Ha Giang, Vietnam 🇻🇳

November 3 – 8, 2025

Ha Giang province, a mountainous region adjacent to China in northern Vietnam, is home to the popular “Ha Giang Loop.” The Loop, as backpackers refer to it, is an unofficial driving route through the Ha Giang province. Many backpackers head to the Loop to see the stunning views on a motorbike, typically on the back of a motorbike with an easy rider (a local driver) driving the bike. Our 4 day, 3 night journey on the Loop was quite the adventure.

We started our journey to Ha Giang in Hanoi aboard a sleeper bus – coach buses with small sleeping pods instead of chairs.

Sleeper pods on the bus:

Stopover night in the town of Ha Giang before heading out on motorbikes the next day:

Morning briefing looking at our route and plan for the next four days. The staff were all incredibly friendly – this presentation was like a comedy sketch:

Meeting my driver, Zum!

On the Loop we would be on the bikes from ~8a until ~5p, stopping every hour or so at various viewpoints. Our first stop was a waterfall:

We then stopped at a fabric makers house. The Ha Giang region is incredibly diverse with over 20 different ethnic groups.

Our meals were all served family style for our group. While our tour company sends out about 200 people a day, we are split up into 8-10 person groups, each person with their own driver.

Views from the drive:

Tried all sorts of food at the different homestays (our accommodations for each night of the Loop):

Many scenic stops:

I’m pointing at the Chinese border – you can see the border road/fence part way up the mountain on the other side of the valley.

Hammock break!

Winding mountainous roads:

We went down into this river for a boat ride after seeing it from above:

There were many children walking along long and steep stretches of road to get to and from school each day:

Our homestay rooms on the Loop were 20-40 person rooms. The first two nights we had curtains, but this was just like one long bed:

Morning of our last day driving through a local market:

While most of the Loop is well paved, some stretches are dirt or very rocky/poorly maintained:

I wasn’t familiar with the Korean hand heart symbol 🫰 prior to the Loop, but my driver loved it:

Crazy soccer field in the mountains:

We were lucky to have great weather during the loop, we just had a bit of rain on the last few hours of the Loop:

Last selfie with my driver before heading back to Hanoi!

The Ha Giang Loop was an incredible adventure – from getting to know my driver over the four day drive (despite the strong language barrier), trying new Vietnamese foods, meeting other backpackers in our group, the amazing views, to the simple excitement of riding on the back of a motorbike.