It sounds great, doesn’t it? It’s like you take a happy little wander along Happiness Road and then where will you end up? Happy Town, right? Nope, sorry. You’ll end up in Meo Vac which isn’t as bad as all that but isn’t quite Heaven.
As you drive along it, you will likely feel very happy as it is an absolute joy to drive. However, spare a thought for the poor souls who broke their backs building it, especially those that, unfortunately, lost their lives.
It would be without doubt that better communication links brought prosperity and a slow rise in living conditions to the highlanders. Interestingly, it wasn’t really until 2010 when the Ministry of Tourism really began to promote the Province that conditions really began to improve at any pace.
The road connects many now famous sights, such as: Lung Khuy Cave, Cuc Bac Cafe and Meo Vac where you will find the Khau Vai Love Market.
Before the road was built, there was obviously a route but it took many days on foot or by cart to get from Meo Vac to Ha Giang. The road improved this immensely. Happiness road certainly has enabled the highlanders to improve their lives at a much faster rate than if it wasn’t there. It’s also gorgeous, and is a big feature on our Ha Giang Loop motorcycle tours, such as our 6 Day Ha Giang Loop and 7 Day Ha Giang Loop tours.
Happiness Rd runs some 185km from Ha Giang City in the West of Ha Giang to Meo Vac in the Northeast.
This strip of road (185Km) connects then Ha Giang Town (now city) to the remote districts of Quan Ba, Yen Minh, Dong Van and Meo Vac. It is said that the road was built with the aim of helping the highlanders gain access to the plains. However, the cynic in me suggests that it was all about getting the rich mineral deposits from the highlands for the benefit of the lowlanders.
It would be without doubt that better communication links brought prosperity and a slow rise in living conditions to the highlanders. Interestingly, it wasn’t really until 2010 when the Ministry of Tourism really began to promote the Province that conditions really began to improve at any pace.
Before the road was built, there was obviously a route but it took many days on foot or by cart to get from Meo Vac to Ha Giang. The road improved this immensely. Happiness road certainly has enabled the highlanders to improve their lives at a much faster rate than if it wasn’t there.
The road was built between 1959 and 1965 by over 1,000 local ethnic workers in from 16 ethnic groups in Ha Giang Province. These highland workers had assistance from 1,300 volounteers from 6 mountain provinces (Cao Bang, Bac Kan, Lang Son, Thai Nguyen, Tuyen Quang, Ha Giang) and 2 delta provinces (Nam Dinh, Hai Duong).
Over the 7 years that it took, an estimated 2 million working days were poured into the construction and a recorded 14 lives were lost. There is a memorial cemetery in Yen Minh to commemorate those that died in the construction of the road.
In these times, there wasn’t any modern construction equipment. Even nowadays, you will see gangs of workers on the road using very antiquated tools. It was even worse back then, if you can imagine. Tools available were hoes, shovels crowbars, hammers and wheelbarrows and the only force, other than very dangerous mini mines, was manpower.
These workers had to suffer extreme heat in the sweltering Summer and icy cold in the Winter. On top of this, they frequently ran out of salt, fresh vegetables and clean water. The icing on the cake was that the work they were required to carry out was often extremely dangerous and there was no safety equipment.
The workers would joke that their path to ‘Happiness’ would be straight down into the Tu San Gorge and only when they were lying at the bottom would they achieve it.
From its beginning in Ha Giang, Happiness road starts out with around 20Km of flat easy terrain. Then, it ascends and descends high mountain passes and winds along narrow mountain slopes. It creeps through thick pine forests in Yen Minh and up onto exposed karst Plateau through Dong Van before plunging down the Nho Que Valley into Meo Vac.
The old hazards have now been removed somewhat but there are new ones to contend with. Increased motorization and traffic on the road mean that you nee to pay close attention to other road users.
There is the occasionally landslide and the elements are as temperamental as ever. Watch out for mist, fog and heavy rain which will reduce visibility and most importantly: stopping distance.
Happiness Road is a wonderful road to drive no matter what season you visit. The Summer is hot and makes the waterfalls and streams inviting. The Winter is cold but dry and clear so offer excellent views. The Spring and Autumn can be changeable but generally offer the best of both worlds.
Sights such as: Heaven’s Gate, Bac Sum or Mau Due Pass are great to drive at any time. However, there are certain highlights at certain times of the year.
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International Tour Operator License: 01-2010/2022/TCDL-GP LHQT
15a Ng. 12 Đ. Đặng Thai Mai, Quảng An, Tây Hồ, Hà Nội 100000, Vietnam
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Engine Type
air-liquid cooled, twin cylinder, DOHC, boxer engine
Displacement
1255 cc
Bore X Stroke
102.5 mm x 76 mm
Ignition
FI
Fuel System
fuel injection
Compression Ratio
12.5:1
Starter
electric
Gearbox
6-speed
Front Suspension
BMW Motorrad Telelever; stanchion diameter 37 mm
Rear Suspension
single-sided swing arm with BMW Motorrad Paralever
Front Brakes
dual disc brake, floating brake discs, diameter 305 mm, 4-piston radial calipers
Rear Brakes
single disc brake, diameter 276 mm, double-piston floating caliper
Front Tyres
120/70 R19
Rear Tyres
170/60 R17
Wheelbase
1514 mm
Seat Height
850 mm
Ground Clearance
790 mm
Kerb Weight
249 kg
Fuel Capacity
20 litres
Dimensions
2207 mm (L) x 952.5mm (W) x 1430 mm (H)
Engine Type
air cooled, OHC, single cylinder
Displacement
149 cc
Bore X Stroke
57.3 mm x 57.8 mm
Ignition
CDI
Fuel System
20 mm piston valve carburettor
Compression Ratio
9.5:1
Starter
electric with kick starter backup
Gearbox
5-speed
Front Suspension
telescopic fork, 180 mm axle travel
Rear Suspension
single shock swing arm, 150 mm axle travel
Front Brakes
dual piston caliper, 240 mm disc
Rear Brakes
mechanical drum
Front Tyres
90/90 19
Rear Tyres
110/90 17
Wheelbase
1362 mm
Seat Height
825 mm
Ground Clearance
243 mm
Kerb Weight
129 kg
Fuel Capacity
12 litres
Dimensions
2091 mm (L) x 811 mm (W) x 1125 mm (H)
Engine Type
liquid cooled parallel-twin four stroke
Displacement
470 cc
Bore X Stroke
67 mm x 66.8 mm
Ignition
PGMI – FI
Fuel System
fuel injection
Compression Ratio
10.7:1
Starter
electric
Gearbox
6-speed
Front Suspension
41 mm SFF-BP USD Forks
Rear Suspension
Prolink Mono with 5 stage pre load adjuster
Front Brakes
dual 296 mm discs with 4 piston calipers; ABS
Rear Brakes
240 mm disc; ABS
Front Tyres
110/80R19M/C (59H)
Rear Tyres
160/60R17M/C
Wheelbase
1445 mm
Seat Height
830 mm
Ground Clearance
180 mm
Kerb Weight
199 kg
Fuel Capacity
17.7 litres
Dimensions
2,155 mm (L) x 830 mm (W) x 1,410 mm (H)
Engine Type
single cylinder, DOHC, liquid cooled
Displacement
286 cc
Bore X Stroke
76 mm x 63 mm
Ignition
Full Transistor Digital
Fuel System
PGM-FI electronic fuel injection
Compression Ratio
10.7:1
Starter
electric
Gearbox
5-speed
Front Suspension
43 mm telescopic upside down
Rear Suspension
Prolink Mono with 5 stage pre load adjuster
Front Brakes
Rear Brakes
220 mm disc, single piston caliper
Front Tyres
80/100 21
Rear Tyres
120/80 18
Wheelbase
1455 mm
Seat Height
880 mm
Ground Clearance
285 mm
Kerb Weight
142 kg
Fuel Capacity
7.8 litres
Dimensions
2230 mm (L) x 820 mm (W) x 1200 mm (H)