Perhaps the best view in Sapa is located at Tram Ton Pass, 3 km away from O Quy Ho Pass. A view at the summit will reveal stunning, sweeping panoramic views of the mountains, valleys, and forests below. With a height of over 1,900 meters, Tram Ton Pass is the highest mountain pass in Vietnam and is often referred to as Heaven’s Gate due to its soaring height. Just west of …
O Quy Ho Pass – Sapa
O Quy Ho Pass, also known as Hoang Lien, can be found in the town of Sapa in the Hoang Lien Son Mountains. Rising 2,000 meters above sea level, the 50km mountain pass is considered one of the most mystical attractions in the entire region. If you’re determined to find the best view in town, O Quy Ho Pass has everything you could ask for. Its sweeping, panoramic views of the …
South to North Vietnam Motorbike Route – HCMC to Hanoi
If just one experience could define Southeast Asian adventures, it would be motorbiking across Vietnam. Whether north-to-south or south-to-north, a 2000 km traverse of Vietnam’s hyperkinetic highways and twisting country roads on your own two wheels is a journey that will leave you with stories to tell for years to come. Like many travelers, a friend and I started our …
Ha Giang Loop – North Vietnam
If you’re in Northern Vietnam and looking for adventure far from the well-worn trails, there is one place that deserves to be right at the top of your travel list: the Ha Giang Loop. Here, deep in the Dong Van Karst Plateau, you’ll find jaw-dropping mountain vistas, vibrant ethnic traditions, all the open roads you could ever hope for, and more. Almost unknown until a few …
13 Stunning Hiking Spots by Sapa
Northern Vietnam has a climate of its own, and the cooler temperatures make for some of the best hiking spots by Sapa a unique place to explore the outdoors. One of the most prominent features of the north is the tiered rice fields carved and neatly folded across the land, giving visitors something to admire on every trek. This part of the country is also home to Vietnam's …
How to Get From Hanoi to Sapa
Sapa is one of the most visited destinations in North Vietnam, with tourists arriving year-round from Hanoi. There are several ways to reach this mountain town from Vietnam's capital city, including train, bus, shuttle, and motorbike. The closest airport to Sapa is Hanoi’s Noi Bai International Airport, so that’s the one you’ll fly into to start your journey. From Hanoi, a …
Ma Pi Leng Pass – Ha Giang
Far from the crowds of Hanoi, tucked into a mountainside in Vietnam’s Northern frontier, there’s a little-known paradise for any road-trip junkie. One of the region’s “Four Great Passes,” and arguably the most spectacular, the Ma Pi Leng Pass is a place of extremes… Gorges plunge away from the roadside, jagged mountaintops skim the clouds, and the locals’ rugged culture is a …
Renting a Motorbike in Hanoi
While renting a motorbike often consists of getting a second-hand machine from a small store, there are plenty of reliable and professional shops to pick from, especially in Hanoi. And when traveling out onto the open roads, you're going to want a dependable machine to make sure you reach your final destination. Without doing ample research, you could end up with a fake …
Renting a Motorbike in Ho Chi Minh
Motorbike rentals in Vietnam have come a long way in recent years and when venturing out onto Saigon's open roads, you're going to want a trustworthy machine to get you around. While there are still plenty of second-hand shops where you can snag a motorcycle for a few days, there are a few highly professional and reliable rental companies, especially in Ho Chi Minh City. To …
Buying or Renting a Motorbike in Vietnam
Cruising down the roads on a motorbike and taking in Vietnam's rich culture along the way is truly an unforgettable experience. However, obtaining a bike requires you to either rent or buy, and coming to a decision on your own can be a daunting task. To make planning your motorbike trip a little easier, we've broken down everything you need to know about renting or buying a …
How to Get From Ho Chi Minh to Hanoi
Vietnam's two largest cities, Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi, are naturally its most visited. However, they lie at opposite ends of the long country, separated by around 1140 kilometers of air travel, 1600 km by road, and 1700 km on a train. Either way, you trek it, the trip from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi, or vice-versa, covers a lot of distance. So what's the best way to get from Ho …
How to Get From Ho Chi Minh to Nha Trang
While it's not the closest beach to Ho Chi Minh, Nha Trang is probably the best beach destination nearer the city. It's certainly the most popular and largest in the south at more than 535,000 full time residents. It lies approximately 440 kilometers by motorbike, 411 km by train and 406 km by flight. What's the best way to travel from Ho Chi Minh City to Nha Trang? There …
The Essential Vietnam Motorbike Trip Packing List
Before we start, let’s address the elephant in the room: Motorbiking in Vietnam, also referred to as motorcycling, is risky. And due to this, we can only recommend that experienced, fully kitted-out bikers attempt to ride here. But, let’s also be realistic. Not everyone who wants to ride Vietnam has prior experience on a bike, and even fewer are dressed to the nines in the …
Hai Van Pass – Da Nang to Hue
The saying goes: “It’s not about where you’re going. It’s about how you get there.” In central Vietnam, draped across the hillsides and clifftops, is a road that could define this well-worn motto. Here’s everything you need to know about one of the most inspiring roads you will ever travel: The Hai Van Pass. It connects Da Nang to the south with Hue to the north. And there …
How to Drive a Motorbike Safely in Vietnam
Driving your own motorbike in Vietnam adds to the already high thrill of visiting this amazing land. It grants you the freedom that you can't get with taxis or even riding on the back of a Grab motorbike (like Uber). There are certain things that you need to know before renting a motorbike and driving out into traffic. We'll review the laws surrounding riding a motorbike as …