Overview
Tour overview
This Ha Giang Loop tour is a private five-day motorbike trip into Vietnam’s far north, starting and finishing in Hanoi. You ride the Bac Sum, Tham Ma, Ma Pi Leng, M and Sa Ly passes, stop at Lung Cu Flag Tower and Dong Van Old Quarter, and take a boat through Tu San Canyon on the Nho Que River.
An overnight sleeper bus gets you to Ha Giang, so day 2 already starts in the mountains. You ride a 110cc semi-automatic yourself (a bigger bike costs extra), after a practice session with your English-speaking guide. Nights two to four are in private rooms at family homestays in Yen Minh, Meo Vac and Du Gia. For more on the route, read our Ha Giang Loop travel guide.
Map
Tour map
Tap the map to enlarge it. It stays one tap away in the corner while you read the days below.
Itinerary
Day by day itinerary
Day 1Hanoi to Ha Giang on the overnight sleeper bus
We pick you up from your hotel or any address in Hanoi’s Old Quarter and take you to the sleeper bus for the 300-odd kilometres north to Ha Giang. The bunks recline and come with a blanket, and the bus usually reaches Ha Giang City in the early hours, so most of the journey passes while you sleep.
Keep a warm layer, a phone charger and your passport in a small bag at your bunk.
Day 2Bac Sum Pass, Heaven Gate and Lung Khuy Cave on the way to Yen Minh
The bus reaches Ha Giang City before dawn. After breakfast you meet your bike, a 110cc semi-automatic you ride yourself, and your guide runs a practice session and a briefing. The loop then begins with Bac Sum Pass, about seven kilometres of switchbacks up into limestone country.
At Quan Ba Heaven Gate the road tops out over a wide valley, with the twin hills locals call the Fairy Bosom in the rice fields below. After a lone-tree viewpoint and a short climb to Lung Khuy Cave, you ride on through pine forest to Yen Minh, about 90 km from Ha Giang City in all. Dinner tonight is cooked by H’mong villagers with their own chicken and garden vegetables.
Day 3Tham Ma Pass, Lung Cu Flag Tower and the Ma Pi Leng Pass to Meo Vac
The longest day of the loop starts early. You climb the S-bends of Tham Ma Pass to Pao’s House, the earth-walled H’mong home from the 2006 film Pao’s Story, then visit the Vuong family palace in Sa Phin, built around 1900 for the H’mong clan that ruled the plateau.
Next is Lung Cu Flag Tower, almost 1,470 metres up near Vietnam’s northern tip, with the Lo Lo village of Lo Lo Chai at its foot. After Dong Van Old Quarter you ride Ma Pi Leng Pass, about 20 km of road cut into the cliffs above the Nho Que River between 1959 and 1965 (the Sky-Walk there is optional). In Meo Vac the evening ends around a campfire, roasting cassava and potatoes.
Day 4By boat through Tu San Canyon, then the M and Sa Ly passes to Du Gia
This morning you go down to the Nho Que River and take a boat into Tu San Canyon, where limestone walls rise several hundred metres out of turquoise water.
Back on the bikes, you leave the plateau heading south: M Pass, a run of bends shaped like the letter M, then Sa Ly Pass and the Lung Ho viewpoint over rows of cone-shaped karst hills. The day ends in Du Gia, a quiet valley village where the rice fields run to the foot of the mountains, for your last night on the loop.
Day 5Swim at Du Gia waterfall, ride Duong Thuong valley and return to Hanoi
Start with a swim: Du Gia waterfall is a short ride from the village and its pools are cool and clear, so keep swimwear and a small towel in your day bag.
The road then climbs out through the Duong Thuong valley and rejoins the main loop at Quan Ba for the run back to Ha Giang City, where you hand back the bikes, have lunch and board the bus. The ride back takes around six to seven hours, with drop-off at your hotel or any address in Hanoi’s Old Quarter.
Hotels
Where you sleep
Stays may change to similar ones depending on availability for your dates. We will let you know in advance.
Transport
Transport on this tour
Inclusions
What is included
- Free pickup and drop-off at hotels or addresses in Hanoi’s Old Quarter
- Bus transfers between Hanoi and Ha Giang: an overnight sleeper bus and an air-conditioned cabin or limousine bus
- A 110cc semi-automatic motorbike for the loop
- An experienced English-speaking guide
- One night on the sleeper bus and three nights in private rooms in traditional homestays
- Meals as marked on each day of the itinerary, with vegetarian and vegan options on request
- Bottled water throughout the trip, plus tissues and water on the bus
- Entrance tickets for the sights in the itinerary, including the Nho Que River boat trip
- Service charges and government tax
- 24/7 hotline support
- International flights and departure taxes
- Visa stamping fee on arrival at the airport (US$25 per person)
- Travel insurance
- Meals and drinks not listed in the itinerary
- Tips for your guide and drivers
- Personal spending such as shopping, phone calls and extra drinks
- Upgrade to a motorbike larger than 110cc
- Optional activities, such as the Sky-Walk on Ma Pi Leng Pass
- Early check-in and late check-out, unless stated in the itinerary
- Compulsory gala dinner on 24 December, 31 December and at Tet, and public holiday surcharges where they apply
- Any service not listed as included
This tour is also listed on TourRadar. If you would rather book through them, or you want to read what other travellers wrote, the listing is public.
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Good to know
Before you go
- You ride the motorbike yourself: a 110cc semi-automatic. Ask when you book if you would like a larger bike (extra cost).
- Carry your passport on the loop: checkpoints near the Chinese border can ask to see it.
- Leave large suitcases at your Hanoi hotel. A day bag and a small soft bag are enough on a motorbike.
- Nights in the mountains are cool for most of the year, so pack a warm layer.
- Tell us about vegetarian, vegan or other dietary needs before the trip.
- Your passport must be valid for at least six months after the tour ends.
- Travel insurance is not included, so arrange your own before you travel.
- Travellers under 18 must travel with a parent or legal guardian.
Cancellation policy
A cancellation fee applies, worked out as a share of the tour price and counted back from your start date:
- More than 60 days before: 10%
- 30 to 59 days before: 20%
- 15 to 29 days before: 40%
- 8 to 14 days before: 80%
- 7 days or less before, or no-show: 100%
Services you do not use during the trip are not refunded.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
How do we get from Hanoi to Ha Giang and back?
By bus both ways, and both legs are in the price. We pick you up in Hanoi’s Old Quarter on day 1 for the overnight sleeper bus north, and on day 5 a bus brings you back, with drop-off at your hotel or any address in the Old Quarter. The road is about 300 km each way.
Is this a private tour or will I join a group?
It is a private tour. The guide and the itinerary are for your party only, so you ride with the people you came with rather than joining strangers on a shared departure. The tour runs every day of the week, which means you choose the start date that fits your plans.
Where do we sleep during the loop?
The first night is on the sleeper bus from Hanoi. After that you spend three nights in traditional homestays, each in a private room: Yen Minh on night two, Meo Vac on night three and Du Gia on night four. These are family houses in the villages along the route.
Do I ride the motorbike myself?
Yes, this is a self-ride trip. You get a 110cc semi-automatic, which changes gear with your foot but has no clutch, and on day 2 there is a practice session before the loop starts. Your English-speaking guide stays with you all the way round. A bigger bike can be arranged for an extra charge.
What happens if I need to cancel?
A fee applies whenever you cancel, and it grows as the start date gets closer. It is 10% of the tour price more than 60 days ahead, then 20%, 40% and 80% in the following bands, and 100% within 7 days of departure or for a no-show.
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