Three days on a motorbike across Vietnam's Cao Bang loop
- Keira Proust
- May 29
- 10 min read
Updated: Jun 29
Spending three days on the back of motorbikes in northern Vietnam has to be one of the best experiences of our four months in Southeast Asia. We saw landscapes like nowhere else, unbelievable beauty, and truly felt like we got off the "beaten path".
Paddy and I started our Vietnam adventure in the enchanting central city of Hoi An. We then wound our way north through Hue and Hanoi before getting to Cao Bang in the northeast. We've done a lot in the last two weeks, so let's get into it.
Enchanting Hoi An
We heard the signs that we were bound for Vietnam as soon as we stepped on the bus from Pakse in central Laos. The bus drivers kept a firm fist on the horn, signalling we were well and truly leaving behind the peaceful country for the wonderfully frantic Vietnam. We arrived in Hoi An about 15 hours later.
There is something truly magical about Hoi An. We ended up extending our stay to spend a wonderful six days in the central Vietnamese city. Those days were spent eating the most delicious food, slurping up ridiculously good cocktails, snorkelling in crystal clear water and exploring the city’s enchanted streets. I adored heading to the local market as the sun set to capture some of the vibrant local life.
Our favourite bar was on a rooftop in the old town. It was called Market Bar and we went to it almost every night. The joint served the best happy hour G&Ts, cocktails and possibly the most delicious cheese board ever (six divine cheeses, condiments, fresh baguette, etc, all for $15 AUD!!!) It felt like a real treat to have cocktails and cheese again after months of mostly beer and Asian cuisine. We also spent a day snorkelling around the pristine Cham Islands and enjoyed a wonderful Vietnamese cooking class, which my best mate had booked as a birthday present.
The next stop north was Hue, an ancient imperial city. We didn’t spend long here and mostly just enjoyed catching up with friends we’d met in previous cities. It was delightful! We then jumped on an overnight train to Hanoi before eventually winding our way north to our favourite place and experience on the trip so far!
Cao Bang motorbike loop
Now, for the best part of our Southeast Asia journey yet! Mystical, wonderful Cao Bang. We opted for a motorbike loop in Cao Bang instead of the famous Ha Giang loop because it sounded like it was a lot less touristy and a better/more authentic way to engage with the local culture. And my god, I am so glad we chose to do this loop! I am not exaggerating when I say it included some of the most stunning, jaw-dropping landscapes I have ever seen. We also met some of the most beautiful local people and ate delicious food! Our guides told us that the area has only started attracting tourists in the last three or so years, which is why it feels so authentic and amazing.
We chose to do the loop riding on the back of motorbikes instead of riding ourselves. I am stoked we chose this option. For one, we got to meet our beautiful riders, Chuyen and Tai! Plus, we didn't have to think or plan for three days (a real luxury after four months on the road). So, we just got to soak up the stunning views and enjoy all the region had to offer. The company we chose was Green Riders. We took a bus from Hanoi to the city of Cao Bang, where we stayed a night in the Green Riders hostel before getting up for the first day of the loop! If you head to this region, definitely try the Nem Nuong Nha Trang. It's a delicious fresh platter of crispy tofu skins, smoked meat, vegetables, lots of fresh herbs and rice noodles. You wrap it all up in rice paper and eat with a divine sauce. So good!
Day one
We were up for a classic banana pancake breakfast at 8am and hopped onto the bikes by 9. Our riders were delightful. Chuyen was our English guide and rode with Paddy while my rider was Tai. He was 18, didn't speak English, but we had such a nice time together, and he taught me a bunch of Vietnamese phrases.
It didn't take long for us to get out of Cao Bang city and into lush farmland surrounded by towering limestone karst mountains.
Our first stop was a temple dedicated to Ho Chi Minh before we wandered along a crystal blue creek, named Lenin's Stream by Ho Chi Minh himself! The Vietnamese revolutionary lived in a nearby cave for four years after returning from China. We were able to walk up to the cave and explore inside. It was tiny! Ho Chi Minh's wooden sleeping board was on display.
Chuyen told us that the local village people helped Ho Chi Minh during his years living in the cave. We saw his fishing spot as well as the stone chairs and table he used while writing. It was surreal to get up so close to such a historically important place.
After lunch, we embarked on the most hair-raising and beautiful part of the ride yet! We wound our way down the mountains on incredibly steep rural roads. I could tell Tai wanted to drive faster, but luckily, he stayed in line behind Chuyen and Paddy. Surprisingly, the roads were in a really good condition right across the loop, which helped ease the nerves during the steeper parts. The next stop was Angel Eye Mountain. It was a beautiful landscape, and we also got to explore some lovely backroads to reach it. The mountain has a hole right in the middle, which is what prompted the local people to name it Angel Eye.
Our final stop was a quaint rural village, known for its paper making. I was hesitant about visiting places with titles such as the "paper village", etc, because they can sometimes be quite touristy. However, this was one of the most authentic places I've visited! We were the only tourists; there were no shops selling products, and everyone was going about their normal daily lives. The village makes paper using traditional methods that have been passed down through the generations. They sell the paper at local markets and use it for special occasions. We were shown how to make the paper and invited to have some green tea and "happy water" with the locals. Villagers make "happy water" alcohol out of corn or rice. This one was a corn spirit! It was sweet but strong. Chuyen said the locals could drink a litre a day. I don't think I'd be able to stomach quite that much.
We were staying in a homestay at another nearby village, which was known for making incense and growing corn. It was the most picturesque and peaceful village I've ever slept in. The corn crops were vibrant, mist and smoke clung to some of the surrounding mountains, and children played in the clear streams flowing through the village. We enjoyed a delicious dinner of fresh fish, pork, vegetables, rice and more "happy water" before collapsing into bed. It was surprisingly exhausting work sitting on the back of a motorbike all day!
Day two
The next day began with a relaxing breakfast and a stroll around the village before jumping back on the bikes. It was a lot colder, so we rugged up in a rain jacket and pants. The first stop was a village that has made knives and weapons since the 11th century!! It was much larger than the other villages, with about 600-700 people living there. We passed many workshops making knives and farming tools before stopping at one run by a mother-father-son trio.
The mum and dad worked at heating the metal and banging it into shape in perfect sync. Meanwhile, the son used a machine to cut butcher knife heads. Again, this felt very authentic as they didn't rely on tourists to make a living. Chuyen told us that locals buy the knives from these villages, and they're sold at many markets. However, we did spot a cheese knife and asked to purchase it. They only wanted 50,000 dong, which is $3 AUD. After seeing the workmanship that went into the knives, we couldn't pay that, so we offered double (which is still ridiculously cheap). I was in awe of the fact that these villages still practise their traditional crafts and live in harmony with the surrounding environment.
We then embarked on another windy leg of the loop, making our way to flatter and more rural paths. We eventually made it to the Vinh Quy Grassy Hills! They looked like something straight out of The Hobbit. We enjoyed a steep hike to the top and then had a delicious stew and hot chocolate for lunch among the hills. Chuyen said it only started becoming popular with locals three years ago. So, like many places on the loop, we mostly had the area to ourselves. You could also camp here, which has inspired thoughts of a potential future camping trip across the region.
The next leg of the journey included more rice fields, corn patches, windy roads, rural villages and towering mountains. We also passed through a cave that covered the road! We were making our way to the region's most famous landmark, the Ban Gioc Waterfall.
It's the fourth-largest transnational waterfall in the world, bordering China and Vietnam. We spent about 30 minutes riding along the Vietnamese/Chinese border to get there! Of course, we had to stop to take a photo with China in the background. We've managed to cross/see many borders during our Southeast Asia journey, but this was the most surreal. We waved to some local Chinese people on the other side, which was separated by a fence covered in security cameras.
Before long, we reached the Ban Gioc Waterfall entrance, which was also very quiet! It was nearly 5pm by the time we went through, so our guides had timed it well to avoid the crowds. We felt, heard and saw the waterfall's power as soon as we made it around the entrance corner. And wow. It really was something. One section of the waterfall was coming out of a lush forest, while the other gushed over the river that splits China and Vietnam. It looked like a smaller version of Niagara Falls! It had been rainy recently, so the water colour was murky, but it meant the falls were in full force. In the dry season, the waterfall is apparently a vivid blue. We spent an hour exploring, including hopping on a boat ride to get up close to the waterfall and briefly float over into China.
The final stop of the day was up a steep mountain pass and into a Buddhist temple complex that overlooked the valley and waterfalls. The view took our breath away (and it turns out it wasn't even the best view yet). It was a magical place to reflect on the day we'd just had and soak up the region's never-ending beauty.
We slept in a village filled with houses built of stone, which is very unusual in Asia, so it felt more like a European-style town. The house we slept in was 300 years old! Another delicious dinner was served, with a bunch of stir-fries and fresh fruit. We met a lovely French family here and spent the evening chatting (in a mix of French and English). The family that ran the homestay was also beautiful, with the mum's one-year-old son constantly giggling and running up to us to say hello. It was another wonderful end to an incredible day.
Day three
The final day! Ahh, so many mixed emotions. The day started with an extensive cave exploration in the nearby Tiger Cave (Dong Nguom Ngao). Again, we mostly had this place to ourselves. We explored for more than two hours, delving nearly three kilometres into the impressive cave complex. I don't know how many times I said "wow" during this adventure, but it was a lot. It's apparently known as Vietnam's "most beautiful cave."
Parts of the cave are 400 million years old! The caverns were huge and had so many different sections! Some parts looked like flowing waterfalls or lotus flowers, others looked like alien planets or coral reefs. We followed a stream through the entire system until we reached daylight at the end. There was sadly some rubbish in parts of the cave due to flooding. The system can fill up entirely with water during heavy rainfall, seeing plants or pollutants flow in from the outside world. Luckily, it wasn't too much, but still a sad reminder of our human impact on pristine environments.
Our final leg of the journey was some of the most picturesque. I think they saved the best views 'til last! Before jetting off, we had two important things to do. Paddy tried some local tobacco in a bamboo bong (and coughed/cried a considerable amount afterwards). It is a popular way to smoke the local tobacco in Vietnam, particularly by older men.
We also had to enjoy a final meal together! We ate a local dish, one of Chuyen's favourites, at a restaurant near the cave. It was a beef noodle dish called Mien Dong. Chuyen had a nap, as became tradition after a meal, before we set off. The next part of the ride took us through incredibly green, lush farmland and along a vibrant river. As with most of the ride, the only obstacles that got in the way were the dozens of baby animals (puppies, pigglets, kittens, ducklings and chicks) that were scattered across the roads. Many of them would just lie in the middle of the road for a nap!
Our final stop included a steep, rocky hike to see the Ngoc Con-Phong Nam valley. And, boy oh boy, was it a sight to behold!! Our eyes couldn't take it all in because it was all so bloody beautiful. It was cloudy during our loop, but the views were still stunning. So, I can only imagine the beauty when the sun is out! On a side note, I am actually really glad that it was overcast for our motorbike loop experience because I enjoyed the cooler temperature, the mountains looked magical in the mist, and I didn't get burnt!
After this jaw-dropping experience, we were back on the bikes for a final two-hour journey to Cao Bang city.
All of the roads we took on this loop were different, except for the final 30 minutes coming back into the city. I felt a little teary when we said goodbye to Chuyen and Tai. We'd had the most wonderful time with them, and they were just so lovely!
I would highly recommend this experience for anyone looking for a unique place to explore in Vietnam! We paid about $300 AUD each, which was such a good deal for how much we were able to see and do. I would like to come back and experience the Ha Giang loop one day, but doing Cao Bang was the perfect experience for us. I will come back to do the loop again, perhaps once I've ridden more bikes myself, because there's more beauty to explore!
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