Why this ride
252 km from Hanoi to Hanoi, about 4 h 45 of riding. It goes by way of Bo Da Pagoda, Vinh Nghiem Pagoda, Yen Tu-Vinh Nghiem-Con Son and back through Vinh Nghiem Pagoda.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Central Sector of the Imperial Citadel of and Yen Tu-Vinh Nghiem-Con Son
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 252 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 45
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Central Sector of the Imperial Citadel of
In 1010 the Vietnamese king Lý Thái Tổ moved his capital to the banks of the Red River and named it Thăng Long, Ascending Dragon, after he is said to have seen a dragon rising from the water. The city grew up around the royal citadel, and for most of the next eight centuries it was the political heart of Vietnam. The Central Sector of the Imperial Citadel of Thăng Long, in the middle of modern Hanoi, preserves layers of this history, from the foundations of palaces excavated beneath the ground to buildings of the Nguyễn dynasty and the French colonial era. It was listed by UNESCO in 2010, the year Hanoi celebrated its thousandth anniversary.
Read the complete Central Sector of the Imperial Citadel of write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Central Sector of the Imperial Citadel of is where the day begins. Next is Bo Da Pagoda.
2. Bo Da Pagoda
Bổ Đà is a pagoda that was built from the earth up, quite literally. Its long perimeter walls are made of rammed earth, mixed with broken pottery and tiles, a traditional technique that has kept them standing for centuries, and inside lies one of the most remarkable features of any Vietnamese temple: a garden of more than a thousand stupas, the tombs of monks who lived and died here, standing in rows among the trees. The pagoda, on a hill in Việt Yên in Bắc Giang province, is also famous for its collection of wooden printing blocks carved with Buddhist texts, a treasure of Vietnamese woodblock printing.
Read the complete Bo Da Pagoda write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Bo Da Pagoda comes up about 41 km into the recorded legs. Next is Vinh Nghiem Pagoda.
3. Vinh Nghiem Pagoda
In the countryside of Bắc Giang province, in northern Vietnam, about fifty kilometres north-east of Hanoi, the Vinh Nghiem Pagoda stands by the Thương river, surrounded by rice fields and villages. It is one of the oldest and most important Buddhist centres in Vietnam, associated with the Trúc Lâm school of Zen Buddhism, founded in the thirteenth century by King Trần Nhân Tông, who abdicated to become a monk.
Read the complete Vinh Nghiem Pagoda write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 79 km into the recorded legs you reach Vinh Nghiem Pagoda. Next is Yen Tu-Vinh Nghiem-Con Son.
4. Yen Tu-Vinh Nghiem-Con Son
In the late thirteenth century, a Vietnamese king who had twice helped drive back the Mongol armies gave up his throne, climbed the mountain of Yen Tu and became a monk. Tran Nhan Tong founded the Truc Lam school of Zen Buddhism there, a uniquely Vietnamese form that combined meditation with engagement in the world, and Yen Tu became the holiest mountain in northern Vietnam. Together with the pagoda of Vinh Nghiem, which preserves thousands of woodblocks used for printing Buddhist texts, and the Con Son and Kiep Bac relics, associated with the scholar Nguyen Trai and the general Tran Hung Dao, the complex was inscribed on the World Heritage list in 2025.
Read the complete Yen Tu-Vinh Nghiem-Con Son write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Yen Tu-Vinh Nghiem-Con Son, about halfway. Next is back through Vinh Nghiem Pagoda.
5. back through Vinh Nghiem Pagoda
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Vinh Nghiem Pagoda write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Vinh Nghiem Pagoda sits at 152 km, about halfway. Next is back through Bo Da Pagoda.
6. back through Bo Da Pagoda
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Bo Da Pagoda write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Bo Da Pagoda comes up about 212 km into the recorded legs. Next is Central Sector of the Imperial Citadel of.
7. Central Sector of the Imperial Citadel of
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Central Sector of the Imperial Citadel of write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Central Sector of the Imperial Citadel of closes the day.
Leg by leg
Central Sector of the Imperial Citadel of to Bo Da Pagoda
Central Sector of the Imperial Citadel of → Bo Da Pagoda is 41 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Bo Da Pagoda to Vinh Nghiem Pagoda
Bo Da Pagoda → Vinh Nghiem Pagoda is 38 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Vinh Nghiem Pagoda to Yen Tu-Vinh Nghiem-Con Son
Vinh Nghiem Pagoda → Yen Tu-Vinh Nghiem-Con Son is 47 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Yen Tu-Vinh Nghiem-Con Son to back through Vinh Nghiem Pagoda
Yen Tu-Vinh Nghiem-Con Son → back through Vinh Nghiem Pagoda is 47 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Vinh Nghiem Pagoda to back through Bo Da Pagoda
back through Vinh Nghiem Pagoda → back through Bo Da Pagoda is 39 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Bo Da Pagoda to Central Sector of the Imperial Citadel of
back through Bo Da Pagoda → Central Sector of the Imperial Citadel of is 41 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
More motorcycle rides nearby
- Hanoi afternoon · Con Son Pagoda · 252 km