On Nov. 3, Ly Van Thanh, 24, traveled from Bac Ninh to Lao Cai Province to collect a female passenger heading to Hanoi. She paid more than VND2 million (US$80) for the 238-kilometer journey.
“Every single day I get three to four booking requests, but I only take one to stay healthy and sharp,” Thanh says.
Thanh previously worked for app-based ride-hailing services, grinding 16 to 18 hours daily for meager returns of VND4,000 to VND5,000 per kilometer.
In early 2026, realizing that severe motion sickness left many travelers eager to pay a premium for long-distance motorcycle travel across provinces, he walked away from the gig platforms to work for himself.
He spent over VND10 million to upgrade his bike, outfitting it with high-traction tires, stronger shock absorbers, auxiliary headlights, heavy-duty cargo racks, and a custom-cushioned seat. In March, he took on his maiden private trip from the port city of Hai Phong to Hanoi.
Along the route, he filmed his rides and shared them on social media. By May, a clip documenting a 200-kilometer run from Hai Phong to Quang Ninh racked up more than 350,000 views.
From that point on, inquiries have been pouring in nonstop, and pushed his operational range to 400 to 500 kilometers across the rugged northern highlands.
On a 412-kilometer haul once from Hai Phong to Son La, he rode straight between 7 p.m. to 6 a.m the next day. Every 100 kilometers, he made a point of stopping so that both he and his passenger could grab a bite and rest.
“Early on, finishing a marathon haul like that would leave me knocked out for a day or two,” he says.
“Over time, my body adjusted; now I know my exact physical endurance limits and scout every route in detail before setting off.”
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Long-distance motorbike driver Ly Van Thanh, 24, on a tour carrying a passenger to Ha Giang Province. Photo courtesy of Thanh |
The business comes with some hazards, nevertheless. Once, he rode all the way from Hai Phong to Hanoi to pick up a traveler bound for the northwestern mountains, only to have the client cancel on arrival.
In early September, he carried a passenger over 300 kilometers from Phu Tho up to Mu Cang Chai, and he only collected an advance of VND400,000.
Having learned the hard way, he now has clear policies: clients must wire a 50% deposit upfront, no night trips or runs into deep wilderness with male passengers, and bookings are never subcontracted.
“Clients book me because they trust my personal track record,” he points out. “Passing clients off to a total stranger puts them in harm’s way.”
Since pivoting fully into interprovincial motorcycle hires, Thanh has doubled or tripled the income he made on ride-hailing apps. Women struggling with acute motion sickness make up 95% of his clientele, and his personal social media channels have drawn 118,000 followers.
Xuan Anh, 29, based in Ninh Binh Province has been offering the same service for the last three months, and also witnessed an explosion in long-haul demand.
Xuan Anh charges VND8,000 per kilometer plus a VND3,000 surcharge per kilometer when picking up passengers in remote provinces. “The main advantage is keeping every dong without paying a cut to tech platforms,” he says. “Clients willingly pay far more than conventional motorcycle taxis because the service is tailored, comfortable, and reliable.”
To handle demanding routes, Xuan Anh taught himself how to repair motorcycles, asks for a 70% deposit, and declines late-night trips with men.
More than 80% of his clientele consists of women with motion sickness or people handling urgent business who need flexible, door-to-door transit.
A smaller subset simply hires him to experience scenic, open-air motorcycle touring. The dread of motion sickness has turned long-distance motorcycle trips from the occasional one by drivers like Ly Van Thanh and Xuan Anh into a booming transport niche.
Across social media feeds, dozens of independent drivers now advertise private, on-demand cross-country journeys.
Examining the trend, economist Huynh Thanh Dien in Ho Chi Minh City notes that gig workers walking away from algorithmic platforms with their rigid pricing rules and policy constraints to cultivate personal brands and direct client followings represents a logical evolution in the freelance economy. “Still, this isn’t a game everyone can play.”
Making a viable living out of this trade requires savvy self-marketing skills, an impeccable long-term reputation, cardiovascular stamina, a rock-solid vehicle, and quick instincts for dealing with roadside trouble.
Looking ahead, both Thanh and Anh believe the market has enormous untapped potential as consumer appetite for personalized travel keeps expanding.
But both point to an uncompromising golden rule for anyone wanting to jump in: respect every mile of the road, inspect your machine without cutting corners, and place rider and passenger safety above everything else.
In mid-August, Nguyen Van Chi hired Thanh to drive her from Bac Ninh to her family home in Lao Cai.
Having previously gone with him down to Thanh Hoa Province, she happily paid several times the price of an intercity sleeper coach just to arrive without nausea and physical exhaustion. “The trip felt like a leisurely sightseeing road tour, and the driver looked after everything just like a travel companion.”
This sustained appetite for customized transport suggests the market has plenty of potential. For Thanh, capping trips at 500 kilometers is hardly the finish line and he plans to accept cross-country motorcycle runs across all of Vietnam in the months ahead.
Driver Ly Van Thanh ferries a passenger on the 168-kilometer route from Bac Ninh to Lao Cai in August 2026. Video from Tiktok/@thanhtt20