Terrassed ricefields at the Gates to the Sky High Plateau - Ha Giang
(Dong Van High Plateaus - Ha Giang)
Photo:  Jérôme Abou

VNA 05. The High Tonkin Plateaus by motorbike / 15 days

The North / High mountain and precipitous mountain tracks

When a mountain springs from a mountain

Journey by motorbike through the High Plateaus, the Northern most part of Vietnam, at the gates to China. Ten days travelling on precipitous mountain tracks on a Russian MZ motorike (an untiring model of motorbike!)

The journey culminates on the Bac Ha Massifs in Ha Giang, by crossing the Xin Man and Hoang Su Phu Mountain passes until the gateway to the ‘Dong Van Underworld’, some 2000m in altitude. The Gates to the Sky (Cong Troi) appear naturally giving way to ramparts and escarpments rising to above 200m. The end of the earth, a deserted no man’s land. We understand why this area was, during successive battles, a place where mountain resistent fighters took refuge.

1. Flight. Paris-Hanoi.

2. Hoa Binh. Arrival. Transfer by bus to the Muong village in Xuan Mai, on the River Bui (40km North-west of Hanoi) in the overhanging valley of Hang Nang Mountain. This is the highest point in this region, culminating in an altitude of some 800m. Welcome evening. Night in a traditional house.

3. Yen Bai. 180km. By motorbike, in a Northerly direction. After a more bustling ride, appears very steep, beautiful valleys with stilt houses inhabited by the Thai and D’zao minority tribes....the middling region, set amidst tea hills and palm trees. Night in a tribal home.

4. Luc Yen. 180km. By motorbike, near the fish-laden Thac Ba natural lake, in an easterly direction, land of the D’zao and Lolo tribes. Road to Luc Yen, emerald kingdom, which borders the back country of the High Tonkin. Night in a Guesthouse.

5. Bac Ha. 150km. By motorbike along a zigzag, but breathtaking mountain track for the High Bac Ha Plateaus in the North, 60km from the Chinese border. Panoramic views of the Coc Ly Massifs where the Flower H‘Mong, Xa, Nung, Tay minorities inhabit. Hotel.

6. Kieu Lien Ty Mount. 160km. By motorbike, rising to the Xin Man and Hoang Su Phi Mountain passes, which have an altitude of more than 2000m. Majestic scenery, untouchable view of the Nung, San Chi, Tay....Here, the rice terrasses are some of the most beautiful in the whole of Vietnam. Hotel.

7. The Gates to the Sky. 100km. By motorbike on steep tracks, in a setting of dense tropical vegetation....Stop at the Yen Minh Sunday market, which opens the door to the world of the Flower H’Mong, of Chinese descent. Hostel in Dong Van.

8. Return to Song Mien.120km. By motorbike, arrival at the ‘Meo Vac Underworld’, which offers alpine flora, the most remote spot in the whole of the High Tonkin. The infinite gap of valleys and basins which brushes the extreme North of the country at Lung Cu, where you’ll see both the Vietnamese and Chinese flags flying. Guesthouse.

9. Road to Tuyen Quang. 160km. By motorbike, the second leg of the journey, a little less eventful. Descending into the valley of the Gam River. The ride is great, in the depth of the beautiful, green ricefields. The Nung, Tay and D’zao labourers greet you with their cheerful smiles and banter. Motorcyclist Guesthouse.

10. Song Lo Valley. 200km. By motorbike, in the middling region of the tea cultivated hills of Thai Nguyen, a nationally renowned name. Climb up the beautiful Bac Son Mountain, on the edge of the Dam River. Guesthouse.