If you are in Hanoi and have done some short-day motorbike ride. Or if you want to do a motorbike trip from Hanoi, but you can only afford being away for 02 days? Why don’t you get a motorbike and ride to Vu Linh (or Thac Ba Lake)! This place is almost a day riding from Hanoi, home to some quiet nature and bucolic countryside. On a motorbike ride to Thac Ba, you will have the opportunity to stay in a minority home. You will get to fish in the lake and go boating among nature. Join us as we bring you to Thac Ba – our favorite motorbike trip from Hanoi.
Thac Ba lake
Thac Ba lake is considered to be a Halong bay on the mountain. This nature beauty is in fact a man-made lake, created when the Thac Ba Hydroelectric plant was built, back in the 1960s. The lake is 80 km long and the water is about 50 meters deep. The once hilltops are now small islets on the water, which number at 1300. The lake lies in Yen Bai province territory. The water of the lake is mostly pumped in by the Chay river, then other rivers such as Hanh, Cat. Therefore, the lake itself supplies an abundant amount of fish, shrimps and crabs to the locals.
Sunrise and sunset on Thac Ba lake
On your motorbike trip from Hanoi to Thac Ba, we suggest staying in Nam Ti. This place is home to several communities of the Dzao minority. Most still live in their traditional houses on stilts. In the recent years, some Dzao households have converted their homes to be more tourism friendly. For instance: Installing separate sleeping sections, bathrooms with hot water, etc. In the early morning, you can ask your host to organize a 2-hour motorboat trip in the water, drifting from one islet to the next (without stopping). Early in the morning, there are already local fishermen who go out starting their day by either laying or collecting fish traps. In the gossamer light of dawn, these scenes are so photogenic and gives a great look into daily life of the countryside people. It wouldn’t be too much trouble if you want to ask one of them to let you try rowing their fishing boat.
The same routine goes on till sunset. Since Nam Ti lies to the eastern bank of the lake, sunset view from here is amazing. The whole lake becomes a gigantic silky surface refecting the mountains at the horizon.
Apart from these, you can ask your host to prepare a BBQ on one of the islets. This is a great way to live among nature and surely a highlight on this motorbike trip from Hanoi.
Staying with the Dao host (pronounced: Dzao) on your motorbike trip from Hanoi
As mentioned above, these Dzao host offer the best accommodation around Thac Ba Lake. Good chance you will be staying with one of them on your Motorbike trip from Hanoi to Thac Ba. Some interesting facts about them, FYI:
- They number around 3.1 million, mostly in Vietnam, China, Lao, Myanma, Thai Lan.
- They migrated to Vietnam since the 17th century. Some 800,000 live in Vietnam. They tend to reside in the mountains or in hilly areas.
- There are several smaller Dzao groups, mostly named after their traditional costumes. For instance: Red Dzao, Long Dress Dzao, White skirt Dzao.
- They have a hand-writing system, developed from Chinese scripts.
- In old manuscripts, the Dzao write about religious practice, traditional cults, folk music, etc. Also, many literature record their history of constant moving from one region to the next to settle.
- There is a Shaman in every Dzao community. This is a proof that traditional cults are very important to the Dzao. The role of the Shaman, therefore, is highly respected. A Shaman appears in every spiritual ceremony, either in family or public.
- They practice ancestor worshiping. Some practice Buddhism, Taoism or Catholicism.
- While among most groups of people living in Vietnam, it’s the wife who moves into the husband’s family to live after their wedding. Among the Dzao, it’s the other way around. The husband has to compete a period (usually 3 years) staying with the wife in her family, before bringing her home.
If you visit Thac Ba in new year period, you might be lucky enough to see their “Fire Jump”. This is when they burn charcoal and walk on it with barefoot. The Dzao believe this act kills the evil and bring the good in return.
Riding motorbike among the tea plantations of Thac Ba lake
Thanks to its higher elevation, a part of the local economy relies on growing tea. This makes the mountainous region around Thac Ba really scenic and worth riding around to enjoy the spectacular view. On your motorbike trip from Hanoi, you can pass these tea plantations first. Or you can arrive at Thac Ba first and save the tea plantations for the next day’s ride.
