Ha Giang Loop Tour

Start tour: Ha Giang City or Hanoi

End tour: Ha Giang City or Hanoi

Duration: 3 – 4 days

Starts: Daily

This is a private tour. We do have a join-in tour available, with a slightly different itinerary. If you are interested, ask us for more information.

Highlights

• Driving the Ha Giang loop is the best experience you can do in Vietnam
• Choose either on the back of a motorbike (adventurous option) or by jeep (comfortable option) – both private tours
• Explore the most remote villages and markets and learn more about the unique minorities living in the mountains.
• Behold the most impressive views of mountains and passes in Southeast Asia; lots of stunning photo opportunities
• Local experience staying in a homestay and eating in local restaurants
• Local English-speaking guides that can stop whenever you want

Option 1 Homestay package + 1 day  [Most recommended]

Depart from Hanoi early in the morning the day before you plan to start the Ha Giang loop (Day 0). Transfer from your hotel in Hanoi to Ha Giang by luxury limousine minibus.

Arrive in Ha Giang in the afternoon. Stay in a local authentic minority village just outside town. You’ll have the afternoon to explore the beautiful village, including the rice fields. The town is inhabited by the Thai minority, who live in houses on stilts. You will spend the night in a homestay in this village. You will be picked up to start the Ha Giang loop tour the next day.

Cay Homestay

• A unique experience to stay in a beautiful local village of ethnic minorities
• Stunning area with rice fields
• Private bungalow-style room for the comfort option
• Clean and spacious dorm room for the standard option

Option 2 VIP Limousine Sleeper Bus

Bus travel can be tiring. For a few dollars more you have a luxury VIP bus, with seats that are almost twice as large as the normal sleeper bus.

Option 3 Private transfer

We can arrange a private car from Hanoi or other destinations in Vietnam to Ha Giang

From Sapa

If you are planning to visit Sapa too, it is recommended to get our tour Sapa + Ha Giang Loop – which includes direct transfers between Sapa and Ha Giang City.

Arrange your transfer to Ha Giang

If you are traveling to Ha Giang from another city, you can arrange this yourself or contact us in advance.

Day 1: Ha Giang Loop tour

Quan Ba ​​pass – Yen Minh – Tham Ma Pass – Vuong Palace– Dong Van

•  Homestay or hotel
•  Lunch, Dinner

Morning

On this first day, we drive just over 150 kilometers to the town of Dong Van. There are several stops along the way and you will hike for about 1 hour.

The first stop is Heaven’s Gate at 1500 meters high with beautiful views over the mountains. A little bit lower down the pass there is another stop at a viewpoint with a view of the famous Twin Mountains.

 

Afternoon, After these stops, you will have lunch at a local restaurant in the village at the bottom of the pass.

When you are done eating your Ha Giang Loop tour continues with more and more high mountains on the way and small villages of ethnic minorities.

One of the places where you want to stop during this part of the loop is the photogenic Tham Ma Pass.

Views are only getting better and better. Enjoy your drive through the stunning Sung La valley, where you can also find an ancient village.

After passing this village you climb the Chin Khoanh pass.

Before you arrive at Dong Van there is at least one more stop and that is at the Hmong King Palace (Vuong Palace). This palace was built for the king of the Hmong minority.

 

Depending on the number of stops you will be at Dong Van at around 17:00 (5 PM). 

Check in to your homestay or hotel. After dinner, you could visit this town’s small but beautiful-looking Old Quarter.

Accommodation

Ngai Lung Homestay(Standard option)

• Nice local homestay surrounded by the beautiful mountains of Ha Giang
• It has a good atmosphere, often full of other travelers
• Both private rooms with ensuite and dorm rooms are available
• Stay overnight with a local family

Hoa Cuong Dong Vac Hotel(Comfort option)

• This hotel is located right in the center of Dong Van. You can easily walk to Dong Van Old Quarter and the big Sunday market. Lots of restaurants nearby.
• The hotel is for Ha Giang standards, with clean rooms, private bathrooms, air conditioning, and all the basics you need for a short overnight stay

Add optional day(s): Dong Van Trekking

Full day, Optionally you can add an extra day in Dong Van to do trekking. Multiple day trekkings are possible too.

We explore the mountains, countryside, and small local villages of ethnic minorities and go off the beaten track where other travelers don’t come. 

Day 2: Ha Giang Loop tour

Dong Van – Chinese border – flag tower – Ma Pi Leng pass – Meo Vac

• Homestay or hotel
• Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Morning

Your Ha Giang Loop tour by motorbike or car continues on day two, where you will explore the most impressive mountain areas.

If this day falls on a Sunday, you are very lucky, because then you can first visit the large minority market in Dong Van.

You will depart after breakfast and drive through the Dong Van Plateau, a protected UNESCO Geopark. The views you will have from this road are breathtaking.

Eventually, you arrive in Lung Cu where a huge flagpole stands on top of a mountain. This place is the northernmost tip of Vietnam. At the top you can see the mountains of Vietnam on one side and the mountains of China on the other.

Afternoon, After lunch comes the absolute highlight of the Ha Giang Loop tour for many travelers: the Ma Pi Leng Pass. The absolute king of all mountain passes in Vietnam, with cliffs and epic views.

Take your time to take pictures and enjoy the view everywhere.

Then you will continue to the town of Meo Vac, where you will arrive around 5:00 PM (5 PM) and stay overnight.

Accommodation

Little Yen(Standard Option)

• Little Yen homestay is located right after the Ma Pi Leng Pass in a cute village built in a traditional minority style
• The rooms are modern but completely in traditional styles

Hoa Cuong Meo Vac (Comfort Option)

Located right in the center of Meo Vac town

This hotel is the perfect place to visit the largest minority market in Ha Giang (only on Sunday): Meo Vac Sunday Market

The rooms are clean, with private bathrooms, AC, and all the basics you need for a short overnight stay

Day 3: Ha Giang Loop tour

Meo Vac – Long phin – Mau Due Du Gia – Ha Giang

• Breakfast, Lunch

Morning

Also in Meo Vac, there is a market on Sunday. It is even the biggest ethnic minority market in Ha Giang, so you are in for a threat if you happen to be in Meo Vac on Sunday.

In your last day of the Ha Giang Loop tour, we have to head back to our starting point Ha Giang City to complete the loop. But not before you enjoy many more beautiful views and drive through many minority villages on this day.

Afternoon, Lunch is halfway in a village.

From now on the landscape changes a bit. You will start to see more and more rice fields, including terraced rice fields.

At 16:00, we will be back in Ha Giang. A limousine bus will take you back to Hanoi. Arrive in Hanoi around 22:00.

Booking information

Tour options

1) Transfers Hanoi – Ha Giang (and back)

• Limousine day bus + Thon Tha village
• VIP sleeper bus
• Normal sleeper bus
• Private transfer

2) Transportation options

• Ha Giang Loop tour by motorbike – The most recommended option
• Ha Giang Loop tour by car/jeep – The most comfortable option
• Ha Giang Loop motorbike tour self-driving – Only available with a motorbike license and IDP

3) Accommodation option

• Standard: More local experience with staying in homestays and more chance to meet other travelers. Rooms are often more basic.
• Comfort: Stay overnight in more comfortable accommodation, like a hotel, lodge or bungalow.

4) Optional activities

• Trekking in Ha Giang: 1 day or multiple-day tours available