Off the Beaten Path: Exploring Hanoi’s Countryside on a Motorbike
Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam is known as a chaotic yet beautiful city. The sound of horns honking, millions of mopeds, and crowds of people everywhere, why not escape the city to the countryside and experience a different side of Hanoi. One of the best ways to explore Hanoi’s countryside is on a motorbike. Experience what being on a motorbike is really like through the chaotic streets of Hanoi before venturing into the countryside where small villages dot the landscape as you cruise through banana tree fields, pottery villages, and unique landscapes. Whether you are seeking to escape the hustle and bustle of Hanoi or just want to see what life is like just outside of the city, exploring Hanoi’s countryside on a motorbike is the way to go!
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The Hanoi motorbike tour we found was through a company called Hanoi Backstreet Tours. Actually our hotel took care of the booking for us, but if interested you can book directly through their website.
On the Hanoi Backstreet Tours website, you can view a listed of all the tours offered and book directly through the website.
You can also find and book their tours through either Get Your Guide or TripAdvisor.
Hanoi Backstreet Tours offers a wide variety of tours, the three main ones are Hanoi Motorbike Tours, Hanoi Jeep Tours, and Hanoi Street Food Tours.
Once you find a Hanoi tour you are interested in and book it, the day of the tour the company will pick you up and drop you off at your hotel.
Lunch was included on our Hanoi motorcycle tour. After picking us up from the hotel, we had lunch at Hidden Gem Coffee, which was delicious. After enjoying a satisfying lunch we began our half day motorbike tour.
Touring Hanoi's Countryside on a Motorbike
Our tour was through Hanoi Backstreet Tours. Our hotel booked the tour for us, but it can be booked through their website, or on travel booking sites like Get Your Guide or TripAdvisor.
Hanoi Backstreet Tours offers several adventurous tours to include both old rustic jeep tours and soviet era motorcycle tours. We were amazed by the mopeds and motorcycles in Hanoi and wanted to be part of the action so we booked the Hanoi Countryside on a motorbike tour.
According to their website, the motorcycles provided are ex soviet motorcycles known as the M1A or M1NSK.
Don’t worry, you yourself will not be driving the chaotic streets of Hanoi by motorbike. Leave that to the professionals. Us tourists, just sit on the back of the motorbike hanging on to dear life!
The tour started with a pickup from our hotel and the rider drove us to lunch at Hidden Gem Coffee.
After lunch, we departed toward a small pottery village on the outskirts of Hanoi called Bat Trang, about an hours drive one-way.
We got to experience driving through Hanoi by motorbike. This was an eye opener as we were part of the 6 million mopeds and motorbikes that ride around Hanoi. Thankfully, this was not new to our drivers and we felt safe the whole entire time.
The tour was nice because they made several stops along the way to Bat Trang and gave us a brief description of the stop. First, we made our way over Long Bien Bridge crossing the Red River.
After crossing the bridge, life started to get more rural as the landscape quickly turned from city to agriculture and small villages. We made a brief stop at a banana tree farm.
Afterwards, we made our way to Bat Trang. Bat Trang is a ceramic village that has a rich history in making ceramics, according to our guide, dating back thousands of years.
We toured a facility where the pottery is made by hand, painted, and sold. We then made our way to a local shop where we had the chance to make our own pottery using a pottery wheel. Let’s just say, I didn’t do a great job and ended up scrapping my bowl.
Our final stop in Bat Trang was a lively pottery market. Here you can browse the shops and support the local economy. We finished the tour with a refreshing sugarcane juice before ending the trip at our hotel in Hanoi.
Conclusion
A Motorbike tour in Vietnam is highly recommended. I mean, riding a moped or motorcycle in Vietnam is a way of life, so why not experience it either on your own or with a tour. Exploring Hanoi’s countryside on a motorbike was a thrilling experience that allowed us to see a different side of Hanoi and see some of the rural communities just outside the city. This tour was a highlight from our Vietnam trip and we highly recommend a motorbike tour in Hanoi.
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