The Great Northern Passes — 11-Day Honda CB500X Motorbike Tour of North Vietnam
- Thời lượng
- 11 ngày
- Số đêm
- 10
- Hình thức
- Riêng
- Điểm đến
- Hanoi → Moc Chau → Mu Cang Chai → Dien Bien Phu → Sapa → Y Ty → Sapa → Ha Giang → Meo Vac → Ban Gioc → Ba Be → Hanoi
- Điểm khởi hành
- AZ Motorbikes Tour, Hanoi
Hành trình
Most riders come to Vietnam for one famous loop and leave happy. This tour is for the ones who want all of it. Over eleven days we string together the seven passes that Vietnamese riders argue about over beer — Thung Khe, Khau Pha, Pha Din, O Quy Ho, Tham Ma, Ma Pi Leng and Me Pia — and link the three corners of the far north: the rice-terrace heartland of the northwest, the limestone sea of Ha Giang, and the waterfalls and lakes of the northeast border.
You ride a Honda CB500X the whole way. It is, frankly, the perfect tool for this country: tall enough to see over the trucks, light enough to flick through switchbacks, torquey enough to climb a 2,000-metre pass two-up with luggage, and reliable enough that you stop thinking about the bike and start looking at the view. Our CB500Xs are our own, recent-model bikes — not a tired rental someone else wore out — and every one is serviced and checked before it leaves the workshop.
Expect at least half of each day to be genuine mountain riding: fast sweepers, broken tarmac, the odd gravel section and ferry crossing. Tell us in advance if you prefer to stay on sealed roads and we will reshape the route for you — this is a private tour, built around your group.
Dọc hành trình
- O Quy Ho Pass - the "King of Passes," the highest road in Vietnam, climbing to around 2,000 m between Lai Chau and Sapa.
- Ma Pi Leng Pass - the throne of Ha Giang, hanging above the turquoise Nho Que River gorge.
- Pha Din & Khau Pha Passes - two of Vietnam's "four great passes," long, high and endlessly curving.
- Tham Ma & Me Pia - the photogenic switchback staircases of Ha Giang and Cao Bang.
- Mu Cang Chai & Hoang Su Phi rice terraces - UNESCO-level landscapes carved into the mountainsides.
- Ban Gioc Waterfall - the largest waterfall in Southeast Asia, straddling the Vietnam–China border.
- Ba Be National Park - the country's largest natural lake, for a calm final morning on the water.
- A free day in Sapa to rest, ride the Fansipan cable car, or simply do nothing.
- Real ethnic-culture encounters - H'mong, Dao, Tay, Ha Nhi and Lo Lo communities, met over shared meals rather than through a bus window.
Lịch trình từng ngày
Ngày 1 Hanoi to Moc Chau
We meet at the AZ workshop in Hanoi, fit you to your CB500X, run through the bike and the route, then roll out of the city. The flat suburbs quickly give way to the limestone karsts of Hoa Binh. Your first taste of what's coming is the Thung Khe (White Stone) Pass — a chalk-white cutting through the mountains that announces you've left the lowlands for good. We finish on the tea-green Moc Chau plateau, cool and quiet, for the first of many hearty dinners.
Distance: 180 km
Meals: Lunch, Dinner
Stay: 3–5★ hotel
Quãng đường dự kiến: 180 km
Ngày 2 Moc Chau to Mu Cang Chai
Today the riding gets serious and the scenery gets famous. We drop down to cross the Black (Da) River by ferry, hemmed in by mountains on both banks, then climb the Khau Pha Pass — "Horn of Heaven," some 30 km of near-continuous curves and one of the four great passes of the northwest. The reward is Mu Cang Chai, whose rice terraces pour down the hillsides like green and gold staircases. If the season is right, this is one of the most photographed landscapes in Vietnam — and far better from the saddle than from any photo.
Distance: 200 km
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Stay: 3–5★ hotel
Quãng đường dự kiến: 200 km
Ngày 3 Mu Cang Chai to Dien Bien Phu
A long, rewarding day through some of the emptiest riding in the northwest. We thread remote valleys and small market towns before tackling the mighty Pha Din Pass, another of the four great passes, where the road stacks itself up the mountainside in long, high sweepers. We arrive in Dien Bien Phu — the valley town whose name every history book knows — in time to wander the battlefield sites before dinner.
Distance: 240 km
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Stay: 3–5★ hotel
Quãng đường dự kiến: 240 km
Ngày 4 Dien Bien Phu to Sapa
The longest riding day, and arguably the greatest. We run north through Lai Chau, the mountains growing taller and the air thinner, building up to the main event: the O Quy Ho Pass. Known as the "King of Passes," it is the highest mountain road in Vietnam, often draped in cloud at the top before the view opens over the valley toward Sapa. We roll into the old hill station as the lights come on, with two nights here to come.
Distance: 272 km
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Stay: 3–5★ hotel
Quãng đường dự kiến: 272 km
Ngày 5 Sapa – Y Ty – Sapa loop
We leave the panniers at the hotel and ride a lighter, looser day out to Y Ty, a frontier village of the Ha Nhi people famous for its sea of cloud and its earthen houses. The roads out here are narrow, remote and gloriously quiet — the kind of riding you remember years later. We trace the border country before looping back to Sapa for a second night in our own beds.
Distance: 200 km
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Stay: 3–5★ hotel
Quãng đường dự kiến: 200 km
Ngày 6 Free day in Sapa
Sapa at your own pace A proper rest in the middle of the tour. Sleep in, take the cable car up Fansipan (the roof of Indochina), walk down to the Cat Cat or Ta Van villages, get a massage, or simply sit with a coffee and watch the mountains. Your guide is on hand for suggestions, but today is yours. Distance: Rest day Meals: Breakfast Stay: 3–5★ hotel
0Ngày 7 Sapa to Ha Giang
Sapa → Bac Ha → Hoang Su Phi → Ha Giang The biggest transfer of the trip, crossing from the northwest into the northeast. We ride through Bac Ha and the lesser-known Hoang Su Phi terraces — to many riders even more beautiful than Mu Cang Chai, and far less crowded. The day ends in Ha Giang city, gateway to the most dramatic limestone landscape in the country, with the best still to come. Distance: 290 km Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Stay: 3–5★ hotel
Quãng đường dự kiến: 290 km
Ngày 8 Ha Giang to Meo Vac
Ha Giang → Quan Ba → Tham Ma → Dong Van → Ma Pi Leng → Meo Vac For many riders, this is the day. We climb through Quan Ba Heaven's Gate, wind up the switchback staircase of the Tham Ma slope, cross the UNESCO Dong Van karst plateau, and finally ride the one every rider dreams about: Ma Pi Leng, the pass that clings to the cliffside high above the emerald Nho Que River gorge. We stop often — you'll want to. Night falls in the small market town of Meo Vac. Distance: 220 km Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Stay: 3–5★ hotel
Quãng đường dự kiến: 220 km
Ngày 9 Meo Vac to Ban Gioc Waterfall
Meo Vac → Me Pia Pass → Cao Bang → Ban Gioc We cross into Cao Bang province over the astonishing Me Pia Pass — fourteen stacked hairpins carved into a single mountain face, one of the most spectacular short climbs in Vietnam. The reward at the far end is Ban Gioc, the largest waterfall in Southeast Asia, thundering across the Vietnam–China border. We arrive in time to see it in the soft evening light. Distance: 250 km Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Stay: 3–5★ hotel
Quãng đường dự kiến: 250 km
Ngày 10 Ban Gioc to Ba Be National Park
Ban Gioc → Nguom Ngao Cave → Ba Be National Park A gentler day to let the legs recover. We explore the vast Nguom Ngao Cave near the falls, then ride quiet backroads into Ba Be National Park, home to the largest natural lake in Vietnam. The pace eases, the scenery turns from stone to water and forest, and the evening is calm beside the lake. Distance: 200 km Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Stay: 3–5★ hotel / lakeside stay
Quãng đường dự kiến: 200 km
Ngày 11 Ba Be back to Hanoi
Ba Be → Hanoi (AZ Motorbikes HQ) An optional morning boat trip on Ba Be Lake before we point the bikes south and ride the last leg back to Hanoi. We reach the AZ workshop by afternoon — 2,250 km, seven passes and three corners of the north behind you. Hand back the keys, swap contacts with your group, and let the adventure settle in over a last cold beer. Distance: 200 km Meals: Breakfast, Lunch Stay: —
Quãng đường dự kiến: 200 km
Cung đường dự kiến
Mở cung đường trên Google MapsLựa chọn xe
Dịch vụ trong tour
The bike: Honda CB500X
This whole tour is designed around the Honda CB500X — a 471cc parallel-twin adventure bike that has quietly become the benchmark for touring Vietnam. It has enough power for the high passes two-up, a comfortable upright riding position for twelve-hour days, long-travel suspension that shrugs off broken tarmac, and Honda's legendary reliability. Our fleet is owned by us and recent-model, fully serviced before every tour, and fitted with top-box and luggage straps. Larger adventure bikes (Honda CRF, and on request bigger machines) can be arranged — just ask.
Deposit & payment
Your spot is confirmed once we receive a 50% deposit; the remaining 50% is settled on arrival. We prefer cash on arrival — it saves you the card processing fee and a poor exchange rate. If you'd rather pay the deposit by card we'll send a secure link (a 3.5% bank service fee applies).
Cancellation
Cancel 10 or more days before the start date and your deposit is fully refunded. Cancel less than 10 days before, and we hold your deposit as credit toward your next tour with us — so you never simply lose it.
Lái xe & an toàn
Trao đổi với AZ về kinh nghiệm và địa hình dự kiến. Xác nhận giấy tờ, đồ bảo hộ và bảo hiểm cần thiết trước khi chốt chuyến đi.
Tour bao gồm
- Honda CB500X (new fleet), helmet & gloves
- Expert English-speaking lead guide — mechanic & photographer
- All accommodation (3–5★ hotels / best local stays)
- All meals on tour — real regional specialties
- Fuel for the full route
- Water & soft drinks on the road
- Ferry & boat trips, all entrance tickets & border-zone permits
- At least 50% off-road option each day (adjustable)
Không bao gồm
- International flights & airport transfers
- Support van (optional — we can arrange it)
- Travel & medical insurance (required)
- Optional CB500X damage waiver (see FAQ)
- Alcoholic drinks & personal expenses
- Dedicated photographer (optional, groups of 7+)
Lưu ý quan trọng
- There's no strict age limit, but every rider must be healthy, fit, and genuinely confident on a geared motorbike — this is a demanding mountain route. Non-riders are welcome as pillion passengers.
- Personal travel and medical insurance is required and is your responsibility.