Motorcycle tour: Vietnam’s history, culture on 2 wheels

By Jarryd Salem, for CNN
Updated 10:48 PM EDT, Sun March 26, 2017
The twisting pavement between Ha Giang and Dong Van along the Chinese border makes for some spectacular riding.
Dong Van Road —
The twisting pavement between Ha Giang and Dong Van along the Chinese border makes for some spectacular riding.
Alesha Bradford/CNN
The beehive-like karsts in Tam Son are known as the Fairy Bosoms. Unique scenery like this makes northern Vietnam so appealing.
Ha Giang karsts —
The beehive-like karsts in Tam Son are known as the Fairy Bosoms. Unique scenery like this makes northern Vietnam so appealing.
Alesha Bradford/CNN
Fishing vessels wait in safe harbor outside of Chi Thanh in southern Vietnam.
Chi Thanh —
Fishing vessels wait in safe harbor outside of Chi Thanh in southern Vietnam.
Alesha Bradford/CNN
The author rides through jungled terrain along the Western Ho Chi Minh Highway.
Ho Chi Minh Highway West —
The author rides through jungled terrain along the Western Ho Chi Minh Highway.
Alesha Bradford/CNN
A rural stopover in Mai Chau allows riders to experience northern Vietnam's traditional farming ways. Affordable home stays can be found throughout the village.
Mai Chau farming —
A rural stopover in Mai Chau allows riders to experience northern Vietnam's traditional farming ways. Affordable home stays can be found throughout the village.
Alesha Bradford/CNN
A rainbow appears over the Western Ho Chi Minh Highway during a break in the rain. This remote section of road has become something of a legend for motorcyclists traversing the length of Vietnam.
Ho Chi Minh Highway West —
A rainbow appears over the Western Ho Chi Minh Highway during a break in the rain. This remote section of road has become something of a legend for motorcyclists traversing the length of Vietnam.
Alesha Bradford/CNN
Can Tho, the largest city in the Mekong Delta, is famous for its floating markets. Vendors can be found selling fresh produce, meat and fish out of their own boats.
Can Tho —
Can Tho, the largest city in the Mekong Delta, is famous for its floating markets. Vendors can be found selling fresh produce, meat and fish out of their own boats.
Alesha Bradford/CNN
Just outside of Chi Thanh is Ganh Da Dia. This curious location has thousands of hexagonal, basalt columns rising on the edge of the South China Sea. Despite the similarities to the Giant's Causeway in Ireland, few tourists know about this place.
Ganh Da Dia —
Just outside of Chi Thanh is Ganh Da Dia. This curious location has thousands of hexagonal, basalt columns rising on the edge of the South China Sea. Despite the similarities to the Giant's Causeway in Ireland, few tourists know about this place.
Alesha Bradford/CNN
Besides being home to two of the largest caves in the world, the quiet village of Phong Nha also houses incredible karst mountains, picturesque rice fields and enough adventure activities to ensure most travelers end up extending their stay.
Phong Nha rice fields —
Besides being home to two of the largest caves in the world, the quiet village of Phong Nha also houses incredible karst mountains, picturesque rice fields and enough adventure activities to ensure most travelers end up extending their stay.
Alesha Bradford/CNN
Vendors clean and prepare grain to be sold at the floating markets in the Mekong Delta.
Steaming grain —
Vendors clean and prepare grain to be sold at the floating markets in the Mekong Delta.
Alesha Bradford/CNN
The deepest canyon in all of Southeast Asia can be found between Dong Van and Bao Lac. The Ma Pi Leng Pass is one of the most challenging rides in the country, but the sensational views into fading gorges create lasting memories.
Ma Pi Leng —
The deepest canyon in all of Southeast Asia can be found between Dong Van and Bao Lac. The Ma Pi Leng Pass is one of the most challenging rides in the country, but the sensational views into fading gorges create lasting memories.
Alesha Bradford/CNN
The road from Than Uyen to Nghia Lo is lined with terraced rice fields that are carved into every acre of arable land. Few tourists ever make it to this part of Vietnam, meaning that motorcyclists make up the majority of visitors.
Than Uyen rice terraces —
The road from Than Uyen to Nghia Lo is lined with terraced rice fields that are carved into every acre of arable land. Few tourists ever make it to this part of Vietnam, meaning that motorcyclists make up the majority of visitors.
Alesha Bradford/CNN
Highway QL4D grips to the side of soaring mountains on the ride between Lai Chau and Sapa. These peaks are often shrouded in clouds, but the lucky few riders that get to experience the views will never forget them.
Sapa Highway —
Highway QL4D grips to the side of soaring mountains on the ride between Lai Chau and Sapa. These peaks are often shrouded in clouds, but the lucky few riders that get to experience the views will never forget them.
Alesha Bradford/CNN
Extra care must be taken along the northern route, as the roads are often left in disrepair.
Coc Pai Road —
Extra care must be taken along the northern route, as the roads are often left in disrepair.
Alesha Bradford/CNN
Riding a motorbike allows you to visit tiny villages that public buses can't get to. While it's foolish to believe you are the "first foreigner" a person has ever seen, it's not uncommon to spend time with villagers that have rarely connected with an international visitor before, such as this intensely curious young girl in Tan Hoa village.
Tan Hoa girl —
Riding a motorbike allows you to visit tiny villages that public buses can't get to. While it's foolish to believe you are the "first foreigner" a person has ever seen, it's not uncommon to spend time with villagers that have rarely connected with an international visitor before, such as this intensely curious young girl in Tan Hoa village.
Alesha Bradford/CNN
Besides the thrill of exploring Vietnam's stunning landscapes, an important aspect to the ride is learning about the tragic war history that plagued the nation from 1954-1975. Outside of Khe Sanh is a fascinating open-air museum with tanks, planes, weapons and vehicles on display.
Khe Sanh tanks —
Besides the thrill of exploring Vietnam's stunning landscapes, an important aspect to the ride is learning about the tragic war history that plagued the nation from 1954-1975. Outside of Khe Sanh is a fascinating open-air museum with tanks, planes, weapons and vehicles on display.
Alesha Bradford/CNN
Vietnam by motorcycle: History, culture and iced coffee on two wheels

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Story highlights

Motorcycle tourism is on the rise in Vietnam

Despite being less popular, Vietnam's north offers a majestic mountainous ride

CNN  — 

Vietnam is a nation that moves on two wheels. A 200,000-kilometer road network connects cities with farming villages, beach resorts to mountain escapes and dense jungles to a jagged coastline.

Over 37 million scooters snake their way from the Mekong Delta in the south to the snow-dusted peaks on the Chinese border. It’s the favored mode of transport for the 90 million people that call Vietnam home, and tourists are catching on.

The country sees almost 8 million visitors every year, and recently a new type of traveler has started arriving – motorcyclists. A popular travel route connecting Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City has developed, with riders seeking history and culture to accompany adventure.

Mechanic shops and backpacker hostels now fix and flip bikes by the hundreds to fearless foreigners. Intrigued, I ended up in Vietnam with my own two wheels. With no time frame and a curious desire to explore, I rode 10,000 kilometers. Here are a few of the highlights and destinations along the way:

In search of the perfect ride

Hanoi, the bustling capital, is the beginning for most motorcyclists in Vietnam. Some riders seek out the services of reputable companies such as Flamingo Travel, Cuong’s Motorcycle Adventures and FlipSide Tours, while young backpackers scour the streets in search of cheap, Chinese-built bikes.

But while many purchase a motorcycle and head directly south, those in the know head north, aiming for Vietnam’s majestic mountains.

Vietnam’s majestic north

Offering an idyllic farming lifestyle, peaceful Mai Chau is an enchanting first stop on the northern loop before continuing toward the golden rice terraces in Nghia Loa, Than Uyen and Sapa.

Home to the country’s highest summit and gateway to the Hoàng Liên Son mountain range, Sapa has been a tourist hotspot for years. Most riders find themselves here for at least a night to enjoy cultural home stays with the Hmong people.

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Farther north, the real adventure begins, with a ride to Ha Giang via the ethnic markets in Bac Ha. Sizable Ha Giang is the entrance to the Dong Van Karst Geopark, a mountainous landscape on the border of China that requires special permits to visit.

Arguably the most exquisite terrain in the entire country, the drive to Dong Van and onward to Bao Lac is home to 17 minority groups, beehive-like peaks and the deepest canyon in Southeast Asia, Ma Pi Leng. Temperatures can plummet in these mountains and the rough roads can leave the body bruised and shaken, but the discomfort is canceled out by the thrill of experiencing Vietnam’s most epic panoramas.

Beyond the caves of Phong Nha

Some 560 kilometers south of Hanoi lies a cave system that has kick-started the development of tourism in a region that was once one of the poorest in the nation.

Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park is best known for the recent discovery of the largest cave in the world, Hang Son Doong, and adventurers have since been flocking to the park and its bucolic village Phong Nha in droves. But there is more to the town than just the colossal caves.