We were driven 10 km west to Lung Phin where we climbed towards Xin Man. The start was a mess of mud, luckily the vehicles got us through as we biked across one of the most remote parts of northern Vietnam. One section of mud proved a great challenge, especially for the vehicles. From the beginning, there was a steady climb before a fast descent above the quiet town of Xin Man, where we had a picnic in the heat. It was so hot we immediately had a coffee break in the town to avoid the sun.
The riding in the afternoon took us down to a bridge over and then upstream of the Chay River. For the next 40 km we cycled along a quiet road that gently climbs and follow the river to the town of Hoang Su Phi. We stayed overnight in the only hotel in town. Some of the locals attempted to engage us with rice wine over dinner.