Elsewhere Letters

There was one adventure that I heard about time and time again during my time in Thailand that would prompt me to make my way to Vietnam. I heard the same line from both friends and strangers: “You have to experience the loop. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.” That was the exact kind of experience I was chasing. So, on my 26th birthday, I made my way from Sourthern Thailand to the Northern Vietnam seeking the Hà Giang Loop.

The Hà Giang Loop is steadily becoming a popular attraction in Vietnam for casual tourists and adventure travelers alike. It seemed like everywhere in Vietnam I visited somebody was wearing a “I completed the Hà Giang Loop” shirt. (Sadly- I did not get one of these). The Hà Giang loop is a circular route through four provinces in the north of Vietnam, bordering China. Most people, myself included, complete the loop in about three days on motorcycle. While the area can currently still hold a “hidden gem” status, especially compared to nearby Sa Pa, the call of adventure has reached many around the world. With jaw-dropping scenery, majestic mountains, running rivers, and a unique insight into the village life of some of the minority ethnic groups living in the region, it is no wonder that the loop is making its way onto many bucket lists. 

Now, before you start thinking that I am way cooler than I actually am, I must point out I was not driving the motorcycle for this journey. Like many other travelers who dare to ride one of the most notoriously beautiful but potentially dangerous roads in Vietnam, I enlisted the services of local easy riders who acted as our guides through this three-day journey. I saw solo motorists on the loop who were foreigners, and I was always so impressed by them. But please, beginners beware. 

The night before

The adventure started with my first experience in one of the infamous Vietnamese Sleeper Busses. At this point, my standards were fairly low from weeks of bus travel and living out of my backpack. I was excited to finaly utilize these buses that I kept seeing online. The ride to Hà Giang took about 6 hours from Hanoi, it was not a smooth ride by any means, but I think I fell asleep a few times. We arrived at our hostel in Hà Giang at around 3 am. My group of about twelve people promptly passed out for our 8 am wake-up call.

Day 1

Day one was the calmest. Our group got paired up with our easy riders, locals who lend their motorcycle driving skills and knowledge of the area to complete this epic tour. We sped through the small town of Hà Giang and were greeted by the views of Bac Sum Pass and Heaven’s Gate. We also learned some about some of the rich and colorful history of the region (poppy being used to make meth was pretty involved) during a visit of Hmong’s King Palace. We stopped in Yen Minh town for lunch, a beautiful array of traditional Vietnamese food served family style. We ended our day in Dong Van Town, where our group was first introduced to “happy water.” A local delicacy if I ever saw one. It is a fermented rice version of what I, as an American from the south, would call moonshine. However, happy water has an alleged magical property: this drink was hang-over proof. After a few rounds of happy water and karaoke, we headed in for the night. 155km down and only about 190km to go. While we saw some lovely sights, especially at Heaven’s Gate, the best was yet to come. 

Day 2 

This was the day I felt transported to a different world. I got a tiny glimpse into the life of the local people. Of course, while zooming through the mountains and villages, one does not get an opportunity to immerse in the culture of the local mountain dwellers. However, you do get a quick peek into their lives. It was truly a special experience, and this day was a highlight of my time in Vietnam. I wish I had gotten a video of the kids who reached out to high-five us as we passed (and one who flicked us off, cheeky little cutie). 

On this day, we also had the honor of visiting the famous Lung Tam Linen Weaving Village. Lung Tam is home to the Hmong minority tribe, and they have been globally recognized for their tradition of cultivating and weaving linen into beautiful and interacte embroidery patterns. We got to witness part of their process of how they make these unique creations, and you have the opportunity to support them as well. Each step in their process was done entirely by women and entirly by hand, using large looms and what looked like a ginat rolling pin. I was so fascinited and impressed bythem and the people of this region. These women used so few materials and a lot of physical strength to create works of art; young children hauling crops up and down the mountains in only sandals; people harvesting and farming off literal sides of the mountains. The people of this region seemed to me to be resourceful and hard working, but still like to have fun, and many of us from the West could probably learn a lot from them. 

This night also brought us to the Thâm Luông Waterfall, which was small but lovely, and a much welcomed break from the back of a motorcycle. Some local children were showing off their cliff jumping skills. The water was cool and refreshing, and some of the easy riders joined in (one jumping into the water in blue jeans- I can’t).

After enjoying the waterfall, we headed to our nearby homestay at Du Gia Village, which had an amazing atmosphere. The scenery here was simply stunning, I sat ans just took in the mountain range surrinding us. Of course, we were treated to another homecooked family-style dinner. We also drank more of the local specialty- “happy water” the interesting rice-fermented moonshine-esque drink that is supposedly hang-over proof. I can confirm that I did not get hung over, though I hesitate to encourage some of you heathens lest you blame me for any hang-over-related misfortunes. This dinner was followed by an even bigger karaoke dance party than the night prior. The party was filled with many “you had to be there” shenanigans. My easy rider opened up a little after some happy water that night. He had been pretty quiet during the trip, even with other easy riders. I can’t blame him for the language barrier with myself as I do not speak Vietnamese. I was glad to see everyone seemed to be having a good time. Day 2 was by far my favorite day of the loop- though I did get incredibly sick that night, I was the only one who got sick on this trip, and it was well worth it anyway. 

Day 3

On the last day, we made our way to the Nui Doi mountains, and I felt as though I was zooming through mountains that could have come straight from Avatar the Last Airbender. Even though I was a bit weak from getting sick, I felt relaxed by this point on the back of the motorcycle, and I just sat back and tried to soak in everything- the mountains, the rice paddies, the charming villages. There is so much history and mythology surrounding this region, and a great part of the Hà Giang Loop is that you learn something new every day. By the afternoon, we made it back to Hà Giang on the motorcycles, and by midnight we made it back to Hanoi by van. 

The Hà Giang Loop lived up to the hype of being a once-in-a-lifetime experience. However, be warned- this once-hidden gem for off-the-beaten-path travelers is quickly becoming increasingly popular with all manner of tourists who have started even taking van tours of the loop. Hopefully, people will show respect to the environment and the people who call these providences home. Would you take on the death loop alone or with an easy rider? If the answer is yes, there is no day like today! 

This is only a snapshot of my experience on the loop, and I have another post with more in-depth information on what to expect logistically, what to pack, and how to respect the locals. As always, be well-informed, be responsible, and have safe travels!