A TRAVZ STARTING POINT
The Ha Giang loop, with a guide
A considered 6-day shape for Vietnam, ready to be adapted around your dates, pace and people.
THE IDEA
A route with room
for your story.
The far north of Vietnam, along the Chinese border, is the most dramatic road in the country and the one most likely to go badly if you attempt it unprepared. This is the loop done with a rider-guide, which means you are on the back of the bike or on your own with someone ahead of you who knows the road.
The scenery does not build gradually. Within two hours of leaving Ha Giang town you are on switchbacks above a river gorge, and it stays at that pitch for three days. The Ma Pi Leng pass is the section people come for, and it earns it.
Nights are in homestays in Hmong and Tay villages rather than hotels, because there are barely any hotels and because the homestays are the better experience anyway. Expect a shared bathroom, a firm mattress and dinner cooked by the family you are staying with.
This is a physically demanding trip. You do not need to ride — the rider-guide option means you never touch the handlebars — but you do need to be comfortable with long days, mountain roads and basic accommodation. If that sounds like a compromise rather than the appeal, this is not your itinerary.
DAY BY DAY
The shape of
the journey.
Every day has intention, with enough breathing room to follow a recommendation or change your mind.
- 0101
Hanoi to Ha Giang
A sleeper bus or private car north, around six hours. Arrive in the evening, meet your rider-guide, and get fitted for a helmet and jacket that actually fit.
- 0202
Into the gorge
The first riding day heads for Quan Ba and the Heaven's Gate viewpoint, then on to Yen Minh. Around 110km, which does not sound like much until you see the road.
- 0303
Ma Pi Leng
The pass, and the reason for the trip. A stop at Lung Cu near the border, then the run along the Nho Que river gorge. A boat on the river in the afternoon if the water is right.
- 0404
The quiet side
South through Du Gia, which sees a fraction of the traffic of the northern section. A waterfall swim mid-afternoon. This is most riders' favourite day.
- 0505
Back to Ha Giang
The last riding leg, then the night bus or car south to Hanoi.
- 0606
Hanoi
Arrive early, with a day room held until your onward flight so you can shower and sleep.
A SENSE OF PLACE
The look
of it.
THE PRACTICAL PART
What's in.
What isn't.
INCLUDED
- Return transport between Hanoi and Ha Giang
- Four days with an experienced rider-guide, one guide per guest
- Motorbike, fuel, helmet and riding jacket
- Three nights in village homestays, one night in Ha Giang
- All breakfasts and dinners on the loop
- A Hanoi day room on the final morning
NOT INCLUDED
- International flights
- Vietnamese e-visa
- Lunches on the road and all drinks
- The Nho Que river boat, paid locally if conditions allow
- Travel insurance, which must explicitly cover motorbike pillion travel
THE NEXT CHAPTER IS YOURS
Keep the route.
Change everything else.
Your dates, your people, your pace — one thoughtful brief is enough to begin.
Personalise this trip