Ha Giang: the loop, Ma Pi Leng pass and key tips

Give the loop four days. It runs 350 km through Dong Van and Meo Vac.1VnExpress, March 2025 (opens in a new tab)e.vnexpress.net If you don’t hold the right motorbike licence, go as a pillion with an easy rider. Go in October or November for the buckwheat flowers.

How long have you got?

• Two days: Ha Giang to Dong Van and back by car. Skip Lung Cu.
• Four days: the full loop, with nights at Yen Minh and Dong Van.2Vietnam Tourism (opens in a new tab)vietnam.travel
• Five days: add Lung Cu, a three-hour detour.3Vietnam Tourism (opens in a new tab)vietnam.travel

When are you going?

• April to May: terraced fields filled with water.4VnExpress (opens in a new tab)e.vnexpress.net
• May to October: the rainy season, with 1,750 to 2,000 mm of rain a year.5VnExpress (opens in a new tab)e.vnexpress.net In September 2024 Ha Giang had two severe landslides, and one hit the Ma Pi Leng area on 1 October.6VnExpress, October 2024 (opens in a new tab)e.vnexpress.net
• September to October: ripe golden rice.7VnExpress (opens in a new tab)e.vnexpress.net
• October to November: buckwheat flowers; at Sung La, about 20 km from Dong Van, these are the prime months.8VnExpress (opens in a new tab)e.vnexpress.net Festival dates change each year: the 10th festival ran 9 to 21 November 2024.9Vietnam Tourism (opens in a new tab)vietnam.travel
• December to February: the coldest months, down to about 1 to 2 degrees Celsius, with frost and the odd snowfall.10VnExpress (opens in a new tab)e.vnexpress.net

Rules to know

• Motorbike licence: Vietnam accepts international permits only under the 1968 Vienna Convention. Permits from the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Israel, which signed only the 1949 convention, are not valid. Your home licence must include a motorbike endorsement.11Vietnam News, May 2026 (opens in a new tab)vietnamnews.vn See Motorbikes in Vietnam.
• Checks are stricter: after a British tourist died on the loop on 2 April 2026, police stepped up patrols and document checks from 12 April.12Vietnam News, April 2026 (opens in a new tab)vietnamnews.vn
• Speeding: more than 20 km/h over the limit is fined up to 8,000,000 VND.13VietnamPlus (opens in a new tab)en.vietnamplus.vn For any fine over 500,000 VND, ask for the written violation record (bien ban) before you pay; only smaller fines can be issued without one.14Saigon Giai Phong, June 2025 (opens in a new tab)sggp.org.vn
• Easy riders: foreign tourists can rent and ride, or use an easy-rider pillion service.15Vietnam News, April 2026 (opens in a new tab)vietnamnews.vn Only licensed travel agencies may organise or sell tours.16Vietnam News (opens in a new tab)vietnamnews.vn

Top things to do

• Heaven’s Gate Pass, Quan Ba: the first dramatic stretch of the loop, with tight curves on QL4C.Tip Ride in daylight and stop after dark.17Vietnam Tourism (opens in a new tab)vietnam.travel
• Yen Minh: a canyon road along the Mien River and the usual first night.Tip Book accommodation ahead in peak season.18Vietnam Tourism (opens in a new tab)vietnam.travel
• Dong Van old town: about 1,400 m above sea level, in a UNESCO Global Geopark.Tip Ask your host when the market runs.19VnExpress (opens in a new tab)e.vnexpress.netVietnam Tourism (opens in a new tab)vietnam.travel
• Ma Pi Leng pass: the road from Dong Van to the pass is called the most mind-blowing in Vietnam.Tip Take side road 193A near the bottom for a closer look at the Nho Que river.20Vietnam Tourism (opens in a new tab)vietnam.travel
• Nho Que river boat: boats and kayaks cost 50,000 to 150,000 VND.Tip The path to the wharf zigzags, so hire a local guide.21VnExpress (opens in a new tab)e.vnexpress.net
• Lung Cu flag tower: on a 1,470 m peak, 24 km from Dong Van.22VnExpress (opens in a new tab)e.vnexpress.netTip It closed for restoration from 30 May to 18 June 2025, so check it is open.23VietnamPlus (opens in a new tab)en.vietnamplus.vn

Getting there and around

• From Hanoi: daytime and overnight buses run regularly from My Dinh bus station to Ha Giang.24Vietnam Tourism (opens in a new tab)vietnam.travel For bus types, booking and early-morning arrivals, see long-distance buses.
• Bikes: rent in Ha Giang City, where Honda and Kawasaki service centres are. ATMs are scarce on the loop, so carry cash.25Vietnam Tourism (opens in a new tab)vietnam.travel

If it doesn’t go to plan

• No motorbike licence? Book an easy rider, or hire a car and driver.
• Landslide on the road? Wait for the road to reopen, or end the loop at Dong Van and return the way you came.
• Too cold to ride? Between December and February, go by car.