Ha Giang is the hottest destination in the North of Vietnam right now and rightly so. The amazing scenery and interesting culture along with the rich military and colonial history all make the place exceptional. You are right to want to visit and this is how to get there by motorbike.
It is a long way to Ha Giang City from Hanoi, around 300km direct. It can be driven by motorbike in around 5-6hrs, but it is a long day in the saddle. You can also see that I have added a few detours that you can take, if you have time. Just be careful not to exhaust yourself ahead of your Ha Giang Loop experience.
This route totals around 300km and is a long ride here in Vietnam. It will take around 6 hrs and be very tiring. Make sure you have a hotel and perhaps dinner options lined up ready.
Morning: Hanoi to Tan Quang (Lunch) / 220km – 4.5 – 5 hrs
Afternoon: Tan Quang to Ha Giang / 60km – 1.5 hrs
Hanoi to Ha Giang is quite a long journey and if you have decided to do this, you will likely want to go directly and not take detours. However, if you do find that you have made speedy progress and could arrive in Ha Giang early, you might want to explore a little. These detours will help you do that.
This route will take you on some small paths through some small villages and farms and likely add about 30 to 45 minutes to your journey time.
This route is quite long and probably too much to take on. However, if you look at the map you will see there are two or three options to join it and you can easily jump on and off, or only take a shorter section. Again, it will get you off the highway and onto smaller quieter roads.
This is the most fun of the three detours and it is best to use an offroad bike for this at the moment. There is one section that is steep and rocky and quite difficult to ride if it has been raining. Using a semi automatic would be fine so long as you are willing to take it easy on this section. A larger CB500x would have a lot of trouble on this, so don’t bother. Expect to add around 1 hr to your journey time.
In Ha Giang City we like to stay in:
These hotels are good quality, have air con and hot water and can offer breakfast. You will usually find a room betweeen 25-50usd.
Outside of the city, we like to stay in:
These options are a little outside of the city and are therefore either a little more peaceful or better placed to get you out on ‘the loop’ quickly and easily the next morning.
From Ha Giang City, most riders will be heading North to get to Quan Ba, Lung Cu or Meo Vac even. This will be their first day on ‘the loop’. You might consider going to Du Gia and doing the loop in the opposite direction agains the general flow of traffic.
You could also be heading West towards Hoang Su Phi, Bac Ha and eventually Sa Pa over in Lao Cai. This is a quieter route with less tourists until you get to Bac Ha or Sa Pa.
If you are headed back to Hanoi it is either back directly or consider whether to stop off in Thac Ba, or even Tuyen Quang.
We would advise you to choose between a manual or a semi automatic bike. These are the best bikes for a long trip like this and also for the mountains of Ha Giang. You have more control and they are less prone to overheating or break down.
The XR150 is a great budget option that will perform well on the road and in the dirt on the small tracks of Ha Giang. The bike is lightweight, even if a little underpowered. There is plenty of room to fit a 40l bag on the rear, which should hold more than enough for a trip. The 12l tank and great fuel economy mean that this bike has a huge range of over 300km on a tank.
If you plan to ride two up, it might be a bit of a squeeze and you will have to pack very lightly or risk overloading the bike and making it quite rear weighted.
The CB500x is a great bike for the long haul drive up to Ha Giang. It is big enough and powerful enough to overtake trucks on the highway and carry two people with ease. Using a rear box and side panniers will give you plenty of room for gear. The 17l tank means you will have enough range for a day’s ride with ease.
The only concern would be taking some of the smaller tracks off road as our bikes have road tyres and the bike itself is quite big and heavy. However, there are plenty of small, interesting tracks that have concrete and are wide enough for the CB500x.
The Semi Automatic bikes are a much more budget option. We can offer the Honda Wave, Honda Blade or the Honda Future and they are all quite similar. it is really best to ride single on this kind of bike as this will leave room for a backpack and also not overlaod the bike in the hills. They are very fuel efficient but only have a 4l fuel tank so will need filling more regularly than the manual options.
It is a long way from Hanoi to Ha Giang so be prepared and leave early. If you have time take one or two of the detours and be sure to have accommodation booked ready for your arrival.
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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)