Hanoi, Ngoc Son Ngo Luong: 150km

First day of your motorbike trip to Vietnam! Departure for the Ngoc Son Ngo Luong Nature Reserve, located 120 kilometres southwest of Hanoi. Country roads, valleys, passes, villages follow one another. We then follow dirt tracks through landscapes that are still wild, in the heart of the mountainous territory of the Muong.

At the entrance to the Mu village, a river and a turquoise waterfall present us with several pools inviting us to swim.

Multiple terraced rice fields follow one another before reaching Sat, the Muong village of houses on stilts, where we spend the night. Dinner shared with the family.

Ngoc Son Ngo Luong, Pu Luong: 110km

Early in the morning, the waterfall invites us for a bath! Then, with the motorbike, this peaceful valley offers itself to us, through villages and rice fields, and the daily life of the Khai, Mon, Coi Gao ethnic groups.

From the south, we reach the Ho Chi Minh road by a track with the possibility according to the timing to cross other waterfalls, then we go up the Pu Luong reserve. The small Thai hamlets and their characteristic and ingenious bamboo irrigation wheels are one of the highlights of the day.

Diner and overnight stay with a Thai family.

Pu Luong, Moc Chau: 140km

Program of the day of your motorbike trip to Vietnam: crossing the reserve to the lake of Hoa Binh, to join the road leading to the plateau of Moc Chau. A special show of huge blocks of rocks, endless expanses of fruit trees, tea plantations.

Dinner and overnight in a house on stilts, in Ban Doi, a small village in the White Thai region.

Moc Chau, Son La: 140km

National road 6 is joined by small roads for a visit to a tea plantation. We cross Hmong villages and their peach and plum orchards.

The city of Son La is reached after crossing three passes. The remains of the former colonial penitentiary and a museum of the region's ethnic groups are visited.

Overnight at the hotel.

Son La, Dien Bien Phu: 160km

Long and beautiful road to Dien Bien Phu. On the way, the Thuan Chau market, frequented by the Black Thai and Hmong is a curiosity.

Arrival in Dien Bien Phu, then direction Muong Phang forest a few kilometers away, where General Giap and his staff's headquarters were buried. It was there that the outcomes of the famous battle were decided.

Descent by road 279 and visit the "hills" of Vietminh from where artillery was constantly pounding the no less famous "basin"!

Overnight at the hotel.

Dien Bien Phu, Muong Lay: 100km

Some remains of the terrible battle of spring 1954 between French colonial troops and the Vietminh battalions of the famous General Giap are still on display: De Castries 's bunker, the memorial dedicated to French soldiers, hill A1 (Eliane 4). Our knowledge is complemented by the museum, which is rich in documents, information and other relics.

We leave Dien Bien Phu, heading north, towards Muong Lay (Lai Chau), on a road along the river in a steep valley. Suspended bridges over the Da River take us to ethnic villages. Overnight at the hotel.

Muong Lay, Sin Ho, Lai Chau: 100km

Pick-up of the vehicle for a trip to the Sin Ho plateau surrounded by limestone hills at an altitude of 1500 metres. On the small winding roads on the mountainside, we meet the black Dao, Lao and white Hmong ethnic groups in many villages. Arrival in Tam Duong - a city dominated by impressive karst peaks. Overnight at the hotel.

Lai Chau, Sapa: 80km

This new day of motorbike touring in Vietnam takes us to Sapa via a beautiful mountain road, punctuated by ethnic villages. After crossing the highest pass in Vietnam (Tram Ton Pass) at 1900 meters d´altitude, stop at the Silver Waterfall (if the weather allows it).

Discovery of Sapa with its market, its church, Mount Ham Rong with a panoramic view of the city. Rest at the hotel.

Sapa, Muong Hum: 70km

Hiking (and motorbike) through the villages of Hmong, Giay and Dao Red in the wide Muong Hoa valley, with a mix of road and track. The Giay territory is our next stop, then passage to Muong Hum to continue on the track to the village Y Ty of the small ethnic group Ha Nhi, where we settle for the night in their traditional square clay house.

Muong Hum, Bac Ha : 135km

Morning of immersion in the life of the inhabitants of the village before heading towards Lao Cai along the Chinese border.

Continuation to Bac Ha and walk in the Hmong villages of Ban Pho. In a Tay house, sharing a dinner with a little homemade rice alcohol and a dance show is an opportunity to talk with the hosts and get to know their culture more fully.

Bac Ha

Meets many ethnic groups from the surrounding hills (Hmong flower, Black Dao, Phu La, Tay, Black Dao, Black Dao, Nung and Giay) who come to buy and sell their handicrafts at the largest market in the region.

Walk (or motorbike) between the villages of Hmong, Dao and Tay of Pu Ngai Cho, Lan Gi Thang, or Thai Giang Pho.

Bac Ha, Xuan Giang: 120km

Drive to Xuan Giang via the mountain trails and the few tracks dotted with ethnic villages. We cross a first massif via Ban Lien to reach the Tay village of Na Chi.

Crossing hills and valleys with some village visits to reach the small town of Yen Binh. Overnight in the village of the Tay ethnic group.

Xuan Giang, Than Uyen: 170 km

A full day of this motorbike trip to Vietnam, with scenes of forests and mountains in succession: the Hoang Lien mountain range, the Chay River, the Hong River, the Khan Co Pass, a huge forest park.

Visit one of the many red Dao villages around Than Uyen. Installation at the hotel.

Than Uyen, Nghia Lo: 135km

We cross the regions of Mu Cang Chai and Nghia Lo. This passage (classified as a national natural heritage site) is one of the most beautiful in Vietnam with the Khau Pha pass, the superb rice terraces and many villages.

Nghia Lo is located in a 10 km long basin surrounded by mountains rising to an altitude of 1500 metres. Discovery on foot (or by bike) of some Thai villages. We pass a suspension bridge and a small village with traditional houses almost adjacent to each other forming small alleys crossed by fresh water canals.

Overnight at the home of a white Thai family.

Nghia Lo, Hanoi: 190km

Stroll through the village's rice fields. Visit of the Noong Long village of the Tho ethnic group. Pass through mountains covered with dense forests, vast rice fields, tea trees, orange trees, a small forest of latan trees, houses and gardens planted with market garden produce.

By the winding road of Khe Pass and along the Song Da River (with a view of Ba Vi Mountain and its rice fields in the foreground), we return to the Red River, the fertile plains and Hanoi. Arrival in the capital with debriefing and free time to prepare your return. End of your motorbike trip to Vietnam.

The Muong have a close relationship with the Kinh (the majority representing 80% of the Vietnamese population and living in the deltas) because they probably have a common origin.

The Muong settle in narrow valleys. They grow rice, weave and exploit forest resources. Each village has a few dozen roofs. The traditional Muong people's house on stilts has two stairs with an odd number of steps, many windows, different rooms to accommodate guests, a place of worship, rooms for men, those for women and a warehouse. The orientation of the house is very important and is chosen by the shaman to bring good luck and prosperity to the family.

The Muong have a very rich cultural heritage, represented by the diversity of their long poems, epics, tales, folk songs, proverbs, and festivals.

The Thai have been present in Vietnam for more than 1000 years. With their own language and writing, many old documents are well preserved. The Thais are strong in agriculture, they have a lot of experience in building dikes, digging ditches. Families also raise livestock, poultry, weaving and pottery.

After marriage, the man can stay with his wife for a few years and then they move together to the husband's house after having a child. Nowadays, these traditional customs are fading away. A married Thai woman must wear a bun.

Traditional dances such as Xoe or Nhay sap have become the most famous intangible cultural heritage of this ethnic group.

The difference between the two groups White Tai and Black Tai is in their costumes. White Thai women often wear a white top with a V-shaped collar. Their headband is also white to distinguish them from black Thai women.

The Hmong emigrated from southern China to Vietnam about 300 years ago. They organize Sunday markets. It is not only a place for the exchange of goods but also a meeting point for the inhabitants.

In addition to the cultivation of maize, rice and fruit trees, weaving is one of the most remarkable production activities in the Hmong. They develop a variety of handicrafts such as knitting, forging, saddles, furniture, silver jewellery

The four ethnic groups of the Hmong share the same language and culture. The differences are mainly based on women's clothing: white Hmong, flowery Hmong, black Hmong, indigo Hmong.

Dao ethnic groups live in different regions. Their name is based on many factors, customs and lifestyles, as well as clothing and accessories. The Dao Rouge group is the most recognizable because the red color constitutes most of their costumes.

The Dao are spread over many parts of Vietnam, but activities are closed within their community, for example, they attach importance to marriage between people in the same village.

Every year, the Dao have many festivals, they sing in their dialect, it is the way to maintain and preserve their language. The elderly in the village often teach children to write and read with old books.

Ha Nhi often choose to reside in the valleys in the middle of the mountain, where water resources are used to live and produce. Their houses lean against the hills and turn towards the valley. From a distance, the houses look like mushrooms growing together on the side of the mountain. This is why the villages of Ha Nhi often have beautiful landscapes.

The Ha Nhi houses have clay walls that are adapted to the mountain climate conditions.

The Ha Nhi people have a tradition of building terraced fields and digging dikes. They are very good for planting, breeding and handicrafts, especially for weaving and dyeing. Ha Nhi is one of the ethnic groups with very beautiful traditional costumes.

Tay have been present in Vietnam since very early, probably since the end of the first millennium BC. They have long been familiar with intensive farming and the application of irrigation measures.

The craftsmanship of the families is remarkable. The most famous loom is brocade weaving with many beautiful and unique patterns. Their traditional costumes made from indigo-dyed cotton yarns are simple, however, without patterns and brocades.