Hanoi to Cat Ba & North East & Ha Giang: A Journey Through Vietnam’s Changing Landscapes

Vietnam’s motorbiking routes have long been a secret for those seeking adventure, but recent changes have brought both challenges and rewards to riders. From the bustling streets of Hanoi to the evolving island of Cat Ba, this post shares the real journey, what’s changed, and what you need to know about navigating these roads. Whether you’re looking for party beaches or quiet hidden gems, Vietnam’s landscapes are ever-changing.

This route document here is:
Day 1: Hanoi to Cat Ba Island
Day 2: Cat Ba Island to Lang Son
Day 3: Lang Son to Bao Lac
Day 4: Bao Lac to Ha Giang
Day 5: Ha Giang to Hanoi

However it probably should be

Day 1: Hanoi to Cat Ba Island
Day 2: Cat Ba Island to Lang Son
Day 3: Lang Son to Ba Be lake or head for Cao Bang and the North East route
Day 4: Ba Be Lake to Bao Lac
Day 5: Bao Lac to Ha Giang
Day 6: Ha Giang to Vu Linh
Day 7: Vu Linh to Hanoi

Below is the AI write-up. I have fixed any errors in it! After the AI stuff, the original write-up is marked as “Original write-up” for those with a bit more time on their hands!

Hanoi to Cat Ba: A Safer Ride than is used to be

For years, Tigit Motorbikes advised against the Hanoi to Cat Ba route due to hazardous roads, particularly those through Hai Phong—a massive industrial port city. However, in 2025, new research revealed a route, making this trip once again possible for riders. That said, the final stretch through Hai Phong still proves challenging for newer riders, though the overall route has vastly improved.

The Transformation of Cat Ba Island: A Party Paradise

When I first visited Cat Ba a decade ago, it was a peaceful escape with natural beauty at its core. Today, it’s a different story. Massive construction projects have turned this once-quiet island into a bustling party town, with massive crowds and a booming tourist scene. The appearance of a cable car stretching from the mainland to Cat Ba was the first sign that things had changed.

The island is now filled with Vietnamese tourists, not foreign travelers, and there’s no shortage of construction and crowded beaches. The beaches themselves, cleverly named Beach 1, Beach 2, and Beach 3, are crowded with visitors—be prepared for the chaos, especially if you’re not a fan of large crowds.

For those seeking the “real” Cat Ba, a tour with Blue Swimmer Outdoors is your best bet. While I haven’t experienced them firsthand, their tours promise to reveal the island’s hidden gems away from the crowds.

Exploring Cat Ba’s Natural Wonders: Caves and Views

If you’re planning to explore Cat Ba, an early start is essential to avoid the worst of the crowds. I began my day with a visit to Hospital Cave, just 10 minutes from my hotel. This unique spot—a concrete hospital built inside a cave—was quick to tour but interesting nonetheless.

I then ventured to Trung Trang Cave, where I walked through a long, narrow tunnel carved through a mountain. For cave enthusiasts, it might not be the most impressive, but for first-time visitors, it’s an intriguing stop. The highlight of the day was a trek to Đỉnh Ngự Lâm Viewpoint, a challenging climb that rewards you with breathtaking views of the island.

Leaving Cat Ba: Ha Long Bay Ferry Ride

After exploring Cat Ba, I took the ferry to Tuan Chau Island, cutting through the heart of Ha Long Bay. The ferry costs just 80,000 VND and is the quickest and cheapest way to get a glimpse of the famous bay. While I’ve taken Ha Long Bay cruises in the past, I find the area to be overrated—more industrial than picturesque due to the surrounding factories and pollution. I think for adventure seekers, you might be better spending more time on the bike, and skipping the cruise. But up to you!

The Unexpected Shortcut: Tuan Chau to Lang Son

On a whim, I decided to take a newly discovered route towards Lang Son. The road started as smooth tarmac, then turned into a twisty, potholed path. Despite a few moments of rough riding, I found the route to be an absolute gem. The scenery was beautiful, and the road ultimately led me back to perfectly paved stretches. A bit of off-roading near the end didn’t detract from the experience, though the QL4B highway toward Lang Son was a different story—full of construction and mud.

Lang Son to Bao Lac: A Hidden Cave Adventure

Lang Son is famous for 2 stroke mountain riding. But for the tourist, this is irrelevant. Head off to Tham Khach Archaeological Site, an enormous cave where you can ride through. The site’s eerie yet fascinating mix of natural formations and human-made buildings from the wartime is something you won’t find in the usual tourist guides. Inside, I wandered in the dark, completely immersed in the silence of the cave.

Despite the cave’s allure, the rest of the route to Bao Lac was long and uninspiring. While many tourists would split this journey into two days, I powered through, covering 322 km of twisty, pothole-filled roads. Not the most enjoyable ride, but it was a necessary detour on the way north.

Bao Lac to Ha Giang—The Bamboo Ferry Challenge

My morning in Bao Lac was off to a slow start, mostly due to the town’s lack of cafés and breakfast spots. Once I finally hit the road, I encountered the infamous bamboo ferry crossing. The clay roads leading to the ferry were treacherous—definitely not meant for heavy bikes. After a bit of negotiation, I crossed the river on a small bamboo ferry, which turned out to be a unique and fun experience.

However, I wouldn’t recommend this route unless you’re riding a light dual-sport bike. The terrain is too slippery and steep for bigger bikes, and locals have seen it all before—they’re not exactly amused by foreigners struggling on the clay hills.

Ha Giang: From Authentic to Touristic

Arriving in Ha Giang, I quickly realized that the area had changed drastically. Though it was June—typically the low season—tourist numbers were overwhelming. I encountered huge groups of backpackers on motorbikes, riding through what were once tranquil mountain roads.

While Ha Giang’s stunning landscapes are undeniable, the region now feels like a theme park for tourists. Local farming culture has been overshadowed by mass tourism, and everywhere I stopped had a coffee shop built to cater to visitors. It’s still beautiful, but the authenticity of the area is slipping.

Ha Giang: A Small Area, But Worth Skipping the Loop

A full “Ha Giang loop” doesn’t make much sense anymore. I breezed through the area in five hours—much quicker than the typical 2–4 days most tourists take. Ha Giang’s beauty lies in its scenery, but it’s a small area that can be covered in one to two days. Instead of looping, I recommend connecting it to other routes, heading to the North East, or the North West. Both have more rewarding experiences than staying within this loop.

Weather and Police in Ha Giang

If you’re concerned about weather, fear not. In my experience, Vietnam’s weather is highly localized. As long as you keep moving through regions, you can avoid bad weather. Ha Giang’s weather may vary, but there’s always a chance to catch sunny skies.

As for the police, I didn’t run into any issues. However, be aware that riding illegally in Ha Giang can lead to hefty fines—around 3 million VND if you don’t have the proper documentation. While this may be inconvenient for skilled riders, it’s a necessary crackdown to manage the influx of clueless tourists.

Original write-up

Hanoi to Cat Ba and Cat Ba island.

Historically, Tigit has advised against going to Cat Ba due to the roads and traffic getting there. To cut a long story short, Cat Ba Island / Ha Long Bay is right next to the enormous port city of Hai Phong. This is where most of Vietnam’s containers arrive, and it makes the roads between Hanoi and Cat Ba unbelievably dangerous and difficult to drive.

In 2025, new route research has found reasonable roads between the two locations, which means Cat Ba Island can now be recommended again. But I suggest you continue reading this article before jumping on a bike and heading there! Unfortunately, the last hour or so, which is directly through Hai Phong, remains to be quite dangerous for newer riders. Nonetheless, the route is now vastly safer and more enjoyable than before.

Cat Ba Island has changed.

Cat Ba, some ten years ago, was a quaint haven of natural beauty. Now, it is a mega beach party town in Vietnam. I mean mega construction and very busy. The sort of place where you wouldn’t be surprised if they started dropping casinos on the land.

The first warning shot was when I observed a cable car going from mainland Vietnam over to Cat Ba island. I thought that this was a bit fishy. Then, there is a massive quantity of tourist buses (Vietnamese, not foreigners) on Cat Ba island itself. Nice road, but busy, and this is a Monday I was driving!

Finally, as I approached Cat Ba town itself, I noticed massive construction projects.

I checked into my hotel named “blue lagoon” which now has a very sorry looking blue lagoon next to it. I imagine it’s seen better days! Anyway a quick shower, and I decided to head off to see Cat Ba beaches. It turns out they are called beach 1, beach 2, and beach 3. I am a fan of this naming convention, honestly!

However, they are busy. Very, very busy!

It’s quite cool in some ways; Vietnam has always lacked party infrastructure on beaches. Where you can play games, listen to music, eat ice cream, manage to get some shade, this sort of thing. Well now they have it!

If you’re a young backpacker looking to get involved in a Vietnamese party, this could be quite fun.  But I think a lot of tourists are going to get very caught off guard by this Cat Ba!

I, unfortunately, don’t have time for real tourist activities, but scanning Google Maps, it became very obvious that to see the “real Cat Ba” you need to book a tour with the company “Blue Swimmers Outdoors.” I am not affiliated, and I haven’t done a tour with them, but I can see they look like they are running the sort of tours I would imagine Tigit customers would want to do.

Day 2 on Cat Ba island

It’s extremely important to avoid the crowds here. Cat Ba tourism is for mass-scale Vietnamese tourism. You do not want to get involved in that when seeing caves. 9am is fine, but don’t go later.

I headed to “Hospital Cave“ which was around 10 minutes from the hotel. It had a very friendly ticket system, and the staff member gave a brief 5-minute speech providing an overview of what the cave is and its significance.

To walk around the cave took no more than 10 minutes, but it was a good 10 minutes. They have basically built a concrete building in a cave, and level 2 and 3 are the roof of the building. Why not, I suppose!

Five minutes up the road is “Trung Trang Cave,” the ticket lady was once again very nice. It’s quite unusual for Vietnam to have a nice ticket system. She gave me a list of options, some of which took an entire day. You could see the cave, walk to a viewpoint, walk to a village, etc..

I just said I wanted the shortest one, which turned out to be the cave and the viewpoint walk.

Off to the cave I went, which was long and narrow through a mountain. It wasn’t pretty, and I have done far more impressive caves in Vietnam. Though, I have lived here a long time, and I am definitely spoilt with what I have seen. For the average tourist, I imagine this is pretty cool!

The cave took around 20 minutes to walk through, and the exit led directly onto a road. No signs or anything. I had to load up googlemaps to figure out where I was. I then walked back to my motorbike.

A little bit up the road was the entrance to “Đỉnh Ngự Lâm viewpoint.” this is the same ticket as the cave, so do not lose it!

I had arrived, and there were already a lot of tourist buses, so I considered skipping it. But a last-minute read on Google reviews suggested to me that this might be “hard,” so I decided to give it a go.

Lots of Vietnamese at the bottom, with a wonderful wide paved walking road. “Hard!” I thought to myself. Ye right. Anyway, it went up and up, and up and up, and I was starting to get scarily tired. There were not many people up there, so the mass crowds didn’t make it very far.

All in, maybe one hour to the top, and a fairly grueling 1 hour at that. I would call it “dual sport hiking.” You need to be reasonably fit to get to the top in this heat and humidity.  What is also funny is that nearly everyone in the top half of this hike was a foreigner, not Vietnamese. Makes me laugh! Lovely viewpoint and a sense of accomplishment when I got to the top.

Quickly back down and to my motorbike. It was probably around 11:15am by this point, and I my planning did not have me hanging around Cat Ba being a tourist. My job is to find roads, not tourism, so I will a little off track here and behind schedule.

Leaving Cat Ba island through Ha Long Bay

I drove off to the ferry that connects Cat Ba to Tuan Chau Island. I arrived at 11:28am, and the sign on the ferry said that it would depart at 11:30am. What luck and perfect timing, and I could see the ferry waiting!

Unfortunately, this ferry ran on Vietnamese time and didn’t leave until 12:45pm. The ferry waited until it was full of vehicles and people; no time schedule was involved in this system! That took a big chunk out of my day!

The ferry goes bang smack through the middle of Ha Long Bay. All for the low price of 80,000vnd. This is definitely the cheapest and quickest way to see Ha Long Bay! The question is, does doing this ferry tick the box of “I’ve been to Ha Long Bay?” in all honesty, I think it does.

I took a 2-day Ha Long Bay cruise around 10 years ago. They take you to a few beaches and a few caves. Overall, I found it very dull, and for some unexplainable reason, I just don’t find Ha Long Bay interesting or beautiful.

Part of the problem, I think, is that, as a motorbike guy, I drove to Ha Long Bay. I drove through all the factories and pollution on the way to get there. The mist you are seeing and the slightly dying landscape, this is pollution, not clouds or a misty day.

Halong Bay as an area is a shocking struggle with mass-scale factories and shipping lanes.

I’m not interested, and I certainly wouldn’t go booking a cruise to this area.  But I live life fast and lack patience. Perhaps if you need to unwind and relax, it’s a great way to be stuck on a cruise ship in one of the most polluted waters on Earth.

Tuan Chau to Lang Son

I decided to be cheeky, and I spotted a brand-new road on Google Earth while I was staying in Cat Ba. So I plotted it. It looks like a shortcut to Lang Son, I thought, let’s be brave and try. The road is so new; it doesn’t have a name, so on my map it is marked as “Very good road, 90% road 10% offroad“

The road was very open and amazing. Then it turned into the twisty, pothole-style stuff, which I think many tourists enjoy, but for me, I’ve done it too much. I said to myself, if this ends in around 40 minutes, then I can still consider this a road good.

Well, the pothole, twisty countryside stuff did end in around 40 minutes, and it went back to the amazing tarmac, an open, meandering road of perfection. Maybe this is my second favorite road in Vietnam, I thought to myself.

As I got nearer to the Ql4B it turned slightly offroad as construction has not finished. It isn’t difficult, and I think most people should just be brave and give it a go! I think construction will finish soon anyway.

Then, the QL4B, which a tour guide had marked as “good,” was truly awful. I am guessing a storm and landslides must have wiped it out. It was jammed with construction and maintenance and big vehicles trying to get up to Lang Son.

Lang Son is my favorite place in Vietnam, but only for two stroke motorbiking in the mountains. The city itself is horrible; it is the transport hub between Vietnam and China. Lots of big trucks!

I always stay at the Four Points Sherington. I like this hotel, so I am happy! Overall a good day!

Day 3 Lang Son to Bao Lac

Leaving Lang Son it doesn’t take long to get to “Tham Khach Archaelogical Site.”

This is a very large cave that you can drive through. It is a relatively new discovery for Tigit and is not really known among tourists. To summarize, it is one of the coolest things I have ever done! Inside the cave are large buildings. I decided to go wandering around the buildings in the darkness, looking for drug addicts and alcoholics. Much to my surprise, it looks like very few people “hang out” in this cave. If this was England, it would have raves and all sorts going on.

The cave is big enough, in fact, that I played around with the experience of turning all my gadgets off to be in complete darkness, something I have only experienced in Phong Nha’s big caves. I am not entirely convinced I got complete darkness here, but it was close!

Within the cave, I even drove through some water where I couldn’t see the bottom. Keep in mind I was alone; this was a fairly horrifying and creepy experience.

It took about 15 minutes to get through, and I think the cave can complete a loop, so you don’t need to go back through it. But for me, the road was flooded, so I had to backtrack through the cave again. No big deal!

I didn’t know anything about the cave, so it wasn’t until the end of the day I decided to ask some of my intelligent staff at Tigit what the deal was with this cave. The answer is that it is a natural cave; the buildings are down to military operations, primarily in the China War. Since then, it has been an archaeological site for dead people and animals. If I had known that, I might not have been quite as adventurous with leaving the bike and wandering around the buildings by myself!

There was a spot I think would make a great dare for a buddy to go swimming in! Maybe an activity I would have tried in my younger days!

Moving on from that amazing experience, I head northwest toward Ha Giang.

It is very hard for me to judge these roads nowadays. I have driven Vietnam too much, and I am spoilt in that I get to witness scenery on my 2 stroke dirt bike that you just can’t replicate with a road bike.

The road is marked as “good” by a Tigit guide, but I just couldn’t get on board with this one. It was a long, meandering, boring, potholed-style road.

I think for tourists new to Vietnam, it is quite good, but for me, I am past these sorts of roads. This is the downside to the cave; it just puts you on a very long “average” day of riding to get North again; there is no way around it. Compromises!

Some moments were nice, but I judge when I am inspired by when I feel like I need to get the drone out. There were one or two spots, but ultimately, the drone didn’t come out on this drive. I also struggled to find lunch on this one, and it was frustrating me. It wasn’t until 2pm and some 180km later that I finally got lunch.

For most people, this would be the end of the day. You can go to Cao Bang for the North East loop, or you can go North West a little bit to Ba Be Lake. Such is route planning in the North; there are just so many options and itineraries people can find themselves on!

Don’t do what I did and continue North toward Bao Lac, this should be a second day for normal people. Concentration is a big thing when dealing with the roads in Vietnam, and I have alot of experience under my belt. If you break this up into two days, it would be a far more pleasurable experience.

I thought the road as we got closer to Bao Lac was “nice,” and I did enjoy it.

By the end of the day now in Bao Lac, I have driven 322km on very twisty, potholed, riddled roads. Not ideal! But that is my doing and part of the job!

Day 4 Bao Lac to Ha Giang

The morning didn’t get off to the greatest start as I struggled to find breakfast and coffee. This is very unusual for Vietnam. I did eventually sort it, but it took a lot longer than expected. Bao Lac doesn’t seem to have any coffee shops or seating areas for a meal. What a weird place.

The bamboo ferry

The first job of the day was the bamboo ferry. The road quickly turned into slow paced potholes and unremarkable driving. It went on forever. At least an hour went by, and the terrain started to contain some difficult sections, but there was still plenty of civilization around.

It doesn’t matter how much I bang on about this, but clay is so slippery. Anything over 130kg is not an option in this sort of terrain. A CB 350, is extremely difficult and dangerous to get through this kind of clay. I kept on going because there was plenty of civilization around, and I am partially being paid to find new things like this. So, I needed to commit through. It isn’t fun, though.

When I finally got to the ferry, there was a landslide, which would be a breeze on a smaller bike. There was no way I was taking the CB over this. Disappointed, I sat and watched the river for a while and then spotted a second bamboo ferry starting from a different point. I back tracked and managed to find my way down to it.

The guy started by saying no, no, no. He was pointing at the clay banks the other side of the river. He looked me up and down, then eventually said 500,000vnd. I spoke some Vietnamese, and it dropped to 100,000vnd.

I thought I had just done some clever negotiation, but an epiphany hit me later on when I was struggling on the other side of the river.

For now, I went onto the bamboo ferry, and I must say, this was a very cool experience. I have done many ferries in my time, some small as well! But this was cool!

Now, on the other side, I started to grind my way up the clay hill. I eventually got stuck, not completely stuck, but enough for the bike to make some noise. The bamboo ferry driver came and helped; it must have been at least a 5-minute hike up the hill for him. It was then that it dawned on me that he wanted to charge me 500,000 VND to go on the big boat, and he would have dropped me somewhere more suitable.

He must have analyzed my gear, my style, and my attitude and given me the benefit of doubt that I could do the hill on the other side, and so he backed down and took the 100k for the small boat. Anyway, luckily, I didn’t need his help again, but it was a grueling 1-hour slog up the clay hill. I hate offroading bikes that are not offroad bikes; it just doesn’t work.

Adding to the problem was that the locals, particularly the ferry guy, had clearly seen many stranded foreigners on this hill. I knew this, and I didn’t want to add to that tally.

Usually, in Vietnam, you would get big smiles and a lot of help for this kind of stupidity getting stuck on a trail. But in a place where it must happen over and over again, it eventually stops being funny to the locals and starts being an inconvenience.

DO NOT do this ferry unless you are on a Honda Blade, Honda XR or Yamaha WR. Only do it if you are skillful and it hasn’t been raining much.

ADV bikes are not offroad bikes. All that said, had I been on a 150cc or lower, this would have been a remarkable experience, and I recommend it!

Driving Ha Giang

Now, back on the main Ha Giang trail, I was excited to see how the area had changed. The last time I visited Ha Giang was before COVID-19, and more importantly, before it had exploded for tourism. I want to stress I did this in June, which is the lowest point of tourism in Vietnam.

During my half-day drive in Ha Giang, I experienced a range of emotions and ups and downs that are hard to put into words.

First of all, yes, there are too many tourists on “the back of the bike tours.” Huge tour groups of ten to twenty backpackers buzzing by. In the day, I think I saw over 1000 tourists on the back of the bike. This is not an exaggeration, and this is peak low season. God knows what it is like in high season.

It doesn’t bother me directly, but the problem is that Ha Giang has become an area that is built around tourism. You are not really seeing Vietnam anymore. All the farming and mountain culture has now been blended in with mass tourism. The locals don’t wave at you or smile at you, and basically, you’re just another tourist buzzing through the landscape.

The other major issue is that every viewpoint has a coffee shop on it. Not all the coffee shops are full of tourists, but I can’t just pull up my bike on the side of the road, take a piss, admire the view, and maybe get my drone out. Everything is a coffee shop. The one time I did stop, a boy with a flute came up to me and started playing for money. It just kills the moment.

The roads are busy, not just for tourists; the entire place is just thriving off what the tourist industry has brought to the area. Historically, Ha Giang was the poorest province in Vietnam; that is definitely not the case anymore. You are not on a remote mountain road these days!

The landscape is truly magnificent, and if you follow the Tigit route, you will avoid mass tourism to some degree, but I am not convinced it is entirely possible anymore.

How big is Ha Giang?

The other thing that really stood out to me on this trip is just how small the Ha Giang area is. To a serious biker, anyway. These “back of the bike tours” will take anywhere from 2 to 4 days to get around Ha Giang. I buzzed through it between 12pm and 5pm. It isn’t a big area, and I don’t think most Tigit customers need to spend more than two days here.

Ha Giang is just another place to blast through on your way to the North East or the North West. I strongly advise against making Ha Giang into a loop. You should connect Ha Giang to one of our other routes and ultimately return to Hanoi or head south.

There is no need to do a loop in this region; it is just wasting time.

The weather in Ha Giang

I think alot of people struggle with the weather in Vietnam, but I never do. In reality, the North has very localized weather. I was in Lang Son, North East Vietnam. The receptionist asked me where I was going. I said Ha Giang. She looked horrified and said; there are storms in Ha Giang; why would you go there?

Of course, I did go to Ha Giang, and I am always lucky; it was sunny. The point is, though, if you drive through provinces in Vietnam, you always escape the weather. If you commit an entire journey to circling one small region, then yes, it is entirely possible to get bad luck and hit the rain and clouds for your holiday.

I have driven so much in Vietnam, and not once have I walked away saying, “The weather was bad.” This is because I move through regions, and regions never have the same weather!

The police in Ha Giang

I have all the correct documentation, but I wanted to experience the police in Ha Giang. Unfortunately, I never found them. It is around a 3 million dong “entrance ticket” if you don’t have the correct papers. Ultimately, this is what has changed motorbike rentals into the “back of the bike tours.” I think this is a good thing. Clearly, the area had gotten out of control. It is a bit of a shame that Tigit customers who may have driven all the way up from Saigon and have plenty of skill on a bike will now get donged by paperwork. But there are far too many clueless backpackers in Ha Giang for the police to be allowing illegal scooter rentals. I am glad it has now stopped.