This post is also available in :
Renting a scooter and riding over Tram Ton Pass is one of the best things you can do in Sapa, and it barely costs anything.
I rented mine straight from my hotel for around 5 dollars a day, kept it for two or three days, and used it for two separate rides. This guide covers the sapa tram ton pass route in full, plus a few extra stops I want you to know before you go.
Tram Ton Pass, also called O Quy Ho Pass or Heaven’s Gate, is the highest mountain pass in Vietnam, sitting at around 1,900 to 2,047 meters above sea level.
It sits about 15 kilometers from Sapa town on Highway 4D, connecting Sapa to Lai Chau province. There isn’t one single destination at the end of this ride. You stop where you want, and the value is in everything you pass along the way.
Most travelers visit the same 20 places their whole life.
Here are 500 reasons to do better.A curated world map of 500 unforgettable destinations across every continent — open it in Google Maps and start planning.
My hotel rented me a scooter for close to 5 dollars a day, and other travelers report similar pricing around 100,000 to 200,000 VND per day depending on the bike. You technically need a valid driver’s license, and an international driving permit is the legal requirement in Vietnam.
I only had my regular license, not the international one, and nobody stopped me, but I want to be honest with you here. It can work without it, but it’s a bit sketchy, so bring the international permit if you can.
A helmet is mandatory and you should wear one the entire ride, no exceptions. If you’d rather not deal with rental logistics on your own, you can compare car and scooter rental options through DiscoverCars or BikeBooking before you land in Vietnam.
I left around 8 or 9 in the morning and the whole ride took the entire day. About 12 to 14 kilometers out of Sapa, you’ll pass Silver Waterfall, known locally as Thac Bac, which drops from around 1,800 meters and sits right along the pass road. Entrance runs about 20,000 VND, and it’s a quick, easy stop that doesn’t need much time.
Once you clear the mountain and the valley opens up, there’s a viewpoint that’s genuinely impressive, with two or three small restaurants and a handful of statues.
Vietnamese travelers love photo spots like this, so the setup is built for pictures, even if I didn’t take many myself. Grab a coffee here and enjoy the view for a bit, it’s a relaxed and pleasant stop.
Further down the road, you’ll come across a large glass skywalk and elevator structure called the Rong May Glass Bridge, sitting right on O Quy Ho Pass about 17 to 18 kilometers from Sapa. I didn’t do this one myself because of the price, but plenty of riders stop here and it’s worth mentioning.
The round trip glass elevator ticket runs about 400,000 to 500,000 VND per adult depending on the season, and it includes walking across the glass panels themselves. From the ground it looks intense, but once you’re up there, it’s really just walking across glass with a big view underneath.
If you want extra thrills, ziplining, a suspension bridge walk, and an aerial swing are available for around 150,000 VND each, paid separately. I say do it if it sounds fun to you, it’s just not the kind of thing I go out of my way for.
If I’m not mistaken, I also stopped at another spot that felt more natural, with waterfalls and a much quieter setting. This is almost certainly Love Waterfall, or Thac Tinh Yeu, which sits near the Tram Ton ranger station and requires about an hour of walking through fields and forest from where you park your scooter.
Entrance costs about 70,000 VND for adults and 30,000 VND for children. There’s a small park area here too, and you can grab a coffee or even lunch. It’s a nice, relaxed stop and genuinely worth the short walk in.
Past the waterfalls, the road keeps dropping and the mountains start to flatten out into farmland. This is where you’ll see agriculture fields, older bridges, and locals who get genuinely curious seeing a tourist riding through on a scooter.
I stopped near the edge of a small town at the bottom, grabbed a drink, and then turned back toward the mountains and Sapa.
This lower stretch is not covered in rice terraces. The fields here are mostly vegetables and general crops, not the rice paddies people usually picture when they think of Sapa.
Getting back is tougher since it’s a steady climb the entire way. I had to stop for about 10 to 15 minutes at one point because of a landslide, with construction crews working on repairs at the same time slides were still happening nearby. It felt a little risky in the moment, but there was enough distance kept between vehicles and it worked out fine.
A few honest safety notes before you go.
Here’s the thing most people get wrong about Sapa. If you want to see actual rice terraces, Tram Ton Pass is not the ride to do it. The rice fields sit on the other side of Sapa, in the Muong Hoa Valley, and that’s also the route most day treks and multi-day treks follow.
Tram Ton Pass gives you mountain views, waterfalls, and viewpoints, but the terrain near the bottom stays steep and undeveloped. The Muong Hoa Valley has gentler slopes, a better climate for farming, and it’s more developed for tourism.
If rice terraces are the priority, stick to the Muong Hoa side and consider pairing it with a one day trek, since that’s the same route most trekking routes use.
Riding solo gives you total freedom to stop wherever you want, but if you’d rather have someone explain the culture and history as you go, or you’re not confident riding mountain roads yourself, booking a guided tour is a smart alternative. A local guide can also tell you about the Hmong and Dao communities you pass through, which is something you’ll miss riding alone.
If you want to book a tour or an activity without any hassle, Get Your Guide is honestly one of the easiest platforms I use, with a huge range of experiences, flexible cancellation on most bookings, and you can even get 5% off with my code HORIZONHUGO5.
Riding solo is cheaper and more flexible, but a guided tour removes the stress of navigating unfamiliar mountain roads and gives you context you’d never get on your own.
If you’re comfortable riding and want full control over your day, renting a scooter for a few dollars a day is hard to beat. If safety or navigation worries you, or you simply want more story and context along the way, a guided motorbike tour solves that problem completely.
Either way, Tram Ton Pass delivers one of the best rides you can do in northern Vietnam, waterfalls, viewpoints, a glass bridge if you want it, and a real look at rural life outside Sapa town. Pair it with a day trek through the Muong Hoa Valley on a different day, and you’ll walk away with a full picture of what makes Sapa worth the trip.
Riding Tram Ton Pass by scooter is one of those days in Sapa you won’t forget, waterfalls, a glass bridge if you’re up for it, and real farmland at the bottom most tourists never see. But this ride is just one piece of what Sapa has to offer.
If you want the full picture before you go, check out our complete Sapa travel guide covering where to stay, what to pack, and how to plan your days. And if rice terraces are what you’re after, our Sapa trekking guide walks you through the best routes into the Muong Hoa Valley, which pairs perfectly with this scooter ride.
Sapa is just one stop in Vietnam, and if you’re building a longer trip, our Tam Coc travel guide covers another must see region further south, often called the Halong Bay on land. Vietnam has a lot more ground to cover beyond the north, so take your time and explore the rest of the country too.
This post is also available in :
Join our community and receive exclusive travel stories, guides, and special offers!
Skip the research rabbit hole.
I’ll build you a personalised day-by-day itinerary — or answer all your questions on a quick 60-min call.
Some of my posts include affiliate links. If you choose to make a purchase through them, I may earn a small commission—at absolutely no extra cost to you.
Using these links is the best way to support my work and say thank you, and I appreciate it so much! Of course, everything I share reflects my honest opinions and experiences.
Brand, tourism board or hotel?
Let’s create something together — content, reviews and campaigns that reach real travellers who are ready to book.
I’ve compiled 500 of the best places across my travels into one free Google Map.
The kind of spots you won’t find in a guidebook.
Still figuring things out for your trip, or just want to double check something before you book? Send me a message and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.
Or hit me up on Instagram, I’m there anyway and always happy to chat about the trip.
Share it with the person you to travel with !
You might also like to read these articles
