Vietnam, Laos & Thailand

Upon arrival, we will meet you at the airport and drive you to the hotel (recommended arrival to Chiang Mai, no later than 1 pm). At 3 pm we meet for a welcome briefing and motorcycle hand over at Bike Tour Asia Service Centre. Ride back to the hotel so you can get familiar with your motorcycle and local riding environment etc. Please plan your arrival to Chiang Mai accordingly. You will stay overnight in Chiang Mai.

In the morning we start our Motorcycle Tour of Vietnam, Laos & Thailand! We ride in the eastern direction, passing the Doi Luang National Park, hot springs etc. The first part will be on the main road, an enjoyable ride with nice twists and bends. In Chiang Rai, we will visit the White Temple, once of north Thailand main attractions. In the early afternoon, we ride along the magic Mekong River (mother of all rivers), which in this area makes the border between Thailand and Laos. We will meet the Mekong River often during our tour. Towards the end of the day, we arrive in Chiang Khong which is the destination of our first riding day. We park our motorcycles and enjoy the river view and Laos on the other side. Overnight in Chiang Khong.
(300 km/186 miles)

A bit earlier start today, the goal is to be at Thai Immigration when they open at 8 am. After clearing the Thai border formalities, we cross the Thai – Lao Friendship Bridge. On the Loa side our Lao tour guide greets us, helps us with the border formalities. The immigration- and customs procedures are always an experience. It simply just takes time, so relax, be patient.

Don’t forget! In Laos, we drive on the right side of the road! We have lunch in Luang Namtha and then continue the remaining stretch to Oudomxai. The road is quite good and the scenery is great as we are passing through a couple of villages, where is time to stop and “mingle” with the locals. The first stretch of today to Luang Namtha is the main transit road between Thailand and China and normally has a bit more traffic. After lunch, the road is more provincial, with plenty of cures and villages. Part of this stretch is full of trucks due to the high-speed railway construction between China and Vientiane. Once the high-speed train is in service this part of Laos will change a lot, especially Luang Prabang. Overnight at a lovely resort in Oudomxai.
(310 km/193 miles)

We continue our Motorcycle Tour of Vietnam, Laos & Thailand in an eastern direction on low traffic density provincial roads to the Vietnamese border. The first stretch we ride along the Nam Phak River, enjoy the scenery. At Pak Nam Noy we start climbing up the mountains towards the Vietnam border. This is a remote area of Laos, the scenery is spectacular, not many villages. Not much is happening at the Lao / Vietnam border, said that it can still take some time to work through the paperwork. Our Vietnamese guide will wait for us at the Tay Trang border crossing and together we will ride to Dien Bien Phu. You will notice how things have changed once crossing into Vietnam, different landscape, more people, villages, traffic.
The Battle of Dien Bien Phu was the climactic confrontation of the First Indochina War between the French Union's French Far East Expeditionary Corps and Viet Minh communist-nationalist revolutionaries. We can visit the Dien Bien Phu Museum, the notorious hill A-1 battlefield, the former French command post and a captured tank. Overnight in Dien Bien Phu.
(230 km/143 miles)

Today we have quite a long ride ahead of us on our Motorcycle Tour of Vietnam, Laos & Thailand, we will pass endless villages, plenty of photo opportunities. Toward the end of the day we start climbing up the mountain, the scenery gets better by the hour. After an early breakfast, we depart follow the NR12 to Muong Lay, then head up to Taphin plateau to conquer a scenic and stunning road through the Sin Ho Valley. We stop at the Sin Ho Market, which is more lively and crowded if we arrive early. We continue this less travelled road until Lai Chau and drive the winding road to Sapa with a photo stop at the O Qui Ho pass at 2005 meter from where we have a spectacular view of Phan Xia Pang, 3143 meters, Vietnam’s and South East Asia highest mountain. In Sapa, there are plenty of restaurants, souvenir shops and bars, something for every taste. Overnight in Sapa.
(300 km/186 miles)

Today is a rest day. Sapa is a mountainous town in Northwestern Vietnam, blessed with a cool climate throughout the year. The Hoàng Liên mountain range dominates the area with a dramatic backdrop for many scenic treks.

There are many things to do in Sapa. You can do an optional ride in the area. Or you simply chill out. For a remote small town in northern Vietnam’s mountains, Sapa is surprisingly modern. It offers a great variety of gastronomic options – from local street food and Vietnamese specialities to high-quality Italian restaurants and wine bars. Not to mention the many local cafes that serve super robust Vietnamese coffee. If you are up to it, take the cabin to the top of Phan Xia Pang or simply just stroll around in the town. Overnight in Sapa.

With newly “charged batteries” our journey takes us in southern direction. We ride on good quality mountain roads to Nhiah Loh. During the whole day, we pass through endless villages and rice fields. There are countless photo stops and possibilities to “mingle with the locals”. The closer we get to Nhiah Loh the more spectacular the landscape becomes, especially the valleys with their endless rice terraces. The road is especially scenic between Than Uyen to Nghia Lo. We will stop at a monument on pass 1570 and viewpoint No1, take the opportunity and climb the watchtower. The view of the rice paddies is best from here. Overnight in Ngiah Lo.
(245 km/152 miles)

Today our journey brings us south to the Ninh Binh province, passing Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam.

We arrive at Tam Coc, a small town, full of guest houses, coffee shops, restaurants, and souvenir shops (good opportunity to buy inexpensive Vietnamese handicraft) etc, once the ancient capital of Viet Nam, settled in the 10th century. We can visit temples of two dynasties of Dinh and Le with very unique architectures. Explore the local area by bicycle. Overnight in Ninh Binh.
(300 km/186 miles)

In the morning we board sampan boats (2 people share one boat) and drift down the river among the villages, beautiful mountains and lush rice fields. We pass through 3 caves (“Hang Ca”, “Hang Hai” and “Hang Ba”). Enjoy the peace fullness and watch the skills of the boat operator.

Once back on our motorcycles we continue our journey to Pu Mat. We follow the Ho Chi Minh Trail and the Ca (big) river and arrive in Con Cuong town in the Nghe An province towards the end of the day. Most of today’s route is on good enjoyable low-density roads. Next to our hotel is a swimming pool with bar, full of locals. Enjoy a swim and a beer with them. There is also a possibility to ride and visit a waterfall, paved road, totally 50 km return. Overnight at hotel in Con Cuong.
(250 km/155 miles)

Today we continue to the Nam Can border gate and check out to Laos. The last part of our riding in Vietnam passes through endless villages and just before the border we climb up the mountain range creating the natural border between Vietnam and Laos. We better be there on time. At 11:30 the immigration office will take their rather long lunch break. After the immigration process, we ride in direction to Phonsavan. You will notice the change in landscape and fewer villages once in Laos. We stay overnight in Phonsawan.
(270 km/168 miles)

Phonsavan is home to the famous “Plain of Jars”, a megalithic archaeological site that we will visit in the morning. Then we will jump straight back to the twisties, winding our way northwest towards Luang Prabang. Some stunning mountain trails give way to a wide-open track through the beautiful countryside with remote villages along the way. Luang Prabang with its gleaming temple roofs, fading French architecture and stunning mountain backdrop has been claimed by the UNESCO to be ‘the best-preserved city in South East Asia’. In the evening we will enjoy a deserved dinner in the old quarters of the town. Take the opportunity to visit the night market. We stay overnight in Luang Prabang.
(265 km/165 miles)

As this is a rest day the day is totally at our own disposal.
In the morning you will have the option to rise early to view the procession of monks on their daily outing collecting alms, a practice that dates back centuries. It is done early, as the monks cannot eat anything after midday. By giving food to a monk you make merit, which should augur well for your next life.
You may also want to visit the beautiful Kuang Si Waterfalls. It’s possible to swim in the lagoon, so bring your swimming gear. A great way to get there is to take a local “Tuktuk”.
Another option is cruising couple of hours on the Mekong River to the Pak Ou Caves. If this is to long time spent on a boat, enjoy a short sun set cruise on the river.
Once back in Luang Prabang you can visit the major temples, including the magnificent Wat Xieng Thong, which nestles at the meeting of the Mekong and the Nam Khan Rivers, and Wat Wisunalat, which is the oldest temple in the city. Another great optional activity is to sample a traditional Lao massage and herbal sauna. Along the walking street you find plenty of antique shops, bakeries, bars etc. After sun set the night market takes off. Enjoy and have fun! We stay another night in Luang Prabang.

In the morning you will have the option to rise early to view the procession of monks on their daily outing collecting alms, a practice that dates back centuries. It is done early, as the monks cannot eat anything after midday. By giving food to a monk you make merit, which should augur well for your next life. Once on our motorcycles, we start riding in southern direction to Xayaburi. The road heralds the start of a 170 km wild stretch of highway along steep ridges and around hairpin bends, with headlong views of rugged valleys and remote mountains as far as the eye can see. From Xayaburi we take the narrow and winding local road passing a couple of remote villages to Hongsa were we enjoy lunch. Last part of the day we ride to Pakbeng. Pakbeng is a colourful village situated at the junction of the Mekong River and the smaller Beng River, hence the town’s name ‘Pak’ meaning ‘mouth’ in Lao. The scenery is stunning, the pace is slow. The town is a transit point for many backpackers travelling by boat on the Mekong River between Luang Prabang and Huay Xai. Enjoy the view from the hotel's infinity pool. Overnight in Pakbeng.
(280 km/174 miles)

Today is our last day in Laos on our Motorcycle Tour of Vietnam, Laos & Thailand. The first part of the route takes us back in the direction to Hongsa. We cross into Thailand at Huai Kon border point. Normally the border formalities leaving Laos and entering Thailand are rather straight forward. Once in Thailand, we are in Nan province, one of the few remote areas left in Thailand. Enjoy the road 1081 south towards Bo Kluea. At Bo Kluea (salt well) we stop for lunch and visit the salt well where we will experience old traditional salt extraction. Back on the road, we continue a great windy and scenic road towards Nan, the capital of this province. For centuries Nan was a separate, autonomous Kingdom with few relationships to the outside world. Now, the city is a beautiful town with many well-preserved temples. For local bikers, the area is a treasure. Overnight in Nan.
(220 km/137 miles)

After breakfast, we drive from Nan in a western direction. During the last day of our motorcycle tour, we cruise once again hilly roads via Phayao to Chiang Mai. In Phayao we enjoy a nice lunch by the lake before we arrive back at Bike Tour Asia Service Center in Chiang Mai in the afternoon. Transfer to hotel and get ready for our farewell dinner. We end the day together with our new friends, sharing good riding memories and looking at some of the pictures from our adventures. We will overnight in Chiang Mai, which completes our Motorcycle Tour of Vietnam, Laos & Thailand!
(310 km/193 miles)

Transfer to Chiang Mai International Airport. We hope you enjoyed our Motorcycle Tour of Vietnam, Laos & Thailand!