A great way to go

There is no better way to travel through Vietnam than by motorbike -- the feeling of connection to the landscapes and people is exhilarating.  It's how we like to travel ourselves.

Vietnam is a motorbike rider’s paradise.  The country has not yet developed to the point where cars and trucks are crowding bikes on rural and back roads: there are cars and trucks of course, but motorbikes are still dominant. On the other hand, the country has developed enough to have (mostly) reasonable sealed roads.  In addition, the landscapes and people are fabulous. This all adds up to fantastic back roads riding.

This tour is aimed at people with moderate motorbike riding experience as well as more experienced riders. We modify the daily riding distances and choose roads and side excursions to suit the experience and desires of the group -- from relaxed to demanding.

There is also the possibility of riding pillion behind one of our experienced local riders -- you can select this as part of the booking process.

If you would like to discuss your riding experience and options, please contact us -- we are always keen to help!

'Slow travel' and types of motorbike

In general, we have a ‘slow travel’ philosophy and try and ensure that daily distances are not too large – we take time to enjoy what we are passing through.

Not going too fast is the secret to riding in Vietnam: there are so many fantastic side excursions and so much to experience.  In any case, winding back roads make fast riding impractical a lot of the time -- in the mountains, speeds of 30 - 60 kmh are common.  Of course if you want to ride harder and cover more distance, we can do that too.

We generally ride modest sized semi-automatic bikes of around 110cc-125cc, or slightly larger manual bikes of 150cc.  Both are well suited to the winding roads of Vietnam.

The 110cc - 1225cc bikes are less expensive, are light and easy to manage, and handle dirt roads well.  These are what the locals ride everywhere.  You'll find them more approachable if you're riding what they're riding.  These are the default, included in the price of the tour.

The 150cc bikes are heavier, a bit more expensive and can of course cover long distances more quickly.  You can select 150cc bikes for your group as part of the booking process.

Western riders used to larger bikes often want something bigger -- and if you want to ride Vietnam's crowded highways, then a larger bike makes sense (although bikes of more than 175cc involve more stringent driving license requirements) -- but we do not recommend them for our tours.

Off road bikes are also available for those who wish to add some more challenging dirt roads to the mix – we can provide as much challenge as you can handle.  However, it's not our key focus and if you want a pure off-roading experience, then you should look elsewhere.  Contact us if you are interested in a larger motorbike or mixing in a bit of more serious off-road.

See here for more information on riding a motorbike in Vietnam.

Motorbike licenses

Ideally, you will have a motorbike license in your own country that you can use as the basis to get an International Driving Permit (IDP) before you leave.

Vietnam does not recognize domestic motorcycle licenses by themselves as being a valid license to ride a motorbike in Vietnam, but it does recognize the combination of a domestic license and an IDP from a number of countries: see here for more important information and a link to a list of countries.

If you are from one of the countries where an IDP is not recognized (including USA, Canada, Australia, Japan, Ireland, Spain), then please contact us to discuss options.

Note that the rules for what is required to ride validly in Vietnam are always changing -- we try and keep up to date, but it's always best to contact the Vietnamese embassy in your country to confirm.

Choose Your Style

This tour is aimed at both people who are interested in being active as well as those who want a more relaxing trip instead.  We have designed the route and itinerary to accommodate both preferences.

For those who want to be active, we are happy to provide as much additional riding and / or trekking as you desire – and it’s great stuff: fabulous back roads and trails, amazing mountains and gorges, wonderful treks to remote ethnic minority villages, stunning rice terraces and beautiful forests.

For those more interested in a less-active trip, the core riding itinerary provides great, relaxing touring through spectacular and incredibly diverse landscapes and villages. We can adjust the itinerary for each day in accord with the interests of the group.