4 / 5 - 2 reviews
How to get there
7 hours by road from Hanoi
When to go
May through October
Minimum stay
2 to 3 days
Ha Giang (Vietnam)
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flickrcc Khanh Hmoong
Practical information on Ha Giang
Reviews of Ha Giang
Ha Giang is a stop over town whichis the starting point for an exploration of the north-east of Vietnam.
My suggestion:
Don't forget to go to the local police station to get the permit you need for visiting the north of the country. Avoid the night bus which leaves from the capital because it is incredibly rattly and the drivers are, frankly, not very reassuring.
My review
I arrived in Ha Giang in the middle of the night because I had taken the night bus from Hanoi. We were put down at the bus station and I recommend you to reserve a guest house or " Nha Nghi" in advance because the area can look a bit dodgy.
As far as I was concerned, I thought Ha Giang itself wasn't attractive. Its buildings are grey and the streets are dirty. But the strong point of Ha Giang, is the welcome ! Once we got up, we had to go and see people to organise the next part of our trip. The locals were very friendly, quickly sending us to see a friend or a neighbour so we could rent a motorbike for our tour of the north.
Ha Giang has all the shops you could possibly want and I remember there were also lots of small massage places. We stopped and had a head massage from a Vietnamese lady and it was great after the gruelling travelling we had done before.
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Claire GUERIN
By far the most remote and least explored mountainous region of Vietnam, Ha Giang Province attracts travellers seeking contrasting landscapes and the opportunity to explore off the beaten track.
My suggestion:
The region is populated by a number of different ethnicities, which means it is sometimes hard to make yourself understood. My advice therefore is to go equipped with a small picture book to illustrate what you are asking for.
My review
I had heard for a long time that Ha Glang was the most beautiful patchwork of landscapes that I could ever hope to find, and that's why, this time, I wanted to dedicate my entire Vietnamese trip to this part of the country. After completing a week-long trek in this mountainous promise, I did indeed discover some of the most spectacular landscapes, from terraced rice paddies to tiny, isolated villages.
Passing through the various stages on the hike, highlights of which included Ma Pi Leng Pass, the Dong Van Plateau or the village of Pho Bang, I met local populations that were as diverse as they were hospitable. While travellers crowd around this part of the country today, a large part of that is due to the fact that Ha GIang is the homeland of a number of different ethnic minorities. Dressed in brightly coloured outfits, and still following their traditional ways of life, these populations include members of the Hmong, Dao, Tay, Nung and Lo Io ethnicities. In any event, it's a landscape that I'm not likely to forget!
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flickrcc Khanh Hmoong
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flickrcc Nhi Dang
189 travelers' photos
