Routes
Route Map: Hanoi to Da Bac by Motorbike
The beautiful area of Da Bac is a scenic area situated Southwest of Hanoi in Hoa Binh. You quickly get out of Hanoi on the CT03 and are in the countryside before you know it. It is a great way to escape Hanoi for the weekend.
Route Map: Hanoi to Da Bac by Motorbike
Hanoi to Da Bac is about 130km direct. It can be driven by motorbike in around 3.5 – 4 hrs using the main roads. However, there are one or two detours that will slow you down but increase your enjoyment of the journey immensely. Let us show you.
Hanoi – Da Bac – Direct Route
This route totals around 125km and will take around 4 hrs. You can choose to do this direct if you are in a rush, or take a couple of detours that we show you below.
Morning: Hanoi to Hoa Binh / 80km – 2- 2.5 hrs
Afternoon: Hoa Binh to Da Bac / 45km – 2 hrs
Hanoi – Da Bac (Detours)
Hanoi to Da Bac is a nice, easy ride. The first half of the journey gets you out of Hanoi quite quickly and you then have several options for detours.
Detour 1
This route is 20km, and may even be shorter than the direct route, but it will take longer as the road is smaller and also not in great condition nowadays on account of not being maintained. It will take you through some small villages and is quite scenic.
Detour 2
This route is also around 20km and will be slower but much more interesting. It does start of with some bumpy road and there is construction on the first section, but it will soon get you to some small villages and then follow along the Black River. You may decide to take a ferry to the opposite bank of the river, which is Detour 3 below.
Detour 3
You might fancy taking the opposite bank of the Black River as it is a little quieter and will lead you into Hoa Binh dam a bit more directly. It is only 15km and a quick, easy route.
Detour 4
This is a winding little route that is actually quite remote in a sense. It can also be a bit hard to follow so take care. However, you will be rewarded with a quiet and peaceful ride.
Detour 5
This is a great ride that takes you along the shores and over the hills next to Hoa Binh Lake. You pass through a lot of villages and on a few bumpy roads but it is not too hard. well worth taking this route.
Where to stay in Da Bac
In Da Bac we usually stay in:
This is a great family run homestay which has the traditional stilt house shared dorm room and no private rooms.
There are plenty of other homestays in the are if there is no space here. Such as:
Remember it is important to book a bed and also dinner well before showing up here.
Where to next.
From Da Bac you can head across the lake to Mai Chau Hideaway and then on to either Mai Chau or Moc Chau. You can also head towards Xuan Son National Park and up to Ta Xua.
What type of bike to choose
We would advise you to choose between a manual or a semi automatic bike. These are the best bikes for a long trip like this and also for when you get into the mountains of northern Vietnam. You have more control and they are less prone to overheating or break down.
Honda XR150
The XR150 is a great budget option that will perform well on the road and in the dirt on the small tracks of Ha Giang. The bike is lightweight, even if a little underpowered. There is plenty of room to fit a 40l bag on the rear, which should hold more than enough for a trip. The 12l tank and great fuel economy mean that this bike has a huge range of over 300km on a tank.
If you plan to ride two up, it might be a bit of a squeeze and you will have to pack very lightly or risk overloading the bike and making it quite rear weighted.
Honda CB500x
The CB500x is a great bike for the long haul drive up to Ha Giang. It is big enough and powerful enough to overtake trucks on the highway and carry two people with ease. Using a rear box and side panniers will give you plenty of room for gear. The 17l tank means you will have enough range for a day’s ride with ease.
The only concern would be taking some of the smaller tracks off road as our bikes have road tyres and the bike itself is quite big and heavy. However, there are plenty of small, interesting tracks that have concrete and are wide enough for the CB500x.
Semi Automatic
The Semi Automatic bikes are a much more budget option. We can offer the Honda Wave, Honda Blade or the Honda Future and they are all quite similar. it is really best to ride single on this kind of bike as this will leave room for a backpack and also not overlaod the bike in the hills. They are very fuel efficient but only have a 4l fuel tank so will need filling more regularly than the manual options.
Hanoi to Da Bac by Motorbike
This is one of the best ways to escape Hanoi City for the weekend. It is an easy drive and it takes you through some stunning landscapes along the shores of the Hoa Binh Lake. Try out the detours we suggest.
This is part of our Black River Loop tour for good reason and the added bonus is that you are unlikely to meet other tourists along the way or when you get to the lake itself.