The transport infrastructure throughout Vietnam is of a good standard of quality. Public services are also second to none. On holiday you could pretty much travel anywhere by bus or train. Yet some of you may prefer greater freedom of the roads. No one could blame you because there are so many hidden gems all over Vietnam.
You only need to look around at any famous landmark to learn how beautiful Vietnam's scenery can be. But not only for that reason because many of our readership enjoy road trips, back home:
There is something about those three activities that enthralls a great many of you, true? Us too, for sure. The great outdoors is a wonderful feeling:
Of course, you want a continuation of your favorite pastime. Only, somewhere nice in southeast Asia. One approach that promises all three points is a road trip.
Not everyone will be keen on a full-blown road trip. Some of you are only interested in a day of light backpacking and trekking. It's very inexpensive to prepare yourself:
Use Google maps to pinpoint a location of any landmark or attraction and head off for the day. Returning late afterwards with long lasting memories, those are special. Day trips such as those, they're very budget friendly. Immediately, you get to touch and feel a side of Vietnam most holiday makers are none the wiser about.
We can't put into words how it feels being let loose in Vietnam. No set routes and no tour guides controlling the pace. It's super invigorating and empowering, and in a foreign country. When you are ready there are trips you can take and enjoy within the same day.
This travel guide is going to show you three of the very best routes for your Vietnam holiday. Further, we will also guide you on two further routes as a bonus.
Each route is very different, the landscape and local attractions are all unique. What are those reasons bringing you to making a road trip? For us, on one trip to Vietnam, we didn't want the one location, we wanted to move about with more freedom. If you're feeling the same, unwilling to stay rooted to the spot, two wheels is very appealing.
It's far more fun and exciting than other modes of transport.
The route is common and popular, it's one of the easiest routes for first time road trippers. What is great about a road trip to Nha Trang City, traveling from Ho Chi Minh is Da Lat. The town of Da Lat is the ideal stomping ground for respite. You can afford to spend a few hours before continuing on your journey. You'll have no trouble completing the trip in one day, the route taken is only 134km in length.
Our top three favorite stopping places are:
But there are many other attractions. Be wary of those stops, they do add up increasing journey times. Plan on traveling from Ho Chi Minh? Expect the route to take you at least 5 hours to reach Da Lat. That's how long it took us on our road trip, forcing us to stay the night in town.
Leaving Da Lat after breakfast we arrived in Nha Trang early evening. Make allowances for stops to eat and freshen up, and so on.
Unplanned, we found a nice guesthouse within walking distance of the town center for US$8 for one night. Sometimes, breakfast may be extra, remember.
Con Son Island is 80km from the Mekong Delta, it is remote and almost desolate. Are you looking for an amazing road trip? The Ben Dam to Dam Trau route could be ideal for you. You arrive in the south of the Island at Ben Dam Port and your route takes you 25km north, along the east coast. The Island is gorgeous and what you've dreamt about even before setting off for Vietnam. When you do arrive in Vung Tau you're stunned. Excellent quality beaches, and they're all quite active.
Many luxury resorts surrounding the locality of each beach, you are spoilt on choice. It's so easy to settle down and feel relaxed for a few days. Going swimming and sun lounging are the main activities. We are happy to talk up Bai Sau Beach. Go there and enjoy the local cuisine before returning to the mainland. In fact, the beaches are popular due for them being the closest to Ho Chi Minh City, with domestic flights daily.
South Korea's Jeju Island is a weekend Island escape for Seoul residents. Con Son Island is for those living and working in Ho Chi Minh City. Many young professionals arrive on this Island for its soothing relaxation. They arrive and immediately they destress, a weight has lifted off their shoulders.
Sa Pa is a big attraction for millions of travelers to Vietnam and it's exceptional, the least to say. Once you get off the overnight sleeper train from Hanoi, find your way to your hotel. You are next eager to meet up with your tour guide. You soon understand why, because Sa Pa is equal to the world-renowned UNESCO listed Ninh Binh wetlands. For a road trip in Vietnam, you couldn't ask for more. Sa Pa is famous too, for its mountain top Fansipan temples and panoramic views. The highest peak found in Indochina.
Any Sa Pa road trip is going to involve trekking. You'll want to trek to get the best experience of the beautiful Lao Cai Province. The mountains scale to incredible heights and the valleys fall to indescribable depths. The Muong Hoa Valley will blow our mind. You can believe us; it makes you go weak at the knees. Cool rivers and culturally rich village tribes greet you.
The ethnic Muong Hoa villagers with their century's old way of living dumbfounds you:
The 9-hour overnight train journey to Sa Pa but it's worth it. Your first morning is magical. You wake up early before sunrise, the sight is hypnotic. Mist hovering above the forest canopy is dreamlike, as you sip your first coffee. Little things like that stay with you for life. You may be of the opinion; an experience can be so enlightening the result is life changing?
What holds your attention more than anything else is stopping to look down through a valley. Rays of the sun break through the clouds, adding shape and form to the landscape. Like any masterpiece an artist creates, depth is the important factor. Like any amateur photographer, you squeal in triumph of your own digital masterpiece. The 100km between Sa Pa and Phong Tho is in excellent condition. Roads are asphalt, with dual carriageways.
Traffic is light, what you can come to expect being so rural and remote. Journey times are haphazard, unpredictable so expect delay. Delays, because you must enjoy the surrealness of the norths breathtaking scenery.
If you have an insatiable appetite for:
You will, we guarantee you, fall in love with the Ha Giang Loop found in the far remote north of Vietnam. At over 300km from Hanoi, you must account for the travel time there and back again. Will you hire a motorbike from Hanoi? Be warned, the journey to reach Ha Giang is exhausting. Booking a guided tour to travel as part of a larger group is more helpful. It's also experience enhancing, that's what we felt anyway.
The more, the merrier.
You can travel by private taxi or bus and relax, arriving refreshed and eager to get going. There is no train or airport service to such a remote area unfortunately. A bus journey will be around 6 hours from leaving Hanoi costing you anything from US$20 one way. Hiring a taxi will cut your journey to 4 hours but cost you twice as much again.
The Ha Giang Loop isn't for the faint hearted though. Those of you with many years of experience with motorbikes attempt the route. Believe it or not, the route is scary at times. And dangerous. Dangerous, thinking about a) the huge number of tight hairpin bends and b) other road users. Road users including roaming animals. Motorbikes are much faster, with greater acceleration. Riders are prone to speed up to speed and that isn't advisable on these roads.
The loop is to all intent a single road: there is no left and right (or dual) side separating traffic. Hopefully, we've not given you a wrong impression. Because the roads are in excellent condition and are asphalt. Off road too, the route often is concrete before dirt track. But you must be careful at all times, serious accidents can be moments away. If you feel a motorbike is too fast for you then opt to hire a scooter instead which isn't as powerful.
The only thing with the scooter is that some of the rougher tracks may be inaccessible to you, if you want to explore.
The whole Ha Giang Loop experience is all about enjoying the freedom of the outdoors. With no restrictions imposed on you, it's why you love road trips isn't it? You can follow the route, which takes a few days to complete in full, but of course you will want to wander off. Give yourself a full day more for those stoppages, and unseen delays. Ensure your smartphone has power at all times. You will be pulling in at the verge a lot, capturing breathtaking views of the rice terraces and villages.
Most people do the loop, from Ha Giang and the return, over the course of four days.
The ethnic H'Mong tribes live throughout the north and are super friendly. Coming across the villagers, they are always inviting. So happy to share their culture with tourists are they, you are taken aback by that. It does you a world of good to give them some of your time. We implore you to buy one or two their crafts because by doing so you are supporting their community. In return you go home with souvenir gifts for friends and family.
When on a road trip through the loop you have two options for where to stay. The first option is camping out. That's very popular because you can take yourself far off the route and head up the valley proper. The isolation is perfect, you feel. It's normal for you to pack up as late as noon, because you are wary of leaving behind a beautiful wilderness. If camping isn't for you then there are homestays in most of the villages. You will enjoy a roof over your head and a hearty meal for a few US dollars.
You could of course plan ahead? Book in advance, into one of the authentic Vietnamese hotels. They are offering you a room built of natural bamboo materials. Basic, yes but also a taste of real Vietnam and how rural people live. By the way, the stunningly gorgeous views out of your hut are priceless. That's something you won't get from any swanky hotel in Hanoi.
A mountain pass which brings the city of Da Nang and Lang Co Town closer together. One of the most scenic routes in Vietnam leading you to Imperial Hue, and the gorgeous An Loc Beach. Truthfully, it is more perilous than what we had experienced on the Ha Giang Loop. The route is far steeper with the same extreme hairpin bends. Those do make your heart skip a beat, and if it's thrills you want, this route will more than suffice.
If you brave yourself to tempt the 20 kilometers then you are rewarded handsomely:
If you are fearful of risking yourself on two wheels, then opt for four wheels instead. Accept a jeep tour of the mountain pass as the next best alternative. We didn't of course, but we did meet in with a group who did. They were really happy with their tour. That's great. Hai Van Pass should be on the bucket list of more travelers to Da Nang, even if road trips aren't for everyone.
Lang Co Town has a renowned beach with luxury resorts and some of the finest fresh seafood eateries. It's one more beautiful beach south of Hue Imperial City, and north of Da Nang.
The great thing about road trips in Vietnam is it's possible to complete a route in one day. You rise early in the morning, ride all day into the evening. If you are a seasoned road trip enthusiast, you'll take for granted this lifestyle anyway. The distance traveled isn't great, but the hours spent exploring and "getting lost" add up. The hours are fulfilling, and once resting you smile to yourself on reflection. Road trips do that, give you pause for thought.
That's as much the pleasure and enjoyment and why you do a road trip and we've got more suggestions for you, below:
These are all popular routes, they're short and can inspire you to put together your own itinerary for any 10-day, 2-week road trip to Vietnam.
Vietnam has so much to offer the gap year backpacker ― everything from:
Backpackers discover the very best of Vietnam. Journeys are more enjoyable because of the freedom of choice in movement. They pretty much do choose their own route, they make it up as they go alone, even. In many respects, a road trip has many traits of backpacking too but on two wheels.
Chose to do a route, or several routes on your own or book with a tour operator, your choice. You sense the immediate benefit of being part of a group: it's the social gathering at the end of each day. Companionship is vital when on the road, you'll know that yourself if road trips are your passion. Sharing stories is all part of the journey.
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Hello, we are George and Elle Mae Melyre.
Over the years, amidst work and family life, we have traveled extensively throughout Asia. Any chance to briefly escape or properly holiday in our beloved Asian destinations is eagerly seized, motivated by the enduring dream of leaving behind the UK's dreary cold for tropical climes.