Motorbiking the Road from Dalat to Nha Trang in Vietnam

Everything you need to know about transport and how to ride a motorbike from Dalat to Nha Tang.

Riding Motorbikes Road From Dalat To Nha Trang

I slowed down so Lesh could ride up beside me. I could clearly see her beaming smile in my dusty side mirror and it was obvious she was having just as much fun as I was.

When she pulled up alongside me, on that impeccable road from Dalat to Nha Trang, she screamed at the top of her lungs. “Wow! It’s just so beautiful!” I smiled back at her and nodded. Yes, it sure is.

One of the sheer joys of motorbiking is the sensation of being a part of your surroundings. You are not looking out the window of a car or bus, confined within the metal body of a vehicle.

You are exposed to the elements. You can smell the sweetly-scented pines as you ride past fringing forests. The subtle atmospheric changes as you make your way through varying climates instantly affects your body.

Only centimetres separate your feet from the tarmac. You are completely in tune with your environment.

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Riding Motorbikes Road From Dalat To Nha Trang

The realities of riding motorbikes in Southeast Asia is that you can almost guarantee the conditions will be far from perfect. Kamikaze minibus drivers keeps the adrenalin pumping heavily through your veins as they nonchalantly edge you off the road.

A perfectly-sealed road can unassumingly turn into a potholed quarry, with little or no explanation or supposed reasoning.

Highways randomly end with no detour signs present.

READ MORE – Check out our guide for the best things to do in Vietnam.

Whether you actually make it to your destination often depends on a mix of luck, goodwill, survival skills and guesswork.

For some reason, the new road from Dalat to Nha Trang is an exception to this rule. Once you find your way out of Dalat (with no signs in town pointing you in the right direction, of course), it is relatively straight forward.

But besides the journey being the most direct route between Dalat and Nha Trang, the real reason you take this ride is to bask in one of Southern Vietnam’s most scenic roads.

Riding Motorbikes Road From Dalat To Nha Trang
Jazza at the beginning of the ride between Dalat and Nha Trang.
Cemetery Riding Motorbikes Road From Dalat To Nha Trang
A typical cemetery on the outskirts of Dalat.

Starting off in the relatively high altitude town of Dalat, you pass through well-maintained farmlands and towering pine forests. The pavement is brand new and barely a pothole is to be found.

Banked corners weave through the countryside with little-to-no traffic to keep you company.

At the start of your ascent to the top of the mountain pass, the temperature notably drops and the scenery begins to change. Dramatic cliffs line the edge of the road while rollings hills begin to rise up in the distance.

Once you reach the highest point of the road, the descent begins. And the best part of the trip is now ahead of you.

Riding Motorbikes Road From Dalat To Nha Trang

Rounding a bend in the road, you are met with vistas spilling down the mountains and across a startling gorge. The tarmac follows the contours of the hills as you switchback your way towards the valley floor.

High above a soaring waterfall spills out from a crack in the mountain and tumbles its way towards the bottom of the ravine. I challenge you not to scream out in jubilation.

With a marble Buddha statue to meet you on your way, and an observation tower to climb for better views, this is one of the most scenic roads in all of Vietnam.

Riding Motorbikes Road From Dalat To Nha Trang

As you finally reach the valley floor you are given two options to make it to Nha Trang – either head through the small town of Khanh Vinh and follow rural villages all the way to the highway, or stick on the main road from Dalat to Nha Trang and enjoy the wide-open spaces of lush pastures.

Either is a good option, although perhaps make sure you have a good map or GPS if you choose to go the rural route. An alternate to finishing up in Nha Trang is to continue heading up to Jungle Beach – a great beach getaway with sand and sea far cleaner (and quieter) than what you will find in Nha Trang.

Once you’ve made it to your final destination you will not be able to wipe the smile off your face. The road from Dalat to Nha Trang is captivating, exhilarating and gorgeous.

You may even decide to do the ride again, just to enjoy its scenery once more (we rode it three times in the end). If you listen very carefully, you may still hear Lesh’s voice screaming out about how beautiful it is. More likely, however, is that it will be your own voice joyfully filling the valley.

Lesh Riding Motorbikes Road From Dalat To Nha Trang
Lesh taking a moment to reflect on how gorgeous the scenery between Dalat and Nha Trang is.

How to Ride the Road from Dalat to Nha Trang

The absolute best way to ride the road from Dalat to Nha Trang is by motorbike. If you don’t have your own bike, you can rent them from many places in Dalat or Nha Trang.

Just be sure to check whether or not you can find a one-way rental, or if you will have to return the bike to its original location. If that’s the case, you get to ride the road twice. Score!

Riding Motorbikes Road From Dalat To Nha Trang

For those who are not confident riding a scooter or motorbike, consider signing up with an Easy Rider operation. There are literally hundreds in the town of Dalat now, so be sure to do your research before choosing one.

Quality levels vary between companies and individual riders. The added benefit of going with Easy Rider instead of heading off on your own is they know all the great back roads and villages to check out between Dalat and Nha Trang.

If you have the time, perhaps consider extending your Easy Rider adventure by a day or two, and really explore Vietnam’s Central Highlands.

If you don’t want to jump on the back of a motorbike, your last reasonably-priced option is to take the bus. Yes, you will get to see same views as everyone else (admittedly through the panes of a window), but the true experience will be gone.

Let go of your inhibitions, embrace the adventure and cruise along the road from Dalat to Nha Trang by motorbike!

Riding Motorbikes Road From Dalat To Nha Trang
Lush farmlands greet you once you hit sea level.
Picture of Alesha and Jarryd

Alesha and Jarryd

Hey! We are Alesha and Jarryd, the award-winning writers and professional photographers behind this blog. We have been travelling the world together since 2008, with a passion for adventure travel and sustainable tourism. Through our stories and images we promote exciting off-the-beaten-path destinations and fascinating cultures as we go. As one of the world's leading travel journalists, our content and adventures have been featured by National Geographic, Lonely Planet, CNN, BBC, Forbes, Business Insider, Washington Post, Yahoo!, BuzzFeed, Channel 7, Channel 10, ABC, The Guardian, and plenty other publications. Follow our journey in real time on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.

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25 thoughts on “Motorbiking the Road from Dalat to Nha Trang in Vietnam”

  1. Great read, Alesha! I don’t know how you guys could bear the traffic, I had several near-heart attacks XD Decided go for this route, but with guides.. Felt so safe!

    • The traffic was a little crazy. Glad you choose the guide option. It is good to get extra information about the country, the people and their history. Glad you had a great trip.

  2. Wow! It’s just so beautiful!
    My friend and I took a motorcycle tour through central Vietnam, along the Ho Chi Minh Trail. It was so awesome. I would say one of the best adventures I have ever had.

    • That is so awesome. So happy you had a wonderful time. It is a beautiful country. 🙂

  3. The best Vietnamese coffee and tea comes from Da Lat. It is worth going there to try it out 🙂

    • It does. Glad you feel that way too 🙂

  4. Hi there
    Thanks for your great tips. We are about to head off from Dalat to Nha Trang tomorrow and wonder which beach you refer to for jungle beach as we see two on maps me.
    1. Just north of Nha Trang and
    2 on peninsular east of Ninh Hoa 18km further north from Nha Trang.
    Would be great to hear back from you.

  5. Hi! May I know how long was your bike ride from Da Lat to Nha Trang?

    Thanks in advance!

    • From memory it took us about 4 hours or so due to all the photo stops 🙂

  6. Hello. Is the way 723 can ride a scooter and luggage on it ??? Engine power will withstand these mountains ?

  7. Hi both,
    I am just in the beginning of my motorbike trip and I’m about to leave Dalat for Nha Trang, and someone had just shown me your blog. Reading this has made me very excited!
    But I have a question, can you clarify which route is the main road you are describing above?
    Many thanks.
    I look forward to reading some more of your blog.
    Alannah

    • Hey Alannah, the road is DT723. Glad you found our post useful. Let us know if you have any other questions about motorbiking Vietnam. Ride safe 🙂

  8. What company did you two rent your motor bikes from?

    • We bought our motorbikes, but check out many of the ‘Easy Rider’ companies in Dalat if you want to rent a bike. They should be able to help you out.

    • Chris, when I motorbike from Saigon to Mui Ne and then to Da Lat, I rented a bike Flamingo Travel in Siagon. They are located in District 1, pretty small room for a motorbike rent but very reliable. I suggest you do rent from them as they have pretty good various of bike to choose from. They have decent website so that it will be easier for you to choose which bike that suit your needs. Hope this helps.

  9. Hi guys!

    Thanks so much for such detailed and meticulous description about motorbiking. I am so much interested in motor biking and experience myself the scenery you showed us on the blog. However, I would like to ask if it is possible to have different route as well? I am planning to take the bike from HCM to Da Lat or Mui Ne (for the purpose of White Sand Dunes, really). Yet I only have 5 days in total, please give me your best advice, considering time constraints.

    Cheers,

    Looking forward to reading your post about Indonesia!
    Syifa

    • Thanks for readying Syifa. You can go from HCMC to Mui Ne via Vung Tao, then take Road 28B to Dalat. That is the route we took and it was beautiful. Ride safe 🙂

      • Thank you so much for responding guys! Very much appreciated. Is there any recommended motorbike rental in HCM? How many days does it take to go to Mui Ne and Dalat by motorbike?

        • Check out Flamingo Travel. I am pretty sure they have an office in Saigon. It will take one day to Mui Ne, one day to Dalat and one day back to Saigon.

  10. Hi guys,

    Firstly, I absolutely LOVE your blog. I am constantly sending links from your blog to the friend I’m about to travel with. She has told me, and she’s right, I have a massive crush on your adventures. Especially the ones on two wheels.

    You mentioned that you need a license to ride bikes in Asia. Do you mean an Australian license, or do we need to get one in Asia? I have a license in Australia but my friend doesn’t so it might be a case of me riding and her doubling with a guide.

    Also. Your backpacks, where do you put those when you ride?

    Thanks for all your great stories. I’m thinking of writing a bit of a blog to keep our friends and families up to date, can’t even imagine getting to your prowess!!!

    Happy travels!

    • Thanks so much for the kind words! We love that you have a crush on our adventures, haha. I’m sure you have plenty of your own ones though. In Thailand, Laos and Cambodia an Australian licence with an International Driving Permit is enough for local laws and travel insurance. In Vietnam though you need to have a local Vietnamese licence to be riding legally in the country. This means if you have an accident, you are not likely to be covered by any insurance. We ran the risk though. We have luggage racks and just strap our backpacks to those. Ride safe, and thanks so much for following our blog 🙂

  11. Our first try at traveling by motorbike was with Easy Riders from Saigon to Nha Trang – that tour was for 5 days, and the last day was Dalat – Nha Trang. We had such a fantastic experience, and it’s totally true the riders know the back roads, the best spots to eat, and they take you to all sorts of neat local businesses, temples, and schools, so you get to see a bit of “everyday life” in Vietnam. The tour also gave u confidence to purchase our own Honda Win, and make our way across Laos and Vietnam. Cheers, guys!

    • Easy Riders are the way to go. If we weren’t on our own motorbikes, we definitely would have used their services. Thanks for reading Jenia 🙂

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