Far North Vietnam Mountain by Bike & Cruise

The train arrives at Lao Cai Train Station at 5:30 a.m. Our friendly cycling guides and well-equipped support vehicles will pick you up at a cozy local restaurant for an early, energizing breakfast, where you can change into your cycling gear and get ready to roll.

After a hearty and satisfying meal, we take a short transfer to a quiet rural village, where we begin our ride to Coc Ly along a smooth, scenic paved road. Along the way, you’ll enjoy breathtaking panoramic views and discover the region’s lush, exotic landscapes.

Arriving in Coc Ly around 10 a.m., we’ll have the perfect opportunity to visit the vibrant local market, which takes place every Tuesday. This colorful hill tribe market is a lively gathering where various ethnic groups come together to trade goods. You’ll see beautiful traditional costumes, handcrafted bamboo tools, and a variety of fresh agricultural products. Locals also trade animals such as cows, dogs, cats, and buffaloes, creating a truly authentic and bustling atmosphere.

Afterward, we continue the journey along a rugged dirt track to Bao Nhai Bridge before following the road to Bac Ha Town. Upon arrival, check in to your accommodation and enjoy some well-deserved relaxation at your own pace.

Depending on your departure date, the itinerary may be adjusted to experience the tribal markets at their most lively and authentic. For example, if you arrive in Lao Cai on a Sunday morning, we may transfer directly to Bac Ha Market for a vibrant morning visit, followed by a pleasant afternoon ride. Otherwise, the original plan includes cycling to Coc Ly for the Tuesday market before continuing to Bac Ha.

Start early in the morning from the hotel, and we ride to Lung Phing, then turn off the beaten path and single track to Sin Man, stopping for a picnic lunch en route. After lunch, we ride downhill to Coc Pai Town, then conquer the "Heaven Gate Pass 2" before riding to Hoang Su Phi town. Today's ride is an incredible adventure with spectacular scenery dotted with Flowers H'Mong, Tay, Nung, and Dao Phu La villages. Have dinner and stay in Thong Nguyen, Hoang Su Phi.

Ha Giang has a 270km long border line with Yunnan province of China. Covering an area of 7.927,55 km², comprising limestone peaks and outcrops, it creates gorgeous landscapes with its 22 ethnic groups, forming a colorful culture and tradition. We'll explore the most prestigious limestone mountains and marvelous rice terrace fields of Nam Khoa and Paradise Terraced Fields with listed National Heritage of Northeast Vietnam and stunning tribal villages that Ha Giang offers. We'll conquer some big hills before going down to Tan Quang, then take a transfer to Ha Giang town. 

Begins our pedal this morning as we head out of town, cycling for the first 25km on a relatively flat road through the landscape of terraced rice paddy fields. Passing through minority villages, we cycle the next 25km up winding roads into the vast limestone mountain range with its perpendicular rock walls, climbing 800m towards the mountain road past "Heaven Gate 1". As we pass through mountain villages, sometimes covered by clouds, we will receive a friendly greeting from the local communities. From the pass, we can look at amazing views, including the famous vista of the Tam Son Valley with the 'Twin Hills, and observe Quan Ba town's countryside. The ride will continue to Yen Minh town. There will be a transfer to Yen Min in the late afternoon.

We begin our ride from the quiet town of Yen Minh, pedaling past lush rice fields before tackling the challenging ascent of Tham Ma Pass. At the summit, take in sweeping views over Yen Minh and its picturesque surroundings—a perfect introduction to the grandeur ahead.

The journey continues as we enter the heart of the Dong Van Karst Plateau Geopark, a UNESCO-listed site celebrated for its towering limestone formations and remote highland villages. Along the way, witness locals tending their fields, admire vibrant green terraces cascading into the valleys, and soak in the raw beauty of the jagged karst mountains.

Cycling deeper into the countryside, we pass through small villages and wide agricultural plains, where seasonal buckwheat flower fields add splashes of pink and white to the landscape. The ride culminates with a visit to the Lung Cu Flag Tower, Vietnam’s northernmost point, offering panoramic views of mountains, rice paddies, and sweeping valleys.

After this memorable ride, we transfer to Dong Van for hotel check-in. Spend the rest of your day at leisure, wandering the atmospheric Dong Van Ancient Town and experiencing its charming blend of history and local life.

Cycling from Dong Van to Meo Vac to Bao Lac is a journey through some of Vietnam’s most awe-inspiring terrain. The ride begins gently from the ancient town of Dong Van before picking up pace on the winding ascent to the Ma Pi Leng Skywalk—a stretch renowned for its dizzying views and dramatic cliffs. This is the highlight of the day: rolling through high mountain roads with sweeping vistas that challenge both your legs and your sense of scale. The descent from Ma Pi Leng leads to a serene 1.5-hour boat ride along the Nho Que River, where jagged canyon walls and towering peaks create a landscape that feels untouched and otherworldly. After soaking in the stillness of the river, the journey continues by bike to Meo Vac for a well-earned lunch, then on through the rugged countryside toward Bao Lac, with each pedal stroke revealing more of the region’s raw, rugged beauty.

Today gives us more opportunities to meet and exchange culture with minority people, sometimes along the borders.  Cao Bang, a far north province bordering China, offers incredible off-the-beaten tracks for cycling adventures, and it is home to many people belonging to Vietnam's ethnic minority groups. The most notable are the Tay, Nung, Dao, and Hmong. Today

We leave the hotel, cross the river, and follow the back roads along the Gam River, challenging Me Pia, the Khau Coc Cha Passes, and ascending the peaks, but we can not beat the stunning scenery and hillsides. View and enjoy views of Khau Coc Cha Mountain Pass, Me Pja Pass, and Na Tenh as we sometimes cycle along the China border. Then we'll enjoy downhill on the paved roads, through stunning scenery, untouched tribal villages, stilt houses nested on the side of a mountain, and views of the lovely valley, the limestone mountain range to Cao Bang City.

Tra Linh Mountain Dist is close to China. It's one of the non-tourist towns in the far north of Vietnam. Conical mountains surround a little town in the valley. From Cao Bang City, the beautiful mountain road DT208 will lead us to explore the life of colorful tribes, experience local style life and culture, and immerse ourselves in stunning mountain scenery and peaceful valleys.

From the hotel, we'll have a short transfer to a rural village where we start the day cycling along Bang River, cycling through small villages and tiny towns, passing verdant farmlands and rice-terraced fields. After 10km, we leave the river behind and roll onto gentle mountains, hillsides, and cornfields. We'll meet hill tribes on the way; as we enter the Ha Quang rural Dist, we ride along the river, traveling through the little town, then we roll along mountain hillsides, enjoying the scenery of green valleys alongside small rivers and undulating the mountain road, through jungles to Pac Po. The place Ho Chi Minh organized a revolution again the French and Japanese. Later, he liberated the Vietnamese from the French in 1954. We break for lunch at a local restaurant and get ready to speed some gentle pass on winding forest jungles on Road DT210. We cycle and pass by small hill tribal villages and experience the rich culture of life of different ethnic minorities until we speed up to Tra Linh township-small border town.

The morning ride starts from the hotel. We quickly leave the town and will stop at a small village on the side road to see the bamboo water wheels by the stream. Then we roll hills onto the mountainous countryside and enjoy views of brilliant scenery and breathtaking landscapes. Break for coffee in the town of Trung Khanh, and we ride to Dinh Phong village, passing the Cao Vit Gibbon National Reserve of Trung Khanh. The project has established a new Cao-vit Gibbon Conservation Team of 11 members, including government staff and people from local communities who regularly monitor the gibbon population in the conservation area. After lunch at a local restaurant, we follow the single track couple of km to Quay Son River. This is your endless photo opportunity for stunning landscapes and lush rice paddy fields along the borderline. Cross Quay River on a narrow suspension bridge, we cycle a couple of km on road DT206 to Ban Gioc

Get up early in the morning to expose the fascinating nature, walking down to discover the magnificent Ban Gioc Water Fall. Ban Gioc Water Fall is one of Vietnam's most beautiful waterfalls, sharing half of the River with China. Then we return to the hotel for breakfast and begin riding from Hotel to Quang Uyen Town today on frontier roads. We cycle along the river that is the border of Vietnam and China. In the first section of the river, we can see local Vietnamese and Chinese trading by crossing the river with little boats as smugglers. The new frontier roads offer picturesque limestone mountain ranges along the sleepy river then, where we cycle and pass by hill tribal villages of Tay and Nung hill tribes. We will have regular stops along the villages, learn about their life Have lunch en route. After lunch, we continued riding undulated village roads to Quang Uyen Town where we'll transfer to Cao Bang City. 

After a leisurely breakfast, we'll transfer out of the City, pick up the bike, and travel through tea plantations and corn fields, undulate the road QL34, passing little towns, peaceful countryside, and rice-terraced fields to Tinh Tuc, where we have lunch. After lunch, we hope to support vehicles to transfer to Ba Be Lake. Check in the local homestay by the lake, taste coffee, enjoy beautiful views, relax, or explore the area on your own until dinner at the homestay.

After breakfast, we'll take a boat trip to admire the peaceful scenery of the lake and explore the lake's wildlife—cruise along the river, explore the cave, visit the village, and resume the ride about 20 km, enjoy views of high limestone ranges of the national park is Ba Be Lake – the largest freshwater lake in the country. Transfer to Ha Noi in the late afternoon. Tour Ends!