I’m about to share my full travel details to Vietnam’s hidden gem. This is a detailed Ha Giang itinerary to see this fascinating place in five magical days.
Everyone talks about Sapa and its beautiful nature, but not many know the beauty of Ha Giang.
Ha Giang is Vietnam’s most northern province known as Vietnam’s final frontier. It is one of the fascinating places in Vietnam. This remote and mysterious province is a showcase of incredible mountain landscapes, limestone walls, roaring rivers, smiling people and hundreds of kids.
Ha Giang has been forgotten in time, and just recently it has been slowly becoming popular among tourists. So, if you want to travel back in time, pack your stuff and arrive as soon as possible – before tourism leaves its scars. We spent five days on our motorbikes and completed a loop of more than 400 km.
It can be challenging to plan a trip independently to Ha Giang. Yet anything is WAY better than to explore Ha Giang on a soulless and rushed organised tour together with dozens of other travellers.
I’ve shared a complete Ha Giang guide before. So if you need only some quick info, you can find it here, but if you want to read my whole story, please continue reading.
Arriving and renting a bike in Ha Giang
To get to Ha Giang, we took a night bus from Hai Phong which cost us 250,000 vnđ, and it took almost 11 hours. We arrived in Ha Giang around 5 am, and since we knew we wanted to rent a bike from QT shop, we asked the bus driver to take us to QT hostel. As a customer, you get a free bed to rest in after the long journey. What a deal!
In the morning people from the hostel took us to the bike shop to choose our bikes. Prices start at 200.000VND per day for semi-automatic Honda Blade up to 900,000 vnđ for a dirt bike Honda XR. We picked our favourite Honda Blade and took off. Semi-automatic bikes are the best for the loop as you have more control over the demanding conditions of the mountain roads. They gave us a detailed map of the loop, plus a ton of useful information and recommendations for along the way. Plus they showed us, how to control semi-automatic bikes as we were used to riding automatic bikes.
Officially, foreign travellers require a permit (300,000vnđ [$14]) to visit this area. However, I asked the guide, and he told me it is not needed if I follow his route. During the whole trip, I wasn’t asked to show the permit on any occasion. It’s best to check with hotel staff in Ha Giang on the current requirements before you set out on the loop.
Day 1 Ha Giang to Du Gia Village – 109km
Travelling north about 30km out of Hà Giang town on road QL4C, we reached the gate of the Geopark (the area was designated a UNESCO Global Geo-Park – only the second in Southeast Asia – in 2011), and we entered a beautiful mountain pass with a poetic name the Heaven’s Gate Pass. Because of the typhoon, the weather was kind of rainy, but the mountains were misty, and I loved that!
After driving through Heaven’s Gate Pass we got into Quan Ba District and the town of Tam Son, surrounded by spectacular mountains and dozens of limestone ‘molehills’. Near the top of the pass, we found an information centre with a coffee shop, where we parked our bikes and climb the steps behind the café up to a small viewpoint to have a look at Fairy Bosom. Fairy Bosom is a unique landscape with two symmetrical, smooth hills. They are so charming and balanced that locals started calling them Fairy Bosom and its name dates back to ancient times and it is associated with many legends.
In Tam Son town we had a simple lunch. Since it was rainy, and we were cold and hungry (we didn’t have breakfast), we ordered Pho Bo and fried chicken rice in one of the small restaurants on the main road. Full and happy we left Tam Son and started looking for a bridge to cross Yen Minh river to continue via DT181 road to Du Gia village.
On the way to Du Gia village, we saw many small communities surrounded by rice terraces. I felt like I’m travelling back in time. In these days, can you still imagine waking up with light, working the whole day to grow your food and take care of your animals to provide you with eggs, milk, and meat? In the meanwhile, your kids walk a few kilometres (4-10km) to school (if they are lucky) or help around the household. Bigger kids take care of the small ones. Small kids were not wearing trousers, so they can pee or poo when they need to.
Old people work hard here – they probably work until they die. Houses designed in a way that animals and people live together in one house (animals on the ground floor and people live above them). Often you meet girls and women – from as young as 7 to as old as 80 – carrying heavy loads of hay, dry grass, and crops over their backs. The bodies of the older women have been permanently distorted, so that their backs are almost at right angles to their legs, even when walking unburdened.
I admire these people so much, and I’m somewhat envious of that connection they have with the animals and nature. It seems difficult to live that way, especially for us who are spoiled by living in the cities. But they all were smiling and happy. An unbelievable and eye-opening experience!
The road to Du Gia was a bit adventurous with bits of road missing due to landslides. People filled these missing bits with big rocks to not drive on mud. However, the rocks were tricky as well. The sun set, and the clouds were low (or we were high), and we still had about an hour of the ride ahead of us. Luckily, the road was pretty new, so we really enjoyed this ride among cloudy mountains! It was so magical. I didn’t have my camera ready, so at least I captured it with my phone.
Finally, we arrived at Du Gia village and found our QT Du Gia homestay. The owner offered us to join their family dinner, and since few guests didn’t show up, we ate so much. The food was so good, and it cost us only 100.000VND ($4) per person. The accommodation was also really nice and cheap. One night was 70.000VND ($3) per person.
21 comments
Ha Giang is such a beautiful, dreamy and peaceful place! It is less touristy compared to Sapa, therefore I could totally immerse myself in the authentic and interesting local life with minority people. And the thrilling loop is absolutely worth trying when visiting Ha Giang by motorbike!!!
Btw, thank you for your informative and amazing blog post!
Hi may I Know in which month did u visit and can you tell me the route you took. I am planning this trip this year in December 2-3 week
Hi Siva,
we were there at the beginning of November. The route is mentioned at the end of this article. I inserted a google map so you can save it in your phone. Also if you go through the article, you will understand the route we took. I hope you will enjoy it as much as we did!
Hi may I Know in which month did u visit and can you tell me the route you took
Hi now that I read about Ha Giang. I’m planning to skip Sa Pa. I have no experience on driving motorbike. Is it still possible to do it so? are the bike stands requires motorbike driving license?
Sorry for the late reply. You should have a motorbike driving licence, however, I know many who didn’t have one in Vietnam. Regarding your zero experience, I would suggest practising a bit before you decide to go. Most of the route has good roads, but you can meet trucks and it is good to be relaxed and know what to do. I wouldn’t suggest driving a bike around Ha Giang to a complete beginner.
This looks incredible and I’m sure your photography skills have something to do with it too! I was planning on doing Sapa and Dalat later in my trip but they may have to be replaced by the Ha Giang loop. Have you been to Sapa/Dalat and would you say it’s worth sacrificing those two locations to spend time in Ha Giang? Thank you!
I don’t feel comfortable biking on my own so I’ve reached out to QT to see how much it would cost to have a guide for 3-4 days.
Hi Irina, I haven’t been to Sapa or Dalat, but what I’ve heard from people who did Sapa, Ha Giang is way more beautiful. Sapa is good for hiking, and Ha Giang is good for riding a bike. Ha Giang is also a more significant area, much more to see and not many tourists. QT provides guides, or you can find someone to join to in one of the Facebook groups – for example, Vietnam is awesome, Vietnam Backpacker Tips, South East Asia Backpacking. Having your guide riding you around sounds good too as you can enjoy the views all the time! 🙂
This looks amazing. Is it posible to do it in 3 days or would that be rushed? When you rent your bike how much do you leave as deposit? Thanks
Hi Ticiano, I would not recommend to do it in three days. There is so much to see. However, if you still want to spend only three days there, then skip some of the locations and visit the main ones. Regarding your question about the deposit, we didn’t leave any when renting our bikes.
Hello Jana! Great article, loved the anecdotes, pictures and video. It was full of life 😊 I see most people have the done the loop clockwise whereas you have done it anti-clockwise. Will you recommend that? Appreciate your advice. Thanks and keep being awesome!
Hello Sandeep! Thank you so much for your amazing comment. We did it anti-clockwise because the guys from whom we rented our bikes advised that. Probably they knew how many people they had sent the clockwise way 🙂
Hello,
This trip seems perfect. We’re two travelers and we’re just hesitating to go by our own or to hire two drivers to go with us, since we’ve never ridden a motorbike… You say it’s possible to learn quickly, but did you learn to ride in the Ha Giang mountain ? Or can it be too dangerous, as the agency say it is (probably to convince us to hire a guide, though :p) ?
Thank you in advance for your advices !
Nicolas
Hello Nicholas,
when are you planning to go? As now the roads are destroyed because of heavy rain and mudslides. We enjoyed the ride as you drive slowly anyway. Have you ever driven a bike? Of course, they are trying to earn extra money and I don’t think you will need a guide. On the other side, you can just look around and he will show you the best spots 🙂
Thank you ?
Hi Jana,
Thank you for writing this story, it has been very helpfull since there is limited info on arranging the loop nu yourself. We are planning on doing the loop on our own in a fee data but we are doubting on whether we should hire a guide. In your opinion, is it necessary to bring a guide along the loop or do you think its easily possible in out own? How did you experience your guide?
Hope to hear from you, thanks in advance!
Stefan
Hi Stefan,
I’m really happy the guide has helped you with arranging the trip. We did it by ourselves without having a guide and it was perfectly fine. The shop we rented our bikes from gave us a map with suggestions where to go on which day and where to stay. Just make sure you have your phone with offline Google Maps of the area and you will be perfectly fine 🙂
Hello, my gf and I are planning on doing this loop maybe just 4 days though… Is it easy to find some guide to come with us (drive the bikes) while in ha giang? I was told it’s cheaper to book from directly when in ha giang.
Did you make reservations ahead at the homestays?
we’re leaving in 10 days, super excited.
Thank you for your answers in advance and thank you for this wonderfull blog!
Hi Fabien!
Four days are perfect! We could do it as well as we stayed one extra day in Du Gia village and walked around a bit. Yes it is easy, if you rent bikes from QT you can also ask for a guide to come with you. I think it is 1 mil per day plus food and accommodation for him. Yep, we didn’t book anything in advance and it was perfectly fine – bikes, hotel, homestays – no issues.
Good luck!
Hi Loes,
I’m really happy you like my article! I love to take photos but always fighting to finish the articles :)) who did you ask to arrange it? I think that’s a pretty big amount to pay for a deposit. Especially, when you are not there yet. I would not pay it. Try to ask QT tours and bikes, they have a hotel and offer a tour guide as well. I’m not sure whether they will go to Ban Gioc, but ask them 🙂 I would love to go to see those waterfalls!
Hi Jana,
I really loved to read your story and admire the pictures taken during your trip! Your map will come in handy 🙂
I’m currently planning a trip through Northern Vietnam myself and I hope you could help me with this question I have. I asked a hostel in Ha Giang if they could arrange a few things for us when coming to the Ha Giang area. E.g. bus from Sapa to Ha Giang, 3 motorbikes, 2 nights in Ha Giang at their hostel, an easy rider accompanying us during the loop etc.
We want to do a big loop of 8 days instead (including Ban Gioc Waterfall as well). Now they are asking us for a 200USD deposit for the arrangement. Is this common?
Is it otherwise easy to ride the loop without an easyrider? 🙂
Hope to hear from you!
Loes