Hanoi Backstreet Vespa Food Tour

The Hanoi Backstreet Vespa Food Tour is a four-hour evening motorbike food tour run by Hanoi Backstreet Tours (hanoibackstreettours.com) in Hà Nội, Vietnam. Guests ride pillion on army-style Vespas behind a driver-guide, with hotel pick-up and drop-off in central Hanoi arranged at booking. The operator's website should be checked for how long the company has been running.

The route runs through the backstreets of the Old Quarter and neighbouring districts, and the operator describes it as passing along the railway line, one of the city's better-known photo spots. It mixes Michelin-listed shops with pavement stalls, so a single evening can move from a simple roadside bowl to a shop that has earned national or international recognition. The tour is designed for evening riding, when stalls are busiest and the heat of the day has passed.

The published price is 2,314,000 VND (USD 89.00) per person. That price covers the Vespa ride with a driver-guide, all food and drink at every stop, a helmet, and hotel pick-up and drop-off. The operator states that all food and drink is covered by the price, which leaves few extras beyond tips or personal purchases. The exact number of stops and dishes is set by the itinerary rather than published on the listing, so visitors wanting a stop-by-stop breakdown can ask the operator before booking.

Parties are small, since each guest rides on a bike with a driver-guide, and the guides operate in English. The pace follows the traffic and the time spent at each venue. Food is mainly savoury northern and Vietnamese street food, with drinks and a sweet or coffee stop typical of such itineraries. Dietary restrictions, including vegetarian eating and allergies, should be raised when booking, because the route includes established shops with fixed menus where substitutions are not always possible.

The tour suits visitors who want an efficient evening covering several parts of Hà Nội and are comfortable as motorbike passengers in busy traffic. October to April is the most comfortable riding season, with cooler and drier evenings.