9 DAYS HO CHI MINH TRAIL BY MOTORBIKE

Introduction to 9 Days Ho Chi Minh Trail By Motorcycle

This 9-day Ho Chi Minh Trail motorbike tour is our most popular motorcycle tour along the legendary Ho Chi Minh Trail, combining northern mountain scenery with a long ride through central Vietnam towards the South. This extended itinerary gives you more time to experience the historic Ho Chi Minh Road, remote countryside, mountain passes, ethnic communities, and some of the most scenic roads in Vietnam.

The tour begins by showing you a taste of Northern Vietnam before we head south along the Ho Chi Minh Trail. In our experience, Northern Vietnam offers more dramatic mountain scenery, with rugged limestone mountains, deep valleys, rice terraces, forests, and winding backroads. As we travel farther south, the landscapes gradually change. Southern Vietnam offers better beaches, warmer coastal scenery, and a different atmosphere that makes the second half of the journey equally rewarding.

Another advantage of travelling from north to south is the incredible diversity you experience along the way. The southern part of Vietnam is particularly interesting for its different cultures, regional food, local traditions, and people. This makes the 9 Days Ho Chi Minh Trail motorcycle adventure more than simply a long-distance ride; it is a journey through several very different regions of Vietnam.

Whether you are interested in motorbike touring, off-road riding, Vietnamese history, mountain roads, rural villages, local culture, or simply exploring Vietnam away from the main tourist routes, this itinerary offers an excellent combination of all of them. Ride with us and discover the Ho Chi Minh Trail by motorcycle from North to South!

Below is a video clip from one of our off-road motorcycle tours on the historic Ho Chi Minh Trail. If you would like to watch more videos of our Vietnam motorbike adventures, please check our YouTube channel.

Other Ho Chi Minh Trail Motorcycle Tour Routes

ITINERARY IN DETAILS

Day 1: Hanoi – Phu Yen (165 km, ~6 hours riding)

This is the first day of our 9-day Ho Chi Minh Trail motorcycle tour through Vietnam. We leave Hanoi and head west on quieter country roads towards Son Tay, gradually leaving the busy capital behind. After a stop in Son Tay, we continue through the countryside towards Phu Yen, with the landscape changing from the Red River Delta to rolling hills and mountains.

Son Tay also has an important connection with the Vietnam War. On November 20-21, 1970, a joint US force involving USAF Special Operations and rescue personnel and US Army Special Forces carried out a daring raid on the Son Tay prison camp, located less than 50 miles from Hanoi. The objective was to rescue as many as 100 American prisoners believed to be held there. The operation involved helicopters, aircraft, naval forces, fighter cover, reconnaissance, communications support, and other military units operating from bases in Thailand and aircraft carriers.

The raid itself was carefully planned and executed, but the troops discovered that no prisoners were being held at the camp when they arrived. Today, the Son Tay area provides an interesting historical stop during our motorbike journey through northern Vietnam.

After lunch, we leave the historical sites behind and ride along winding mountain roads towards Phu Yen. The afternoon ride offers some of the best mountain scenery in Northwest Vietnam, with forested hills, valleys, rice fields, and remote rural villages along the way. We arrive in Phu Yen and check into a local hotel for the night.

Day 2: Phu Yen – Mai Chau (145 km, 5 hours riding)

Today we continue our adventure towards Mai Chau, riding through some of the spectacular mountain landscapes of northern Vietnam. There are numerous small roads leading into the mountains around Mai Chau, giving us plenty of opportunities to leave the main routes and explore remote villages and quiet backroads.

We take the chance to ride into isolated villages inhabited by H’Mong, Dao, and Thai communities, where traditional lifestyles remain closely connected to the surrounding mountains and countryside. This is a great opportunity to experience ethnic minority culture in Northern Vietnam away from the usual tourist routes.

In fact, we also take on the challenge of an old road originally built by the French army. The route is rougher and more adventurous than the main roads, but it offers a rewarding motorcycle experience and leads us into beautiful, little-visited areas. We spend the afternoon exploring nearby villages, enjoying the scenery, and discovering the quieter side of Mai Chau.

In the evening, we stay in a traditional Thai ethnic stilt house in Mai Chau, where we can experience local hospitality, traditional food, and the peaceful atmosphere of the valley. This authentic homestay is a fitting end to another day of motorbike exploration through Northern Vietnam.

Day 3: Mai Chau – Tan Ky (290 km, 9 hours riding)

Today is probably the most demanding day of this 9-day Ho Chi Minh Trail motorcycle tour, with a long 290 km ride and around nine hours on the road. We leave the peaceful Mai Chau Valley and continue south through a changing landscape of mountains, forests, farmland, and rural villages.

We first ride along a small, spectacular paved road following the Ma River towards Cam Thuy. This scenic route takes us away from the busiest highways and provides excellent views of the river, surrounding mountains, and countryside. We stop in Cam Thuy for lunch and a well-earned break before continuing our journey south.

After lunch, we join the Ho Chi Minh Trail, which in this section has been developed into a modern highway. We follow this historic route towards Tan Ky, travelling through increasingly remote areas of central Vietnam. Although the riding distance is long, the route provides a fascinating opportunity to see how the landscape changes as we leave Northern Vietnam behind.

The road passes through forests, plantations, villages, and quiet countryside, offering plenty of opportunities to appreciate the scale of this legendary north-south route. After approximately 290 km and nine hours of riding, we arrive in Tan Ky Town, where we check into a local hotel and relax after a full day on the motorcycle.

Day 4: Tan Ky – Phong Nha (280 km, 8 hours riding)

We leave Tan Ky in the morning and continue our Ho Chi Minh Trail motorbike adventure towards Phong Nha. First, we ride along the Ho Chi Minh Highway towards Pho Chau, where we stop to visit the Ho Chi Minh Trail Victory Monument. This important historical landmark commemorates the legendary wartime route and, for our journey, marks the real starting point of our ride along the historic Ho Chi Minh Trail.

From Pho Chau, we continue south through remote mountain landscapes towards Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park. The route is a rewarding combination of winding roads, forested mountains, rural villages, and spectacular scenery, making this one of the highlights of our 9 Days Ho Chi Minh Trail motorcycle tour.

Our destination is Phong Nha-Ke Bang, home to some of the most spectacular caves in Vietnam and Indochina. The area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is famous for its extraordinary limestone karst formations. The geological development of Phong Nha-Ke Bang dates back around 400 million years to the Paleozoic Era, making it one of the oldest major karst regions in Asia.

The park’s landscape has been shaped by enormous tectonic changes over millions of years, creating an exceptionally complex environment of limestone mountains, caves, underground rivers, forests, and valleys. The vast area extends towards the border with Laos and contains an extensive network of caves and underground waterways. After approximately 280 km and eight hours of riding, we arrive in Phong Nha for the night.

Day 5: Phong Nha – Dong Hoi (60 km, 2 hours riding)

After the longer riding days, Day 5 of our tour is a much shorter and more relaxed stage. In the morning, we take a boat and explore the spectacular Phong Nha World Heritage Site, an area that played an important role during the Vietnam War. The extensive caves and limestone formations provided natural shelter for local civilians and military personnel during the intense bombing campaigns.

Exploring Phong Nha by boat gives us a completely different perspective from riding a motorcycle. We travel along the river into the cave system, surrounded by enormous limestone formations and a landscape shaped over millions of years. It is also an opportunity to learn more about the area’s fascinating combination of natural history and wartime history.

After the cave visit, we get back on our motorcycles and ride down to the coastal town of Dong Hoi, covering approximately 60 km. Dong Hoi itself was heavily shelled by US warships during the Vietnam War, and the town has played an important role in the history of the central Vietnamese coast.

Today, Dong Hoi is a much more peaceful seaside destination. We check into a hotel overlooking the beach, where there is plenty of time to relax, enjoy the sea, and perhaps take a little sunbathing after several demanding days on the road. Overnight in Dong Hoi.

Day 6: Dong Hoi – Khe Sanh (200 km, 6 hours riding)

We leave Dong Hoi and strike south through the foothills towards the former Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). This area was heavily affected by the Vietnam War and was once extensively sprayed with Agent Orange. Even today, there is still visible evidence of the conflict, including bomb damage and areas of altered vegetation on the mountainsides.

As we ride deeper into the former DMZ, we occasionally encounter remnants of the original Ho Chi Minh Trail, providing a direct connection with the historic route we are following. This is a particularly interesting day for riders who want to combine motorcycle adventure with Vietnamese war history.

Along the way, we visit several important historical sites. We first explore the Vinh Moc Tunnels, an extraordinary underground network where local civilians lived and sheltered during wartime. We then continue to the famous Hien Luong Bridge, located at the former demarcation line between North and South Vietnam.

Our journey continues to the Truong Son Cemetery, an important memorial site dedicated to Vietnamese soldiers who died during the war. Finally, we ride towards Khe Sanh, the location of the former US Marine base and one of the best-known battle sites along the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

After approximately 200 km and six hours of riding, we arrive in Khe Sanh and spend the night in this remote mountain region, surrounded by the historic landscapes of the former DMZ.

Day 7: Khe Sanh – Hue (180 km, 7 hours riding)

We leave Khe Sanh in the morning and head south over the Da Krong Bridge, built with Cuban assistance in 1973, before entering the legendary A Shau Valley. This remote valley was an area of intense military activity during the Vietnam War and remains one of the most historically significant sections of our Ho Chi Minh Trail motorcycle tour.

As we ride deeper into the valley, we pass Hamburger Hill, one of the most famous battle sites of the war. The surrounding mountains also provide a stark reminder of the conflict, with some areas still showing the long-term effects of wartime defoliation. The scenery gradually changes as we continue towards A Luoi, a mountain town surrounded by lush valleys and home to many Bru Van Kieu ethnic minority people.

From A Luoi, we leave the main routes and cruise through the green backcountry, enjoying quiet roads, forests, valleys, and remote villages. We then descend the steep and winding Me Oi Pass, one of the more enjoyable riding sections of the day.

Finally, we continue towards Hue, the former imperial capital of Vietnam, beautifully situated along the banks of the Perfume River. After a full day riding through the mountains and historic landscapes of central Vietnam, Hue is the perfect place to relax and explore. Overnight in Hue.

Day 8: Hue – Hoi An (145 km, 5 hours riding)

We start the morning by visiting the Forbidden Citadel in Hue, the centre of Vietnam’s former imperial capital and one of the country’s most important historical attractions. After exploring the citadel, we leave Hue and join National Highway 1 for part of our journey south.

We then head towards the spectacular Hai Van Pass, also known as the Cloud Pass. This famous mountain road winds between the mountains and the coast, offering magnificent views of the surrounding landscape and the sea. Riding over Hai Van Pass by motorcycle is one of the highlights of this journey, especially after several days following the historic Ho Chi Minh Trail through the mountains.

After crossing the pass, we continue south towards Hoi An, a beautifully preserved former trading port and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Hoi An was a major trading centre in Southeast Asia during the 16th and 17th centuries, attracting merchants from across Asia and Europe.

Today, its historic architecture, narrow streets, colourful lanterns, riverside setting, markets, restaurants, and traditional houses make Hoi An one of Vietnam’s most attractive destinations. We arrive in the afternoon and have time to explore the ancient town or simply relax after another rewarding day of motorbike touring in Vietnam. Overnight in Hoi An.

Day 9: Hoi An. Farewell lunch. End of 9 Days Ho Chi Minh Trail.

Our final day of the 9 Days Ho Chi Minh Trail motorcycle tour is relaxed in Hoi An, giving you time to enjoy this beautiful historic town before we say goodbye. Those who wish can ride up to My Khe Beach, the famous Da Nang beach where US Marines first landed in Vietnam in 1965. Alternatively, you can enjoy a free day exploring Hoi An Ancient Town on foot or by motorbike taxi.

There is plenty to see and do in Hoi An. Enjoy excellent Vietnamese food and Hoi An specialties, admire the town’s impressive historic architecture, explore colourful markets, or take advantage of the famous Hoi An tailoring services. With endless shopping opportunities, atmospheric riverside streets, traditional houses, restaurants, and a beautiful nearby beach, there is no shortage of activities for your final day in Vietnam.

After lunch, we say goodbye, and our guide flies back to Hanoi from Da Nang Airport. This brings our 9 Days Ho Chi Minh Trail motorbike adventure to an end after an unforgettable journey through Northern and Central Vietnam, following historic roads, mountain passes, remote countryside, wartime sites, and the spectacular coastline around Hoi An.

There are two options at the end of this 9-day Ho Chi Minh Trail motorcycle tour: return to Hanoi by train or by air, or continue travelling south on your own. From Hoi An, you can easily continue your Vietnam journey towards destinations further south.

Contact us at [email protected] if you have any questions, suggestions, or recommendations regarding this 9-day Ho Chi Minh Trail of Vietnam by motorbike.