MotorbikeTourExpert.com – 9-Day Northwest Vietnam Loop
(Hanoi → Mai Chau → Phu Yen → Mu Cang Chai → Sapa → Bac Ha → Na Hang → Cao Bang → Cao Bang Loop → Ba Be Lake → Hanoi)
We literally woke inside of a cloud. Pu Luong’s mist hung so low, karst peaks poking through like quiet giants, rice terraces already harvested and golden in the haze.
The air was now cool and damp, a light drizzle tapping my visor. I wiped it clear with a gloved finger—again and again. This was our world now. All ten of us mostly from California except for one Brit.
If someone had said we’d ride through a river this afternoon, I’d have laughed. But there we were. Kim, our guide, worked one section of the drop while the other two guides stacked rocks to ease the drop from a ledge further down. Without it, we’d have to turn back. Success as each rider and motorbike, a Honda CRF 300 dropped down to the river and continued
The roads were perfect for twisties as the Hondas leaned hard uphill, tires gripping slick red mud. Yesterday’s clay still clung to boots and pants, but today the trails stayed just slippery enough to keep us awake. Downhills were another story—gravity pulled, brakes earned their keep. Experienced riders only. There’s no half way either you can or you can’t.
Chaos came at us in waves: rain, mud, fog, organized chaos at every level, villagers bent under firewood, scooters loaded with ducks in cages, a mother with two kids—one in a teddy-bear helmet—appearing from the mist. I smiled behind my visor. Hard not to.
Nothing beat yesterday’s 65° mud slog, though. Noon brought real tables. Pho or fried rice. Some ordered both. Kim raised an eyebrow: “Coffee?” Six hands went up. Ten minutes later: salted coffee—thick, sweet, briny. A jolt that reset the brain.
After lunch, the road wound through banana groves, then teak plantations across the Moc Chau Plateau. Then Kim turned sharp left—down a rocky scar to a riverbed.
Water was low, boulders like broken teeth. We formed a chain, four riders per bike, muscling them down a drop that looked impossible. Earlier, I’d have bet against it. Teamwork made it look easy.
Then: riverbed rally. Tires kicked sand, water arcing behind. We stopped mid-stream, engines ticking, sky clearing to pale blue. Kids on the banks went wild—“Xin chào!” High-fives all around. Villages erupted as we rolled through, muddy and grinning. Smiles don’t need translation.
Traffic was its own language. Trucks passed on blind curves like they owned the road. Buses claimed the centerline, horns blaring. Scooters wove with impossible loads. Chickens scattered. Ducks waddled. Dogs slept in the middle. We saw cattle, water buffalo, goats, even a toddler wandering alone. And yes—a pig, wooden yoke around its neck, trotting toward freedom.
Final push: more twisties, more hamlets, then a plunge into a rice-paddy maze. We balanced on narrow berms, tires inches from a muddy dip, praying for grip. Emerge on the other side? A gleaming hotel rising from the fields like it didn’t belong.
We rolled into the underground garage, bikes caked, faces split with grins. A charity gala spilled out—sequins, tuxedos, wide eyes at the muddy invaders. The women swarmed for selfies. We posed, clueless, flattered. No words needed—just laughter and flashes.
Cold beers waited. Boots still dripping yesterday’s mud. Dinner at 7:00 PM—stories louder than engines.
Day Two of Nine. Pu Luong behind us. Moc Chau’s tea hills. Check! Phu Yen’s markets beyond.
MotorbikeTourExpert.com didn’t just give us a route. They handed us Vietnam’s quiet pulse. Today it’s Sapa. The highest point in all of Indochina.
Happiness is a choice—and it asks for sweat, balance, and a little dirt.
The world is wide. A lifetime is short. Ride it while you still can.
Start of Day Three: Moc Chau – Cloudy Skies and Drying Boots
The morning once again looked cloudy, 50% chance of rain. Joe’s my roommate. Our boots are still drying from yesterday—lined up under the hotel AC like soldiers after a battle. Room 713, seventh floor of a nine-story modern building.
Outside: a soccer field, pickle ball courts, then nothing but rice paddies stretching to the hills. The city’s creeping in—new buildings, electric cars humming past. Six charging stations out front. This place feels prosperous.
Dinner last night was… odd. A menu with 100 items, but only odd numbers available. Some kind of leek with mushrooms. A mashed egg dish that looked suspicious. Egg rolls—we knew those. Rice—we knew that. Sauces came in tubes. One said “wasabi.” Bill squeezed a dollop, took a bite, and his eyes watered for ten minutes.
I’m starting to see the rhythm. Wake up. Get dressed. Walk out for breakfast—never at the hotel. Back to pack. The truck grabs bags. Bikes are ready. Guides lube the chain, check oil. Kim says “Let’s go.” We roll out.
Highway first. Then twisties. Coffee break—today it was coconut coffee, on day one it was salty coffee. My favorite. Villages blur by. No stop signs. Just flow. Speed bumps? Rare. Livestock, trucks, scooters, kids—everyone shares the road.
Lunch. Mount up. More road. Kim throws a detour: up a mountain, through paddies, into the clouds. Visibility drops. You follow the taillight ahead. Hazards appear—potholes, cows, oncoming trucks. You ride cautious.
Afternoons stretch. Another coffee. Then the challenge: a rough track, a river, a muddy berm. You survive it. You feel good. Kim knows the formula.
End of day: hotel. Cold beer. Luggage waiting. Room key. Boots off. Stories begin.
Day four starts now. Sapa. The high point in all of Indochina. Tea hills ahead. Rain or shine.
We ride.
Ralph
PS: And thank you Roberto and GPSKEVIN for making this all possible for us.
Trawlercat Chronicles 