HO CHI MINH TRAIL BY MOTORBIKE - 11 DAYS 10 NIGHTS

Welcome to Hanoi – the capital of Vietnam! 

Upon arrival at Noi Bai International airport terminal 2, please follow the signs to immigration and passport control, collect your luggage and proceed through customs. Your private tour guide and driver will be waiting for you in the arrivals hall with an Active Asia Travel welcome sign with your name on (** Please note: this is the standard sign board all your tour guides will have for meet and greet at airports and rail stations on your trip).

Transfer by private vehicle to your hotel. 
 
Please note that standard hotel check-in time is from 14:00; we will make every effort possible to request an earlier check-in for you depending on your arrival time and if your room is ready. Your tour guide will provide additional details regarding your stay, and answer any questions you may have. 

Meals at your own expense and arrangement.

Overnight in Hanoi.
 

After breakfast, your tour guide will pick you up at your hotel. Then go to pick up your motorbike; have a full safety briefing about the tour in a nearby cafe.

Start our motorbike tour with a ride around Hanoi’s Old Quarter and Hoan Kiem Lake. Take a number of short photo stops and learn about the history of the area.

Ride around the city, outside the Old Quarter area, where fewer tourists visit, past some of the majestic, historical buildings including Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. Motorbikes are not allowed in the area in front of the mausoleum so your guide will take you on a foot.

Continue riding around West Lake (Ho Tay), passing a mixture of old, modern and high-end buildings. Stop for photos.  

Lunch at a local restaurant.

In the afternoon, cross Hanoi’s iconic Long Bien Bridge to Gia Lam district over the Red River and on to Bat Trang Pottery Village.

After visiting the village (one of Hanoi’s most famous craft villages), return to your hotel. 

Rest of the day and evening at your leisure.

Overnight in Hanoi.
 

Driving distance from Hanoi to Ninh Binh: 95 kilometers 

07:30. Check-out of the hotel after breakfast, meet your guide at the hotel to begin your motorbike trip to Ninh Binh Province located to the south of the Northern Delta, between the Red and Ma rivers.

Upon arrival in Ninh Binh, the first stop is to Hoa Lu, the former capital of the ancient Vietnamese Kingdom called Dai Co Viet in the 10th century. Hoa Lu was the capital for 41 years before King Ly Thai To moved it to Thang Long (now Ha Noi) in 1010. Since then it has been regarded as an ancient capital home to a number of ancient temples and relic sites of Vietnam.

Lunch at a local restaurant.    
 
13:00. In the afternoon, visit Tam Coc - Three caves - known as Halong Bay on land. Embark on a two-hour boat ride along the Ngo Dong River, rowed by local women. Begin at Van Lam village, meandering through a scenic landscape dominated by rice fields and karst towers. The route includes floating through Tam Coc’s three natural grottos (Hang Ca, Hang Hai, and Hang Ba), the largest of which is 125 m long with its ceiling about 2 m high above the water. 

Return to the dock and travel to nearby Bich Dong Pagoda - (pagoda of the Emerald Grotto). This is a cave pagoda dating from the 15th century and the site of 3 main pagodas - Chua Ha, Chua Trung and Chua Thuong. Start walking across a stone bridge and then up the stone steps of the mountain passing through the dark cave, after which you will find yourself on top of the mountains with panoramic views of the surrounding area below. 

Hop back on your motorbike and ride to your hotel in Ninh Binh.

Check-in. Rest of the day and evening at your leisure.

Overnight in Ninh Binh.
 

Driving distance from Ninh Binh to Vinh: 202 kilometers 

08:00. After breakfast check-out of your hotel and head south by motorbike along the route that follows the banks of the Ma River. After some hours riding on undulating quiet roads we join the new Ho Chi Minh Highway. This leads due south, through remote country back areas, not far from the Laos border. 

A local lunch on the way. 

In the afternoon cut eastward towards the coast, arriving in the peaceful city of Vinh, capital of Nghe An Province, close to where Ho Chi Minh was born. 

Check-in to your hotel. Rest of the day and evening and your leisure.

Overnight in Vinh.
 

Driving distance from Vinh to Dong Hoi: 201 kilometers 

08:00. Check-out  of the hotel after breakfast and head to the Ho Chi Minh Highway via Thanh Chuong District, Nghe An Province to Dong Hoi town in Quang Binh Province. Cross the Lam River over the Ro Bridge and drive mainly on the new highway. 

Lunch in the small town of Pho Chau in Huong Son District, Ha Tinh Province.

In the afternoon, continue by motorbike all the way to Phong Nha–Ke Bang which is home to the largest and  most beautiful cave in Vietnam and Indochina –  now a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site.

Continue on to Dong Hoi town and check-in to your hotel. Rest of the day at your leisure.

Overnight in Dong Hoi.
 

08:00. After breakfast, take a short ride to the Son River for a boat trip to the national park famed for caves at Phong Nha-Ke Bang, one of the UNESCO-designated World Heritage Sites in Vietnam. We will explore two famous caves:

Phong Nha cave: from which the name of the whole system and park originates, is famous for its rock formations which have been given names such as the "Lion", the "Fairy Caves", the "Royal Court", and the "Buddha".

Tien Son cave: was discovered by a local inhabitant by accident in 1935.  The mouth of Tien Son cave is 1 km from Phong Nha cave, at an altitude of 200 m. A 10 m deep hole is 400 m from the entry mouth, then a 500 m long underground cave, dangerous for tourists - accessible only to professional expeditionists and cavers. Like Phong Nha cave, Tien Son features spectacular stalactites and stalagmites shaped in fairy-tale configurations.

Climb down the mountain and have lunch at a local restaurant.

In the afternoon, ride back to your hotel. Rest of the afternoon and evening at your leisure.

Overnight in Dong Hoi.
 

Riding distance from Dong Hoi to Quang Tri: 200 kilometers 

After breakfast check-out of your hotel. This morning, we ride along highway 1 to Quang Tri town. On the way, stop at the Ben Hai River, the natural demarcation line which separated North and South Vietnam following the Geneva Accords, for more than 20 years. Walk across the river along Freedom Bridge (also known as Hien Luong Bridge).

Next we visit the Vinh Moc tunnels, an amazing achievement of human toil and engineering. The tunnels were built between 1965 and 1966 -  dirt was dispersed under cover of night to avoid detection by the enemy. But the Americans figured out where it was, and it is estimated that 7 tons worth of bombs per person living in the tunnels were dropped on the area. There's a small informative museum which gives a good overview of the history before entering the tunnels. The tunnels have not been altered or modernized, so what you will see will be the real thing. 

Lunch at a local restaurant before continue riding along the Ho Chi Minh Trail via Dong Ha town. Stop at Dong Ha market, one of the busiest in the central region. 

Later on, ride directly to Hue; en route, your guide will stop by to show you more war relics before reaching the city. 

Arrive at your hotel and check-in. Evening at your leisure.

Overnight in Hue.
 

08:00. After breakfast meet your local guide and begin the day’s motoribike adventure visiting the Citadel and Imperial City of  Hue. Then continue riding along the banks of the Perfume Rriver to Thien Mu Pagoda,  situated on Ha Khe hill, on the left bank of the Perfume River, Huong Long village, 5 km from Hue city center. It was built in 1601 and Lord Nguyen Phuc Tan had it renovated in 1665.

After the pagoda, we ride our motorbikes to the area of the Nguyen Dynasty kings’ royal tombs - visiting the tomb of Tu Duc or Khai Dinh. 

Return back to the hotel.

Rest of the afternoon and evening at your leisure.

Overnight in Hue.
 

Driving distance from Hue to Hoi An: 150 kilometers

After breakfast check-out of your hotel. Commence the day riding along the coastal route via Hai Van Pass, one of Vietnam’s most spectacular mountain passes with views over Lang Co beach and the ocean. 

After a refreshment stop continue on to Danang. Upon arrival, have lunch at a local restaurant.

From there continue riding to the UNESCO heritage town of Hoi An, an exceptional example of a well-preserved South-East Asian trading port dating from the 15th-19th centuries. The buildings and street layout reflect indigenous and foreign influences combined to produce this unique heritage ancient town.

Arrive at your hotel. Check-in your hotel. Evening at your leisure.

Overnight in Hoi An.
 

08:00. After breakfast travel by motobike to board a local bike ferry and head to Cam Kim island fishing port, stopping at a traditional boat builder’s yard before setting off to explore the island’s villages. Zig-zag through breathtaking scenery of rice paddies and farmland, stopping along the way to learn from friendly local families about the art of mat weaving, farming and how to make (and eat) the perfect banh xeo (rice pancake).

Ride to a small village, stop at a local café to fuel up on local drip-coffee, gear up for an adrenalin-pumping drive over a 300 m long bamboo bridge river crossing to Duy Hai market and harbor.  

Here, the local ferry crossing leads to water coconut palm fringed Cam Thanh and beyond to Tra Que Fishing Village for a fish cracker stop, before our final destination, a local house for lunch.

Return to your hotel.

The afternoon is spent on a 2-hour walking tour through Hoi An ancient town’s narrow winding streets, visiting Tan Ky house, the 400-year old Japanese Covered Bridge, the Assembly Hall of the Chaozhou Chinese Congregation and various markets.

Continue to the home of a local lantern maker. The lantern is an iconic symbol of Hoi An. The lantern maker will give a brief introduction to the history, shapes, and colors of lanterns as well as the stages involved in lantern making. A demonstration how to decorate and make your own lantern for  you to keep.

Return to the hotel. Evening at your leisure.

Overnight in Hoi An.
 

Breakfast at the hotel. 

11:00. Check-out of your hotel. 

Free time until your tour guide and vehicle arrive to take you to Da Nang airport (the nearest airport to Hoi An) for your departure flight. 

End of services.
 

Yes. A single supplement is available with a surcharge fee. If you're a solo traveller, please contact us for more information. 

Yes, all visitors to Vietnam must be covered by a minimum of travel medical insurance with a liability of US$10,000 or more for COVID-19 treatment. A more robust travel insurance policy for a trip to Vietnam is optional, but highly recommended due to the unpredictable nature of international travel.

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Yes. Travel Health Insurance covering Covid-19 is mandatory. To enter Vietnam, you must show evidence of health or travel insurance that covers COVID-related medical care up to a minimum of US$10,000 for the duration of your visit. Failure to produce this may result in being refused entry to the country.

The price of Vietnam travel protection can vary depending on the age, health status, and number of travelers being covered, as well as the duration of the trip and type of coverage.
As risk involved with the trip increases, prices may also increase. For example, a trip to Vietnam that lasts one week may cost less than a two-week trip, even if the type of coverage is the same, due to the extended length of the trip. Additionally, a traveler with pre-existing health conditions can usually expect to pay higher rates than a traveler who does not have any diagnosed pre-existing conditions.