Vietnam and the Ha Giang Loop

For spring break, my friends and I decided to go to Vietnam to do the famous Ha Giang Loop. For those who do not know, this is a multi-day motorcycle loop in the mountains of Northern Vietnam, where you are driven by a Vietnamese driver and sleep in hostels at along the route. This is something that Paige and I planned in January after hearing from our friends about how amazing it was, and we were accompanied by Ellis, Rohan, Abhi, Reece, and Yashu. Erik changed his travel plans and met us in Hanoi and brought along his friend Eren, so we had a stellar group for the loop. This trip was 100% the craziest and most random trip I did abroad, but I know for certain that I will probably never experience something like this ever again, and am so glad I got to do it with some of my closest friends. Although it was not the safest thing I have ever done (sorry Mom), it enabled me to see so much of Vietnam in such a funky way and become more immersed in the culture.

DAY 1 - MARCH 23rd - HANOI

Yashu and I took the 6 a.m. flight to Hanoi, where we met the rest of the group. They went to Ho Chi Minh a few days prior, but I could not go since my family was visiting. The flight from Sydney was a whopping nine hours, even though I thought Vietnam was a quick hop, skip, and a jump away. It was not. We landed in the afternoon and took a Grab to our hostel - The One Hostel & Rooftop Pool Hanoi. We were staying there for the night, but we walked to Lake View Backpackers Hostel Rooftop Bar to book the loop through them, because if you book it through them you get a free night at the hostel and a free t-shirt. There are a ton of companies that take tourists out on the loop, but we had heard good things about Mama’s Homestay so we did it through them. If they did not have room, we were going to do it with Yasmine Tours. You do not need to book it in advance online, as we booked it for nine people the day before and they had space. There is the four-day three-night tour or the three-day two-night option, but we went with the four-day. I recommend that because on the third night, there is a huge party which is so much fun. There was also a boat tour included in the four-day along the Nho Que River that was cool to see.

After we booked the loop, Ellis, Paige and I met Erik at Cha Ca Thang Long for dinner. It is a Michelin-star restaurant, and it was delicious. The stove was right in front of us so we cooked the food, but they brought out all the ingredients which was cool. It was so awesome to reunite with Erik and hear about his adventures, as we had not seen him since New Zealand. We could not believe that we were together again, and nonetheless in Vietnam. After dinner, we met the rest of the group at a rooftop bar right by Ta Hien Beer Street. We had a drink or two there and then went to Beer Street, which was a zoo. It is exactly what it sounds like – bars and clubs lined up on both sides of the street, with employees literally pulling you inside bars and trying to get you to buy drinks. It is chaos with a side of peer pressure, loud music, and bargaining, so I was glad to have a big group that helped us push through the crowd. We gave in and went inside this triple-decker bar, up to the top floor with YouTube as our aux and no one else around. Abhi and Rohan finessed a good drink deal so we stayed a while, but it was super random. We eventually left and went to a different bar where we could sit outside. There was a DJ, Paige hit her head on the stairs, and then the cops were called on someone but nothing happened. The whole night was so random but so fun, and we all left soon after that.

DAY 2 - MARCH 24th – HANOI

We had a slow morning the next day, so Yashu and I walked 30 minutes to the Truc Bach Lake. We walked to the nearby Yen Phu Temple but arrived 10 minutes before it closed. It did not open again until 3:30 p.m., so we never saw the inside. For future reference, I would research when certain temples open and close. I had no idea and had just been scammed into buying a cover-up when I couldn't even go inside. It was still pretty to see though. We walked back to the hostel, packed up our stuff, and moved to the Lake View Backpackers hostel. After that, we met up with the rest of the group at Ivegan Supershop Westlake and got delicious acai bowls. We walked to the Ngoc Son Temple, and they provided robes for those whose shoulders were showing.

After that, we walked to Hanoi Train Street, where a train passed through a little alleyway. We had seen it on social media and wanted to check it out, and it was pretty cool. The train looked way bigger in person and the alley was pretty narrow, so it caught us all off guard. For reference, if you stuck your hand out you would hit the train, so I would steer clear if you get claustrophobic. We went to the Temple of Literature afterward, which was educational and interesting, and then ate dinner at Bun Cha Ta where before taking the bus to the loop. A sleeper bus came and took us to Mama's Homestay in Ha Giang (we booked it through the hostel), which is a 6-hour drive and we chose to leave at 7 p.m. The sleeper bus was a lot nicer than I thought it would be, it had places to charge your phone and everyone was in a mini bed with air conditioning. We stopped twice for bathrooms and food, both requiring money. We got to the hostel at 2 a.m., couldn’t figure out which beds we were supposed to sleep in, and eventually fell asleep until 6:30 a.m. when we were awoken to start the loop!

DAY 3 – DAY 7 – THE LOOP

We did pretty much the same thing every day, so I am going to talk about the loop as a whole instead of going day by day. That morning, we were taken to Mama’s Homestay. We checked our group in, were given breakfast, and had an orientation about the route and the loop. There were 20 groups in total, each having around 12 people per group and 12 drivers. Mama’s splits groups up by nationality if you are traveling solo/ with a small group, so since there were nine of us, we had two other Americans join us – Kyle and Ziamond. You have the option to drive yourself on the loop, but we all opted to have drivers, which was the “easy rider” option. All 20 groups would do the same route every day, but they were staggered throughout the road to avoid congestion. When the driving was done, everyone came back together and slept and ate at two homestays near each other.

The homestays were pretty nice, and the food was great. It was family style, and they would bring out rice, chicken, rolls, tofu, noodles, and more and everyone was always well-fed. At night, we stayed in big rooms with bunk beds that were side by side (all having a curtain between them until the last night) with other groups. It was like a 20-person slumber party and was honestly really fun and super comical. There was a pool at the first and last homestay, a pool table, karaoke, and card games. There were also showers, but I would bring your own toilet paper as running out was constantly an issue (shoutout Ellis). Each day we would get to the hostel around 3 p.m. and have the afternoon to ourselves. We walked around town, and the first afternoon Abhi, Erik, Eren, Yashu and I found a cool trail with pretty views. We played cards after dinner and were joined by countless others, one being a magician and another being Noah Kahan's doppelganger. On the last afternoon, Rohan, Ellis, Reece, Paige, Eren and I all hung out by the pool and chatted before dinner which was lovely.

Each day, we would get up and have breakfast with our group, and then meet our drivers to start the day. My driver’s name was Ming, and he was 33 years old. He could not speak much English, but we were able to communicate on a basic level and sometimes used Google Translate to get to know each other better. I was pretty skittish on the bike (I was holding on to that handle every second of the trip) but he was a great driver and I felt comfortable with him. When I would complement the view, he would pull over so I could get a picture, which was really sweet and I appreciated it. Each day, our group (group 11), would drive a section of the loop and stop every 30 minutes or so to a viewpoint or to a café where we could buy water, ice cream, soda, etc. On the first day, we stopped in a little town where we could buy handmade bags and were able to watch the women make the items which was very cool. There was a 92-year-old woman who was painting cloth and it was fascinating to watch. We had another stop where young Vietnamese girls put yellow flowers in our hair, which was very cute. On the second day, we drove to the China border which was awesome, but were pulled over by the government and had to fill out a questionnaire about tourism in Vietnam. We were trapped in a government building for a few hours, but we passed the time by doodling, playing games, and asking each other questions. The next day, we drove down to the Nho Que River and had a boat tour and photo shoot, and it was really beautiful. On the last day, we stopped at a waterfall and swam in it. Overall, it never felt like we were on the bike for a super long time since we had multiple stops throughout the day.

Mama’s Homestay is known for being a party company where everyone gets pretty drunk at night. They give you “happy water,” which is straight liquor, and you take shots with your group and your driver. You have to sing a chant before you take the shot, which goes like this and is a repeat-after-me chant:

Mot Hai Ba Zo

Hai Ba Zo

Hai Ba Zo Zo Zo

Hai Ba Mamama

Hai Ba Uongggggg

Every night during dinner, this chant was being recited by different groups. Our group did not really partake in the drinking until the last night, when they had a huge party with throwback music and strobe lights. You can make the loop experience what you want with drinking, as there were lots of people where that was a big part of their experience, and others who preferred playing cards and hanging out.

LOOP HIGHLIGHTS

• The drive through the mountains was beautiful. They were so green and untouched, and the rice fields were satisfying and unlike anything I had seen before. Even though it was a little scary at times because the road can be on the edge of a cliff, it was awesome. I also enjoyed going through different towns and learning more about the lifestyle in that part of the country.

• Getting to know the drivers – Ming cared about his job and about getting to know me and ensured I was having a great time. Don’t let the language barrier stop you, use Google Translate and learn something about them. You spend a lot of time with them over the four days, so make sure to acknowledge their presence and let them know they are doing a good job. Also, buy them snacks at the little stops! It makes their day and only costs you a few American dollars (thank you to Paige for inspiring me to do this, you are amazing)

• Paige also bought ice cream for a group of children who were collecting money from tourists for the bathroom - Paige is an angel sent from above – be like Paige

• Dickies was Ziamond’s driver, and he was our group's leader because he spoke the best English. He was a great leader and kept things organized, but also made an effort to connect with us. On the second night, he sat with us after dinner and let us hamper him with questions, and then told us that his uncle had just passed away. We had been talking about his favorite song, which was “See You Again” from the Fast and Furious movies, so we decided to all sing it together during karaoke. He took the lead, and Ellis, Paige, and I tried to rap the other half. It was fun to sing, but also heart-warming because I thought it meant a lot to Dickies. I gave him a big hug afterward. At the end of the trip, everyone in the group pitched in to give Dickies a big tip and we all presented it to him together, with Ellis giving a really touching speech. Dickies was shocked and speechless, and it was very special.

• Rohan and Abhi had the funniest veggie off I think I have ever seen, and we were taught the “moo” game by knock-off Noah Kahan.

• Erik and I had a nice chat one lunch about life and the future and the outdoors and made plans to trek in the Himyalas eventually. The conversation was great, but in general, it was really special that he was able to meet us in Vietnam, and that we are all so close considering we met him on a plane. It’s such an insane story, and because of that, I know he will be in our lives forever. It’s been a huge life lesson to always be welcoming to strangers because you never know where it could lead! Shoutout Erik – miss you

• Eren trying to recite the chant and putting his whole body and soul into it with spit flying from his mouth, so much dedication and passion

• The party on the last night – all of us getting funky on the dance floor, chipping my tooth from the worm, Paige losing her money in the toilet, huge dance circles and awesome music, being in Vietnam with the people I love!

• Abhi getting stuck in the bathroom 5 minutes before we were supposed to take the sleeper bus back to Hanoi, getting the whole staff involved, and having to break the door to get him out

LOOP / HANOI TIPS

• Look up the hours of the temples before you go so you can make sure they are open

• Hanoi, like Thailand, is not very walkable, so just watch your step when crossing roads

• BREAK UP YOUR BILLS!!!!!! On the loop, you had to pay for most toilets, which were about 5,000 dong. Some places are a part of stores so you can break change, but other places are not – come with small bills so you are prepared

• Bring toilet paper – there was never any TP in the bathrooms and when there was, it ran out quickly. By the end of the loop, all of us were searching for it, so avoid the stress and just bring your own roll

• Also bring hand sanitizer – not a lot of places to wash your hands when you are on the loop

• Wear sunscreen – you are in the sun all day so be aware

• Buy stuff for your driver – they deserve it

• TIP YOUR DRIVER! We heard that most drivers don’t make a lot and that the tip matters. I tipped Ming 1.2 million dong, which was around 50 USD. This meant the world to him and he gave me multiple hugs, and it only cost me 50 dollars. It goes so far for them, so give a generous tip if they do a good job

• Pay attention to the season for the loop- we heard March was the best time to go, which is why we went over Spring Break instead of January after Thailand. It did not rain for us one time and was so clear. If it was raining I think I would have felt much more unsafe and uncomfortable, and we would not have been able to see anything. Do your research before you go to figure out which time is best

• Bring granola bars – in case you get hungry but don’t want to spend money on food in between meals

DAY 7 – MARCH 28th

On the last day of the loop, we got back to the Homestay at around 4 p.m. and then waited there until 7 p.m. for our sleeper bus to come and take us back to Hanoi. This is when Abhi got stuck in the bathroom, frantically calling me two seconds before the bus showed up. We got the whole team on it and we were able to get him out and stall the bus, and it was hilarious. I had to Google Translate that my friend was stuck in the bathroom so many times, and I got a kick out of that. We took the bus back and got to the Lakeview hostel at 3 a.m.

DAY 8 – MARCH 29th

Ellis, Paige, and I went to Hanoi Coffee Station for breakfast, which was delicious. Ellis and I then got our stuff and Grab biked to the Vietnam Military Museum. I thought taking a motorcycle would be fine considering I was on one for four days before, but it was way scarier in the city/ on highways so I would NOT recommend it. The museum was free and was huge, but we only had an hour to explore before having to go to the airport. The museum was cool and I felt like it was important to see while I was there, but it was pretty dense and had so much information and I did not feel like I had enough time to digest it properly. Nevertheless, I’m glad we went. When trying to leave, Ellis and I were swarmed by hundreds, honestly maybe even thousands, of kids visiting the museum. They came out of nowhere, but there were so many and we felt like celebrities. They kept trying to take pictures with Ellis and it was impossible to find our Grab driver. I cannot emphasize enough how many kids there were. After navigating the sea of children, we finally found our driver and headed to the airport after a few complications. We met up with the rest of the group and prepared for our 10-hour red-eye flight, but the plane was empty so we all got to sit together in the back. We landed in Sydney at 7 a.m.

-

If you are presented with the opportunity to do the loop, you should do it. That being said, if motorcycles are not your thing or if you are scared of heights, then I don’t think it’s a good idea. I felt like I fell in the middle of the spectrum, as I don’t love motorcycles but I’m not deathly afraid of them, but I was a little scared at times. I had fun, and it pushed me out of my comfort zone in a good way. Plus doing things that scare you is important, but this didn’t feel like too much for me or something I could not handle. So when deciding to do this, just be self-aware of what you like to do and what you can handle, because once you commit there is no going back. But to set the record straight, I had an awesome time and am so glad I did it. I wish I had more time in Vietnam, but I know I will be returning someday. Overall, it’s a unique and once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I would not change a thing.

Mama's Homestay - https://mamashomestay.com/#gallery_sc_dt_0-3

The One Hostel & Rooftop Pool Hanoi - https://www.hostelworld.com/hostels/p/319525/the-one-hostel-and-rooftop-pool-hanoi/?source=ppc_gooads_nonbrand_dsk_dsa_pn_en_vn&network=g&campaign_id=21042615094&adgroup_id=154312540930&criteria_id=dsa-443313842330&creative_id=691485071189&location_physical_id=9009905&location_interest_id=1028580&adposition=&uniqueclickID=746199824954063008&sub_keyword=&sub_ad=&sub_publisher=ADW&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAD9QXQa8itsU5S5_obpGLGAgV1n6_&gclid=Cj0KCQjw_dbABhC5ARIsAAh2Z-T0oZu6ayvfGQZjCPImSC72xRVaX1IrulxfsnCyQWtMveaQ8BFuU08aAoD1EALw_wcB

Lake View Backpackers Hostel Rooftop Bar - https://www.hostelworld.com/hostels/p/326518/lake-view-backpackers-hostel-rooftop-bar/

- Ellie 5/3/25