Motorbike Tour Ho Chi Minh Trail – 7 Days

Day 1. HANOI – TAN KY ( 290 KM )

From Hanoi, our Loop Bike Tours from North to South along Ho Chi Minh trail will hit the road to the South, follow the small paved paths running parallel with the Red River. We start the Ho Chi Minh trail from Tan Ky town, after riding the long way from Xuan Mai. Our Ho Chi Minh trail riding team will have a night in hotel at that peaceful and quiet town.

DAY 2. TAN KY – PHONG NHA ( 280 KM )

Tan Ky is known as the starting point of the Ho Chi Minh trail during the war time. From here the Northern communist with food and weapons travel down to the South Vietnam to join the war. After breakfast, we travel down to the South Vietnam with our motorbikes on the historical trail. The ride is almost on the repaired part of the trail but still offers a great view of mountain and the daily life of the local. The motorbike ride on Ho Chi Minh trail in the afternoon must be the highlight of the trip.

DAY 3. PHONG NHA – DONG HOI ( 60 KM )

Today would be a relaxing day with Ho Chi Minh trail motorbike tour  when we spend the morning boating and admiring the beauty of Phong Nha Ke Bang, the world heritage of Vietnam. You can see the masterpiece of nature, along with the historical relics, which used to be the bomb shelter for local residents in the war time.

In the afternoon, we will ride to Dong Hoi, an important battlefield which is horribly devastated in the war. Our riding crew will stay in a hotel with the balcony looking forward to the beach, which can somehow release the long tiring days before.

DAY 4. DONG HOI – KHE SANH ( 200 KM )

It’s another highlight of this Ho Chi Minh trail motorcycle tour! After departing from Phong Nha town, we will make a turn to join the western Ho Chi Minh trail; known as the hidden trail that the US army did never know and bomb, the western Ho Chi Minh trail offers us the wonderful motorbike ride today: with the length of more than 200 km, this western Ho Chi Minh trail motorbike ride is almost under the Phong Nha Ke Bang national park where the traffic is completely empty. In the late afternoon when we get out of national park we will pay a interesting visit to Khe Sanh – the former important US Marine Base including US Air base, tunnels and new Khe Sanh museum. We will head down to the Khe Sanh town and finish the great day for motorcycle touring Vietnam at about 5:00 pm. Overnight there

DAY 5. KHE SANH – HUE ( 180 KM )

We will leave the Ho Chi Minh trail today to ride along the historical road No 9 along the Dakrong river.

The motorbike ride is straight to the eastern side of Vietnam along the 17th parallel where we can visit the Hien Luong bridge – a symbol for the border between the north Vietnam and south Vietnam, Vinh Moc tunnels and where you can have short motorbike ride on coastal roads which offers different view from the ride on Ho Chi Minh trail days before.

DAY 6. HUE – HOI AN ( 150 KM )

The end destination for this day is the ancient town of Hoi An, another World Heritage site, most famous for its contribution to trade with South-East Asia, back in the 16th and 17th centuries. Riding National Highway 1 until we meet one of the greatest attractions though, is the Hai Van Pass, the mountain pass, whose scenic beauty will amaze you and its twisting roads will challenge our riding skills! No wonder it has been featured by Top Gear, in 2008, as one of the best cross roads in the world. The pass was controlled by the U.S army during the American war and what remains of the base, are still visible and open to explore. After a short coffee break we descend down the mountain and following the coastal road, which will bring us to Hoi An, where we stay overnight.

DAY 7. HOI AN SIGHTSEEING

Besides the historical and cultural attractions in Hoi An, this town is also really well-known for its long and marvelous beaches. In the afternoon, we can ride motorbike to the Cua Dai beach or rent the bike to cycle along the windy paddy fields from Hoi An town to coastal area, just about 4km. At night, you can enjoy a cup of coffee on the bank of Thu Bon river, listen to the traditional music and explore the beauty of Hoi An by night with the colorful and shining lanterns.

You can enjoy your time here afterward and fly back to your home at Da Nang international airport. We will see off each other at the end of the day and our expert guides from Loop Bike Tours will be back to Hanoi. Hopefully, 7 days tour with Vietnam motorbike team has left you many good impressions. We hope to see you again in Vietnam to be accompanied with you in many other interesting tours of us

“Hoi An is the ancient harbor town of Champa people, deriving from the before the 10^th century. Lying at the estuary of Thu Bon River and near the sea, it kept being the harbor and trading center of Vietnam in 16th and 17^th centuries. There are many Chinese, Japanese and western people coming to Vietnam and settle down at that time. Hoi An was also called Hai Pho in old time, which meant Seaside town. When the French came there, it is named as Faifo. In Hoi An, the most typical building which is the icon of that town is Chua Cau or pagoda bridge. This one was built on 17^th century, which reflects the harmony combination of Vietnamese, Chinese and Japanese architecture, with the function of both bridge and pagoda.

This town is called by French, Spanish, Portuguese and Dutch as Faifo. Many people have tried to explain that name. It is believed to be another version of Hai Pho. Others claim that it is the shortening of “Hoi An Pho”, to “Hoi Pho” and then Faifo.

This town was recognized as World Heritage site by UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) in 1999, 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”.