Last updated June 2025 | Words and photos by Vietnam Coracle | 122 comments
Tom Divers is the founder and creator of Vietnam Coracle. He’s lived, travelled and worked in Vietnam since 2005. Born in London, he travelled from an early age, visiting over 40 countries (he first visited Vietnam in 1999). Now, whenever he has the opportunity to make a trip, he rarely looks beyond Vietnam’s borders and his trusty motorbike, Stavros. Read more about Tom on the About Page, Vietnam Times and ASE Podcast.
An independent motorbike road trip in Vietnam is an unforgettable travel experience, but how much does it cost? In this guide, I’ve summarized the essential expenses for a road trip in Vietnam and calculated an average daily budget. Certain expenses are fundamental and unavoidable, but others are optional and depend entirely on how much you want to or can afford to spend. Even within the necessary costs, there are different levels to choose from according to your budget. The information in this guide is designed to help travellers estimate how much their road trip in Vietnam will cost.
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EXPENSES FOR A MOTORBIKE ROAD TRIP
A Guide to Daily Costs & How Much to Budget
In this guide, I’ve outlined all basic daily expenses for a motorbike road trip in Vietnam, followed by estimates of total daily costs. This guide covers the most essential components of a road trip, from motorbike rental to accommodation, food and drink to gasoline. I’ve given a detailed summary of each major daily expense so that travellers can work out roughly how much to budget for a road trip in Vietnam. Bear in mind that prices in this guide are only approximate and, of course, subject to change. For more useful resources like this, see Related Posts. And, if you enjoy this guide, please support the site or consider purchasing one of my Offline Guides & Maps from the shop.
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*Road Safety & Disclaimer: Riding a motorbike in Vietnam – or anywhere in the world – has its dangers. I would hope & expect anyone who chooses to pursue a self-drive road trip based on the information on this website does so with care, respect & due diligence. I encourage careful riding & adherence to road rules, but I am not responsible for the legality or manner in which you ride, nor any negative consequences which may result from your decision to ride a motorbike in Vietnam: you do so at your own risk. Read more >
Motorbike Rental: $7-$25/day
The biggest single expense of your road trip will be your motorbike. Whether you rent or buy, the payment (in most cases) is made up front in one lump sum at the beginning of your road trip. And, in the case of rental, you’ll be required to pay a deposit too. The rental market in Vietnam is now highly sophisticated and efficient, meaning the only reason to buy your motorbike is if you’re planning on being in Vietnam long-term, i.e., significantly more than a month. Otherwise, it’s cheaper, more convenient, safer and better in every way to rent than buy. Click the following links for details: Renting a Motorbike | Buying a Motorbike
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Renting a Motorbike: There are lots of excellent motorbike rental companies in Vietnam and competition keeps standards high and prices very reasonable. If you choose to rent your motorbike, you should do so from a reputable company, such as Style Motorbikes, Dragon Bikes, Rent A Bike, Tigit, and The Extra Mile* to name just a few. These are all highly professional and reliable rental services that are represented in major cities across Vietnam and can arrange pick-up and drop-off in specific locations nationwide. Rental costs depend on the model of motorbike and how long you rent for. Standard models – 110cc-125cc Honda/Yamaha automatics or semi-automatics – work out between $7-$12 per day if renting for at least a couple of weeks. This represents extremely good value for money. Even bigger bikes, such as the Honda XR 150cc manual and many others, work out as low as $15 per day if renting for a month. Beyond that, you can rent big bikes, such as Honda CB500x, for around $35 per day over one month. The bottom line is that for $150-$450/month you can rent a wide range of good motorbikes for the duration of your road trip.
It’s important to remember that rental bikes are well-maintained (it’s in the rental companies’ interest to keep their motorbikes in good condition) and often include certain accessories, such as good helmets, rain ponchos and luggage racks, as standard. What’s more, all good rental companies offer 24-hour assistance and some come with a no breakdown guarantee. In addition, there are lots of tempting optional add-ons, such as sat-nav, GIVI bike boxes and more. However, once you start adding extras, your daily costs quickly spiral. The rental companies’ websites are increasingly user-friendly and easy to navigate, and the whole rental process is much more streamlined than it used to be. The bar keeps being raised. So why wouldn’t you rent? The only reason, from a budget traveller’s perspective, is that you are required to pay a deposit: generally between $300-$1,000 depending on the motorbike model.
*Please note: This website sometimes carries advertising for motorbike rental companies that I know, like, personally use and/or vouch for. Although I respect and value these companies, I am not affiliated with them in any way.
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Buying a Motorbike: You can buy an old manual motorbike, such as a Honda Win, for as little as $200 (5,200,000vnđ) by scouring the backpacker areas of Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi or searching online marketplaces, such as Facebook and Craigslist. However, to find a better quality second-hand motorbike, such as a 110cc Honda Wave/Honda Blade semi-automatic or 125cc Yamaha Nouvo/Honda Air Blade automatic, you will need to spend more: $250-$350 (6,500,000-9,000,000vnđ). In the case of a Honda Win, you will likely have to spend money on maintenance before and, most probably, during your trip, which, aside from being a nuisance (and a safety risk), will increase the costs considerably. Another drawback of buying your motorbike, is that you will lose a couple of precious days at the beginning of your road trip trying to find a suitable bike to buy, and, at the end of your road trip, trying to find a buyer to take it off your hands.
In addition, unlike the rental companies who have a vested interest in keeping all their bikes well-maintained and in good condition because they will be using them again and again, when you buy a motorbike from a random person, their only incentive is to sell the bike as quickly as possible, regardless of quality, condition or value for money. (Remember, too, that when you buy a motorbike, you must have the accompanying ‘blue/green card’.) Even if you buy a rock-bottom priced Honda Win for $200, your savings, if any, are minimal compared to the monthly price of renting a motorbike. Given all of the above, I strongly recommend renting instead of buying, unless you intend to be in Vietnam for significantly longer than a month or if you have enough mechanical knowledge to assess the quality of bikes for sale.
Accommodation: $5-$15-$50+/day
Your biggest daily expense while on the road will be accommodation. In the cities and major tourist destinations you can find everything from dirt cheap dorms to astronomically priced luxury resorts. But, on the road in the countryside, the choice is generally limited to cheap local guesthouses, mini-hotels and homestays. One of the best ways to save on accommodation is not to travel alone: sharing the cost of a room between two or more people can halve the price of sleeping. If you’re a budget traveller, you should be able to keep average accommodation costs down to around $10 per night. Click the links below for details:
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Guest Houses, Hostels & Mini-Hotels: Unless you’re sticking entirely to the beaten track, you will be spending many of your nights on the road in nhà nghỉ (local guest houses). These can be found all over the country – even in the remotest regions – and are usually good value for money. Often family-run, nhà nghỉ offer simple, clean, comfortable accommodation with private bathrooms. They are essentially mini-hotels. Averaging 200,000-400,000vnđ ($7.50-$15) for a double, twin, triple, or even quadruple room, nhà nghỉ are particularly good value for couples, two travelling friends, or a small group of travelling companions. If you’re travelling alone you should be able to get a room for 200,000-300,000vnđ ($7.50-$11.50). (For a more information about nhà nghỉ see this page.) Dorm-style ‘backpacker’ hostels are common in well-established tourist enclaves, such as big cities and popular destinations. These can be very cheap (120,000vnđ/$4.50 per night), convivial and traveller-friendly places for a night or two.
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Homestays & Airbnbs: In certain regions of Vietnam, particularly in the northern mountains, homestays in traditional wooden houses offer some of the cheapest (and most atmospheric) accommodation available anywhere in the country. The price for a mattress on the floor under a mosquito net in highland destinations, such as Hà Giang, Mù Cang Chải, Sa Pa, Pù Luông and Mai Châu, can be as little as 50,000-130,000vnđ ($2-$5) per night. Generally, guests are also expected to buy into the family-style dinner (an additional 130,000-250,000vnđ), but there’s no reason why you can’t just pay for your bed and opt out of the food. Homestays are becoming more common throughout Vietnam, even in lowland and coastal regions. However, ‘homestay’ has become a buzzword that is now given to a range of non-homestay accommodation, so bear this in mind if booking online. (Check out my Homestays Archive). Airbnb in Vietnam lists some surprisingly cheap, budget and homestay-style accommodation. It’s worth checking Airbnb listings wherever you are in the country. However, Airbnb hosts usually prefer travellers who are staying for a minimum of 2-3 nights.
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Camping: One way to significantly reduce the cost of accommodation is to camp. However, camping is only really an option on more remote or sparsely populated stretches of road, such as the Western Ho Chi Minh Road and the Pine Tree Road, or where there are designated campsites, such as along parts of the Coast Road. Camping can be an extremely rewarding experience, but if you intend to ‘wild camp’, it means bringing all the equipment with you on the motorbike. In addition, you need to be very careful when choosing a site to pitch your tent. (For more about where and how to camp in Vietnam, take a look at my Camping Archives.
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Hotels & Resorts: Mid-range travellers will find plenty of good-value hotels and resorts in all cities and popular tourist destinations. But not, perhaps, in more out-of-the way regions. If your accommodation budget stretches between $20-$50 a night, there are some excellent mid-range hotels across the nation. Personally, I like to treat myself to a night somewhere nice after a week or two of ‘roughing it’ in the mountains. Check out my Hotel Reviews for independent recommendations of places to stay throughout Vietnam.
Food & Drink: $10-$25/day
When it comes to food – and especially drink – how much you spend is down to you. On the road in rural areas of Vietnam, if you eat like a local, you can keep food and drink costs very low and still be highly satisfied with the quantity and quality. However, in the cities and tourist hotspots, prices are generally higher than the countryside, and there’s more variety and choice to tempt you. If you’re a fussy or unadventurous eater, or if you don’t like local food, or if you have specific dietary requirements, then you will likely end up spending more for your meals, or going hungry, or simply not enjoying food on your road trip, which would be very sad, indeed. The best way to keep food costs down is to travel with an open mind and an open palate.
If you eat at street food vendors and local rice and noodle joints (quán cơm phở) for all your meals, then you could spend as little as 25,000-100,000vnđ ($1-$4) per meal. Likewise, if you drink bottled water, soft drinks, Vietnamese iced coffee and local lager, you’ll never spend more than 10,000-25,000vnđ (under $1) per drink. For example, a hearty breakfast of cơm tấm (rice and pork) or phở (beef noodles) with a cà phê đen đá (iced black coffee) and a big 1.5 litre bottle of water will set you back around 50,000-70,000vnđ ($2-$3). Lunch will be something similar, and dinner might be a relative feast in a local rice eatery with several meat and vegetable dishes, soup and cans of beer. This will probably cost around 100,000-200,000vnđ ($4-$8). Bear in mind, too, that eating alone can sometimes be more expensive than dining in a group. Vietnamese food is often intended to be eaten family-style, so whenever possible eat with friends, not alone, especially dinner. The bottom line is, you could eat and drink well for as little as 200,000vnd ($8) per day.
If, however, you eat Western food and dine only at ‘tourist-friendly’ restaurants, you can essentially double all the prices listed above. If you eat burgers instead of rice, drink cappuccinos instead of Vietnamese-style iced coffee, craft beer instead of local lager, then you’re looking at a daily food and drink budget of around 350,000-500,000vnđ+ ($14-$20+). Having said that, when you’re on the road in the countryside, there are fewer opportunities to eat Western food or drink craft beer, so there’s no alternative but to eat locally and, therefore, spend less.
*Check out my Food & Drink Guides for lots of information, recommendations, reviews and practical guides to eating and drinking across the nation.
Gasoline: $3-$7/day
Daily expenditure for gasoline depends on a number of factors: the distances you’re covering, the terrain you’re riding through, the type of motorbike you’re on, and the amount of luggage/passengers you have with you. At the time of writing (June 2025), gasoline prices are 20,000-25,000vnđ per litre (under $1). Most standard motorbikes have a 4-5 litre fuel tank (although bigger motorcycles have much larger tanks: often over 10 litres). Therefore, a full tank costs around 80,000-125,000vnđ ($3-$5). Depending on the condition of your motorbike, the terrain, and the weight you’re carrying, you might expect a full tank on a standard bike to take you between 150km-200km. To put this into perspective, a long day on the road in Vietnam is 200km+; a short day is under 100km. However, if your motorbike is weighed down with luggage and a pillion, or if you’re riding through mountainous landscapes on very steep roads, or if your bike is an older model, these things can reduce your range by as much as 50km per tank. Another factor to take into account is, if you’re on a multi-week road trip, you’re unlikely to ride long distances every day: from time to time you’ll take a ‘day off’ and be static for 24 hours and therefore not ride much at all. These ‘days off’ will offset the long riding days and, over the course of your road trip, reduce the average daily expenditure on gasoline. Taking all these things into consideration, you will probably only use one full tank of gasoline per day on average across your entire road trip.
Extras: $5-$15/day
Inevitably, there will be extra costs every day that you should allow somewhere between $5-$15 to cover. These might be practical things – mobile phone credit and data, entrance fees to museums, sites and national parks, minor repairs to your motorbike, roadside snacks and water – but also little ‘luxuries’, such as a sunset cocktail at a smart beach bar, a present for a friend or family member back home, a Western meal in a big city after days of eating rice in the mountains, or a round of beers for your new local friends in a mountainside eatery. If possible, don’t budget too strictly or be too tight with your spending; leave room to be flexible and generous – both to yourself and to others.
Total Daily Costs: $30-$45-$65/day
Below, I’ve estimated average daily costs for three different budgets: ‘Bikepacker’, ‘Flashpacker’ and ‘Mid-Ranger’. Bear in mind that the calculations below include the cost of your motorbike, which, in reality, will be paid as a lump sum at the start of your trip: either when you pick up your motorbike from the rental company or when you buy it. The following estimates are per person, per motorbike, per day. Travelling two on a motorbike or travelling in a small group will significantly reduce the average daily cost, because you will be sharing the expenses for room, food, bike and gas.
If you’re on the ‘Bikepacker’ budget and you really want or need to stay within a tight budget, you can probably manage to shave off a few dollars a day from the estimate below. If you’re on the ‘Flashpacker’ budget, you shouldn’t have much problem staying within these costs, especially if you’re an experienced traveller. And, if you’re on the ‘Mid-Ranger’ budget, you’ll live and ride very comfortably indeed:
The Bikepacker: $30+/day (800,000vnđ+)
The Flashpacker: $45+/day (1,180,000vnđ+)
The Mid-Ranger: $65+/day (1,700,000vnđ+)
For more useful resources like this, see Related Posts below. And if you enjoyed this guide, please support Vietnam Coracle or consider purchasing one of my Offline Guides & Maps from the shop.
Support My Work
Free | Independent | No Sponsored Content
“Hello, if you enjoy my website, please support it.
Thank you.” Tom
*Disclosure: I never receive payment for anything I write: my content is always free and independent. I’ve written this guide because I want to: I like motorbiking in Vietnam and I want my readers to know about it. For more details, see my Disclosure & Disclaimer statements and my About Page
Hi, again. Big fan.
Your writings are so valuable. This is so generous of you to share this with everybody.
Where were you staying when you had your gin and tonic, on the balcony,? I want to go there ( As well as every other place you’ve been:).
“Leave room for luxuries: gin & tonic on the balcony at sunset”
Thanks so much for your work here.
Hi Jon,
This guide is about expenses; for lots of suggestions for gin & tonic on the balcony, please browse my Hotel Reviews and Drinking, Cafes & Bars.
Best,
Tom
Any rentals you recommend?? I’ve noticed that you changed the bike rentals you mentioned in this post, just curious if there is any reason?
Hi Andres,
Yes, there are now quite a few good rental companies to choose from in Vietnam. The ones mentioned in this article are recommended, both past and present.
Best,
Tom
Hello Tom,
Thank you very much for those precious infos, I was preparing to by one not knowing all the great renting possibilities nowadays !
Just one thing that bothers me: I have a big backpack with me (20 kgs) since I plan on hiking in the north. Is it compatible with a bike? Do I have to buy equipment to fix it or can they help me with that that at the renting company ?
Hi Mathieu,
Yes, the motorbike rental services will have ways to carry your 20kg luggage on the bike – whether that’s a rack or bike boxes. You’ll be able to carry your stuff with you on the bike.
Best,
Tom
Thank you for the answer ! 🙂
All the best,
Mathieu
Hi Tom
I was wondering if you had any experience with Australians hiring motorbikes. From my research its looks like Australia is not a signatory to the 1968 International Drivers License convention, which means IDPs from Australia aren’t valid. I can see this might pose two issues:
1. With police because I would technically be unlicensed riding a motorbike around (it seems like this would be ok practically speaking)
2. Getting insurance because insurers don’t cover illegal activities (just in case of a crash and having to pay medical expenses or other compensation costs)
Have you heard about how people get around this issue?
Many thanks
Ben
Hi Ben,
Yes, there’s always a bit of confusion around that. It’s best to ask for more details about licenses and legality from the reputable motorbike rental outlets that I mention on this page in the Rent section – they will be able to advise you better than I can. You can also search the Vietnam Back Roads Facebook group for more information regarding licenses.
Best,
Tom
Very helpful site! Excellent info. Thank you so much for sharing. Since I haven’t ridden a bike since I was 18 (I am 50 now) I was wondering whether it would be possible and/or wise to try to rent a car. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Hi Michael,
Unfortunately, it’s not currently possible for foreign visitors in Vietnam to rent a car for self-drive. However, you can rent a car and driver, or you can also rent a motorbike and driver – for the latter, try contacting the motorbike rental companies mentioned on this page above in the Rent section.
Best,
Tom
Love the work that you do and the perfect travel guides. What kind of license do you need to be allowed to drive a motorcycle in vietnam? Is it enough to have an international driving license for a 125cc motorcycle?
Hi Benjamin,
Thank you for the kind words.
It depends what international driving license you have. I would suggest contacting the rental companies I mention above on this page for more details on licenses – they will be able to advise you.
Best,
Tom
Hi. Great site. So informational and inspiring. Q: have you ever had a bike breakdown while out quite a distance from any kind of help/assistance? I’m sure part of that kind of eventuality is dependent on good planning – just curious if bike rental shops offer any kind of road assistance?
Hi Jeffrey,
You’re never too far from a sửa xe (mechanic) in Vietnam or at least a passerby who will offer to help you out. But all the bike rental places that I recommend on this page offer 24 hour assistance, so you should be well-covered if you have a breakdown.
Best,
Tom
Great information! Breaking things down to a per day cost really helps with planning/budgeting.
Was booked for a trip in early 2020 but got cancelled due to pandemic.
Your guide will help with planning a trip in 2023.
Thanks !
Thanks, Thomas.
I hope your 2023 road trip goes smoothly.
Best,
Tom
Hi. I am looking for e-bike rentals in Hanoi for 1 week in July this year. Those on websites all seem to ask for very high deposits i.e. US$1000. Probably a normal scooter will be the better option then?
Hi Willem,
I’m sorry for my slow reply.
You could try to negotiate the deposit for the e-bikes. Otherwise, your best option is to rent a normal scooter instead.
I’m trying to switch to electric myself, so if you do end up making your trip on an e-bike, I’d love to hear how it goes.
Best,
Tom
hello, what’s the rent bike company that you chose?
Hi Marco,
Please see my recommendations for motorbike rental above on this page. Or just click here.
Thanks,
Tom
hi Tom,
it sound like renting a bike is a simple process. What a bout driving license and motorcycle riding experiences requirement.
is the rental place taking care of the license to operate. Secondly can i rent the motorcycle in vietnam and take it across to Cambodia.
thank,
Hi Tan,
Yes, renting is very easy and sophisticated in Vietnam now.
For licenses and cross-border rental it’s better to contact the rental companies directly – they’ll be able to better-informed than I about that.
Best,
Tom
Hello Tom, great article! I was just wandering if it would be crazy to rent a bike without having a licence, would any rental companies do that? I know it sounds crazy, but I did that in Malaysia and Thailand for a daily rentals, but in Vietnam I would want to do 3 weeks trip. I do feel comfortable on the bike on the road, also quite alright in crowded cities, so from the side of driving I wouldn’t have any problems, just want to ask if you think any companies would do that? Thanks for reply
Hi Vytas,
It’s best if you contact the rental companies that I recommend on this page above to ask about that – they will be able to give you some advice regarding riding with/without a license.
Tom
any ideas what to do with our big backpacks? Is there any company that would send our bags from Dalat to Ho chi min and store them for 2 months? Do you know how to do this for a reasonable price?
Hi Jacob,
I’m not sure about that. You could ask your motorbike rental company if they have any suggestions – my recommendations for rental companies are listed above.
Tom
Hi Tom,
Thanks for a great site with so much helpful and illustrated information
I am planning my trip to vietnam for 21 days from mid march to early april 2019.
I would like to know your opinion on if it is better to travel from Hanoi to Saigon or Saigon to Hanoi.
Many thanks
Colin
Hi Colin,
At that time of year it’s probably better to travel from Saigon to Hanoi, because of the weather. But in general, March, April, May is a good time to see the whole country.
Tom
Tom, you rock! Thanks so much for all your insight and tips – deeply grateful.
I’m planning on doing a solo trip in Vietnam in February for somewhere between 2-3 weeks. Novice to biking and aware that the south would generally have the most favorable weather, what would you recommend doing? I’d love to go from Saigon to Hanoi and get a better feel for the country, but if not biking what would you advise?
Thanks again!
Hi Meghan,
With 3 weeks you can ride Saigon to Hanoi – take a look at my 5 Suggested Routes here, which include rough estimates of time.
You’re right, the weather will be better in the south at that time of year. But if you start in the south, then maybe by the time you get further north the weather will have improved.
Another thing to be aware of is that the Tet Lunar New Year holiday is around early February in 2019. This can be a difficult time to travel in Vietnam, because everyone in the country is travelling, too – which can lead to very crowded roads and destinations.
If you choose to stay in the south, you could consider riding all, or some, on mixing any of my Southern Routes together. A good example is the Tet Classic, but there are many more.
I hope this helps,
Tom
Any simple scooter will do for a first timer? Is it posible to return the rented scooter in a different location? For instance: picked up in Hanoi and dropped it off in Hoi An
Hi Ticiano,
Yes, you can return your bike to different locations as explained above.
I think that an automatic is good for a first-timer because it is simple to ride and has no manual gears to operate. But automatics are heavier than manuals.
You can contact the rental companies (also mentioned above) to ask them about which model bikes they have available and about which locations they can arrange pick up from.
I hope this helps,
Tom
Thanks a lot. One more question: do you think the road from Phong Nha to Hue is too long for a byke ride? Is it posible to take a bus and bring the bike along? Is it posible? Thanks buddy
Hi,
You can ride between Phong Nha and Hue – how long it takes depends on which route you go. If you take the Western Ho Chi Minh Road it will take about 2 days, but if you take the Eastern Ho Chi Minh Road, or Highway 1, of the coastal back-roads, you can ride it in one day.
On some buses on some routes you can put your bike on a bus.
Tom
Hi Tom,
Your site is hugely, hugely helpful, and I really appreciate all your insights!
I’m going to Vietnam this Nov with my wife, and we’re both experienced riders so we’re looking to rent manual bikes. I’m also big even for a Westerner (6’2″, 240lbs), so I’m interested in renting something like a Honda XR 150, Honda Master, Honda FTR, etc.,. However, it seems like for all the newer Honda’s, both Tigit and Style warn that getting mechanic support outside of the cities could be spotty given parts could be hard to come by, local mechanics may be intimidated, etc. We’ll be riding from Danang up to Hanoi, through some pretty rural bits, so this has me worried. We both want manual bikes, and ideally something with good size and suspension, but don’t want to get stranded in the countryside because no one can repair them.
What do you think? Any advice is appreciated!
Hi Mike,
That’s a good question. I’ve never heard from anyone who’s had a problem with an XR in a remote area – they are very good, tough, reliable bikes. Mechanics would definitely try to help (even if they weren’t sure how to proceed), but Style and Tigit would know more about that then me. Try to squeeze a bit more info out of them – they both good, reliable companies, and I would trust their judgement.
I hope this helps,
Tom
Definitely helpful =) The folks at Tigit were very helpful as well, we’ve gone ahead and reserved a couple of XR’s for the trip. Thanks for the vote of confidence in the XR, I wouldn’t imagine a newer bike like that breaking down that frequently either. Sounds like they were mainly warning away inexperienced riders or travellers without any mechanical capacity at all. Looks like my main concern will be flats, and that should be easy enough to deal with.
Thanks again!
Hello Tom!
Really appreciate your page!
I’m wondering if 2 ppl on one scooter can do the Ha Giang Loop? Is it hard? I have 100Kg, my wife 50 and max 20 of luggage.
Also planing to go from South to North and do the Ha Giang Loop in 22 days. We don;t want to be in a rush. Is it doable? I read all your route suggestions … but asking:)
Regards, Robert.
Hi Robert,
As long as it’s a powerful bike and in good condition then there’s no reason why you can’t make it around Ha Giang with two people and luggage. Just make sure you get a good bike – check out the trusted rental companies that I recommend here.
22 days isn’t really that long if you want to go from south to north and do the Ha Giang Loop and take it at a leisurely pace. It depends which route you take, of course. But as an example, a long day riding on Vietnam’s roads (especially with two people and luggage) is anything betwen 150-300km a day. An easy and satisfying daily pace is to average 100-150km per day. But of course if you stop for a day somewhere then you have to make up the distance the next day.
I hope this helps,
Tom
There is a big Ha Giang loop and a small? Trying to plan these 22 days. Can you help :)? We are beginners with the bikes. Planing to go between February and April .. or May ….
I understand that the ha Giang loop is a Must! What do you recommend? North to South or better stay in North and Central ?
Hi Robert,
You can spend as little as 2 days or as much as 5 days riding the Ha Giang Loop – there’s the main loop and then there are additional side route: see my full guide for more details.
I recommend coming in late March, April or May, because the weather during those months should be better almost everywhere compared to February and early March.
If you don’t care about beaches, then you can start your road trip from Danang and then head up to Hanoi and Ha Giang following any of my 5 Suggested Routes. But if you do like beaches then the south is better, so you could start in Nha Trang, for example.
Tom
Incredible blog and information on here! In your opinion will 26 days be comfortable to do the classic tour, I am going to vietnam end of september to mid october. I am curious to what the weather will be like than and if it will hold me up. Or is it better to do a bike tour at a different time of year? Thank you
Hi Shay,
Yes, 26 days is a good amount of time to ride the Classic route.
September is one of the best times of year to ride south to north, and October is still fine but by that time the weather might be changing in Central Vietnam and getting wetter. But in general the conditions should be fine. Typhoons can sometimes come in from the east during those months, but there’s nothing you can do about that – just hole up for a couple of days and wait for it to pass.
I hope this helps,
Tom
Hi Tom,
I am thinking of doing a 6 week ride from Saigon up to Hanoi, and back down to Saigon. Do you think it is safe to do alone? I do not speak Vietnamese, but I want to take an adventure before starting school.
Thanks!
Gary
Hi Gary,
Yes, Vietnam is generally a very safe country in which to travel. Just take all the normal precautions you would when travelling anywhere else in the world. In terms of riding, once you are out of the big cities the traffic is reasonably light, and all my motorbike routes try to stay off busy main highways as much as possible. Of course, driving rules and culture in Vietnam are very different and obviously you should be extremely careful when riding a motorbike in Vietnam. But as long as you ride carefully and responsibly you should be fine. Also, Vietnamese people are generally very friendly and hospitable to foreign travellers, especially the further off the beaten path you go, so if you get lost or break down the chances are that someone will help you.
I hope this helps,
Tom
é possivel comprar uma moto dessas no norte e ir ate o sul, ou vice e versa é melhor
Hi Patricia,
Yes, it is possible. Try contacting the motorbike rental services listed in the sidebar and bottom of all my pages. You can mention Vietnam Coracle if you like, they know me.
I hope this helps,
Tom
Hi.
Do you know if it is possible to get 2 people and 2 60ltr backpacks on a bike.
I ve scoured the internet to see if people have done this and I’m not sure it is really practical.
If it is possible what bikes would be best to accommodate this setup. Would be planning on doing HCMC to Hanoi in January.
Thanks
Ian -R
Hi Ian,
Yes, it is possible, and it is OK as long as the bike is in good condition and some kind of rack is attached to it for the bags to be strapped to. Most of the recommended motorbike rental companies in the right sidebar and bottom of all my pages equip their bikes with such a rack. Try contacting them and asking. You can mention Vietnam Coracle if you like, they know me.
However, it also depends of the regions you will be riding in, and the season: if you’re planning to ride in very mountainous regions, such as Ha Giang, then the heavy load on the bike might take its toll after going up and down so many steep hills. And the issue of comfort with two people and luggage if you’re ridding in the hot and humid months should be a consideration too, if you’ll be on a long trip.
I hope this helps,
Tom