Three days and two nights is the standard way to ride the Ha Giang loop, and this is the route almost everyone follows. Quan Ba and Yen Minh on day one, Ma Pi Leng and the Nho Que river on day two, the long ride back on day three, with rough costs and what to book ahead.
Three days is the standard length for the Ha Giang loop, and for good reason. The classic circuit out of Ha Giang town runs roughly 350-400km (220-250 miles) of mountain road, and that is about as much as most people want to cover before the riding starts to blur together. This is the route almost everyone takes, broken down day by day, with the travel from Hanoi at either end and rough costs at the bottom.
The night before day one: getting there from Hanoi
International flights land at Noi Bai airport outside Hanoi, and there is no airport anywhere near Ha Giang. From Hanoi it is about 300km (190 miles) north, and the usual approach is an overnight sleeper bus, a coach fitted with rows of flat reclining berths instead of seats, leaving in the evening and arriving in Ha Giang town at daybreak after roughly 6-7 hours. Reckon on around 250,000-350,000d one way (roughly US$10-14) as an estimate. Limousine buses, which are 9- to 16-seat minivans with wide reclining seats, cost more and often collect you from your hotel. Sleeping on the bus buys you a full first day.
Day 1: Ha Giang town to Dong Van, about 150km (95 miles)
Collect your bike or meet your driver in town, eat properly, and be moving by mid-morning. The first landmark is Quan Ba Heaven's Gate, the pass where the road climbs out of the valleys onto the karst plateau, with the Twin Mountains sitting in the bowl below. From there the road runs through Yen Minh and its pine forest, then up the switchbacks of Tham Ma slope. Late afternoon brings the Vuong family mansion at Sa Phin, the fortified home of the H'Mong clan that ran this corner of the plateau a century ago. Finish in Dong Van and walk the old quarter after dark.
- Morning: pick up the bike in Ha Giang town, ride to Quan Ba Heaven's Gate and the Twin Mountains
- Midday: Yen Minh and its pine forest, lunch at a roadside place
- Afternoon: Tham Ma slope, then the Vuong family mansion at Sa Phin
- Evening: check in at Dong Van, dinner and a walk through the old quarter
Day 2: Lung Cu, Ma Pi Leng and the Nho Que river, about 100km (60 miles)
Shortest distance, biggest day. Ride north first to the Lung Cu flag tower, the monument marking Vietnam's northernmost point, and climb the steps for the view over the border country; the Lo Lo village of Lo Lo Chai sits just below it. Back through Dong Van, the road climbs onto Ma Pi Leng, a 20km (12-mile) pass cut into the cliff above the Nho Que river and the reason most people come this far north. Use the pull-in viewpoints over Tu San canyon, then take the side road down to the jetty for a boat between the canyon walls. Sleep in Dong Van again, or push on to Meo Vac.
- Morning: Lung Cu flag tower and Lo Lo Chai village
- Midday: back through Dong Van for lunch, then onto the pass
- Afternoon: Ma Pi Leng viewpoints, Tu San canyon, boat on the Nho Que river
- Evening: second night in Dong Van or Meo Vac
Ride day two early. The pass fills with tour convoys from mid-morning, the boat jetty queues up after lunch, and cloud tends to settle into the gorge later in the day. On the road by eight gets you Ma Pi Leng with low light and half-empty viewpoints.
Day 3: Meo Vac back to Ha Giang town, about 150km (95 miles)
The last day closes the circuit on the southern arm, over the Mau Due pass and back through Yen Minh to Ha Giang town. It is a long ride but a quieter one, with less pressure to stop. If day three lands on a Sunday, get up early for the Meo Vac market, which is a working livestock and produce market rather than anything staged for visitors. Back in town, return the bike, shower, buy something to take home and take the evening bus to Hanoi.
- Early: the Meo Vac Sunday market, if the days line up
- Morning to midday: Mau Due pass, Yen Minh, the ride back down
- Afternoon: return the bike in Ha Giang town, shower, eat
- Evening: night bus to Hanoi, arriving early the next morning
What three days costs
Ha Giang is one of the cheaper things you can do in Vietnam if you share a bike and stay in homestays. These are per-person estimates for three days and two nights starting from Hanoi, and they move with the season and the size of your group.
- Return bus, Hanoi to Ha Giang: around 500,000-700,000d (roughly US$20-28)
- Motorbike rental and fuel for three days: around 500,000-700,000d (roughly US$20-28), halved if two of you share a bike
- A local driver instead, if you would rather not ride: around 500,000-700,000d per day (roughly US$20-28)
- Two nights in homestays: around 200,000-700,000d in total (roughly US$8-28)
- Food, the Nho Que boat and entry tickets: around 500,000-900,000d (roughly US$20-36)
- Rough total: around 1,800,000-3,000,000d per person (roughly US$70-120)
Cutting it to two days, or stretching it to four
- Two days: rushed, and really only for confident riders happy to skip the boat and most of the stops
- Four days: the same circuit at a civilized pace, with a night in a village homestay and time for a market
- Five days: add Hoang Su Phi and its rice terraces, which lie west of Ha Giang town in the opposite direction from the plateau
Lock these in before you leave Hanoi
- Bus tickets in both directions, especially in October and November
- Both nights of accommodation booked rather than hoped for during flower season
- Your Nho Que boat if you are traveling at a busy time
- Cash in dong: card payment is patchy on the loop and ATMs sit in the towns
- A warm layer and rain gear, whatever the Hanoi forecast says