Vietnam Motorcycle Tour: Enduro Expedition

This Vietnam motorcycle tour begins at home, where the group departs by plane bound for Vietnam, the starting point of a 16-day journey on light enduro motorcycles from the north of the country all the way south to Ho Chi Minh City.

The ride out of Hanoi starts in morning rush-hour traffic, weaving past overloaded mopeds. From Xuan Mai, this Ho Chi Minh Trail motorcycle tour follows a stretch of the old wartime supply route before quiet country roads along Pu Luong National Park lead to Mai Chau, where the night is spent in a Thai family's home over shared rice wine.

Continuing south on this north to south Vietnam motorcycle tour, the route narrows through sparsely populated countryside. Small villages, rubber plantations, tea and corn fields, and oxen working the rice paddies fill the day, with few other tourists in sight. The night is spent in a trading town with more churches than temples.

An adventurous stretch of this Vietnam off road motorcycle tour runs through Ke Bang National Park, 90% primary forest with high biodiversity, including a hidden section of the original Ho Chi Minh Trail leading toward the former demilitarized zone and the McNamara Line. The Bru Van Kieu tribe lives in this narrowest part of the country before the route reaches the coast at Vinh Moc.

This leg of the Vietnam adventure motorcycle tour leaves Hue via Highway 1 before a detour through Bach Ma National Park over the Hai Van Pass, with a stop at the 1826 Hai Van Quan Gate. The coastal road south passes the Marble Mountains, once used to fire on American ships, before reaching the historic port town of Hoi An.

A stop at My Son, 30 km from Hoi An and once the political and religious center of the Cham people, opens this ride into the unknown mountains of the Central Highlands Vietnam motorcycle route. A narrow road connects to Route 14 and the Ho Chi Minh Highway, leading to the quiet town of Dak Glei for a simple overnight stay.

A long but exciting day on this Vietnam motorbike adventure follows a heavily traveled stretch of the Ho Chi Minh route between the Central Highlands' major cities, with trucks and buses to watch for. An unpaved detour bypasses the busiest section, with the support vehicle rejoining later, before the route passes Yok Don National Park to Dak Mill, watching for elephants on the road.

The final riding day of this Vietnam enduro adventure reaches the busy city of Ho Chi Minh, formerly Saigon, passing the central cathedral and the Reunification Palace. Highlights include the American War Crimes Museum and Benh Thanh Market, in a city that, while not the political capital, is Vietnam's largest and its industrial and commercial heart.