Ha Giang is the northern most province of Vietnam, bordering China. This rugged landscape boasts some of the most dramatic and striking views in all of Vietnam. And the best way to see it? On motorcycle! The Ha Giang loop is a breathtaking 350km trek that is not for the faint of heart with its winding roads bordering sheer cliffs. This loop can be completed in 2-4 days, we opted for 4!
How we got to Ha Giang:
Since we were coming from Sapa, we had planned to catch the bus going directly to Ha Giang. But of course, nothing goes to plan, and we missed it by 30 minutes. So, I did some research, and found a bus route that we could take with one connection in Lao Cai. When we arrived in Lao Cai, we had missed the second bus by 45 minutes, so we had to stay there until 6am the next morning. We found a “nice” hotel, with a broken window and spotty wifi, and hunkered down for the night. We managed to find a place for dinner, and tried to order chicken noodle soup. But we only ended up with noodles… I don’t know where we went wrong? To be honest, I recommend catching the direct bus.
At 6am the next morning, we arrived at the bus terminal. Of course Adam was the tallest person there, so they put him to work loading the roof of the bus with various luggage pieces and sacks of rice since the inside of the bus was loaded with vegetable oil. Quite the journey!
A few hours later, we had the bus stop at our accommodation, Mamma’s Homestay. Our homestay manager helped us plan the entire loop for the coming days by mapping out the drive and must-see sights on maps.me (highly recommend downloading this app, an excellent offline source for any country). We rented a motorcycle from our homestay, I was fitted with a giant orange pumpkin helmet, and the next morning we set out!
Day 1: Ha Giang to Yen Minh
On our first day, we were greeted by fog, rain and cold weather which fowled any hope for a view. But we managed to make it to our first destination, Lung Khuy Cave. Which exceeded our expectations and was a great place to have a break. We then carried on to Yen Minh and found our accommodation, Tom’s Homestay. We were so cold at this point that we had to bundle ourselves in multiple blankets just to get warm.
Day 2: Yen Minh to Dong Van
POURING rain. We waited a few hours to see if the rain would let up, but eventually walked down the street to find rain ponchos to brave the storm. These ponchos made us look like Teletubbies. We also decided to wrap our socks in plastic bags before putting our shoes on, in a failed attempt at keeping our feet dry. I decided to switch driving duties with Adam, and we set out. We quickly learned why that was a bad idea. Our motorcycle had a sticky first gear, and when I went to switch gears on a hill, the gear stuck and with having Adam now on the back, we wheelied and fell over. Good thing we bought motorcycle insurance!! And luckily, we only cracked one side mirror.
So we decided to switch back, Adam on driver duty and me on navigation duty. This is where we learned why this loop is so popular. As the sun began to peak through the clouds, we got epic views that went on for miles.
Due to the weather, and my lack of navigation skills, we ended up on the wrong road at one point. Luckily, we managed to make it back on track and found the Northern most point of Vietnam! An epic viewpoint. Since we were so north, we were incredibly close to the China-Vietnam border. And for those that know the location, and are feeling a bit daring, can pop one foot over into China (warning: this isn’t exactly legal).
We kept on going and realized, once again, that our motorcycle had some issues. While going up a very large hill, we began to lose momentum. In a fit of rage, Adam began yelling at the bike to coax it up the hill and promptly named the bike Henry! I have not laughed harder! But we managed to get ourselves, and Henry, to Dong Van for the night. Again, being so cold, we tried to find some hot chocolate. We managed to find a bar with both hot chocolate and baileys, and with some manic pointing and an attempt at an explanation, the bar tender apprehensively put baileys in our hot chocolate. Yum!
Day 3: Dong Van to Du Gia Via Ma Pi Leng Pass
We drove to Du Gia on the 3rd day. Getting Henry through the multiple mountain passes was incredibly worth it for the stunning views, especially Ma Pi Leng Pass! Once in Du Gia, we found a guesthouse, Du Gia Garden Homestay, that served us an amazing family style dinner by a fire and plenty of happy water shots (rice wine).
Day 4: Du Gia to Ha Giang
We had been told that there was a waterfall (Du Gia Waterfall) off the main road, if you were okay braving the muddy dirt “roads” for about 1 hour. Incredibly worth it! Adam even decided to go for a swim.
The 4th day was the coldest yet. I decided to give driving another shot, so that Adam had a chance to spectate. When we stopped for lunch, about 1 hour away from the end point, we were hesitant to keep going because we were so cold. But we braved the cold for one last hour to quickly make it back to Mamma’s Homestay for a much deserved hot shower.
Overall thoughts:
Now this 4-day, 350km motorcycle loop is anything but relaxing. You are braving extreme weather conditions, wild twists and turns, oh and don’t forget to honk your horn around EVERY, SINGLE turn to let oncoming traffic know you’re there. But the reward is exceptional! I would highly recommend this trip to everyone. And if you are afraid of driving yourself, find yourself an Adam, or book with an “easy-ride” tour, they come with a bike AND a driver.
What we wish we brought:
Depending on the time of year, you could have beautiful summer weather, or rain and snow like we did. If you decide to complete the loop during the winter, this is what you should bring:
- Extra socks
- Rain jacket/poncho
- Warm pants/rain pants
- Gloves/Mitts
