban On have many wild sunflowers fields and poinsettias fields; green tea hills and yellow wild sunflowers blooming spread the hillside.

4. Ha Long bay: The seven wonder of the world is just 170km from Hanoi. Ha Long bay is an essential visit for anyone coming to have Vietnam motorbike rides. You can do kayaking; visit fishing village; discovery the caves. The highlight caves that you must to visit are: the Grotto of the Wooden Stakes (Hang Dau Go), Grotto of the Heavenly palace (Dong Thien Cung), Starling cave (Hang Sung Sot; wake up early in the morning and enjoy the dawn with sun slowly rise from the deck.

With more than 10 year experience in organizing Vietnam motorbike tours, we are so confidential to help you to discover the real Vietnam.

Fire dancing festival is usually held during leisure after harvest time

Have you ever been in Ha Giang? If not, do not miss it to gain the unforgettable adventure.

Ha Giang always welcome our customers of Vietnam motorbike tours with friendly people and amazing festivals. In which, fire dancing festival is usually held during leisure after harvest time, from 16/10 of previous year (Lunar calendar) to 15/1 of following year (Lunar calendar).

Vietnam has about 5,000 Pa Then people, living mainly in Tuyen Quang and Ha Giang provinces, you will visit the 2 province if booking Vietnam motorbike rides to the Northeast of Vietnam. Fire dancing is one of the most thrilling traditional arts performed by young men in the northern province of Ha Giang. This festival is held by Pa Then people to own thanksgiving sky and land, spirit of good fresh bumper crop and hope to have a following warm, thankfully dispelled the rigors of highland weather.

Before the performance, the young boys must, together with their trainer, prepare an offering to the ‘Fire God’ and the ‘Water God’ and worship for 2-4 hours. The offerings usually include a small incense burner, a boiled chicken, 10 cups of rice wine and wood,  an iron herb, a bowl of rice, and bamboo paper (which is special used for sacrifice). A heap of fire of 4m3 to 5m3 width is set, and the ritual starts and lasts from 1 to 2 hours before the festival starts. When the fire broke out on the yard light oracles would sit on the couch performed the song skyward to find “ghost” of the participants into the fire jump.

With respect to Pa Then people, Fire God is their supreme god bringing them luck. Fire dancing is descended to the next generations to dispel fearsomeness, and only strong men can jump into the fire. It involves the brave men dancing barefoot on a fire. To perform this dance, the young boys must follow a strict training program which involves mysterious methods provided by a skilled elderly magician.  The festival is considered spiritual cultural activity proving extraordinary power of human against danger; dispel evil spirits, disease and celebrating harvest, worshiping the gods for good health and prosperity.

Besides fire dancing festival, Ha Giang has many other unique festivals. Motorbike tours Vietnam to Ha Giang will bring you much joyful time and experience. So please contact us to book Vietnam motorcycle tours as soon as you arrange the time.

The best time to witness the scenic beauty of Sapa is in April and May

Sapa is always one of the most attractive destinations especially with riders who want to discover Vietnam by joining Vietnam Motorcycle Tours. Sapa is a precious gift that Mother Nature dedicates to Vietnam.

Sa Pa District is located in Lao Cai Province, north-west Vietnam, and 350 km north-west of Hanoi. It is considered as the fanciful town in fog. At the height of 1,600m above sea level, the average temperature of the area is 15-18°C. It is cool in summer and cold in winter.

The best time for motorbike tour in North Vietnam to witness the scenic beauty of Sapa is in April and May. In April and May, Sapa is blooming with flowers and green pastures. The clouds that settle in the valley in early morning quickly disappear into thin air. Sapa is regarded as the kingdom of orchids.

There is nowhere in Vietnam can tourists easily meet the local ethnic minorities like in Sapa. Riding with us for motorcycle tours Vietnam, you will find that totally true. Visitors to Sapa will have opportunities to discover the unique customs of the local residents. The district is the home of a great diversity of ethnic people, including five main groups of Hmong, Yao, Tay, Zay and Xa Pho. Town of Sapa is where ethnic minority people gather, trade or sell their farming products. Spending time visiting ethnic minorities’ villages, observing their daily’s activities or even living homestay, in order to understand more about their culture is now the top priority of visitors.

Besides Vietnam motorbike tours, the town is also the starting point for many mountain climbers and scientists who would like to discover the Fansipan Mount, the highest mountain in Vietnam with 3,143 m height. On approaching the town, the very first thing tourists may find is the detached wooden mansions and villas perched on top or side of the hills, behind thick pine forests, hided by fog in the morning.

For more information, please contact us via email: dirtbiketravel@gmail.com. With at least 4 days of Vietnam motorbike rides, you can have a chance to visit this wonderful town.

About weather in Vietnam

Successful motorbike tours Vietnam depend much on weather. If you are planning to join Vietnam motorbike tours, please be well-noted about the weather. Vietnam has a tropical monsoon climate.  From Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh is some 1600km, as a result the weather in Vietnam varies according to distinct climate zones.

In the North of Vietnam, winter between November and April is cool, damp. The average temperature is about 20°C but can fall to 6°C or 7°C at night. January and February are the coldest months. There are significant amounts of fog at that time. The summer months from May to October are hot and dry. The wettest months are July and August. A pleasant time to visit is spring (March-April) or autumn (October-December). Generally speaking, destinations in the north such as Hanoi and Sapa are great in October, November and December because of little rain and clear skies and temperate conditions.

The Central Part of Vietnam receives dry and hot Southwest wind which makes it strenuous for any brisk walk during the day of your Vietnam dirt bike tours. This region experiences rainy season in summer and it is usually quite dry from May to October and wet from December to February. Because of the limited land area, central Vietnam is also most susceptible to natural disasters such as hurricane or flooding. There is the possibility of typhoons between July and November. December to March is a good time to visit the Central Highlands when conditions are usually dry and cool.

The South of Vietnam is typically hot all year round with two main seasons: rainy and dry and it is always in hot, humid conditions. The wet season is from May to November with June to August registering the highest rainfall figures. During the rainy/monsoon season (from May to November), downpours are expected to happen nearly every afternoon.  December to April tends to be very dry. December to April is the best time for Vietnam motorbike rides to visit the south of Vietnam.

Vietnam’s climate is not just steamy hot as what you are frequently exposed to on movies. All year round here, there is always a perfect place where it is pleasant to stay. So, please contact us for depending on your time, we will design the best Vietnam motorcycle tours to the best places ever.

Terraced rice fields in Sa Pa

Riding Vietnam Motorbike Tours to Sapa, tourists will see many impressive terraced rice fields. Sa Pa is a town in northwest Vietnam not far from the Chinese border. The rice terrace fields, among the most popular tourist attractions in Vietnam, can be found in the Muong Hoa valley and stretch towards the Hoàng Liên National Park and were voted as one of seven most beautiful and impressive ones of Asia and the world by readers of the US’s magazine Travel and Leisure.

Local mountain people, the Hmong, Dao, Tay, and Giay, grow rice and corn on these paddy terraces, along with vegetables. The fields are bright green in hot and rainy summer. They are being harvested in autumn. Because of the climate, only one rice crop a year can be produced, resulting in abundant malnutrition.

Rice terraces are slopes claimed from nature for cultivation in hilly or mountainous areas. Due to the steep feature, fertile soil thanks to it was created by weathered granite rock and mountain cliffs often stock water, local ethnic minority people can grow rice and establish terraced rice fields, one after another, from the foot to nearly top of mountains. If you want to catch up many beautiful photos during your motorbike tours in Vietnam, please come here.

In  April and May when the local people water their fields at full to prepare for a new crop, the surface of terraced fields shines like a mirror reflecting the contrast of the reddish brown of soil, the deep blue of the sky . In June and July, the terraced rice fields with fully-grown paddy rice spread the green out to the entire area, from the foot to top of mountains, the fields at that time look like a hand-made creation of uniqueness which cannot be found anywhere else. In September and October when autumn ends, rice in all terraced fields is ripe, giving the gold colour, it is the fantastic time for Vietnam motorbike rides.

Striking terraced rice fields coupled with distinctive cultural practices of local ethnic minority groups have created the uniqueness of the northern mountainous area.

It is so attractive when you see the terraced rice fields through pictures; however, in fact, they are even more beautiful than your expectation. So, please visit Sapa by joining our Vietnam motorcycle tours.

Famous museums in Hanoi, Vietnam

If you arrive in Hanoi about one or two days before the Vietnam motorbike tours start, you should spend your time on learning more about Hanoi by visiting some of the most famous museums. The capital is home to Vietnam’s best museums which worth to visit during your Vietnam motorbike rides in Hanoi.

And here is the list of all museums in Hanoi, depend on your interest, you can choose some of them:

Army Museum: Item descriptions on museum exhibits are in Vietnamese, French and English. On display outside are the ubiquitous MiG-21 jet fighter, T-54 tank and many bombs and articles captured on Indochina and Vietnam wars. This museum covers it on four buildings with interesting pieces that extends back some two millenniums.
Open time: 08:00-11:30/13:00-16:30. Closed on Monday & Friday
28A Dien Bien Phu st, Admission fee 30,000 VND (Camera using fee: 20,000 VND)

Fine Art Museum: The museum displays wonderful pictures of soldiers on boats depicted on prehistoric bronze drums, Buddhist art, and revolutionary art of the 20th century wars, also some interesting silk paintings.
Open time: 08:30- 17:00, all days of the week
66 Nguyen Thai Hoc st, Admission fee 20,000 VND

History Museum: It is housed in a colonial French building which was completed in 1932 and it was designed by the architect Ernest Hébrard. This is a collection from Vietnamese history from about 1000 years back until 1945.
Open time: 08:00-12:00/13:30-16:30. Closed on Monday of the first week of month)
1 Trang Tien st, Admission fee 20,000 VND

Museum of Ethnology: The museum displays the culture and ritual practices of the various ethnic groups in the whole of Vietnam - one of the key attractions of the museum is the open-air exhibition, which has houses of some ethnic groups. The museum is listed in the top places to see to our customers of motorbike tours in Vietnam.
08:30 – 17:30 Closed on Monday and Lunar New Year Festival
Nguyen Van Huyen st, Admission fee 25,000 VND

Museum of Vietnamese Revolution: This museum gives a very informed and detailed account of the Vietnamese struggle against the French (starting in 1858 -- on the first floor), the Americans (on the ground floor - ending on 30 April 1975) 
Open time: 08:00-11:30/13:00-16:00. Closed on Monday
25 Tong Dan st, Admission 15,000 VND

Vietnam Women Museum: The museum was reopened in 2010 after a period of 4 years of renovations. The museum has three main galleries and these present three main themes: Women in Family, Women in History and Women’s Fashion.
08:00 – 17:00  Open all days of week
36 Ly Thuong Kiet st, Admission fee 20,000 VND

Now, do not waste your time more, you can plan yourself to visit these museum before or after our Vietnam motorcycle tours.