The Ha Giang Loop: What to expect

The Ha Giang loop is the most famous motorbike loop in the world. It is a 3-4 day route around the breathtaking Ha Giang mountains in northern Vietnam. The route is well known amongst travellers and is an absolute must on anyone’s list who is travelling in this region of Vietnam. Whether you prefer remote travel with nature landscapes and local cultures, or you’re on your gap year looking for a party holiday with lots of fun, there’s something for everyone on this trip.

There are different tour groups which plan the tour out for you, ranging in size and activities. If you’re wanting to go with a tour, make sure you do lots of research. There are a few famous tour companies and they all cater to things such as age, interests and abilities. For instance, some tours are better for solo travellers, whereas some are better for couples.

Some people decide to go alone. You are still able to privately hire easyriders to drive you or you can drive yourself.

Unless you have a specific license, do not self-drive, as there are police points throughout the loop that check your license. Personally we only saw them once and they did not check us as we all had drivers. However we heard lots of stories about people getting found out and fined etc. It’s not worth the risk as I personally think the experience is best when you don’t have to drive and can simply sit back and admire the views.

If you have read my previous posts about my South East Asia trip, then you’ll know that: at this point that I was joined by my friends from home.

We decided it would be easier to book our trip through the hostel we were staying at in Hanoi. It just so happens to be a very famous chain party hostel. As you can imagine, this came with it’s pro’s and con’s but we thought it made more sense as we were able to speak to them directly to arrange transport from the loop to our next destination (Sapa.) In hindsight, you are able to arrange this with most tour groups, so it didn’t particularly make a difference.

The tour we did was worth every second. Due to the nature of the hostel, it was very party focussed and we often felt like the grumpy old people in the corner. These darn kids and their adventurousness (proceeds to go on a 3 day motorbike tour.) Do I wish regret going with them? No. Would I go with a different tour group next time? Probably.

Time to set off

Our group was split up between coaches all setting off from the same hostel. Our coach consisted of 3 young British lads, acting very similar to how you expect British guys in South East Asia to act. There was also a very interesting man from New Zealand sat in the front. I don’t mean interesting in a good way.

He sat with his flask of god knows what, trying to film the driver who did not want to be filmed and trying to talk to people who absolutely did not want to talk to him. He also insisted, despite his alleged years of ‘travel experience’ in making comments that were racist, uncomfortable and just generally unnecessary. On top of that, and I say this as someone who is the last person to judge, dude was just straight up bonkers.

He would be with us for the next 3 days.

The lads were nice enough, but I do think we were all tired and wanted to rest on the way there. Not to mention, I was scared to lift my head out of fear that this man would try and converse with me. So I fell asleep on the coach until we had a single stop for lunch.

I’ll never forget opening the concrete doors to the bathroom and a cat running out past me. Then, once I’d used the toilet, the cat began following me from a distance. I think I had a stalker. I felt it’s eyes on me whilst I was ordering my food, eating the food and running away because I thought it would try and attack me.

Great, everyone’s first impression of me is me getting scared of a small cat owned by the shop owner. I swear, it was looking at me really strangely.

After another 4 hours on the coach, in pitch black, we turn into a rocky path in a jungle-like area. Everyone one the bus became genuinely terrified. The headlights showed flashes of the steep cliff drop beside us as the bus jerked left and right. We were being thrown side to side as we saw in front of us the steepest hill I had ever seen a vehicle drive down. When I tell you, it was more like being on a rollercoaster than in a car. Some people were screaming, actually convinced that we were about to die.

Then, in a very cartoon like fashion, the bus screeched to a halt and we all got off to the calmest and most serene homestay. There was a large treehouse-like wooden building with a straw hut roof. This was our reception/eating and drinking area. The outside was even cuter with its garden square covered in vines, lanterns and fairy lights. There were Rabbits, Chickens and Frogs wondering about as we all took a seat inside.

A photo taken of a chicken at our very cute homestay

When I first saw a winged creature, some mixture between a moth and a dragon fly, I thought it was pretty. Until I realised they were everywhere. Swarms of them. Everywhere. The bedroom, reception, the outdoor bathroom.

That was the scariest bathroom. Every 5 seconds looking around for a spider or a lizard or swarms of the massive winged creature. When I first went, I saw this little face pop it’s head above the wall, with small beady eyes and long tongue. Oh my gosh, I’m trapped in this bathroom with a snake and if I want to leave, I have to pass it. Turns out it was a lizard. Not as scary but still not ideal.

It turned out the moth/dragonfly/demon thing was a creature that only came out in rainy season, when it was due to rain. Then it dies when the air isn’t moist. Personally, I don’t even understand how that works. So it’s just dead until rainy season? It all feels a bit too chicken/egg for me.

They actually ‘attacked’ (in the same way a moth attacks you when you’re watching your phone in a dark room) me whilst I was eating my noodles and I screamed, stood up and threw my noodles across the table.

Great, everyone’s second impression of me is me is me getting scared of a big fly.

The bedroom was simply a large wooden room with 10 mattresses on the floor. Luckily, all the beds had a mosquito net above them. I don’t think I would’ve felt comfortable to sleep without it, knowing that there’d be all sorts of creature roaming about around me. If anything, the fact that the mattress was on the floor helped because I felt like there was nothing hiding under the bed and the mosquito net stopped anything from coming in elsewhere. It also looks a lot like the net around Fiona’s bedframe in Shrek so I could lie on my back and pretend I was waiting for a handsome prince. Not the man from New Zealand.

Day 1

The next morning, we wake up in our hut and start to feel the excitement bubbling in the air. As I go outside to brush my teeth in the outdoor sink, I notice the vast greenery that we were surrounded by. The feeling in the air was magnetic, the morning sun was blasting and the birds were singing.

After breakfast, we all gathered together to get matched up with our driver like we were on some sort of dating show. I met my driver and he gave me my helmet and put all of my belongings in a big plastic bag which he strapped to the back of the bike.

Clipping on the helmet, I started to feel the terror of the next few days. I had only been on a bike twice before this. One of the times was in Hanoi the day before as a “practice” and I was gripping the back for the entire 5 minute journey. So now I have to be on a bike for the majority of 4 days.

On top of that, I found out that, other than the tour guide, me and my guy were at the front of the group.

And we were about to go up that rollercoaster that we had gone down the day before.

My driver was a nice man. He spoke little to no English which was fine. We communicated with smiles. He was kind and helped me with my helmet and tried his best to calm down my nerves.

We bounced up the 90 degree hill with me close to screaming and proceeded to bounce around the winding cliffs with me holding onto dear life.

I felt slightly calmer once we had smoothed out onto the road and the two wheels were completely on the ground. I still had this awful fear knowing that we were about to set off on bending mountain roads.

We drove for about 30 minutes twisting around rock edges and wide green spaces. I remember thinking, as ungrateful as this sounds, “is this it?” I’d heard of life changing moments and breathtaking views. So far had been… ok. My bum was also starting to kill.

That was the moment we drive around the corner to our first viewpoint. It was the type of beauty that takes the whole air out of your body.

Our first viewpoint of the trip

It was a green river running through towering mountains covered in lush greenery. We stopped on the side of the road and all crammed into the decking of a local cafe. The lads got a beer and announced their plan to drink a beer per stop. Then they joined in the drivers game. The riders would stand in a circle and kick around a shuttlecock. I did try it once but I wasn’t very good. It was fun to watch either way.

All while this was happening I was having my “slow romantic music whilst staring into a body of water” moment looking out at our first viewpoint of the trip. 360 views of mountains that seemed to go on forever.

There was a group of four girls and a pair of two girls who had come along with a couple of the boys but were ultimately travelling together. We had a chance to get to know them a little bit at this stop and found out that there were a couple of people in the same situation as me, having never really been on a bike before.

Then we got back on our bikes and began driving again. Throughout the day I was still in pain from gripping the bike so hard. Every view and hidden gem and little detail in the surrounding areas was worth it. My body was tense with fear but my mind felt the most relaxed it had in a while.

Some people might not find sitting on the back of a bike challenging. For me, I’d spent a day scared and out of my comfort zone. If I’m really practicing self love and kindness I’d give myself a pat on the back, say well done Elisha that’s a great accomplishment and move on.

Alongside the type of people who enjoy travelling and adventure, it becomes extremely obvious that I’m a bit of a scaredy-cat. I started to realise, though, that it doesn’t matter. I’m here and get to experience it all which is much braver.

There was a stop on the way where we had to walk up to a waterfall and back down. Simple right? I was wearing. Flip flops.

I didn’t own any other shoes. Great idea Elisha.

The waterfall was beautiful but I wasn’t a fan of being on the rocky edged area in my flip flops knowing I had to climb back down.

Throughout the day there was a lot more of these moments, like rock edges I was too scared to go anywhere near for a photo, struggling to walk anywhere in my flip flops and of course running away from scary animals such as flies, cats or bunny rabbits.

A rock that I was too scared to go on for a photo

There were stops probably every 30 minutes to take in beautiful views and rest our bums. Halfway through there was a stop for lunch where we shared a spread of different Vietnamese foods with the rest of our table.

Our first meal on the loop

At about 3pm we arrive at our first homestay of the trip. I managed to take the double bed in a private corner. Everyone else was in a large dorm with probably a millimetre of space between each bed. It did have a beautiful patio area with panoramic views of the mountains.

We had about 20 minutes to put our stuff down before they called us to get straight back on the bikes again. I wasn’t sure what it was for and I thought I was done with the fear and numb bum for the day.

So, we all get back on the bikes and drive to a large waterfall with a lake at the bottom. There were lots of people swimming in the lake, sat on the rocks up around it or waiting by the bar. There was also a line of people waiting to jump off the top of the waterfall. Absolutely not.

The vibe was fantastic, there was music blasting and everyone was partying and having a good time. I jumped in at a smaller area, with my flip flops on for some reason. I must’ve jumped in at a certain angle and I ended up not only banging my foot on a rock but also breaking my flip flops. They were completely unfixable.

At first, I just swam for a bit and tried to just enjoy the water and shake it off. Then it started to hurt. Then it started to really hurt until I noticed it had already bruised and swollen to about double. I couldn’t climb up to where I’d come down from so I had to scale around the rock to get to the stairs.

I hobbled up the stairs and ordered a beer (priorities right) and tried to fix my shoe. When it got to the time that everyone had to go, I began waddling back to where our bikes were. It took me triple the time because I had no shoes and had to basically hop there.

I get on the bike, with no shoes, holding my beer and wondering what happened in my life to come to this.

We get back to the accommodation and luckily the owner of the guesthouse lends me her shoes for the day. She says that I’ll have to go into the market tomorrow to get some new shoes.

After a crazy first day, we sit for dinner and our riders join us and pour us rice wine. We each stand up and chant

Một, Hai, Ba, Dzô! (1,2,3, Cheers!)

Hai, Ba, Dzô! (2,3, Cheers!)

Hai, ba, uống! (2,3, DRINK)

And then of course, we all cheers and take our shot.

I had seen this chant used a lot in Northern Vietnam and found it fun and interactive. During the loop, we seemed to be doing this every two minutes.

By this time, I was extremely exhausted and thought I might be too old for the party tonight. So I went up to sleep but eventually heard karaoke going on and felt like I had to join. Whilst I was lying in bed pretending to sleep, I’d heard everyone do some fun activities. Particularly, I was upset to miss a fun dance activity using bamboo sticks. I don’t think I could’ve done it with my foot anyway (luckily, I ended up giving it a go in Sapa.)

After karaoke, we all went down to a bar with the riders. So much for too old to party. Even with a swollen foot and no shoes.

Day 2

Ok. It’s time to go get some shoes.

Me and my friend go into the local town, which was simply a road. The market was on both sides of the road whilst traffic piled up. There were unmoving trucks and bikes with the most absurd things tied to the back. Specifically, animals.

There were chickens, pigs, sheep etc. Some were strapped to the back of people’s motorbikes. Some were sat in carts/wheelbarrows and there were people were holding them on leads to be traded.

The way to describe it was: chaotic. Packed with people and cars and animals. When we found our stall, it was simply a pile of shoes. We had to rifle through them to find what size/shoe I wanted.

I picked up a pair of sliders (the only ones in my size) and went back to the homestay.

As crazy as the market was, I’m really glad I got to see something not a lot of people usually see on the loop. The everyday lives of people that live in the mountains.

Throughout the trip, we got to see that a lot more of this, local livelihoods. This time felt different.

Throughout the loop, there’s lots of the same tours that go to the same villages and stay at the same homestays. It’s not necessarily inauthentic but there does begin to feel a bit of a “tourist mask.”

I didn’t feel that many tourists ended up coming to this market. It was great to check out just me and my friend.

We get back to the homestay and all the bikes are already lined up ready for us to set off. This morning I’m less nervous and more excited. Ready for the day.

That’s until they give us the rain gear.

Me ‘Ready for the day’ with my new shoes

The first 30 minutes of the day is rainy and foggy. The usual views of rolling mountains and rice fields were swapped with pure, white mist. It gave the drive an eerie and mysterious atmosphere in a fun way. We visited historic castle grounds where stone remains were surrounded by ethereal fog.

After a while, there fog started to clear and we saw views even more breathtaking than the day before. The shapes of the mountains more varying and towering than I had ever seen.

There were children walking along steep cliff sides, working in the rice fields like it was nothing. Toddlers walked down the road holding boxes twice their sizes. Small towns in the midst of mountains with shops and cafes.

Our rain gear was making us jolt about on the back of the bikes, meaning we were hanging on more than we usually would. It made me realise how used to being on a bike I had become.

In a single day, just from getting used to the dynamics of it, I had gone from feeling like I could fall off any minute, to feeling more stable than I would just sitting on a chair. It was honestly like I could stay on it even if it was thrashing about like one of them mechanical bulls. I now knew what I could and couldn’t do, how to sit on it etc.

Me looking cool on my bike

I didn’t have to do anything, except be on it. Isn’t that weird. That sometimes the best experiences can start by feeling scared and uncomfortable. How your life can be levelled up enormously just by facing a fear.

What I wasn’t ready to face, however, was a viewpoint on a steep cliff edge following a 10 minute walk scaling a narrow path around the mountain. No thank you, not for me. Plus, my foot was still swollen and sore.

So I sat out of the walk and had a drink by myself. It was so comforting to be surrounded by mountains whilst having my morning coffee and it was lovely to be alone for 5 minutes.

Until the lads came back ready to start having their beers for the day and the guy from New Zealand was shouting about something I’d rather not repeat.

The homestay this particular evening was larger and shared with more tour groups than the night before. We all had our own tables and tried to beat them by being louder with our chanting. Eventually, we all had our own little party with karaoke and dancing the night away.

It turned out, it was the last night with the rest of our tour group as we had decided to do a 4 day, 3 night tour and everyone else was only doing a 3 day, 2 night tour. So we made sure to make the most of our last night with our group.

Day 3

The next day, we wake up to our final moments of the guy from New Zealand being problematic and say goodbye to our fellow tour mates. The next 2 days, it’s just me and my 2 buddies against the world.

One of our first stops is a tree. Particularly, a banyan tree. These types of trees have a rich cultural significance in Vietnam and are often worshipped for lots of spiritual and folkloric reasons.

Banyan tree

It was beautiful to look at and I would definitely recommend looking into the history and folklore behind this special type of tree in Vietnam.

The next stop was completely different to the previous ones. There was a section of mountains that had no greenery and looked like a new world. For me, it felt like I was on the moon.

Walking up, we saw rock pools filled with frogs and tadpoles. We got stopped by a group of people because they wanted photos with us. It’s a hard life being famous (a tourist in Vietnam.)

We go to the Chinese border which was interesting. I remember thinking “why don’t I just go to the border crossing and pop to China? I have the visa.”

Then, we finally saw the most famous viewpoint of the trip. The one seen in wallpapers on your computer with the s-shaped road swerving between mountain passes.

This is where children work in the day to braid your hair. Our guide confirmed that their parents take them out of school to work. Though it may seem cute or like you’re doing a good thing, I wouldn’t suggest giving money as it encourages this to happen.

For sunset, we went up to a tower where we could see 360 views for miles and miles as the sky saturated into oranges and yellows.

The tower that we walked up to see the sunset

We spent our last night playing uno and laughing with each other. The homestay was pretty much empty besides us and the owners. At night they were all playing Wii games and chatting around the table. It was lovely to watch.

Day 4 (last day)

The last day was the most chilled. We had a lie in, in the morning then spent the day perusing the following mountain paths. They took us to a shop to see the process of fabric being made, which was extremely interesting. We also stopped in a local town and saw villagers preparing for a wedding. I remember seeing the same outfits that we had seen in the women’s museum in Hanoi.

After a few bittersweet hours saying goodbye to the mountains, we arrived back at the original homestay. We picked up our stuff, tipped our drivers and were immediately ushered into a coach to Sapa. That was it. Loop over.

For anyone looking to do the loop, it’s something I would highly recommend. I, myself, want to go back and do it all over again. I believe travelling, or just life in general, is simply just a collection of lessons that you learn about yourself. Something like this, where you go out of your comfort zone and see some of the most epic sights, can be worth a thousand lessons. I hope you decide to do this trip yourself if you’re ever in the area.

-Elisha xoxo