Ha Giang Loop 2 Days: Route, Price and What You Miss

You do get the road everyone comes for

Day one runs Bac Sum Pass, Heaven Gate at Quan Ba, Can Ty Pass and Tham Ma Pass, then the Vuong Family Mansion and the H'Mong King's Palace area before a night in Dong Van with a campfire. Day two is a walk on Ma Pi Leng Pass, the Nho Que boat trip, lunch in Meo Vac and the M-shape curve on the way back to Ha Giang.

That is the road everyone comes for. Reviewers on the two-day listing say it gave them the atmosphere of the loop in a short time, though one wished for four or five days.

If you want the whole field rather than this slice of it, see all Ha Giang loop motorcycle tours with prices and ratings.

What comes off the list

The Nho Que boat is in this trip, fitted into day two after the Ma Pi Leng walk, so that part of the loop does not come off. What the itinerary does not list is Du Gia village with its waterfall swim and homestay night, Lung Cu Flag Tower and the Sky Path viewpoint walk.

The night in Du Gia is the one that everyone writes about, and here it becomes a hotel in Dong Van instead. The three-day version from the same operator adds the Du Gia homestay and puts the waterfall swim on the last morning.

• Du Gia village, the homestay night and the waterfall swim
• Lung Cu Flag Tower and the border viewpoint
• The Ma Pi Leng Sky Path, which the itinerary does not name
• Anything described as an optional stop

The riding days are long

Two days is about 280 km, roughly 140 km a day on mountain roads. The ride starts at 9:30 and you are back in Ha Giang about 17:30 on day two, with lunch and viewpoint stops in between. First-time pillion passengers feel it in the lower back by the afternoon.

That matters more than the stops you lose. A three-day tour covers the full loop of about 350 km with a third more time to do it, which is the difference between arriving somewhere and passing through it.

When two days is the right answer

When your Vietnam itinerary is already full and the alternative is skipping Ha Giang. Two days on this road beats zero days by a distance nobody argues about.

It also works if you have been to northern Vietnam before and are back for Ma Pi Leng specifically. The trip is easy rider only, so it does not suit anyone who wants to ride their own bike.

The $4 Gap Between 2 and 3 Days

The Short Loop: 2 Days, 1 Night with Hong Hao Travel costs $133. The three-day Ha Giang Loop in 3 Days: Small Group of Up to 10 with Aquarius costs $137, just $4 more, and that price already includes the sleeper bus from Hanoi and back plus the Nho Que boat trip. If you are starting in Hanoi, the two-day saving on that pairing is largely an illusion.

Per riding day the three-day is cheaper too: $45.67 against $66.50.

What the Longer Trips Add

Road Kings lists Du Gia Waterfall, the Ngoc Long River cave with its bamboo boat and more villages and caves on its longer tours, which is what two days cuts. Hong Hao Travel, the operator of the $133 short loop, charges $202 for its three-day version with a campfire and a Du Gia homestay, a gap of $69. Other three-day listings run from $137 to $206 and the four-day trips from $230 to $250.

The full price table lives in the Ha Giang loop price guide.

What the Kilometres Add Up to

Road Kings Ha Giang puts day 1 at about 140 km from Ha Giang city to Dong Van and day 2 at about 140 km back, so two days covers roughly 280 km rather than the full loop of about 350 km per Wikipedia. LoopTrails gives riding time as about 5-6 hours on day one and 6-7 hours on day two, and Road Kings has stops about every 30 minutes with days running from 09:00 to between 16:00 and 17:00. On the Hong Hao listing the ride starts at 9:30 and ends about 17:30.

Which Way Round the Loop Goes

Operators do not agree on direction. The Hong Hao listing starts with Bac Sum Pass and Heaven Gate and reaches Ma Pi Leng Pass on day 2. Ha Giang Trails runs its 2-day loop the other way, with Meo Vac, Ma Pi Leng Pass and Dong Van on day 1, then Lung Cu and Yen Minh on day 2.

Check the direction before you book if Ma Pi Leng in the afternoon light matters to you.

Getting to the start

This tour begins at Hong Hao Hostel in Ha Giang city. The Hanoi departure option adds a round-trip VIP cabin bus of 7 to 8 hours, with pick-up at your Old Quarter hotel, and the return boards in Ha Giang at 21:00.

Without the option, a self-booked sleeper runs 250,000 to 350,000 VND (about $10 to $14) for a standard berth and 380,000 to 480,000 VND (about $15 to $19) for a VIP cabin each way. Run the arithmetic before you assume it is the budget option, because the Aquarius three-day at $137 includes the Hanoi sleeper both ways.

The border permit still applies

Two days does not put you outside the border districts. Quan Ba, Yen Minh, Dong Van and Meo Vac all sit inside the border area. The listing lists the border permit as not included and states no amount.

Operator blogs say 230,000 to 300,000 VND (about $9 to $12), and one prices it at 250,000 VND (about $10). Carry the passport itself.

Pack lighter than you think

One night means one change of clothes. Everything else stays in Ha Giang city or Hanoi.

• A daypack that closes, strapped to the bike and wrapped in plastic
• Warm layer for the Dong Van evening
• Waterproof shoes and a buff for dust
• About 500,000 VND, roughly $19, for two days of coffee stops and tips
• Passport for the checkpoints

Who it suits, and the rules

Two days is not suitable for anyone who wants the Du Gia homestay night, and it is a hard ask for a first-time pillion passenger, since you cover about 140 km a day.

What to bring: one change of clothes, a warm layer for the Dong Van evening, waterproof shoes, a buff, sunglasses, your passport and about 500,000 VND, roughly $19, for two days of coffee and tips.

Not allowed: riding without a helmet, and taking the handlebars without a home motorcycle licence and a 1968-convention IDP.

Getting There on Your Own

You must be in Ha Giang the evening before day 1. vietnamtourism.com puts a self-booked sleeper from Hanoi at 250,000-480,000 VND (about $10-19) depending on the berth, taking 7-8 hours, longer in rain or at weekends. Overnight departures mostly leave between 21:00 and 22:30, with some daytime buses at 07:00 and 14:00, mostly from My Dinh bus station or with Old Quarter pick-up. On The Short Loop: 2 Days, 1 Night with Hong Hao Travel the night before is covered: the price includes a dorm bed at Hong Hao Hostel, and the Hanoi departure option adds a round-trip VIP cabin bus.

Getting Back

Day 2 ends back in Ha Giang city about 17:30, so the practical return bus is the one boarding around 21:00 on the Hong Hao listing, which reaches Hanoi the next morning after the 7-8 hour ride. On Easy Rider Loop from Hanoi: 2 or 3 Days with Chestnut Travel the sleeper bus both ways is already in the price, with hotel pick-up in Hanoi. Ha Giang Trails lists the Hanoi limousine or sleeper transfer as an optional supplement, so the same trip is not always priced the same way.

What it changes

A third day is the difference between a hotel in Dong Van and a family dinner in Du Gia. The same operator's three-day is $202, which is $69 more than the $133 two-day. The Aquarius three-day from another operator is $137, only $4 more, and includes the Hanoi sleeper both ways.

All the departures sit together with prices and inclusions on the main comparison page, including the ones that let you pick two or three days at checkout.