Spectacular tours by car, motorbike & boat off the beaten path in North Vietnam
Explore the best of North Vietnam off the beaten path in small group and tailored tours — more beautiful, less traveled, spectacular, authentic
Just beyond the trodden path, there is another Vietnam, more beautiful, less traveled, more enchanting, culturally richer that few tourists get to see.
This is the Vietnam of hidden gems, untrammeled scenery, wonderful backroads and ethnic minority villages among spectacular tropical mountains, away from the crowds.
Fabulous touring by private car, motorbike riding and trekking along canyon rims, mountain ridges and through gorgeous rice terraces and forest.
A land of ancient temples. Remote valleys and towns with some of the friendliest people you will ever meet. Authentic markets, full of color and locals buying and selling everything from textiles to buffaloes. Extraordinary, delicious food.
Fantastic island archipelagos to explore by boat, with cliffs rising straight out of emerald seas, fringed by secluded golden beaches.
This is North Vietnam, one of the last, great, still relatively undiscovered wonders of Asia.
Vast and astonishingly diverse, it offers a feast of things to see and do to those prepared to venture a little off the beaten path.
Even the most popular destinations – multi-layered Hanoi; wondrous Ha Long Bay; the beautiful historical-port town of Hoi An; the majestic imperial citadel and temples of Hue; the spectacular mountain regions of Sapa and the far North; the hidden waterways and cliffs of Ninh Binh — are all fabulous and at least some of them should be on every itinerary.
But there is so much more —
Even for the popular destinations, which in recent years they have become increasingly crowded, with a fresh approach and an insider’s mindset it is mostly possible to explore .
Beyond these,
Explore the Ha Giang region in a fully guided tour by motorbike or private car + driver — amazing mountains, breathtaking gorges, beautiful remote valleys, fascinating ethnic villages and markets, wonderful people & customs, and delicious, authentic regional food.
This is the best motorbike riding and car touring in Vietnam, with spectacular roads threading through jagged limestone ranges and peaceful valleys carpeted with deep green rice and surrounded by cascading rice terraces.
Whether your interests are general touring, trekking, ethnic culture, homestays, food, photography, or even exploring caves, or any combination, our guides are locals who know the backroads and special things to do and see that will make your trip unforgettable.
Mai Chau
Bicycle or walk amazing rice fields and trails, tour fabulous back roads, search out local food or textiles, explore a beautiful lake, or just relax in resorts with a view
Mai Chau is simply beautiful, its stunning rice fields nestled among imposing limestone mountains.
Walk or bicycle among the glorious rice paddies — a wonderful thing to do when the morning or afternoon light is low and the rice high. Explore some of the fabulous roads and tracks that meander through the local hills and valleys, by bicycle, car or motorbike. Kayak or boat on the enormous and lovely Hoa Binh Lake, just outside town.
Or just relax at one of several good resorts, enjoying the pool and fantastic views.
If you want to mix comfortable resorts in splendid locations and easy exploring with the possibility of some more remote or active discovery, this is the place.
Pu Luong
Explore remote rice-terraced valleys among tropical mountains, discover wonderful back roads and hiking, kick back in resorts in amazing locations
Pu Luong by contrast is much more off the beaten path. All steep tropical deep-green mountains, amazing views and dreamy valleys, and cascading rice terraces dotted with small villages.
There are fabulous back roads to explore and excellent trekking among the rice fields and ethnic hamlets. The motorbike touring here is simply wonderful.
There are remote valleys and waterfalls to discover, and when the river levels are right, even some gentle rafting on bamboo craft.
Relax in some great, rustic eco-retreats — the perfect place for a quiet evening drink looking over the valleys to the distant mountains before an authentic Vietnamese meal.
This is one of our favorite places — so close to Hanoi and yet a world away.
Moc Chau
Wander through beautiful tea plantations, let your inner photographer loose, visit a fascinating tea factory, explore local byways and hamlets
Moc Chau is different again, less visited than Mai Chau but not as remote as Pu Luong.
With its sinuously gorgeous tea plantations, it is just as beautiful.
The plantations are wonderful to walk through in the morning or at sunset, especially when the tea pickers are busy in the cooler hours — a dream for photographers.
Or visit one of the family tea producers and marvel at the fantastic mix of old and new machines and processes. Watching it all working, it feels like you’re straddling the past and the future — which is true of the country as a whole.
Wander some of the back roads and hamlets, experience unspoiled rural life.
Extending further south or north
Combine the lowland ranges of Mai Chau and Pu Luong with the hidden waterways, mountains, temples and forests of Ninh Binh and Cuc Phong to the south — a wonderful tour of some of the best of Vietnam. Click here for details.
Or combine Mai Chau and Moc Chau with the more northerly Ta Xua, Nghia Lo, Mu Cang Chai and Sapa as part of a longer trip taking in the whole arc of the Western mountains.
This is a true classic, and one of the very best tours in Vietnam, whether by motorbike or car. Click here for details.
Look through our tours and options below, or use one of our tours as the basis for creating your own custom tour, or contact us — we are always happy to help.
Helping you discover the best of North Vietnam
Experience different with Other Path Travel
Helping you discover the best of North Vietnam
There is travel that fits within the expected and then there are journeys that go beyond. At Other Path Travel, we specialize in small group tours that will take you to a Vietnam that most travelers never see, extraordinarily beautiful, amazingly diverse, off the beaten path.
From astounding natural beauty to scooter-packed streets in vibrant cities, we offer a range of experiences to suit your interests and travel style whether that’s exploring extraordinary scenery by private car or motorbike; cruising spectacular islands by boat …
There is travel that fits within the expected and then there are journeys that go beyond. At Other Path Travel, we specialize in small group tours that will take you to a Vietnam that most travelers never see, extraordinarily beautiful, amazingly diverse, off the beaten path.
From astounding natural beauty to scooter-packed streets in vibrant cities, we offer a range of experiences to suit your interests and travel style whether that’s exploring extraordinary scenery by private car or motorbike;
cruising spectacular islands by boat hiking mountains & rice-terraced valleys; getting lost in amazing ethnic hill tribe markets; eating like a local in bustling Hanoi; discovering Vietnam’s rich culture and beautiful historical temples and palaces; getting creative with some of the best photography in Asia; or all of these and more.
Our focus is the northern half of Vietnam, one of the great treasures of Asia. It is a very special place.
In the far Northern Mountains of Ha Giang you will find some of the most dramatic tropical mountain landscapes anywhere, including the limestone peaks of Dong Van, the famous rice terraces of Hoang Su Phi, and the great valleys and wonderful market of remote Xin Man.
West of Ha Giang lies the Roof of Vietnam, with the country’s highest and grandest mountains towering above the hill town of Sapa and extending south past the legendary rice terraces of Mu Cang Chai.
South of Hanoi are the incredible hidden waterways and mountains of Ninh Binh and rainforests of Cuc Phuong and the gorgeous, tropical rice fields, valleys, hills and tea plantations of Mai Chau, Pu Luong and Moc Chau.
Along the coast are the wonders of Ha Long Bay and Lan Ha Bay, where you can cruise, swim and kayak among beautiful islands, cliffs and golden beaches set in emerald seas. North east of Hanoi are beautiful, tranquil Ba Be Lake and spectacular Ban Gioc waterfall.
And at the heart of the North lies Hanoi, a fantastic, dynamic, multi-layered, ancient city of 8 million people and 5 million motorcycles, full of contrasts, contradictions and surprises.
We’ve combed all these regions to find the hidden gems, backroads and best experiences that will make your trip special. Vietnam is one of those places where having a guide really makes a difference, and is essential for tours by car. Our guides are seasoned experts and wanderers, there to make sure you get the most out of your time in this remarkable part of the world.
Look through our tours and see where we can take you.
Tours You’ll Love
Tours You’ll Love
Find Your Own Path
Find Your Own Path
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