The Ha Giang Loop is a renowned motorbike route located in the northernmost province of Vietnam, Ha Giang. It offers travelers a breathtaking journey through stunning landscapes, picturesque valleys, towering mountains, and ethnic minority villages. It is well known among backpackers for being a bucket list experience. Hopping on the back of a bike with an easyrider and just enjoying the stunning landscape with adrenaline rushes at every turn. It is the ultimate Vietnam experience.
How to Get To Ha Giang
First step in starting the trip is arriving to Ha Giang. There is a variety of ways to go about doing so. It is recommended to fly into Hanoi, one of the largest cities in northern Vietnam. From there the options are pretty straightforward.
- Book your own transfer via a bus or private transfer.
- Book your whole trip through a tour company and they will schedule the transfers.
If booking your own, we like to utilize 12Go and Rome2Rio. Expect the ride to take anywhere from 6-8 hours dependent on stops and traffic. The basic bus is as cheap as $10 with private transfers being around $100. If you are in a group this could be a split cost and more comfortable.
When booking with a tour company, they generally include the transfer to Ha Giang and then back to Hanoi. This can make planning a little bit easier and ensure your ride will happen.
Ride the Ha Giang Loop
There are two ways to ride the loop. The first is by yourself. This means renting a bike from a company and planning out your own route. If you are extremely confident on a bike and want to take as much or as little time as you want, this is possible. You’ll have to book rooms at hostels in advance for this option.
Another option, that we recommend, is going with a group and an easy rider. The easy rider is a professional who you will ride on the back of their bike. The group plans the route, the stops, and the hostel/hotel stays, and food. This makes the trip super easy. It’s also a fun way to meet other travelers.
Choose a tour company
When deciding which tour company to choose for the loop it is important to look at a few different things. First being how many days you want to tour for. Generally there is a 3 day and 4 day options. Many of the groups stay at similar hostels but some offer private rooms others do not. As a couple we chose to stay at a private room during the trip for an extra cost. Ensure you are requesting a room for the night you arrive in Ha Giang and the night you arrive back in Hanoi. A tour company can book it for you but you must request it.
As you look at reviews, certain ones mention a lot of partying and others mention a more off the beaten track experience. It is possible to have a combination of both. Check as many of the reviews as you can for details. One company had hundreds and hundreds of 5 star reviews then we found a comment that stated people were offered a free t-shirt for a 5 star review and the company wasn’t that great.
Epic Tours is the company we went with. We also utilized them to go to Ha Long Bay which was great because then we were with some of the same people and they provided the transfers and hotel stays in between. This really took the stress out of the planning and allowed us to just enjoy the trip!
Ha Giang Loop Details
Upon arrival in Ha Giang you will be dropped off at your hostel. We arrived a bit early and ate food we had packed for dinner. The next morning breakfast is provided. The large luggage is left at the hostel and you’ll pack a small bag of everything you need for 3 days (clothes, toothbrush, etc.). If going in winter, expect it to be extremely cold. We ended up buying coats along the way.
Each rider is met with by their easy rider to put on elbow pads and knee pads. Generally your bag will be put on the back of the bike and strapped down so make sure your phone and camera are in a safe pocket of your coat or on your body. The first day is the most intense with driving the furthest. They provide all 3 meals during the trip. The food overall is really good and super filling. If you need vegetarian they are mostly accommodating.
The first night we stayed at a hotel. At dinner they will bring out the Happy Water. This is a form of very strong alcohol. Expect a lot of cheering and toasts as everyone drinks these shots together. The second night we stayed at a farm style hostel. It was more open air and much colder. They will also drink happy water this night as well. Depending on the company, some of the easy riders end up very drunk and very hungover the next day. This is something to look for in the reviews.
The Stops
Though riding is a ton of fun and it’s possible to take in all of the sights on the bike, they also make many stops along the way. Here is a list of the stops that were on our tour for the full 3 days:
- Happiness road
- Ma Pi Leng Pass
- Sky Walk
- Meo Vac Town
- Du Gia Waterfall
- H’mong textile making in Lung Tam
- Boat ride
Our Experience on the Ha Giang Loop
For our trip, I had an easy rider and the husband chose to ride by himself. The tour was accommodating for this but we do not recommend it. He had a smaller bike than the easy riders and his bike struggled with going up the very steep hills. The traffic is also bad and the roads are in rough condition. Thankfully he is a strong rider. Afterwards he agreed it would’ve been better to have one of the easy riders. Partially because he had to focus on driving and not get to take in the scenery as much. I was very happy with my driver because he was the leader of the group. That meant getting to be at the front of line of bikes which made for some epic GoPro footage.
The first stop we took was to go for a boat ride. It was very beautiful but it was the boat drivers first day. We ended up stuck on the water for longer than expected and this led to having a very rushed first day. It was also very foggy and we skipped a couple of stops since there was no visibility. Thankfully we stopped at them on the third day on the way back instead. The second day is was very cold and we ended up buying an extra coat. They also provided rain ponchos, pants and shoe covers. I looked like a marshmallow but it was completely worth it for how much rain and mud we encountered.
Each group often goes to one or two separate places. Ours took us up into a mountain to visit a family farm. It was so interesting to see how they lived off grid miles upon miles away from civilization. The second night we also went to the waterfall. It was very cold but many people were jumping in and swimming. It is a pretty small waterfall. At the hostel that night, there was music and alcoholic beverages for sale. Some karaoke occurred late into the night.
On the third day it was a very chill ride back to Ha Giang. We were able to go slower and take our time. After arriving back at the hostel, we got our big luggage. They had transfers ready to take us back to Hanoi. We tipped my easy rider and many others tipped theirs. This is a personal choice if you feel they did a good job.
General Recommendations
First and foremost check the weather for the time of year you intend to visit. Coats and gloves are inexpensive and 100% worth having during your visit. We donated ours afterwards when we made it to a warmer part of Vietnam and no longer needed them. It is definitely worth it to have the easy rider. You’ll enjoy the scenery and I truly believe it is safer. Bring a GoPro and a smaller backpack. Those are what we have and loved using for our 5 month world trip. This was prior to having an Insta360 but now that we have one, I know it would be perfect for this type of trip!
Overall, we really enjoyed the Ha Giang Loop tour that we took. It is very affordable for the amount of days and how much is included in the price. Let us know in the comments if you decide to go, we would love to hear about your trip!
Check out our other posts about Vietnam and guided tours!
