The Northern Loop - 5 days of motorbiking around the North of Vietnam

It wasn't until we got as far as Ninh Binh before we heard any mention of The Northern Loop, then it seemed to be all we heard about. We met a guy in our homestay who told us of his plans to go North and do this new bike trip that seemed to be on everyone's radar. Apparently the scenery is something that cannot even be imagined before seeing it and this is definitely true.

We had already dropped our bikes back to Style Motorbike in Hanoi. Denver had been researching other companies to try somewhere new and we came across Flamingo Bike rentals. We took a look at their bikes and Denver spotted a 150CC Suzuki EN bike that he just had to have ($25USD per day). As it was alot more expensive than either of our previous bikes we rented, we decided just to get the one and I would be a passenger for this next phase. We signed all the paper work, got our helmets and we were good to go. We only had 6 days before our visa expired so we planned a 5 day trip which was a perfect amount of time for this loop.

Our route

Suzuki EN 150CC (Flamingo Rentals)

Day 1: Hanoi to Ha Giang

This start to the journey took about 8 hours including stops for breakfast/, lunch, coffee and petrol. The bike was so smooth in comparison to what we had before, it really does show that quality pays. We were riding for about 2 hours and then the rain started. The whole 8 weeks we drove from South to North, we had the most incredible weather and never got caught in the rain but today was a different story. We stopped at a roadside stall for coffee and they had rain gear which was a blessing.

You might think rain gear would protect you quite well but being on a bike and passing traffic, you get pretty wet and definitely mucky. We had no choice but to drive in it if we were to reach Ha Giang at a reasonable hour. This is what I looked like when we set off! It might look funny but I fit in so well with the locals who are always prepared like this in the North, rain is very common up here.

It rained for a further 3 hours which was awful but when it stopped and we got to take the rain protection off, it was all ok again. We made it to Ha Giang at about 5 o'clock. We checked in to our hotel Tam Giac Mach ($13USD P/N) and then went in to town for some dinner. We ended up in Bong Hostel, which we had read about that was good for food and information on the loop. Every evening they have what they call a "family dinner" where you can pay 70,000VND ($4USD) per person and join them. They set up mats on the floor and then serve up lots of really great dishes. It is a fun way to mix with people and hear their stories and experiences of the loop.

"Family dinner" @ Bong Hostel, Ha Giang

Day 2: Ha Giang to Yen Minh

We got a good night sleep and woke up early so we could see a small bit of Ha Giang town. We walked through the morning market and even though it was lashing rain, all of the vendors were still out in full swing selling their fresh fruit and veg or meat. I guess if they are used to this kind of weather, it wouldn't really phase them.

Colourful stalls at Ha Giang morning market

Checked out and left Ha Giang at 11am. We were a bit disappointed with the weather as it was really overcast. Apparently you need the sun shining to really experience something special. However even with the cloudy weather, the 40km journey we made to Quan Ba (our planned stop for lunch) was pretty. You rode alongside a river for most of the way. Nearly everyone we had spoken to about the loop told us to stop at the coffee shop on the way to Quan Ba at the top of the mountain for the best views. We stopped but couldn't see 2 feet in front of us let alone anything else because of the clouds. It was very cool but extremely eerie to be surrounded by clouds.

Scenery on the drive from Ha Giang to Quan Ba

We continued on to Quan Ba which was another 30 minutes from the coffee shop. We stopped at a local restaurant and had some Com Ga (chicken rice) which was really tasty. It seemed to be a popular spot for fellow loopers to stop. We got to Yen Minh around 5pm. This was our stopover destination for the night. We checked in to Hotel 88 then went to suss out the small town, which was a main street about 1.5km long.

There was a market on and a volleyball competition on out in the back field so we watched that for a bit. At half time all the players lit up their smokes! We went for Bia Hoi (fresh beer @ 0.30c a glass) across the road then stopped on the way back to the hotel at a restaurant called Fusion. It was a nice family owned restaurant come hostel. We had bahn mi's, tried to converse with some locals which was unsuccessful then headed back to bed to prepare for another big day of driving.

Locals on the road in Yen Minh town

Day 3: Yen Minh to Meo Vac

We had our bahn mi's and coffee and were back on the road at 10am. This was probably my favourite day of the trip as the scenery from Yen Minh to Meo Vac is in my opinion the best along the loop. It also helped that the sun shone for a little while. What made it even better was the countless amount of locals we passed who were going about their daily business. We couldn't believe it when we saw older women hanging off the edge of the high mountains planting or collecting various plants/vegetables. They were carrying baskets on their back and their only support was that they dug their feet in to the soil. If there was the top riskiest jobs in the world, this has to be one of them.

Incredible sights from Yen Minh to Meo Vac

I lost count of how many times we stopped the bike to get photos and they don't do any of it true justice. We stopped in Dong Van for some food. We decided to take one of the side roads off the main street to look for a more local, less touristy restaurant. We found just the place - there were 3 young men sitting around outside smoking, one topless. Perfect! One of the guys got up and pointed to a menu. We ordered a vegetable fried rice dish and asked if they had Bia Hoi (fresh beer). He shouted something to his friend who drove off on his bike and came back 5 minutes later with a 2L keg of Saigon Bia. We were in our element and spent a couple of hours chilling there with our beer.

We drove to Lung Cu as we heard that you can illegally cross into China over the border and get a picture! There was a narrow mountain edge that looked travelled so Denver drove the bike a few hundred metres along it. I walked behind him as I was too scared to sit on the back so close to the edge of a steep drop. We met two Aussies who were trying to do the same as us however after walking for about 15 minutes we realised that it was over the other side of the mountain so we turned back.

We headed towards the flagpole in Lung Cu town which is located at Vietnam’s northernmost tip. It is a symbol to the Vietnamese of the country’s determination to resist and stand up to threats to its sovereignty. There are plenty of steps to get up to it, so bring water. It is very much worth the climb as the 360 degree views of Vietnam and China are exceptional.

We met another Aussie couple, they were in their late 40's. They had reared their kids and they told us they were on their "gap year". Their travel motto's were "$100 a day with no plans" and "follow the good weather". I love meeting people along the way. Everyone has such a a great story.

We left the flagpole and headed on towards Meo Vac. We passed a spot where there were a few bikes parked so we turned back around and discovered that this was the area to go to get your border crossing picture. There was a barbed wire fence but you could walk around it. We walked through to China and got our pictures and walked towards the road on that side. There was a Chinese man selling watermelons out of the back of his van, I guess they know this happens in China so not as bad ass as we first thought it would be! We also saw three Vietnamese guys making their way up the hill towards the border back into Vietnam, who knows what they were up to.

The rest of the drive to Meo Vac was just as beautiful as the first half, it was surprising how high up we were after all the driving. It didn't feel like we had elevated that much. We got to Meo Vac just before 6. We checked in to one of the hotels for $15USD P/N, this seems to be an average price for most of the accommodation in the town. We went for dinner and then got an early night.

We were woken during the night by the most horrific sound. It was like something out of a horror movie. I looked out the window and there was a truck full of pigs and some of the pigs were wandering away from the truck but getting chased back by these men. I have no idea what they were doing to the pigs but it did not sound good, it effected me that much I gave up pork from that night on.

Day 4: Meo Vac to Cao Bang

We got up and went to a small bahn mi stall and got 2 bahn mi op la's (egg baguette). They were delicious. We got a vietnemese coffee from a road side stall on the way out of town and left Meo Vac around 9.30am. The scenery on this side was nowhere near what we had seen over the past 3 days however we were riding above some clouds, so that was a pretty great sight to see. The people seemed to be a lot friendlier on this side of the mountain. We got some great videos of kids running along the road, which I will upload when Denver gets around to fixing our GoPro which unfortunately has some big issue where we can't get any of our photos or videos from the past 4 months!

We stopped in a town called Nguyen Binh for Pho Ga (chicken noodle soup). When the owner showed us the gizzards that would be in our soup, we thanked him and moved quickly along. Apparently he doesn't make the soup without them! We resorted back to our consistent meal - bahn mi.

It was another 40km to Cao Bang and there was not a massive amount to see. The town of Cao Bang itself was pretty big. We checked into one of the hotels Khach San Son Homestay. We had our door open and then heard the voice of Alex, the guy who I mentioned at the start of this article who had originally told us about the Northern Loop in Ninh Binh. It is the smallest world when you are travelling, you bump in to the same people in the most unlikely places. We went to a Bia Hoi restaurant in town and had a few beers and a really tasty dinner then had another early night before our big trip back to Hanoi tomorrow.

Day 5: Cao Bang to Hanoi

We had originally planned to go and see Ban Gioc Waterfall before making our way back to Hanoi however with the 284km distance we needed to travel back to Hanoi, we decided against it. The weather was not good anyway but apparently it is meant to be so worth it. Maybe next time! There was nothing really to see on the way back. It was an extremely windy journey back down the mountain and the roads kept getting busier and busier the closer we got to Hanoi.

We almost died with no exaggeration necessary. We came around a bend and there was a small van overtaking a big truck about 50 metres in front of us. Denver had to quickly avoid it and we went in to a small ditch. If that ditch hadn't have been there, we would have been goners. After that, I just really wanted to get back to Hanoi and off this bike as soon as possible. We had done some serious km's and after that near accident, enough was enough.

We got back to Hanoi at 4pm, checked in to our hotel and went for a hard earned cocktail and the best dinner at Pizza 4 P's. As it was our last night in Vietnam before heading to Malaysia and it just so happened to be Liberation/Reunification day, we commemorated the most amazing 8 weeks of travelling this beautiful country by getting matching tattoos of the outline of the star on the Vietnamese flag in 1984 Tattoo shop.

#northvietnam #hagiang #meovac #caobang #motorbike