Ha Giang Loop 7 days
This article is written by a Tigit Vietnamese Tour Guide. The grammar and English have been fixed, with an attempt to keep the style local and authentic. Not over edited! Ha Giang loop is the most famous loop to ride in the North. Starting from Ha Giang city to ride through many districts such as Yen Minh – Lung Cu – Dong Van – Meo Vac and get back to Ha Giang in 4 days. Ha Giang is full of motorbike rental and tour companies which makes it a lot easier for people to ride the loop. To get there, people can take a night-sleeping bus (book at your hotel or the bus station). Tigit customers usually ride straight to Ha Giang, or they book with us to transport the bikes there by truck. This costs 35 usd per bike. The Ha Giang loop described here is a bit different and longer, and can be done within 7 days. We’re using it for people looking to ride with us, but we also publish it for everybody. We map out the loop with Tigit recommendations for everything you need: Routes, Hotels, Foods, Tips, also FAQ about Ha Giang loop.Day 1: Hanoi – Hoang Su Phi 260km
UPDATE: Hanoi - Vu Linh 150km can be a shorter option for day 1 1. If you don't have enough time or don't want to ride too much. 2. If you want to avoid the offroading on day 2 Hoang Su Phi - Hagiang. 3. Vu Linh is such a beautiful place to stop by.
Hoang Su Phi is a district in Ha Giang. Is it worth the ride? Yes, It is. We prefer riding to sleeping on a bus for 6 hours. Why? In my opinion:
- City riding is not as dangerous as it looks, people may not like it but it is good practice before you get to the mountain riding in the North.
- Riding is faster than a bus. There is not only 6 hours on the bus, but they normally drop you off at around 2 - 3 am to find a hotel.
We are riding lovers. You can’t take a bus to the Homestay instead of riding as buses do not go near
this homestay. Room costs: 900.000 vnd ~ 40 usd per night, soft mattress, good Vietnamese food.
Note:
I pin some coffee breaks, sugar cane juice along the way and a good
restaurant for lunch in Tuyen Quang.
Day 2: Hoang Su Phi to Hagiang city 80km or Hoang Su Phi to Quan Ba 120km
Is it too short to ride? No. It is not. We recommend riding a lot to escape the city traffic on day 1, and then recovering in Hoang Su Phi bungalow. Day 2 should be a relaxing day.
The highlight of the day is DT177 which is 100% off-roading, beginners may struggle a bit, but the
good news is that the trail is not steep. The reward for good riders is having lunch in Ha Giang
city. You can see a longer option for DT177 on the map.
Note:
after 260km riding on day 1, you really need the gas station we pin on the
map, don’t miss it!
What is the difference between Ha Giang city and Quan Ba?
If you like big cities, parties, pizza, good massages… you go Ha Giang city.
Our recommendation to stay is
Phuc Lam Hotel
, 600.000vnd ~ 25 usd per
night, soft mattress. There are a lot of good places to eat and drink along the river that are close
to the hotel.
Note:
You should try and get a good massage in Ha Giang, for 300.000 vnd ~ 12 usd,
we pin it on the map but you can actually show it to the receptionist and ask them to book for you,
taxi pick up is included.
If you like more adventure, quieter, you go Quan Ba.
Our recommendation to stay is
Nha Nghi Luxury Motel
, VIP room costs
500.000 vnd ~ 20 usd per night, with a soft mattress. I was surprised about the room. You can have a
nice night-ride to eat at the restaurant we pin, the best one in town but local, non-English
speakers.
Note:
they have draft beer, buffalo meat in the upstairs kitchen, local sausage,
organic pork and chicken,… Quan Ba makes day 2 a bit longer, but day 3 a bit shorter. When we do
trip for Tigit customers, sometimes we stop in Ha Giang, sometimes in Quan Ba, I can’t compare.
Day 3: Ha Giang city or Quan Ba – Lung Cu - Dong Van
Young, wild and free
Cloudy moutain pass
Water falls are everywhere in rainy season
The Godfather The highlight of the day is the most North point where you can see the Chinese border.
Note:
Lung Cu Flagpole
is
very famous but not the real North point. You must park your bike and climb up there. Alot of riders
are too lazy to do it. Do the pole we pin on the map.
Lung Cu flagpole
The real Northernmost point
The real Northernmost point Hotel:
Ma Pi Leng hotel
is an acceptable hotel we
did for our trip so far in Dong Van, 400.000vnd ~17usd. Another new Hotel is
Dongvan Ville Du H'Mong Hotel
, 800.000 VND ~
35usd Food: Night market is a good place to walk and drink but outside is better to eat, I pin a
place for street food where you can have good BBQ, hot pot and local buckwheat beer. Drink: Coconut
coffee, salt coffee, and typical cà phê sữa đá (icy coffee with condensed milk) are the best, they
also have western coffee.
Day 4: Dong Van – Meo Vac – Bamboo Ferry - Bao Lac
The highlights of the day are Ma Pi Leng mountain pass, crossing Nho Que river on a local
bamboo ferry
with your bike, off-roading to
Bao Lac. Ma Pi Leng is the most beautiful mountain pass in the country. It has stunning views but
comes with a sad story. Many people had accidents when trying to build it. The Sky path is located
on this mountain pass, but you can’t do it anymore. The traffic was messy so it’s closed now. It is
only open for locals. Bamboo ferry is the next level of DT177 on day 2, we’re sure that you’re ready
for it after 3 days of riding.
Nho Que is the river that you see in Lung Cu the most North point, it goes from China crossing the
border, along Ma Pi Leng mountain pass to Bao Lac, you cross it on Bamboo ferry.
Note:
don’t overpack, and don’t do it on rainy days, the person on the backseat
sometimes has to walk. You can do it on any bike but CB500X is only for advanced riders. ABS is not
good on the trail. The XR150’s clutch could be burned after 10 mins of feathering, so let the bike
take a break. It is not difficult to do, don’t be scared. It’s a lot of fun with a group of friends.
Hotel:
Sunny Bao Lac homestay
,
Nha Nghi Viet Hoang
are our recommendation,
250.000vnd ~ 11 usd, can’t be better. Food: There is a Pho restaurant we pin on the map. You can
have for whole day, breakfast, lunch, dinner, which is one of the best pho we have ever had, with
original taste. You will be surprised about the price 30.000 vnd ~ 1.2 usd. (The chef seems like he
is not good at making fried rice.) You can also go to the night market to have street BBQ and beers.
There are some coffee shops that are close to the hotels.
Option:
If you get to Bao Lac early in the hot season, you can go swimming at a
local stream.
Day 5: Bao Lac - Ban Gioc Waterfall 180km
The highlights of the day are Khau Coc Cha mountain pass and Ban Gioc Waterfall. Khau Coc Cha is known as 15 Curves Mountain Pass. The road reminds us of the HCM road , which is curvy, very quiet, and in good condition.
Best team ever.
Honda XR150 is the best for this loop.
The King of Ban Gioc waterfall.
Ban Gioc waterfall
is located exactly on the
Chinese border, half in Vietnam, and half in China. You can see Vietnamese and Chinese boats on the
river, it’s even more beautiful at night when they turn the lights on. Hotel:
Yen Nhi homestay
,
Ban Gioc-Quay Son hotel
,
Saigon-Ban Gioc resort
. Yen Nhi homestay
seems a bit crowded in high season, but it is the best choice in the low season. A room costs
350.000vnd ~ 15usd per night, soft mattress, a good dinner in a natural cave, beautiful stone
bungalow.
Note:
Most restaurants in Ban Gioc just stop working in the low season. Homestays
with food are the best. Ban Gioc-Quay Son hotel, Saigon-Ban Gioc resort are the best for hotels you
can look for with soft mattresses, a quiet place, good service, available for big groups, but these
hotels have boring food. A room costs from 750.000vnd ~ 30 usd per night. Food: Banh Cuon is the
best for breakfast. Go out for it even if you have breakfast included at the hotel. You can find
Banh Cuon every where but Banh Cuon Cao Bang and Banh Cuon Lang Son are the best versions.
Day 6: Ban Gioc waterfall – Bac Son 180km – the highlight of the whole trip.
UPDATE: Ban Gioc waterfall - Ba Be lake 204km is the more convenient option 1. If you dont like local hard mattress hotels in Bac Son. 2. If you want to avoid the half day on rough road to go to Bac Son. 3. Ba Be lake is located in a beautiful national park.
Saigon - Ba Be Hotel
The highlights of the day are
Tham Khach cave
and bad roads to Bac Son.
Tham Khach cave is a big cave deep in a mountain which you can ride 1,5 km through it. You can even
drive a car. It was a Viet Cong military base in the American War where they hid and stored
everything. They kept tanks and cannons and built houses in the cave.
It also a beautiful and local cave, no tourism. We know about the cave by a local friend in Bac Son,
feel sorry to publish it here. The road to Bac Son from Ban Gioc, half is good road like day 5, and
half is bad, like the North West. For offroad lovers, are bad road is a good thing though! Hotel:
every hotel here cost 300.000vnd ~ 12 usd for a room. You have no choice because Vietnamese like
hard mattresses, just go to any good-looking hotel. Lunch: The restaurant we pin on the map is good
for lunch, you can have a set of Vietnamese food with rice, you should try roast duck – very famous
in Lang Son. Dinner: You can eat a bit early in the afternoon at Binh Gia Sky coffee for pizza, good
coffee, good smoothies, snacks.
It’s on the second floor of a Yamaha dealer shop. Or you can go around the town for local beer
places. They always have fried rice, fried noodles, spring rolls.
Day 7: Back to Hanoi 150km
We recommend riding back early in the morning, having breakfast in Thai Nguyen, and getting back to
Hanoi before noon. For many people, it’s a good plan to be early in Hanoi to avoid the crazy
traffic, return the bikes, get ready for your flight, also have time in the capital. Hanoi food is
the best. People who have more time can do the cave again. You can do the opposite direction Day 7
---> Day 1. If you don't have much time to ride on Day 1, Hanoi - Bac Son in 3 hours could be a
good option. You can skip Hoang Su Phi to make the loop a bit shorter; can be done within 6 days.
