Vietnam
Hanoi > Ha Giang - HANZ Alley As Hotel Light House, Hanz Hanoi De Maison Grand, Phoenix Hotel, Bong Bang Homestay 2, Plum Homestay Dong Van - 23/04 > 28/04

Vietnam’s famous Ha Giang Loop

- It’s difficult to express this one when I’m limited to only words but I’ll give it my best shot. Whilst riding through magnificent mountain valleys, rice terraces, forever winding roads and the craziest terrain, if you were able to see my face through the helmet, one minute you’d think I was desperate for the toilet, the next it would seem like I’d won the lottery. Around every corner was a moment of awe, the spectacular views and dreamy atmosphere had me wanting to stop and admire the untouched endless nature. As I ascended up the mountains the fresh air and smell of pine trees brought a smile to my face; a strong reminder of home. I’m getting chills as I sit and write this. If I were better experienced with my drone I could have filmed some badass motorbike shots of me riding through the mountains, queue the cinematic music!
- I mention the terrain as there were the usual tarmac, gravel, sand, dirt, large boulders, and some of these came as a surprise, riding around corners to stumble upon road works or a temporarily closed road due to landslides as they excavate to build wider roads. The casual on-coming truck was a non-pleasantry! The road rules are a lot different than back home for sure.
- I should have mentioned I drove 7 hours from Hanoi to the town of Ha Giang where the loop starts. “Look forward and pray” was the driving mentality in Hanoi, crazy crazy then add another crazy on the back of that, I did enjoy using the horn every .5 seconds to join in with the locals. Perhaps disrespectful on my part, but I hadn’t checked the speed limits on the roads - speed signs aren’t overly popular in Vietnam, so guess who got a speeding ticket? The police had been hiding in towns that I’d driven through, and when I calmly drove up to the next police checkpoint, they ordered me aside shouting “You drive too fast!”… my heart sank as I’d heard that if you are too far over the limit they take your bike off you. I had no idea of the speed limit and I’m not about to state how fast I was going riding a 650cc motorbike. The speed limit in towns is 50km/h, I was going at a nifty 68km/h, that’s a whole 18km/h over the limit. I now understood why they weren’t impressed. Thankfully I had my UK and international driving licences for riding motorbikes. I was given a $15 fine and told to behave myself. They politely told me the speed limits which I was grateful for. Safe to say I had my tail between my legs.
- I booked into a nice hotel in Ha Giang as I’d watched YouTube videos on what I was about to endure - no more nice hotels! I stayed in homestays over the next few nights which are like hostels with private rooms, perfect for what I needed, just somewhere to rest my head. Staff were super accommodating even though I wasn’t part of a group which 95% of travellers are, between being young, inexperienced, and not having their motorbike licence, it’s not worth getting caught, so they each hire a driver to ride them around the loop.
- Regarding food, I was mainly eating street food such as BBQ pork balls, diced chicken or beef and seafood. It was all super tasty and cooked properly, which was a delight.

- This unforgettable adventure etched the untamed spirit of exploration into my soul.