Route Map: Hanoi to Ha Giang City by Motorbike

Updated 25/01/2025
Jirka, Pavel and Daniel on The Great Loop tour

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.

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Route Map: Hanoi to Ha Giang City 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.

Hanoi - Ha Giang - Direct Route

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

Hanoi to Ha Giang AM

Afternoon: Tan Quang to Ha Giang / 60km – 1.5 hrs

Hanoi to Ha Giang PM

Hanoi - Ha Giang (Detours)

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.

Detour 1

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.

Detour 1 Google Map

Detour 2

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.

Detour 2 Google Map

Detour 3

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.

Detour 3 Google Map

Where to stay in Ha Giang City

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.

Where to stay outside of Ha Giang City

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.

Where to next.

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.

What type of bike to choose

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.

Honda XR150

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.

Honda CB500x

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.

Semi Automatic

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.

Hanoi to Ha Giang by Motorbike

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.

BMW 1250 GS

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)

Honda XR 150 motorcycle rental

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)

Honda CB 500X motorcycle rental

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)

Honda CRF 300 motorcycle rental

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

256 mm disc, 2 piston caliper

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)