If you’re a backpacker you have probably heard so many people talk about the Ha Giang Loop and if you’re not, well then listen up because it the absolute best thing you can do in Vietnam.
What is it?
The Ha Giang Loop is a route that goes through the northern most parts of Vietnam. Here you ride through the mountains encountering numerous native tribes and the most scenic landscapes. You are on a bike anywhere from 3-6 days depending on everything you want to see. The Ha Giang Loop is fairly new to Vietnam as the government opened it up to tourist as a well to expose the isolated native tribes to touris to help better the communities.
Can’t drive a bike? Thats okay because neither can I! You are assigned an Easyrider at the start of the loop. This means that you will ride around the country on the back of a bike with a random stranger. Haha; this is not as scary as it sounds so don’t worry. By the end of your trip you and your easyrider get more comfortable and dare I say you guys become friends.
But I can drive a bike. Perfect then join a tour group and drive on your own. Bike will be provided to you when doing a tour, as well as petrol. Just be prepared as some roads are bumpy, not paved, and can be a little dangerous for the unexperienced. You can opt to not do a tour and drive the loop completely on your own, but whats the fun in that???
How Many days?
Like I said the tour can be anywhere from 3-6 days but it all depends on you. I did 4 days and 3 nights and I will tell you why this is ideal. You see a lot for 6 days and the tour can feel like it drags out; for 3 days you are missing all the views of the 4th day including a cliff jump.
The biggest reason to do 4 days is because of the celebrations on the 3rd night! If you are doing it as a tour every night is a chill party filled with Happy Water (more on that later). The 3rd night is basically the end of the loop before going back to the start. On this night you are celebrating with everyone as there is a sense of accomplishment for the completion of the loop. It is absolutely the best night and you don’t want to miss it.
How do you get there?
The way you get to Ha Giang is a sleeper bus that you can take from many different cities. You can arrange a sleeper bus through the company you book or through a local tour company. I was lucky enough to book my sleeper bus through the tour company. This bus took me from Hanoi to Ha Giang.
Which company?
There are a lot of companies you can do the tour with. But there are three big companies that dominate the tour. Jazmine, Buffalo, and Mama’s homestay.
I did my tour with Mama’s homestay. It will filled with a lot of 20-30 year olds and a chill social atmosphere. Met so many people there that I continue to talk to now. Full review of Mama’s below.
Make sure to do your research as to which company to choose as some companies are small while other are big and provide a very social atmosphere. Accommodation is also different depending on the company.
My Experience
The Mama’s group was around 50- 60 people and from there we broke into groups of around 15 and traveled in our groups throughout the day before meeting back up at night.
Click on each day to watch the Vlog!
On day one you meet your Easyrider and start the drive. It can be uncomfortable at first especially if its your first time on a bike but I got used to it after a while. We stopped at different view points and headed to a local village and meet with its people. There you will see the local women and how the make their clothes and the different patterns. The things they make with their fabrics is available to purchase. After a days worth of driving we made it to the homestay where we encountered happy water for the first time.
After breakfast we headed out for the drive. First stop is where we meet the flower girls. Here little girls greet you and braid your hair and put flowers in it. I did not do this as my hair was already braided but I did end up tipping the girls. It is important to not the these are young children not going to school and working to make a living for their families; so tips are much appreciated. Afterwards we went for lunch and continued to drive. We saw many more views and this day and we actually saw the Vietnam and China border which was really cool. After that we headed to the homestay.
This day was the toughest of the roads as most of them were not paved so the ride was very bumpy. This day we headed to a river where we got a boat and enjoyed views from the water. After more driving we got to the homestay which had a pool that we all enjoyed. This night was the highlight of the trip. Lots of happy water was drank this night as we celebrated the end of the loop. A lot of the drivers also hung out with us as they too celebrated. This is a night I will never forget.
The saddest of the days as you make your way back to the beginning of the loop getting ready to leave all the friends you left behind. We started the day with a cliff jump into the water which was filled with so many people. A lot of people sat around watching other do the jump; I did the same until late minute I decided to jump in which I do not regret. This day was so nice as after the waterfall we just cruised the whole way and enjoy the last of the views before it ends. Once we got back we collected our things and everyone headed onto their sleeper buses to the next city.
Pro tip: Wear your headphones while on the bike as it can be boring just staring out with no music. Plus listening to music on the back of a bike is such a vibe.
On Mama’s Homestay
Fo a while before booking I was debating largely on the big three tour companies. I wanted something social where I could meet people but something that wasn’t too big and party.
Let me say Mama’s was the perfect choice for me!
Because of the age range of people (again based off my experience between 20-30 year olds) it was a chill social atmosphere where everyone talked to one another, drank and had fun. Not too party but anti-social.
Mama’s cost around 200 USD with Easyrider and sleeper buses I booked through them.
What Mama’s Included:
- Accommodation
- Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
- Happy Water; beer and wine coolers can be bought
- Petrol for bikes
- A really cool Mama’s t-shirt
Accommodation was not always the best but you’re in the same boat as everyone you’re with so it doesn’t feel so bad. The food can also feel repetitive with only small changes in every meal but you deal with as you’re just eating local food the whole time.
FAQ
Where do I put my things? You leave your big bag at the homestay and take only a small bag with a couple of days clothes with you.
Hows the weather? Don’t rely on what people say online about the weather as weather will always be unpredictable. When I went it was beautiful but a friend of mine went the week before and she did not have the best weather. It really is just gonna depend on the time of year and luck.
What should I pack? Not much as most of us basically rotated the same two outfits the whole time and that was sufficient to be honest. Two bottoms, Two tops, a rain coat for the “in case”, and your toiletries.
Should I tip the driver? Yes! Especially if you really loved your driver. A typical tip is 500,000 VND sometimes more if you really really loved your driver.
Should I bring cash? Yes; cash is needed as Atms may be scare and cards will not be accepted. These are isolated communities so they do not have that technology. I suggest to bring 1-1.5 million dong.
Finally; What is Happy Water??? Happy Water is rice wine and they love to serve it to you every night. Cheering with Happy Water at the end of the day is like a ritual and once you finish your shot they serve you another right away.
