The Ha Giang loop is arguably the most beautiful destination in all of Vietnam. Bordering China to the north of the country, this extraordinary province beholds some truly awe-inspiring scenery. Colossal limestone mountains, lush rice paddies, majestical flowing rivers, and kindred mountain villages create an ethereal landscape, sure to leave you mesmerized.
In this article, I will be sharing daily itinerary and experiences; this guide that will equip you with need-to-know information for a safe and enjoyable journey on the Ha-Giang loop.
How to travel to Ha Giang?
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After you get to Ha Giang City, you should rent a motorbike or tour car to explore all the tourist sites of Ha Giang.
Often, people often take passenger car to Ha Giang from the night before, overnight in the car, to about 5 am the next morning to Ha Giang City. When you come to Ha Giang City you have breakfast, then rent a motorbike go from Ha Giang City to Dong Van, Meo Vac, Lung Cu Flag Tower, back to Yen Minh and back to Ha Giang. From Ha Giang to Dong Van you will go through most of the most beautiful tourist spots in Ha Giang.
You can also take bus from Hanoi to Dong Van (lunch break in Ha Giang City), but will miss many beautiful sights of Ha Giang on the way.
When should you go to Ha Giang?
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January with peach blossom, plum blossom, yellow broccoli: Spring arrives, everywhere from Quan Ba (Quyet Tien, Minh Tan), Yen Minh (Lao Kham, Na Khe, Bach Dich), Dong Van (Pho Pho, Pho Pho, Pho To, Sa Phin, Phai Toi) Meo Vac (where the fruits are peach, plum, and blooms) along with the black rock of the plateau, with the folds of the walls.
April with Khau Vai market: Every March 27th lunar year, from all the way the war on the high mountains, the people in the costumes of their own people have to roar, rush down the market, to participate in Khau Vai love market, every year only once.
May with water season: During the flood season, most of our North West rice fields were flooded in May-June, few places in July, some plots could accumulate water from April; But most beautiful is still implanted, the range from May to June.
September, October with rice season: The ripening season usually begins in late September and early October.
November with buckwheat flower season: Buckwheat – The flowers typical of the Ha Giang stone plateau with tiny flowers pink purple flowers attract souls who love flowers and love photography. The land of Ha Giang with the gray stone of the mountain and the pink of the buckwheat flower.
December with snowfall: In the area of Meo Vac district, Dong Van stone plateau, many places have snow white in the end of December, curious visitors from many places have been fortunate to enjoy the unique scene in the year.
Where to Stay in Ha-Giang
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Stop at tiny homestay in villages with locals who treated travellers like family and allowed you to experience their extraordinary day to day lives away from industrial civilization.
you’ll be treated to delicious home-cooked meals, be taken to off-the-beaten track places, and make friends for life. Homestays are also a great way of ensuring that your money goes straight to the people you stay with. Or at the very least is invested back into the local community, rather than being swallowed up by a giant corporation.
What to do in Ha Giang?
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Subsequently, the curious nomads who do venture to the Ha-Giang province are rewarded with raw, authentic, and off the beaten path adventure.
The surrounding in Ha Giang is amazing with pine forests, granite mountains, farming villages and wonderful views from every corner. You can find that this land is blessed by the hand of Mother Nature. And that’s the reason for Ha Giang trekking is a worthy activity. You won’t be fed up with wandering its mountainsides uninterrupted for days at a time. I would say that is enough to make it the perfect alternative to trekking in Sapa.
Among best places to visit Ha Giang, you can not miss yellow terrace in Hoang Su Phi. It is such wonderful to see how terraces are in high mountains of this northern province.
Ethnic people in Ha Giang earn living with farming. You can not only enjoy terrace beauty but also enjoy great featured food of Ha Giang with corn on this destination. Hoang Su Phi terraces are beautiful with yellow color of ripe rice, and green of young rice, too.
I can say that Ha Giang trekking is perfect for those who are looking for a quiet place to visit, spared by massive tourism and to meet local ethnic groups of ancient traditions. And of course, you might have chance to find places that no one has set foot on.
Ha Giang Cuisine: What to eat?
I has picked some essential Ha Giang dishes that everyone should try as steamed rice pancake rolls (Banh Cuon), Thang Den, Five-color Sticky Rice (Xoi Ngu Sac), Ha Giang Smoked Sausage and Meat, Au Tau Porridge, ...
To cruise along some of the most magnificent mountain roads in Asia with the wind in your face and adrenaline in your veins is an empowering feeling.