HUE, VIETNAM – The story of Hue Easy Riders began later than the better-known motorcycle-tour scenes in Da Lat and Nha Trang. Before 2008, there was little or no organised Easy Rider-style business in Hue. The change came when international interest in riding Vietnam grew rapidly, helped by the BBC’s Top Gear Vietnam Special and its spectacular journey through Hoi An, the Hai Van Pass and Hue.
Before 2008, Hue Was Not an Easy Rider City
Before the motorcycle-tour business developed, there were several practical reasons why this kind of work did not attract people in Hue.
For poorer families, buying and maintaining a suitable motorcycle was not always easy. For people from wealthier families, working as a motorcycle taxi driver was generally not considered an attractive occupation.
There was another problem: English.
Taking a foreign passenger around Vietnam required much more than simply knowing how to ride a motorcycle. A rider needed enough English to communicate with guests, understand what they wanted and explain places along the road. A good guide also needed knowledge of history, culture and local destinations.
From my experience, there was also a social factor. Many people in Hue traditionally placed little value on the job of carrying passengers by motorcycle. It could be viewed simply as xe ôm work rather than a professional tourism occupation.
So before 2008, the conditions for a Hue Easy Rider scene were not really there.
Then Came Top Gear
In 2008, the BBC production team came to Vietnam to film the Top Gear Vietnam Special. The programme followed Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May on a long motorcycle journey across the country. It included Hoi An, the Hai Van Pass and Hue before continuing north. The special was broadcast on 28 December 2008.
The Hai Van Pass became one of the most memorable parts of the programme. The old mountain road between Da Nang and Hue was shown with dramatic coastal views, bends and mountain scenery. Top Gear’s own behind-the-scenes report also records the crew filming around Hoi An and riding through Hue.
The effect on international travellers was noticeable.
After the programme became widely known, more Western visitors arrived in Vietnam wanting to experience the same roads themselves. The Hoi An–Hai Van Pass–Hue route became especially attractive to travellers who had seen the programme or heard about it from other tourists.
The route was no longer simply a road between two historic cities. For many visitors, it became part of the Vietnam motorcycle experience.
Da Nang and Hoi An Riders Needed Local Drivers
This created an opportunity in Hue.
At first, some of the riders operating from Da Nang and Hoi An needed more drivers for tours heading north towards Hue. Rather than sending all their own riders on every trip, they began looking for local people in Hue who could carry foreign passengers.
These local riders already knew the roads and surrounding area. What they often lacked was the English, guiding technique and experience needed to work with international tourists.
The early riders from Da Nang and Hoi An helped train them.
This was an important step in the development of the Hue Easy Rider scene. Instead of appearing as a large organised business overnight, the local trade grew through practical work: a local rider learned the routes, learned how to deal with foreign guests, improved his English and gradually became an Easy Rider.
From there, more local riders joined.
Small groups appeared, followed by more competition between Hue, Da Nang and Hoi An.
The Price Competition
The competition between the three cities became intense.
Hue had one advantage that was difficult for other destinations to match: its relatively low cost of living.
Many of the Hue riders came from modest or poor family backgrounds. They were accustomed to working hard and keeping their expenses low. Compared with Da Nang and Hoi An, everyday living costs in Hue were also relatively inexpensive.
This eventually affected tour pricing.
In my observation, Hue riders were willing to accept much lower prices for motorcycle tours than many competitors elsewhere. The price could become extremely low considering that the rider was not simply carrying a passenger. He was also expected to communicate in English, guide the guest, explain local history and culture, and spend many hours on the road.
Once a low price became established, it was difficult to move it upwards.
The same price level remained attractive to budget travellers, particularly backpackers and younger Western tourists who were looking for an inexpensive way to travel between Hue, Da Nang and Hoi An.
Why Backpackers Liked Hue Easy Riders
For budget travellers, the combination was simple.
They could arrive in Hue, find a local Easy Rider, put their luggage on the motorcycle and ride through the countryside rather than sitting on a bus.
The route could include the old roads around Hue, coastal villages, the Hai Van Pass and Da Nang before continuing towards Hoi An.
The experience was affordable, flexible and personal.
This helped Hue Easy Riders build a strong reputation among the backpacker market. The business was not necessarily based on high prices or luxury service. Its strength was value: a local rider, a motorcycle, a foreign passenger and a road connecting some of Central Vietnam’s most famous destinations.
From a Local Trade to a Google Search Destination
For many years, Hue Easy Rider became one of the better-known names when travellers searched online for motorcycle tours in Vietnam.
From before the Covid period through around 2024, I remember Hue Easy Rider groups consistently appearing among the highly visible results when international travellers searched for Vietnam Easy Riders or motorcycle tours.
That position has changed.
In recent years, the rapid growth of the Ha Giang motorcycle-tour market has pushed Hue further down the attention of international travellers. Ha Giang now dominates much of the online conversation about motorcycle travel in northern Vietnam.
But the story of Hue Easy Riders remains important.
Hue did not create the original Easy Rider model in Vietnam. Da Lat and Nha Trang had already developed their own motorcycle-tour scenes, followed later by Da Nang and Hoi An.
Hue developed differently.
Its motorcycle-tour industry grew when international demand arrived, especially after the exposure created by Top Gear, and when riders from neighbouring tourism centres needed local drivers. Local people were trained, new groups appeared, and competition eventually created one of the country’s most affordable Easy Rider markets.
For more than a decade, Hue became an important part of the motorcycle-tour network connecting Central Vietnam.
The riders, prices and travellers have changed since then. But the road between Hue, Hai Van and Hoi An remains one of the most recognisable motorcycle journeys in Vietnam.
Nam Ngo
11 September 2026
Hue Easy Riders – VIETNAMRIDER
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