Watch our “Ha Giang Loop Travel Guide” video
What the Ha Giang Loop is
The Ha Giang Loop is a circular route that starts and ends in Ha Giang city and links the biggest highlights of the region in three to five days: high mountain passes, viewpoints over deep river canyons, ethnic minority villages and colourful weekly markets. It started as a motorbike route that riders pieced together along those highlights. That circle became “the Loop”, and today you can do it on a motorbike or by car.
The region itself is the reason the route exists. Ha Giang is the far northern tip of Vietnam, along the Chinese border, and one of the most striking parts of the country. From Ha Giang city in the Lo River valley, the Loop climbs through Quan Ba and Yen Minh onto the Dong Van Karst Plateau, a UNESCO Global Geopark of grey limestone peaks. It crosses Ma Pi Leng Pass to Meo Vac, then turns south again through Mau Due and Du Gia, back to the city.
The plateau is home mostly to Hmong people, along with Lo Lo, Dao, Tay, Nung and other ethnic groups. Many still farm corn between the rocks, wear traditional clothes in daily life and meet at weekly markets. That everyday life along the road is what makes Ha Giang different from other mountain trips in Vietnam.
Since 2025, Ha Giang is officially part of Tuyen Quang province, so newer maps may show that name. For travellers it changes nothing: everyone still calls it Ha Giang, and the route is the same.
Is the Ha Giang Loop still worth it, and is it for you?
For most people, yes. The mountains are on a scale few places in Southeast Asia can match, and the cultures along the road are part of daily life, not a show. But go with the right picture in mind.
The Loop is no longer a secret. Ha Giang counted more than 848,000 visitors in the first three months of 2025 alone, most of them Vietnamese. The famous stops, such as Ma Pi Leng Pass, Tham Ma Pass and Lung Cu, get busy, especially at weekends and during Vietnamese holidays. Yet the crowds stick to a handful of places. Take a side road, sleep in a real village instead of a homestay strip, or walk for an hour, and you have the mountains to yourself again.
It is also a lot of time on the road: several hours a day on winding mountain roads, on a bike or in a car.
- It suits you if you enjoy long scenic days on the road, big mountain landscapes, and seeing how people live in remote villages. It works for older travellers and for families with children too, especially by car.
- Think twice if you get carsick on bends, want a relaxed holiday with short days, or expect a comfortable hotel every night. Outside a few places, accommodation on the Loop is simple.
How many days you need
Distances on the Loop look short, but mountain roads are slow. A hundred kilometres can take three hours or more without stops, and you will want to stop a lot.
- 2 days: possible, and some budget tours sell it, but you race past most stops. Not worth it.
- 3 days: the minimum for the full Loop. You see the big highlights, but most of each day is spent on the road.
- 4 days: the best balance for most people. You can add both Lung Cu and Du Gia instead of choosing one, with shorter days and more time at each stop.
- 5 days or more: time for a trek, a second night in one place, quieter side roads, or a market morning without rushing.
Add the journey from Hanoi: about six hours each way. With a night bus there and back, a 3-day Loop fits into three days and two nights on the bus. By day bus or car, plan an extra day on each side.
If you can, plan your nights so that you wake up in Dong Van or Meo Vac on a Sunday, when the biggest markets of the Loop take place.
Ride yourself, Easy Rider or car
All three follow the same roads and reach the same famous stops. Choosing between car, Easy Rider and riding yourself comes down to your licence, your riding experience and how much weather you want to feel.
| Ride yourself | Easy Rider | Car or jeep | |
|---|---|---|---|
| You need | A valid licence, a 1968 IDP and real riding experience | Nothing | Nothing |
| Freedom | Total | Good on a private tour, less in a big group | Good on a private tour |
| Safety | Depends on you | High, with a good driver | The highest |
| Rain and cold | You feel all of it | You feel all of it | Protected |
| Best for | Confident riders | Most travellers | Families, older travellers, winter |
Riding the Loop yourself gives the most freedom, but Ha Giang is not the place to learn: steep passes, blind bends, and trucks and buses that take the whole road. You need a licence from home with a motorbike category, plus an International Driving Permit under the 1968 convention, and police check foreign riders often. Most riders rent a semi-automatic bike from a rental shop in Ha Giang city. It gives more control on steep descents than an automatic scooter.
With an Easy Rider, a local driver rides the motorbike and you sit on the back. You get the open-air ride and a guide who knows every stop, without the licence worries or the stress of the road. For most travellers this is the best way to do the Loop. The type of tour makes a big difference, though:
- Large group tours are the cheapest and the most social, with parties at the homestays, but you follow a fixed schedule.
- Small groups are still flexible and personal.
- Private tours let you stop where you want and go at your own pace.
Since April 2026, only licensed companies may sell tours on the Loop, and they must provide helmets and protective gear. Local Vietnam’s Easy Rider tour includes a helmet, knee and elbow protectors, a rain poncho and a rain cover for your bag.
The Loop by car or jeep follows the same route, dry and warm, with room for your luggage. It loses some of the raw adventure, but it is the right choice for families, older travellers, anyone nervous on a bike, and most people in winter. Tours use modern cars and jeeps; the old open-top army jeeps you may see in photos are no longer used. A private car tour lets you set your own pace and stops.
Travelling alone works with all three. Many solo travellers join a small group, or take a private Easy Rider.
Route and itinerary options
The Loop has one main circle and a few popular variations: mainly whether you detour north to Lung Cu, and whether you return through Du Gia. Below are five ways to split it, one line per day. The day-by-day itineraries add riding times and places to sleep.
Classic 3 days
Nights in Dong Van and Meo Vac. All the famous stops, in three full days on the road.
- Day 1: Ha Giang city to Dong Van, about 150 km, over Quan Ba Pass and Tham Ma Pass and through Sung La Valley.
- Day 2: Dong Van to Meo Vac, about 75 km with the detour to Lung Cu, then over Ma Pi Leng Pass.
- Day 3: Meo Vac back to Ha Giang city, about 155 km, through Mau Due and Lung Ho.
3 days with Du Gia
Nights in Dong Van and Du Gia. This skips Lung Cu for a greener, quieter last day and a swim.
- Day 1: Ha Giang city to Dong Van.
- Day 2: Dong Van over Ma Pi Leng Pass to Meo Vac, then on through Mau Due to Du Gia.
- Day 3: Du Gia back to Ha Giang city.
3 days based at Aya Lodge
Two nights in the same place: Aya Lodge in Sung Trai, a Hmong village on the quiet road between Meo Vac and Mau Due. Less packing, quieter roads, and a real village in the evening instead of a homestay strip.
- Day 1: Ha Giang city over Quan Ba Pass and through Yen Minh to the lodge.
- Day 2: A circle from the lodge to Meo Vac, Ma Pi Leng Pass and Dong Van, and back to the lodge.
- Day 3: Back to Ha Giang city on quieter roads, via Lung Tam.
4 days
Nights in Dong Van, Meo Vac and Du Gia. Both Lung Cu and Du Gia, with shorter days.
- Day 1: Ha Giang city to Dong Van.
- Day 2: Dong Van to Lung Cu, then over Ma Pi Leng Pass to Meo Vac.
- Day 3: Meo Vac through Mau Due and Lung Ho to Du Gia, with a swim at the waterfall.
- Day 4: Du Gia back to Ha Giang city.
5 days
Nights in Yen Minh, Dong Van, Meo Vac and Du Gia. Time for Lung Khuy Cave, a walk around Dong Van and a boat trip on the Nho Que River.
- Day 1: Ha Giang city over Quan Ba Pass, with Lung Khuy Cave and Lung Tam, to Yen Minh.
- Day 2: Yen Minh over Tham Ma Pass, through Sung La Valley, past the Hmong King Palace and Lung Cu, to Dong Van.
- Day 3: A morning walk around Dong Van, then Ma Pi Leng Pass and a boat trip on the Nho Que River, to Meo Vac.
- Day 4: Meo Vac through Mau Due to Du Gia.
- Day 5: Du Gia back to Ha Giang city.
All of these routes work as a private tour: our Ha Giang tours follow them by Easy Rider or by car. Riding yourself? Our free Ha Giang ebook has the self-drive routes.
Highlights along the Loop, in route order
The stops below follow the classic route in the order you reach them, so you can work through the list one by one. Not every stop deserves the same time, so each one comes with an honest verdict.
Ha Giang city
Ha Giang city is where the Loop starts and ends, and where you sort out your bike, guide and bags. It is a working provincial town with little to see, so most people sleep there for just one night. If you arrive early or have a spare afternoon, Thon Tha, a Tay village of stilt houses among rice fields, 10 to 20 minutes from the centre, is a nicer place to stay than the city itself.
Bac Sum Pass and Minh Tan stream
Bac Sum Pass is the first real climb of the Loop, with wide views over valleys and terraced fields. It is a good warm-up rather than a highlight. Nearby, the stream at Minh Tan is a popular place to cool off on a hot day, and many people stop there on the way back to the city.
Quan Ba Pass (Heaven’s Gate)
At Quan Ba Pass, also called Heaven’s Gate, the scenery turns serious. From the top you look down over the Quan Ba valley and its scattered limestone hills. A cafe at the top has toilets, which is useful this early in the day. It fills up later in the morning, but on a cold, misty morning a hot drink here is one of the best moments of day one.
Twin Mountains
Halfway down the pass, a viewpoint on the left with steps looks out over the Twin Mountains, two near-identical rounded hills in the valley, also called Fairy Bosom. It is a quick photo stop, and ten minutes is enough. Below lies Quan Ba town, a practical place for lunch if you get there around midday.
Nam Dam village
Nam Dam is a Red Dao village just off the main road, with traditional earthen houses and community homestays run by the villagers. It is worth an hour if you want to see a Dao village up close, or a night if you want a quiet, local stay. A small waterfall in the village is good for a quick cool-off on a hot day.
Lung Khuy Cave
Between Quan Ba and Yen Minh, a short detour climbs to Lung Khuy Cave. The road up is worth it on its own, and inside, a paved path leads through big chambers full of stalactites. It is not the most impressive cave in Vietnam, but it makes a good break from the road. Entrance is 50,000 VND.
There are two car parks. From the first, you face a long climb up the steps. From the upper one it is only a short walk, and local drivers know the way.
Lung Tam weaving village
Lung Tam is a Hmong village known for weaving cloth from hemp, often called linen, then dyeing it with indigo and decorating it by hand. At the cooperative you can watch the whole process, from the plant to the finished cloth, and buy directly from the women who made it. It is one of the few stops where your money goes straight to the makers, and the setting along the stream is lovely too.
Yen Minh pine forest
On the way to Yen Minh, a fork in the road gives you a choice: a shorter road through the mountains, or a longer one through the pine forest. Take the forest. The cool, shady road feels like nowhere else on the Loop. Yen Minh itself is a functional market town, but a handy first night on a 4 or 5-day trip.
Tham Ma Pass
Tham Ma Pass is the classic Ha Giang photo: a road folded into tight bends down the hillside. The viewpoint now has a cafe and gets busy, especially at weekends. Children in traditional clothes often pose with flowers for photos and ask for money. It is kinder not to pay, because the money keeps them out of school. The view is still worth the stop.
Chin Khoanh Pass
Right after Tham Ma, Chin Khoanh Pass, the “nine bends”, climbs towards Sung La. Few people know its name, but everyone rides it. There are not many places to pull over, so use the spot near the top, which has a small cafe and the best view.
Sung La Valley and Pao’s House
Sung La Valley is a wide valley of Hmong villages and stone-walled fields, at its prettiest when the flowers are out. In Lung Cam village stands Pao’s House, the earthen Hmong home used in the Vietnamese film The Story of Pao. Step inside to see a traditional Hmong home from the inside.
Pho Bang
Pho Bang, a short detour from the main road, was once a trading town on the Chinese border, with rows of old earthen houses. Many of those houses have gone in recent years, and the town no longer stands out among the villages of Ha Giang. Go if you enjoy leaving the main road for an hour, not for the old town itself.
Hmong King Palace
In Sa Phin, about 15 km before Dong Van, stands the Hmong King Palace. It was the home of the Vuong family, the Hmong “kings” who grew rich on opium and built a fortified house here in the early 1900s. It is small, but it is one of the few real historic sights on the Loop, built in a mix of Chinese, French and Hmong styles.
- Entrance: about 20,000 to 40,000 VND.
- Opening hours: roughly 7:30 AM to 5 PM.
- Time needed: 30 to 45 minutes is enough.
Sa Phin market
Next to the palace, Sa Phin has one of Ha Giang’s “backward” markets. It is held every six days, so the market day moves back one day each week. If your trip happens to fall on it, it is a lively local market, worth planning a morning around.
Dong Van Old Quarter
Dong Van is the main overnight stop of the Loop. Its old quarter is small, just a square and a few rows of old houses with tiled roofs, but in the evening it is the liveliest place on the plateau, with cafes, bars and simple restaurants. Walk up to the old French fort on the hill behind the town for a view over the rooftops and the mountains.
Dong Van Sunday market
On Sunday mornings, the Dong Van market draws people from the surrounding villages in their best clothes. They come to buy and sell everything from pigs and cattle to phones and fabric. Come early: it is busiest from first light until late morning.
Khe Lia Panorama
North of Dong Van, the road towards Lung Cu runs through some of the wildest scenery of the Loop: huge rocky mountains, tiny villages and corn growing between the stones. Khe Lia Panorama is the marked viewpoint on this stretch, with a car park and steps up to a view in every direction. The whole road is just as good, though, so stop wherever it looks right.
Ma Le village
Most people ride straight past Ma Le on the way to Lung Cu, which is exactly why it is worth a stop. A 15-minute walk between its old earthen houses gives you a quiet, unstaged look at village life, and there are one or two homestays if you want to stay. It is one of the quieter villages close to the main route.
Lung Cu Flag Tower
Lung Cu Flag Tower marks the northernmost point of Vietnam, with a huge flag on a hill right by the Chinese border. For Vietnamese visitors it is a symbolic place, while for most foreigners it is a box to tick. The view is fine but not among the best on the Loop, and a large new pagoda complex next to it does not fit the landscape. Entrance is about 50,000 VND. Go if standing at the top of the country appeals to you, and skip it if time is short.
Lo Lo Chai village
At the foot of the hill, Lo Lo Chai is home to the Lo Lo people, one of the smallest ethnic groups in Vietnam, known for their colourful clothing and earthen houses. It is a beautiful village, but it has become very popular with Vietnamese visitors, and homestays now fill much of it. At weekends it can be busy, with karaoke at night. Visit it by day, and sleep somewhere else if you want a quiet night.
Ma Pi Leng Pass
Back past Dong Van, the road turns east onto Ma Pi Leng Pass, the most famous of Ha Giang’s mountain passes and the moment most people came for. The road is cut into the side of a cliff, with the turquoise Nho Que River far below in a deep canyon. The main viewpoints get busy, but the pass is long, so the crowds thin out quickly. Take your time and stop at more than one viewpoint.
Ma Pi Leng skywalk
On the pass, near the Youth Volunteer Monument and the Ma Pi Leng cafe, a narrow path known as the skywalk climbs along the cliff above the main road. It is officially for walking only. It leads to the famous overhanging rock above the canyon, the most photographed spot on the pass. Since July 2026, the rock has been closed for repairs and safety work, until further notice. Ask locally whether the path and the rock have reopened, and never climb past a fence.
Nho Que River
The Nho Que River is the turquoise ribbon you see from the pass, and you can go down to it for a boat trip through Tu San canyon. The roads down are steep, narrow and potholed, so only ride them yourself if you are very confident. Otherwise go with an Easy Rider or by car.
- Where boats leave: Ta Lang wharf (easiest from Dong Van) and Xin Cai wharf (from Meo Vac).
- Price: about 120,000 to 130,000 VND per person, cash only.
- Duration: 60 to 90 minutes.
- Weather: heavy rain can cancel trips, and the water is greenest in the dry season.
Pa Vi village
Just before Meo Vac, Pa Vi is a Hmong village under limestone cliffs that has largely turned into a homestay area, with rows of new bungalows. The setting is beautiful and the stays are comfortable, but do not expect a quiet, traditional village.
Meo Vac and its Sunday market
Meo Vac is a small town in a bowl of mountains, a practical overnight stop at the end of Ma Pi Leng. Its Sunday market is the biggest on the Loop and, surprisingly, sees few tourists, because most riders sleep outside town.
There are no souvenirs, just people from the surrounding villages in their best clothes, a food hall, and a livestock section where cows, pigs and chickens change hands. If you can be in Meo Vac on a Sunday morning, go. Once a year, in late April or May, Khau Vai, south of town, holds its famous love market.
The road from Meo Vac to Mau Due
Ma Pi Leng gets the fame, but the road south from Meo Vac to Mau Due is just as good in every other way, with a fraction of the traffic. It passes Lung Phin, which has its own backward market and almost no tourists, and Sung Trai, a Hmong village with a Tuesday market and Aya Lodge. Side roads off this stretch lead into villages where you meet nobody but farmers. The M-shaped viewpoint, where the road below draws a giant M up the mountain, is the one stop everyone makes.
Mau Due rice fields
At Mau Due the landscape changes. After days of grey rock, the valleys turn green with terraced rice fields, and Tay stilt houses replace the earthen Hmong homes. It is one of the few places on the main Loop with real terraces.
Ruins of the French fort
From Mau Due, a long pass climbs over jagged limestone peaks to the ruins of an old French fort. Little of the fort is left, but the site is large, the views around it are excellent, and it is a good place to stretch your legs.
Lung Ho viewpoint
At Lung Ho, cone-shaped mountains stand in rows, one behind the other, above a green valley. A cafe at the viewpoint makes it an easy stop, and unlike the famous passes, you will probably have it almost to yourself.
Du Gia
Du Gia is not one village but a valley of several, with rice fields and Tay stilt houses: soft and green after the rocky north. Ten years ago it had a single homestay. Now it has many, from simple stilt houses to bungalows on the hills, and it is still a lovely place to spend a night. Its waterfall is one of the best swimming spots on the Loop, but in summer it gets busy with tour groups, so go early in the morning.
Where to sleep on the Ha Giang Loop
Most people sleep in Dong Van and Meo Vac, with Yen Minh, Du Gia and Ha Giang city as the other usual stops, and each has places to stay for every budget. Where you sleep shapes the Loop more than most people expect: after a long day on the road, a cold room with a thin mattress feels very different from a warm room with a view.
- Homestays are the classic choice: simple rooms or shared lofts in a local house, often with a family dinner. Expect about 100,000 VND for a dorm bed and 300,000 to 400,000 VND for a private room. The catch is thin walls, often shared bathrooms, and no heating, and some homestays on the backpacker-tour circuit turn into loud parties at night.
- Hotels and guesthouses in the towns are more comfortable, and many have heating or air conditioning. Most sit on a busy main street, though, with little atmosphere.
- Lodges combine the two. Aya Lodge in Sung Trai, a Hmong village on the quiet road between Meo Vac and Mau Due, has mountain views from nearly every room, heating, a restaurant with a fireplace, and Hmong staff from the surrounding villages. You can also join treks and workshops from there.
A good mix is one night in a family homestay for the experience and at least one comfortable night, especially in winter. Outside the Vietnamese holidays you can usually book a day or two ahead.
Before you go: the practical basics
Getting to Ha Giang
Ha Giang city has no airport or train station, so you arrive by road, almost always from Hanoi, about 300 km away. The first part now runs on an expressway, but the last 100 km or so is a winding two-lane road, so the trip takes six to eight hours. An expressway all the way to Ha Giang is under construction.
- Sleeper bus (night): leaves Hanoi around 9 to 10:30 PM and arrives around 4:30 to 6 AM. A standard bed costs 250,000 to 350,000 VND, a VIP cabin 380,000 to 480,000 VND. You save a day, but not everyone sleeps well. Some companies let you stay on the bus until it is light; otherwise, book a room for the early hours.
- Limousine van (day): comfortable seats and departures through the day, for 350,000 to 450,000 VND, in about 6.5 to 7 hours including hotel pickups.
- Private car: about 3.8 to 5.5 million VND per car, in 5.5 to 6.5 hours. This is the most comfortable and flexible option.
- On a tour, the transfer from Hanoi is usually included.
From Sapa there are direct buses. From Hanoi’s airport, Ninh Binh, Halong Bay, Cat Ba and Mai Chau, most connections run through Hanoi, even when a ticket is sold as “direct”. From central Vietnam, such as Hoi An, fly to Hanoi first.
Best time to go
The best time to do the Loop is October and November: dry, clear and mild, with buckwheat flowers from late October. March and April come close behind. Winter is cold, and the rainy season brings daily showers and the risk of landslides, but both work with some planning. Vietnamese holidays, above all Tet, fill the roads and the homestays.
Safety
The Loop is not dangerous in itself, but the safety risks are real: steep descents, blind bends, trucks and buses, and rain or fog that makes the surface slippery. Most serious accidents involve inexperienced riders on rented bikes, often going too fast, or on automatic scooters on steep descents. In April 2026, after a young British tourist died in an accident on the Loop, the authorities tightened the rules for tour companies. Only licensed companies may sell tours, and they must provide safety gear and a safety briefing.
- Ride within your limits, or go with an Easy Rider or by car.
- Avoid riding after dark, and wait out heavy rain or thick fog.
- Wear a proper helmet that covers your ears, not a thin half-shell.
- Get travel insurance that covers motorbike travel, also as a passenger.
Money, phone and packing
- Cash: almost everything on the Loop is paid in cash. Ha Giang city has plenty of ATMs, and Dong Van and Meo Vac have a few, but they are not always working, so withdraw enough in the city.
- Phone: Viettel has by far the best coverage in the mountains. Buy a Viettel SIM, or an eSIM that runs on Viettel, and download offline maps before you leave.
- Packing: bring layers, rain gear and closed shoes, and pack light: on a motorbike, everything has to fit in one small bag.
Food
Food on the Loop is simple and local. Breakfast and dinner are usually at your homestay: noodle soup or banh mi in the morning, and a shared family meal in the evening. At dinner you will almost certainly be offered corn wine, known as “happy water”. If you don’t drink, accept the glass with both hands and just sip, because a flat refusal can seem rude.
Lunch is at small roadside restaurants, and some stretches have none for a long way, so ask where to stop before you set off. Western food is rare outside Dong Van, which also has the only real nightlife on the plateau. Vegetarians can manage, but tell your homestay in advance. Local dishes to try include men men, made from steamed corn flour, and thang co, a strong-tasting stew traditionally made with horse meat, which is not for everyone.
What the Loop costs
- Bus from Hanoi: 250,000 to 480,000 VND one way.
- Motorbike rental: 180,000 to 300,000 VND a day for a semi-automatic, and 350,000 to 550,000 VND for a bigger manual bike.
- Easy Rider: roughly 45 to 80 USD a day for the driver and bike. Large group tours cost less, and private tours more.
- Homestays: from about 100,000 VND for a dorm bed to 300,000 to 400,000 VND for a private room. Hotels and lodges cost more.
- Entrance fees: 20,000 to 50,000 VND for most sights, and about 120,000 to 130,000 VND for the Nho Que boat trip.
Tours usually include transport from Hanoi, accommodation, meals and entrance fees. Prices for our Ha Giang Loop tours depend on the group size and the type of tour.
Going further
- Hoang Su Phi: west of the main Loop, with Ha Giang’s biggest rice terraces, golden from mid-September to mid-October, and far fewer visitors. Give it one to three extra days, and travel there from Hanoi or with a Hoang Su Phi tour.
- Cao Bang and Ban Gioc Waterfall: instead of closing the loop, continue east from Meo Vac through remote country to Cao Bang, ending at Ban Gioc Waterfall on the Chinese border. Few travellers know this road exists. Our combination tours add Ba Be Lake as well.
- Sapa: if you are choosing between Ha Giang and Sapa, the honest answer is often both. The Sapa and Ha Giang tour links them in six days.
- Trekking: half-day walks to multi-day treks take you into villages no road reaches. Aya Lodge runs treks and workshops in Hmong and Dao family homes, straight from the lodge.
