Top 5 Vietnam Motorcycle Tours Worth Riding in 2026
Vietnam is one of those countries that genuinely rewards people who move through it slowly and at ground level. The landscape shifts dramatically from region to region: limestone karsts in the north, dense jungle in the central highlands, flat river deltas in the south. No bus or train puts you inside that variety the way a motorcycle does.
These five Vietnam motorcycle tours cover the routes that stand out for scenery, cultural depth, and sheer riding quality. Day trips and multi-week adventures are both on the list.
1. Central Vietnam Motorcycle Tour (9 Days / 8 Nights)
The Route
This nine-day tour starts in Hoi An, a UNESCO World Heritage city sitting beside the Thu Bon Delta, and works northward through some of central Vietnam’s most historically layered terrain. The ride climbs over 600 meters through one of the country’s highest mountain roads before dropping onto the Ho Chi Minh Road, the modern highway that follows the old Viet Cong supply corridor through the highlands.
What Makes It Worth Riding
The central Vietnam route does something most motorcycle tours in the country do not: it balances raw riding with genuine historical context. You pass through Kham Duc, a remote mountain town where American forces lost nine aircraft during the 1968 Tet Offensive. You ride past the entrance to Phong Nha National Park, home to some of the largest cave systems in the world, and stop at the Vinh Moc Tunnels, where an entire village moved underground during the American War to survive the bombing campaigns above.
The final stretch back to Hoi An takes you over Hai Van Pass, a coastal mountain road with a long reputation among riders for good reason. The views over Da Nang Bay from the top are the kind that stay with you.
Best for
Riders who want more than scenery. This is the tour for people interested in Vietnam’s wartime history and how the landscape was shaped by it.
2. Ha Giang Motorcycle Tour, The Northern Loop (8 Days / 8 Nights)
The Route
Ha Giang province sits in Vietnam’s far north, bordering China, and contains some of the most dramatic riding terrain in Southeast Asia. The Northern Loop tour takes eight days to work through a landscape of tiered limestone peaks, narrow mountain passes, deep river valleys, and small ethnic minority villages that see a fraction of the tourist traffic that crowds the rest of the country.
What Makes It Worth Riding
The Dong Van Karst Plateau Geopark, a UNESCO-recognized geological area in Ha Giang, forms the backbone of this tour. Roads here are carved into cliff faces and drop away on one side to valleys hundreds of meters below. The riding is technical in places and demands attention, which makes it genuinely engaging rather than passive.
Beyond the landscape, the cultural layer on this route is remarkable. Communities of Hmong, Dao, Tay, and Lo Lo people live across Ha Giang, each with distinct dress, customs, and market traditions. Riding through early on a Sunday morning when weekly markets are running is an experience entirely different from anything you get on the well-worn tourist trail further south.
The rock formations here are unlike anything else in Vietnam. Dark jagged karst columns push up through green hillsides, and the light changes how the whole landscape looks across different times of day.
Best for
Experienced riders comfortable with mountain roads. Ha Giang is not the right first stop for someone who has never ridden in Vietnam before. For those with road confidence, it is the most visually dramatic motorcycle tour in the country.
3. Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City Motorcycle Tour (14 Days / 13 Nights)
The Route
North to south, the full length of Vietnam, by motorcycle. This fourteen-day tour begins in Hanoi and ends in Ho Chi Minh City, covering roughly 1,800 kilometers of road through mountains, coastline, highlands, and delta. It is the format that most serious riders have in mind when they picture a Vietnam motorcycle tour.
- Check out Ho Chi Minh Trail motorcycle tour
What Makes It Worth Riding
The north-to-south run is not a single landscape or a single experience. It changes constantly. The first few days out of Hanoi take you into hilly terrain with cooler temperatures and mountain communities.
The central section runs along the coast and through the highlands on segments of the Ho Chi Minh Road. The south opens into flatter, hotter, and more densely populated territory as you approach Ho Chi Minh City.
Along the way, the tour builds in stops at Hoi An Ancient Town and Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, both UNESCO World Heritage sites that sit directly on the most logical route south. Ethnic villages, beach towns, and local food stops fill out the days between major landmarks.
Fourteen days is enough time to ride the distance without feeling like a race, and enough time to get a real feel for how Vietnam works at ground level from one end to the other.
Best for
Anyone who wants to say they have ridden the length of Vietnam. This is the benchmark tour that everything else in the country gets measured against.
4. Tea Plantation and Co Tu Village Motorcycle Tour (1 Day)
The route
Starting from Hoi An, this single-day tour rides out through the Thu Bon river basin into the hills above the coast, reaching the Co Tu minority village of Bho Hoong before looping through highland tea gardens to a second Co Tu village at Trung Mung. The return leg follows a different road back, passing Non Nuoc beach and Marble Mountain before arriving in Hoi An.
What Makes It Worth Riding
Most people who visit Hoi An spend their days in the Ancient Town or on the beach. This tour takes a completely different direction and gives you a rare look at highland Co Tu culture that sits just a short ride from the coast.
The village visit in Bho Hoong includes a guided walk with a local resident, a traditional Co Tu meal, and live music from the community. At Trung Mung, a stop at the home of Y Khong, a former Co Tu village leader, offers coffee, tea, or rice wine alongside traditional timber carvings and cultural objects that tell the story of Co Tu life in a way no museum exhibit can replicate.
The ride back through Non Nuoc and past Marble Mountain, a cluster of limestone and marble hills housing Buddhist shrines and pagodas, gives the day a strong finish. The views from the upper levels of Marble Mountain stretch across the coast and are worth the climb.
Best for
Travelers based in Hoi An or Da Nang who want one strong day ride that covers both landscape and genuine cultural experience without needing multiple days away.
5. My Son and Thu Bon Delta Motorcycle Tour (Half Day)
The Route
This half-day tour rides out from Hoi An through the Thu Bon Delta to My Son, a UNESCO World Heritage-listed site containing the ruins of the ancient Cham civilization. The route takes in village markets, countryside lanes, and rice paddy terrain before arriving at My Son for a guided exploration of the site.
What Makes It Worth Riding
My Son is one of the most significant archaeological sites in Southeast Asia and one of the most underrated stops on any Vietnam itinerary. The brick towers and sanctuaries of the Cham people, built between the 4th and 14th centuries, sit in a valley surrounded by low hills and jungle. The site was heavily damaged during the American War but enough survives to make the history legible and the atmosphere striking.
Getting there by motorcycle through the Thu Bon Delta adds something that a minivan transfer cannot. The delta countryside is genuinely beautiful in the morning light, and stopping at a village market along the way gives you a look at daily rural life before the historical context of My Son.
The route back to Hoi An follows backroads past scattered hamlets and rice terraces, a quieter return that lets the morning settle in properly.
Best for
First-time visitors to Hoi An who want to combine riding with one of Vietnam’s most important historical sites in a manageable half-day format.
Bottom line
Vietnam motorcycle tours range from half-day cultural rides to two-week cross-country journeys, and the country handles all of them well. The roads, the scenery, and the communities along the way make Vietnam one of the most rewarding places in Asia to travel by motorcycle. The five routes above represent the best of what is available, from the karst peaks of Ha Giang in the north to the ancient ruins of My Son in the central region.
The question is not really which tour to choose. It is how much time you have and how far you want to go.
Ride Vietnam With IRTouring
IRTouring runs guided and supported motorcycle tours across Vietnam, covering all five routes above and more. If you want local expertise, well-maintained bikes, and a team that knows these roads properly, get in touch.