The Ha Giang Loop is a famous motorbike tour in the Ha Giang area in North Vietnam. The circuit takes you through some incredible cliff edge roads overlooking the Northernmost part of Vietnam, up to the border of China, and then looping around back to Ha Giang.
My experience on the Ha Giang Loop was arguably the best 4 days of traveling that I have done to this day. Not only are the views stunning, but whizzing around the misty mountain roads really makes you feel like a wild adventurer.
If you’re traveling in Vietnam and haven’t done the Ha Giang Loop, I couldn’t recommend it more. I’ll tell you a bit about my experience to explain why, and hopefully give you some useful tips!
How to do the Ha Giang Loop
There are a few different ways you can do the Ha Giang Loop. The first is with a group, where everything is pre-booked and organised by a third party. You pay in one lump sum and get put in a group with other travelers. Alternatively, you can book everything yourself and do it solo, or you can get a sleeper bus tour.
I chose to do it with a group, this way you don’t have to do any booking or research. Not only this but in my opinion, being with a big group of others actually makes the experience. You will ride together, eat together, drink together, and make some really great friends. Also, they sort out your route, accommodation, and food, and they know the roads. This is a huge benefit considering how dangerous the Ha Giang Loop is.
On the other hand, if you do choose to go solo, you get a bit more freedom on where you stay, how long you stay for, and who you go with. Also, you may end up saving money if you choose cheaper hostels and bikes.
Booking the Ha Giang Loop
If you book a group tour, the Ha Giang Loop Tour costs around £150 for 3 days or £200 for 4 days. If you choose to book everything yourself, this can vary, however, I have known people to pay less than £150 when doing it solo.
Most people book onto the Ha Giang Loop from Hanoi, North Vietnam’s big city. I was staying at Central Backpackers Hostel in the Old Quarter. I asked about the Ha Giang Loop at the desk and they booked me in through a Ha Giang Hostel called Jasmine. This is the most popular group tour hostel for the Ha Giang Loop. The pickup point was at a different place called Old Town Hostel in Hanoi. After signing in here, a coach then took me on a long ride up to Jasmine Hostel in Ha Giang.
I believe you can book through most hostels in Hanoi and they will give you instructions on where to get picked up.
I arrived at Jasmine Hostel in the evening, so I spent one night there (already paid for as part of the booking fee) before beginning the loop the next day.
Motorbikes
After the group briefing, you are given a map, and a motorbike helmet, and assigned to a bike.
The most common bikes used on the loop are semi-automatic 110cc mopeds. They are similar to those you’d rent in the rest of Vietnam, except slightly more powerful, and with gears. You will also have the option to go for a 135cc or 150cc if you pay a bit extra.
If you book through a third party you have the option to ride your own bike or to ride on the back of one of the tour guides’ bikes (this is called an easy-rider). If you are less confident driving, this may be the option for you. Just over half of the people on my tour chose the easy-rider. Lots of people used the opportunity to take pictures while they drove and blast out tunes from a speaker!
However, if you are confident on a normal automatic bike, then you will definitely be able to use the semi-automatic bike as well. The gears are easy to get the hang of with practice.
I’d had plenty of practice with bikes while in Southeast Asia, and really enjoyed driving, so I chose to drive my own. The main benefit of this is that they are really fun to drive, especially along the winding cliff edge roads in Vietnam. It also allows you to (within reason) stop and go when and where you want, and have a cheeky race with your mates.
Routes
Both the 3 and 4-day routes start in Ha Giang and do a clockwise loop of the Northmost part of Vietnam. We had several short breaks and stops to eat lunch and take pictures of the mountains and other cool viewpoints.
The best of which was an overhanging rock on the edge of a cliff on Ma Pi Leng Pass. You can climb up to the rock that sticks out from the cliff, and get a pretty incredible shot like the picture above if you’re daring enough to get close to the edge. Unfortunately, people have actually fallen off it before, and a recent accident has led to fences being put up around it to deter tourists from climbing on the rocks.
On the final day of the 4-day tour, we stopped off at Du Gia Waterfall just Northeast of Ha Giang. We were able to swim in the water, and jump off the rocks! The water is also extremely cold, making it lovely and refreshing if it’s a hot day, or painful on a cold day!
Hostels
There are 2 or 3 overnight stops (depending on the length of your tour) at hostels on the way. If you’re in a group you’ll often share rooms, and share tables as you eat and drink together in the evening!
A few of us decided to venture into the local village and source a chicken to bring back for a feast for our fellow travelers. We gave it to the cooks and they prepared it for us, making it into a delicious lemongrass curry. Hands down one of the best meals I’ve ever had.
Later on, we’d get the tunes on and have a few drinks, games, and sometimes even a bit of karaoke. Then at about 8 am, it’s time to get up and back on your bike!
On the final day, we headed back to Hanoi on the sleeper bus, and we weren’t the only passengers…
Thanks for reading!
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