Ha Giang
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Ha Giang is the province along the Chinese border, and the loop through it is the road trip Vietnam is known for among people who ride. It is also the single hardest thing to fit into a short trip. That is why almost everything else on this site tells you to cut it.
What those articles are cutting is described here.
What is the loop?
A round trip of about 350 km from Ha Giang city, ridden over three or four days. The usual circuit runs Quan Ba, Yen Minh, Dong Van, over the Ma Pi Leng pass to Meo Vac, then back through Du Gia.
Ma Pi Leng is the stretch people come for: a road cut into a cliff above the Nho Que river, several hundred metres up. Most of the loop is mountain road of that character, and the reason it takes three days is not distance but gradient and surface.
Three days is the shortest most operators run. Four is what riders recommend, because the third day is where the road stops being a schedule.
The permit, which is new
Since 1 June 2026, foreign visitors need a Border Area Entry Permit for the loop's districts: Quan Ba, Yen Minh, Dong Van and Du Gia. The rule catches riders passing through, not only those staying the night.
The permit costs about 250,000 dong. Get it at the Ha Giang immigration office or, more usually, let the operator arrange it as part of the booking.
Most guides written before mid-2026 do not mention this at all, so a plan built from an older article will be missing a document. Ask the operator to confirm the permit in writing before you pay.
Ride it yourself, or ride pillion?
Pillion, unless you have genuine experience on mountain roads. An easy rider is a local driver with you on the back, at about 170 to 220 US dollars for three days against roughly 128 self-driving.
The gap is around 17 dollars a day. It buys somebody who knows where the trucks come from, how the surface changes after rain, and which pass is fogged in this week.
Our safety guide sets out the wider case. The US State Department advises tourists against renting scooters in Vietnam, and many insurance policies exclude motorbike injuries without the right licence. Ha Giang is the least forgiving road in the country to test that on.
What do the days look like?
Stage by stage, with the riding hours, that is the four-day loop route.
Short distances and long hours. Ha Giang city to Dong Van is about 150 km and takes six to seven hours. That number explains the whole trip: this is not a road anyone covers at road speed.
| Day | Stage | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| One | Ha Giang to Yen Minh | The climb out, and the first pass |
| Two | Yen Minh to Dong Van | The karst plateau, and the market town |
| Three | Dong Van to Meo Vac | Ma Pi Leng, the reason people come |
| Four | Meo Vac to Ha Giang | Du Gia, and the way back down |
A three-day version merges the last two and gives up Du Gia. That is the day most riders say they would keep, which is the argument for four.
Nights are in guesthouses and homestays in the towns the loop passes through. Nobody camps, and nothing needs booking months ahead outside the peak of the dry season.
How do you reach Ha Giang city?
By bus from Hanoi, about 300 km and six to seven hours. Public buses leave My Dinh, Gia Lam and Giap Bat for around 200,000 dong. Sleeper and limousine services collect from Old Quarter hotels and drop at Ha Giang ones, and the Hanoi to Ha Giang guide compares them.
Ha Giang city has no airport and no train. The road time each way is why the loop costs five days rather than four — the arithmetic our ten-day itinerary uses to cut it.
Can you walk the loop instead of riding it?
Almost nobody does, and the road is the reason. The circuit is built for two wheels, the passes are long, and there is no walking-scale network of tracks between the villages the way there is in Sapa or Pu Luong. Ha Giang rewards riding; the walking is better elsewhere in the north.
When are the mountain roads open?
October to April is the dry half of the northern year, but altitude adds its own rule. December and January are genuinely cold up here, and mist can remove the view entirely. On a road trip whose point is the view, that is worse than rain.
The shoulder months either side of winter suit the loop better than the middle of it. Mountain roads also close after heavy rain, and a week with no slack has nowhere to put a closed pass. Our week in the north keeps the last night flexible for that reason.
The loop costs six days door to door from Hanoi, which is why it competes with Sapa rather than complementing it on a short trip. Sapa or Ha Giang is that decision on its own page.
Riders who have done this loop and want the north again usually go to Cao Bang next: three days rather than four, a waterfall instead of a pass, and quieter roads.
FAQ
Do you need a permit for the Ha Giang loop?
Since 1 June 2026, foreign visitors need a Border Area Entry Permit for the districts the loop runs through — Quan Ba, Yen Minh, Dong Van and Du Gia — and it applies even if you are only passing through. It costs about 250,000 dong and a tour operator will usually arrange it.
How long is the Ha Giang loop?
About 350 km, ridden over three or four days. Three is the shortest most operators offer and four is what people who have done it recommend, because the third day is where the road stops being a schedule and starts being the reason you came.
Should you ride the loop yourself or take an easy rider?
Take an easy rider unless you have real experience on mountain roads. Riding pillion behind a local runs about 170 to 220 US dollars for three days against roughly 128 self-driving — around 17 dollars a day for someone who knows the road, the weather and where the trucks come from.
How do you get to Ha Giang from Hanoi?
By bus, about 300 km and six to seven hours. Public buses from My Dinh, Gia Lam or Giap Bat cost around 200,000 dong; a sleeper or limousine bus will collect you from an Old Quarter hotel and drop you at your Ha Giang one.
Is Ha Giang worth it on a short trip?
No, and that is not a criticism of it. Four days on the loop plus twelve to fourteen hours of road is most of a week, so on ten days it replaces a region rather than adding to one. A week in the north is where it fits.