Vietnam easy riders tours: cost, routes, and how to book

Vietnam Easy Riders tours put you on the back of a local guide's motorbike, from a single day around Dalat for about 46 USD to a multi-day loop through Ha Giang running 180 to 400 USD all in, depending on the route and who's driving. The idea started in Dalat in the late 1980s and has since spread to other regions, so price and what's included vary a lot by operator.

What Vietnam Easy Riders tours actually are

An Easy Rider motorbike tour means riding as a passenger while a local guide drives, handling navigation, mechanics, and stops. The name comes from the 1969 film of the same title, picked up by a small group of Dalat men who started guiding travelers once Vietnam opened to tourism in the late 1980s.

The concept caught on well beyond Dalat. Guides calling themselves Easy Riders, or offering the same hired-driver format under another name, now operate on routes like the Ha Giang Loop too, which makes "Easy Rider" more of a travel style at this point than one company's product. Coastal and highland routes out of Dalat, and the mountain loop further north, are where most travelers actually book one.

Sources: saltinourhair.com, localvietnam.com, theabroadguide.com, and frontiertravelvietnam.com (checked October 2026); figures reconciled where sources disagreed.

Dalat Easy Rider tour cost by route

A Dalat Easy Rider day tour runs around 46 USD per person for about 8 hours, usually stopping at a flower farm, a coffee plantation, a waterfall like Pongour, and an ethnic village, with lunch included. Multi-day routes run longer and cost more by the day.

A Dalat to Nha Trang Easy Rider route takes a single long day in the saddle, arriving by late afternoon; Dalat to Mui Ne runs 1 to 2 days through the dunes near Mui Ne; the full Dalat to Hoi An route through the Central Highlands takes 5 to 6 days. Operators using the original Easy Riders name charge 75 to 100 USD per person per day for these, covering the guide, bike, fuel, basic guesthouse stays, and most meals, though dinner and drinks are usually separate. Our team's rule of thumb for anyone asking: a guide who can name your exact stops and give you a written price before you pay is worth more than one who's simply the friendliest face outside the market.

Ha Giang Loop Easy Rider tours: the same idea, further north

The Ha Giang Loop runs the same hired-driver format at a different price point, 180 to 400 USD per person for a full package including the driver, motorbike, fuel, stays, and meals. Self-driving the loop yourself costs less, 120 to 250 USD for 3 to 4 days, but you handle navigation, fuel stops, and any mechanical issues on your own.

The gap between the two options is really a question of how much you want to think about during the ride. A hired driver on winding mountain roads through Dong Van and Meo Vac means you can watch the scenery instead of the gravel, while renting a scooter and riding it yourself costs less but puts the navigation and the breakdowns on you. Either way, our Ha Giang Loop guide covers booking a few days ahead in peak months, since both guided slots and rental bikes run out fast.

How to book a guide you can actually trust

Original Easy Riders guides in Dalat are usually identifiable by a blue jacket, though copycats exist and some are perfectly good drivers, just not the original outfit. Checking reviews on a platform like Viator or the operator's own Facebook page before you commit does more to protect you than the jacket color alone.

Book through an operator with a listed route, price, and inclusions before you arrive, rather than negotiating with someone outside a hotel, the central market, or Xuan Huong Lake, where there's no way to check experience or past reviews on the spot. Ask what's included (fuel, entrance fees, lunch) and what isn't (dinner, drinks, tips), and get the route confirmed in writing. Guides typically expect a tip of 100,000 to 200,000 VND per day on top of the tour price, more for longer multi-day trips. If you'd rather skip the negotiation entirely, a fixed-price private car with a driver covers similar ground without riding pillion.

FAQ

Is Easy Rider safe, Vietnam-wide or just in Dalat?

Riding with an experienced, well-reviewed guide who provides a proper helmet is the safer version of this, whether in Dalat or Ha Giang; the main risk comes from booking with an unverified stranger rather than from the tours themselves.

How much do Easy Riders cost overall?

A single Dalat day tour runs about 46 USD per person, multi-day Dalat routes run 75 to 100 USD per person per day, and a full Ha Giang Loop package runs 180 to 400 USD depending on length and operator.

Do I need a license to ride as a passenger?

No, only the driver needs one. If you plan to drive yourself instead of riding pillion, you'll need a valid International Driving Permit from the 1968 convention, arranged before you leave home.

How much should I tip my Easy Rider guide?

About 100,000 to 200,000 VND per day is standard, more for multi-day tours where the guide is also arranging meals and stays along the way.

Is Easy Rider only a Dalat thing?

It started there, but the same hired-driver format now runs on routes like the Ha Giang Loop and in other regions, sometimes under different company names using the same basic idea.

Can solo travelers or couples book an Easy Rider tour?

Yes, most day tours and multi-day routes run for solo travelers, couples, or small groups, though some operators combine solo bookings into a shared group during peak months like July, August, and November to February.