The Ha Giang Loop

An unforgettable tour through the Vietnamese mountains

If you’ve been reading my posts, you know that I took an unexpected motorbike tour with a random guide through central Vietnam. This trip was a little different. Mainly in the sense that it was planned and booked through a licensed, reputable company. 

The Ha Giang loop refers to a route through the mountains of northwestern Vietnam. Made up of dozens of switchbacks, narrow roads with thousand foot drops off to the side, and roads that have yet to be completed, this trail is commonly referred to as one of the most dangerous ways to travel in the country. Naturally, all of this really intrigued me and I knew I had to drive a motorbike on these roads. 

The main difference between these motorbikes and any other motorbike I’ve driven was that they were semi-automatic, and had much larger engines. I had never heard of semi-automatic bikes before, but essentially they are manual bikes that don’t have a clutch. So not only was I driving on extremely dangerous roads, but I was also learning how to shift gears and use the foot brake. 

The first day we started in Ha Giang City. I was taken to a hostel where I met up with the rest of my group. In total, there were seven of us going on the tour, and everyone except me hired a driver to drive for them. I don’t have an international license, so the guide explained to me that if we run into cops, I will have to pay them hush money - usually around $110 per run in. This obviously calmed my nerves and made me feel very secure in my decision to drive myself. We drove around 150km, which took around 5 hours and stopped at various viewpoints and waterfalls along the way.

Eventually, we made it to the homestay we would be staying at in Du Gia village. Homestays are a really interesting concept and something I can’t imagine existing in the US. They are essentially large open rooms that have mats on the floor that are separated by curtains to create faux rooms. The family that owns the homestay also lives there and thus they are effectively sharing their home with you. 

After taking a short nap, we went to the river across the street and played there for over an hour. There were local children also playing there and one kid who really impressed me. He was jumping from rock to rock (mind you, these are extremely sharp, volcanic like rocks) like an actual monkey. He did not hesitate at all and made 5 foot gaps look effortless. They were all jumping off the rocks into the strong current and swimming to the other side so that they didn’t get swept away into the rapids. I got up there and showed them a front flip and they were all super impressed and immediately started trying to imitate what I was doing. We didn’t speak each other's language, but it was easy to understand each other and feel connected through our enjoyment of the river. 

The highlight of every night on this three day journey was dinner. The food was served family style and it was absolutely delicious. Also, we were force fed ‘happy water’ (pretty much just rice wine) by the tour guides. We shared stories and learned about each other's cultures. It was one of my favorite parts of the trip for sure. After we finished eating and had consumed enough happy water, the karaoke machines were brought out and we got to singing. Karaoke is extremely popular in Vietnam. So popular in fact that there were outposts along the mountain roads where you could stop and buy a drink and sing karaoke. In the middle of nowhere. It was quite astonishing but also really entertaining. 

On day two we left Du Gia and headed north for Dong Van. This was probably my favorite day in terms of what we experienced while driving. The views were absolutely incredible. The mountains were shaped like nothing I had ever seen, with jagged slate colored ridges and steep cliffs, covered in the most luscious greenery I’ve ever laid eyes on. Just as I would come to the conclusion in my mind that nothing would ever surpass this view on the rest of the trip, we would turn the corner and another, even more spectacular mountain was revealed. This continued for hours as we traveled in the rain on the gravel, unfinished roads. 

Eventually, we made it down one side of the mountain and road through a small village in the valley. The village was filled with large hemp plans and the smell was very distinct. Children stood on the side of the road and waved at us as we sped through their humble hometown. It was quite a unique experience and really made me stop and think about the fact that these kids see white people speed through every day on bikes with large backpacks. All the while, neither one of us has any idea of each other’s realities and are only briefly aware of the other’s existence before we continue on with our lives. 

For lunch we stopped in a restaurant in a small town and feasted on another family style meal. After our meal, we were offered small shots of snake wine, which was rice wine that had a snake fermenting in it for eight years. It was extremely strong and tasted like gasoline, but it was a great experience nonetheless.

Several hours later we made it to our homestay and after showering and resting for a bit, dinner was served and the party started.

Day three was the longest drive of the three days, but also had some of the coolest experiences of the whole trip. Because we were driving so far, we had to travel fast, so I finally got to really test the limits of my bike. I now undertand the joy that bikers feel when they are speeding through curvy mountain roads and enjoying the nature around them. It is quite an unreal feeling. Mid-morning we made it to a look out point that was filled with local children. They convinced me to let them braid my hair and put flowers in it as well. They were hilarious and really enjoyed joking around with all the foreigners.

Later, we stopped at another lookout point and were able to snack on local foods including corn, Vietnamese beef jerky (the US does it better), hazelnut cakes, and some other random meats. The food was pretty good overall but it was fun to sit and eat and joke around with the locals. 

The final stop on the whole trip was to a waterfall that was well off the beaten path. After a 30 minute drive off the main road, we reached a trail that led down the side of the mountain. We got off our bikes and started the descent towards the waterfall. Just by the sound from all the way up on the road, I could tell that the waterfall was going to be massive and extremely powerful. About halfway into the 40 minute hike down the steep, muddy trail, the sky completely opened up and let out the strongest rain storm I had experienced in all my time in Vietnam. The trail got much more difficult and everyone took several falls before finally making it down to the bottom. 

It was such a primal feeling going into the water with such a powerful waterfall roaring along with the thunder in the sky. We swam for about half an hour before we had to make the trek back up to the bikes. My clothes were completely covered in mud and my shoes were trashed so I made the climb up barefoot and after finally making it back to the bikes, the race was on back to Ha Giang City.

This experience is something I hope to never forget and I’m really glad I got to experience it with such a unique group of people. The mountains are by far the most impressive I’ve ever seen and I am very thankful that I was able to experience them while speeding through on a motorbike. Luckily, we never ran into any cops throughout the entire trip, but I honestly think it would be worth every penny just to experience what I was able to experience.