*How to book: To book this tour, please select your preferred date of travel above and pay a small deposit to reserve your place. If your chosen date is not available we will suggest an alternative start date to you that is as close to your preferred date as possible. If this date is not suitable for you, your deposit will be fully refunded.
Experience THE BEST Scenery in Vietnam!
The True North motorbike adventure will be the BEST THING you’ll do in Vietnam! That’s what the riders say…
A wild, unforgettable journey through Vietnam’s most amazing scenery and a relatively new area for travellers to explore; Ha Giang province offers twisting mountain roads, unexplored towns and no signposts. True North is a trip for the adventurous backpacker who wants to be among the first to find out what this remote region has to offer!
With over 10 years of experience riding motorbikes in Ha Giang, Flipside provides a tour that takes in the Northern Loop and it’s surrounding areas, exploring the paddies and buffalo trails the indigenous H’Mong people use. Secret swimming holes, waterfalls and an “unannounced” footstep into China await as we drive over 300km in three unforgettable days!
Cresting vertiginous peaks and diving into Southeast Asia’s deepest valley, the Ma Pi Leng, on a motorbike is an absolutely essential experience on any trip through Asia! We emphasise connecting with the local communities, staying with local families and eating the best local produce the region has.
A combination of Western guides and Vietnamese Xe Oms, or easy-riders, allows us to prepare for any situation and offer guests the option to drive themselves (provided they have some biking experience) or sit at the back of a bike as pillion and really soak in the breath-taking views.
After a long day’s drive, we kick back at night sampling the local rice wine and customs such as bathing in a local spa, checking out traditional markets and festivals and, of course, the ancient art of karaoke (a much loved Vietnamese pastime)! It is truly a trip like no other – the culmination of our constant exploration and desire to find what we think is the True North of Vietnam. It will be the BEST thing you do in Vietnam.
Ride solo, carry a pal on the back or ride shotgun, it’s up to you!
The Ha Giang Province offers some of the world’s most spectacular roads, we take you on the very best of those roads, ensuring this is “the best” experience you have in Vietnam.
If you are unsure about driving a motorbike yourself (we do a short test before we start with every driver) you can always sit on the back of an experienced Vietnamese Xe Om (Easy Rider) and fully soak in the views/listen to tunes etc.
Your safety is our priority: All our motorbike drivers have over 10+ years of experience navigating mountain roads and are fully licensed, insured and well-rested. So you can sit back and enjoy the ride!
True North 4 Day | 3 Night Itinerary
Day 0 – Departure: Hanoi – Ha Giang ( 6hrs D-car limousine )
Please choose Day 0 as your start date when placing your booking.
You will be picked up at around 4:00 pm and spend the night at our hostel ready for an early morning departure which will take you to Ha Giang in time to start Day 1.
Departing from Noi Bai airport or the Hanoi Old Quarter, our Limo buses are equipped with business-class style seating and USB charging ports.
The driver will make a toilet/food break at about the halfway point. We advise bringing snacks on the bus or eating beforehand as the stopping points do not offer much.
Upon arrival at our base in Ha Giang city, you will be given info by our staff on what happens the following morning.
Depending on the season and time of arrival, we will have the campfire set up or the swimming pool open. We have a great menu of local and western comfort food and a fully stocked bar overlooking the Lo River. A great time to get to know your fellow adventurers!
DAY 1: Ha Giang city – Ban An village ( 115KM )
While you enjoy an early breakfast at our restaurant area, your guides will introduce themselves and commence a debrief on safety, cultural etiquette, tour itinerary and what to bring.
Waiver forms will be handed out to all guests on the trip and signed before departure.
Once everybody is packed and ready, those on bikes will be introduced to their trusty steed and shown that the basic operations are safe and good. Those riding will be given a test on competency to operate the vehicle. We must ensure you will be capable for the duration of the trip.
Our first destination will be the beautiful spring-fed village of Du Gia. Taking the newly opened road built to service the hydro dams on the Lo river, we are immersed immediately into scenery that only continues to blow your mind!
While traversing through roads of zero tourism, we will be stopping often for local interaction, photo opportunities and local markets (depending on the day).
Lunch will be at a small family-run restaurant in Du Gia village.
Our destination of the day is the quiet and quaint village of Ban An, occupied by the Tay ethnic tribe.
Once we arrive we can unpack, have a cold beer and take a walk to explore the village or take a dip in the natural spring at our doorstep! Accommodation and amenities are very basic here. This will give you a true understanding of how these particular hill tribes live day to day.
Our dinner will be cooked over a fire and enjoyed with the family here at the homestay.
DAY 2: Ban An – Ma Pi Leng canyon – Lung Cu ( 100km )
Up early for breakfast and then a quick adventure up river by bamboo raft to the cave system that supplies water to the surrounding areas. A great spot for a swim to start the day!
Mid-morning, we return to the road and make our way through more epic scenery and photo opportunities. An area popular for terraced rice paddies and occupied by the Nung and Red Dao ethnicities. Another yummy local food spread for lunch when we arrive in the town of Meo Vac.
After lunch, we will venture north still, to an area that has probably become the most talked about section of the Ha Giang loop. The Ma Pi Leng pass. Touristy? Yes, but for good reason. This is South East Asia’s deepest gorge. The scenery is surreal and a perfect place for a coffee on the cliffside!
As we continue on our way to Vietnam’s most northern frontier and border area with China, we will pass through areas of rocky outcrop that scientists have pointed out show evidence of shifting in the earth’s plates. Fossils have been found here dating back to the Jurassic era!
Our night will be spent in a homestay in support of a LoLo Hill tribe family in the township of Lung Cu. Another local food experience at the homestay!
DAY 3: Lung Cu – Ma Pi Leng ( 50KM)
Our day will begin with breakfast before heading up to see the most famous flagpole in Vietnam. From here we are beginning our trek back toward Ha Giang city.
Heading South West, we will follow the border area where we will make a stop to see the ancient Kings palace that is now made open to the public. A very interesting story for those into history!
***
From this point group will split and the 3-day adventurers will head back to Ha Giang. We will continue on by taking a little used back road to the previously visited town of Meo Vac where we will once again have an amazing lunch!
After lunch, we will prepare for a 2.5 hr trek through rural Hmong villages and what is arguably the best scenery in Vietnam. In a sheltered cave overlooking the river is where we will be camping. An over-the-fire cooked local meal and a few beers make this a truly amazing experience!
DAY 4: Ma Pi Leng- Ha Giang ( 160KM)
Waking up early to have breakfast and catch the sun rising above China in the distance is a surreal experience.
Once we have had a coffee and packed up, we will make our way back through the villages and then make our way back to Ha Giang.
***
While visiting any frontier area, we think it would be rude not to take a cheeky step over the other side (just quietly).
Lunch will be had in the township of Yen Minh in one of the oldest commercially operating restaurants in all of Ha Giang. Great food!
Several more stunning mountain passes await us as we make our way back toward Ha Giang, including villages where crops of hemp cover the hillsides!
We normally get back to Ha Giang at about 3:30 pm. For those departing for Hanoi the same day, you will have time for a shower and something to eat before the bus picks you up from our home base.
True North 3 Day | 2 Night Itinerary
Day 0: Departure Hanoi – Ha Giang ( 6hrs D-car limousine )
Please choose Day 0 as your start date when placing your booking.
You will be picked up at around 4:00 pm and spend the night at our hostel ready for an early morning departure which will take you to Ha Giang in time to start Day 1.
Departing from Noi Bai airport or the Hanoi Old Quarter, our Limo buses are equipped with business-class style seating and USB charging ports. The driver will make a toilet/food break at about the halfway point. We advise bringing snacks on the bus or eating beforehand as the stopping points do not offer much.
Upon arrival at our base in Ha Giang city, you will be given info by our staff on what happens the following morning. Depending on the season and time of arrival, we will have the campfire set up or the swimming pool open. We have a great menu of local and western comfort food and a fully stocked bar overlooking the Lo River. A great time to get to know your fellow adventurers!
DAY 1: Ha Giang city – Ban An village ( 115KM )
While you enjoy an early breakfast at our restaurant area, your guides will introduce themselves and commence a debrief on safety, cultural etiquette, tour itinerary and what to bring. Waiver forms will be handed out to all guests on the trip and signed before departure.
Once everybody is packed and ready, those on bikes will be introduced to their trusty steed and shown that the basic operations are safe and good. Those riding will be given a test on competency to operate the vehicle. We must ensure you will be capable for the duration of the trip.
Our first destination will be the beautiful spring-fed village of Du Gia. Taking the newly opened road built to service the hydro dams on the Lo river, we are immersed immediately into scenery that only continues to blow your mind! While traversing through roads of zero tourism, we will be stopping often for local interaction, photo opportunities and local markets (depending on the day).
Lunch will be at a small family-run restaurant in Du Gia village.
Our destination of the day is the quiet and quaint village of Ban An, occupied by the Tay ethnic tribe. Once we arrive we can unpack, have a cold beer and take a walk to explore the village or take a dip in the natural spring at our doorstep!
Accommodation and amenities are very basic here. This will give you a true understanding of how these particular hill tribes live day to day.
Our dinner will be cooked over a fire and enjoyed with the family here at the homestay.
DAY 2: Ban An – Ma Pi Leng canyon – Lung Cu ( 100km )
Up early for breakfast and then a quick adventure upriver by bamboo raft to the cave system that supplies water to the surrounding areas. A great spot for a swim to start the day!
Mid-morning we return to the road and make our way through more epic scenery and photo opportunities. An area popular for terraced rice paddies and occupied by the Nung and Red Dao ethnicities. Another yummy local food spread for lunch when we arrive in the town of Meo Vac.
After lunch, we will venture further north still, to an area that has probably become the most talked about section of the Ha Giang loop. The Ma Pi Leng pass. Touristy? Yes, but for good reason. This is South East Asia’s deepest gorge. The scenery is surreal and a perfect place for a coffee on the
cliffside!
As we continue on our way to Vietnam’s most northern frontier and the border area with China, we will pass through areas of rocky outcrop that scientists have pointed out show evidence of shifting in the earth’s plates. Fossils have been found here dating back to the Jurassic era!
Our night will be spent in a homestay in support of a LoLo Hill tribe family in the township of Lung Cu. Another local food experience at the homestay!
DAY 3: Lung Cu – Ha Giang ( 140KM)
Our day will begin with breakfast before heading up to see the most famous flagpole in Vietnam. From here we are beginning our trek back toward Ha Giang city.
Heading South West, we will follow the border area where we will make a stop to see the ancient Kings palace that is now made open to the public. A very interesting story for those into history!
While visiting any frontier area, we think it would be rude not to take a cheeky step over the other side (just quietly).
Lunch will be had in the township of Yen Minh in one of the oldest commercially operating restaurants in all of Ha Giang. Great food!
Several more stunning mountain passes await us as we make our way back toward Ha Giang, including villages where crops of hemp cover the hillsides!
We normally get back to Ha Giang at about 3:30 pm. For those departing for Hanoi the same day, you will have time for a shower and something to eat before the bus picks you up from our home base.
What’s included on the trip?
- Return transport to Hanoi unless stated
- Most meals
- Drivers
- English speaking guide
- Accommodations
- Fuel
- Entrance ticket
- Activities.
What’s not included?
- Travel Insurance
- Drinks
- Personal expenses.
What to bring
Riding Wear:
- Enclosed footwear (hiking boots/sneakers)
- Long pants (jeans preferable)
- A long-sleeved shirt (preferable to a T-Shirt)
- Sunglasses
- Rain jacket/umbrella
To wear after the day’s riding:
- Shorts
- Singlets
- Flip-flops/sandals
- Whatever you are comfortable in.
- (Warm stuff for the winter months)
Other bits:
- Passport
- Sun cream
- Insect repellant,
- Some pocket money for water and any other liquid refreshments (Your travel permit/accommodation/fuel/food are all provided by Flipside.)
There are towels provided at all the accommodation locations.
What will you eat:
We eat Vietnamese food with an emphasis on fresh and local products wherever possible to support the villagers in the area. If you have any specific dietary requirements or allergies, please make our staff aware before departing on the trip. We advise you to take snacks with you, as choice can be limited once in the Ha Giang Province.
Liability:
We are not responsible for any personal injury or loss/damage to personal belongings or bags if they are not in the car.
Travel / Health Insurance:
Travel insurance is NOT included in the trip; we strongly recommend that you have your own travel insurance against illness, injury, loss/damage to personal belongings.
Hi, I’m Nikki and I started South East Asia Backpacker in 2008 after my own first solo backpacking trip! My vision was to create a travel diary for everyone, a place for travellers to share their experiences from the road. After backpacking and writing about Southeast Asia for over 10 years, I saw the opportunity to provide backpackers with the kind of experiences that I’d treasured myself in the region! 
Jessica –
Flipside is absolutely the best choice for Ha Giang Loop. Linh is an incredible tour guide and gives you a much more meaningful trip than other companies. She really cares about supporting the local communities we’re entering! I can’t wait to come back and do this tour again!!
Jan-Lukas Paschek –
I would like to extent my gratitude for the past 4 days in Ha Giang to Linh and the flipside crew. I had a truly amazing experience with them riding motorbikes through the mountains of northern Vietnam.
We saw stunning cliffs, waterfalls, indigenous people, and thick clouds. During the past days I learned how to ride a motorbike, a true life skill. I quickly overcame my fear of the road, and during the last day of our tour I was fully confident to speed down the winding roads of Ha Giang.
I also want to stress that our group of 6 riders was cozy and fun – we took good care and looked after each other. There was also a lot of laughs, especially accompanied by rice wine.
If you are looking for a true adventure, this tour is for you. It will be amazing – just make sure you’re comfortable to get out of your comfort zone just a bit.
Again, Linh is an amqzing host and she will do everything to be accommodative of your needs.
I will for sure come back to do this tour again – see you soon!
Jacob –
This was the highlight of my whole trip in South East Asia! Our guide Declan was an outstanding tour guide. Couldn’t have asked for a better experience!
Rachel –
Best tour I’ve ever done. Not really a big fan of tours normally, but my friend was already doing it so she talked me into it. I did it with Jack, he managed it so perfectly that even though he was serious all the time, he made it feel like he was just one of our friends who happened to know the way. Can’t recommend this enough
Saskia –
Amazing trip despite it pouring down on the first day, definitely the best thing we have done on our travels so far. The places we stopped at were very welcoming and served excellent food. We had a great group and the views are absolutely unreal! Thanks Tennessee for showing us around and introducing us to the happy water…one more shot
Robert –
This was definately the highlight of my trip in Asia! Completely away from tourism, an awesome group of people, rice wine, local food and sooo much adventure.
Jake was an amazing tourguide and so were the Vietnamese guides that drove the people that didn’t know how to ride.
Saw some truly amazing scenery and some hidden places that i’m not allowed to discuss (you have to go to see them).
Completely worth every penny and i can’t wait to go back in the next year.