Riding the Ha Giang Loop

With a two month period to fill and so many places in SE Asia to see, this trip began with far more planning than usual - there was even a spreadsheet - as we hoped to see as much as possible in an area crammed with must-see sights. Yet, almost immediately, those plans were thrown out of the window and our trip was done almost entirely spontaneously upon arriving in Thailand.

The tragic floods in Chiang Rai meant that our first stop after the Thai capital was an impossibility; our back-up plan of heading into Laos was foiled by more flooding caused by the same storm. With the North effectively out of reach we made a swift u-turn and reversed our trip entirely, passing through Cambodia and then slowly North through Vietnam, allowing the worst hit areas time to recover. Each bus and each hostel was booked just a night or two before as we allowed ourselves to feel our way through the journey. We stayed longer in the places that felt right, moving on quickly from those that didn’t.

Thanks to this we probably saw much more of what we liked than if we had been able to stick to our original schedule. Hoi An turned out to be a beautiful, tranquil haven which we stayed twice as long as expected without really doing too much, just absorbing the restful vibes of the ancient city.

The Ha Giang Loop had never even featured in our original plans. At this time of year it was supposed to be too wet and at risk of treacherous weather - indeed, the area had been hit hard by the same typhoon as Chiang Rai and much of the area. Yet as we got closer and closer to Hanoi we encountered many travellers heading in the opposite direction. They told us of their experiences doing the Loop and it became a more and more tempting proposition.

With plenty of spare time before our flight out of Vietnam we took the chance and headed to Ha Giang, via the also stunning Sapa. The city of Ha Giang itself is mostly used as the start and end point for the motorbike tours and seemingly has little beyond restaurants, cafes and hundreds of hostels and tour agencies.

We spent the night in a hostel (the first time ever we have stayed in a hostel with dorms full of double beds for couples) and our tour began the next morning after breakfast. After being informed of a route we would almost certainly never remember, we were then assigned our drivers for the next three days.

{Note: We booked our tour through TripBestie and it was organised by Hong Hao Hostel. Both were fantastic and can fully recommend.}

There are two options when doing the Loop. One is to go it alone on a rented bike, with or without a licence - and risk a fine from the police. Or, two, the Easy Rider option, where a local expert handles the navigating and driving whilst you perch on the back of the bike and simply enjoy the scenery. I have absolutely no regrets about taking the second option; the roads at times would have been almost impossible for a beginner like me to navigate and, more importantly, concentrating on the road whilst driving would have meant not being able to fully appreciate the stunning surroundings through which we traversed.

In my travels I have seen many wonderful, indescribable views, from awe inspiring mountains to breathtaking waterfalls. Indeed, earlier on this trip alone we visited some of the biggest caves in the world in Phong Nha and the breathtaking ruins of Angkor Wat. Yet, over a three day period, almost nothing (bar maybe some treks in Patagonia) has come close to being so consistently mesmerising.

This was not a collection of viewpoints between which we had to drive, quite literally the whole 350km of the journey was backdropped by stunning nature on all sides. As we climbed mountains and dropped into valleys, the landscape remained transfixing; if I had chosen to drive myself, no doubt I would have crashed within five minutes, unable to keep my eyes on the sometimes perilous roads.

Nor, were the views simply different renditions of the same beauty, but could seemingly change in an instant. The vast open spaces of a valley could appear around a corner with the road having previously been surrounded by jungle-like vegetation on each side. At one point, whilst admiring yet another stunning view over a valley on our right, we turned a corner and facing us was a waterfall so powerful and so close to the road you could shower in the spray.

The experience was made so much better by our expert drivers and guides too. Beyond experienced, they knew the exact gaps to leave between stops to both remain comfortable on the bike and see the very best of the endless viewpoints available.

The evenings, spent in small villages along the route, allowed us to bond further with these guys. Local food was hungrily eaten and, more importantly, the happy water (local rice wine) was consumed in abundance. Karaoke is a hugely popular part of Vietnamese culture and was therefore a staple of each night on the road too. Our lead guide, Tuan, in particular deserves a shout-out. Not only an expert navigator, he drank with us until 1 am - trying Jagermeister for the first time - and was fresh to go again the next morning.

Our 8 strong team of backpackers, from six countries and three continents, and our eight local drivers bonded instantly and this made the experience all the more enjoyable. All in, it was one of the greatest experiences of my many adventures; not bad for something planned just a couple of days beforehand!

Written by: Tom Taylor (@tomtayloor)

Posted: 04/11/2024