Riding the Ha Giang Loop with Tiem Tours

The Ha Giang Loop is the highlight of Vietnam for an awful lot of backpackers. In a few days you ride through the far north: passes that wind up the side of a mountain wall, villages with the washing hung out along the road, and on day three the Ma Pi Leng, where the river is so far below you that you do not quite know where to look.

Almost everybody rides that route with a local operator, and for good reason: they know the roads, the fuel stops, the homestays and the weather. Tiem Tours is based in Ha Giang itself, was set up by Nguyen Thanh Tiem, and works with a team that comes entirely from the region. They ride in groups of eight to ten, and a maximum of eight in the Plus package.

You can ride yourself, sit on the back with a local rider, or do the whole route in a car with a driver. Beyond the loop they also run on to Cao Bang and Ba Be Lake, for anyone who wants to stay longer in the north.

See Tiem Tours

Three days or four

The three-day version is the classic, roughly 350 kilometres. Day one climbs the Bac Sum slope and Quan Ba heaven’s gate to Yen Minh, with the linen cooperative at Lung Tam on the way. Day two goes over the Tham Ma pass to the flag tower at Lung Cu on the Chinese border, and you sleep in the old town of Dong Van. Day three is the Ma Pi Leng and the boat on the Nho Que through the Tu San gorge; you are back in Ha Giang around five.

The four-day version covers the same highlights over 440 kilometres and carries on to Du Gia. You get an extra day for the same route, there is a waterfall you can get into, and you are less tied to the clock. We would take that one if you can spare the day. If you cannot, the three-day version leaves nothing out: you still get both the Ma Pi Leng and the Nho Que. And if you decide halfway that you want longer, you can switch during the tour for the difference in price.

Only got two days? There is a two-day version as well. Want to go further north instead, and they run a five-day tour to the Cao Bang Geopark and a six-day one that adds Ba Be Lake on the end.

Riding yourself, on the back, or by car

This is the choice that matters most, and not only for your wallet. The price of each option is in the price block further down this page.

On the back with a local rider, the easy rider, is what Tiem Tours recommends most often. You do nothing except look, your rider knows every bend, and you can ask questions on the way.

Riding yourself is possible too: you get a Honda 110cc semi-automatic, fuel, a helmet and protective gear, and you ride with the group. There is one condition you have to sort out before you leave home: you need a valid 1968-convention international driving permit with category A or A1 on it, plus your own motorcycle licence. The police on the loop genuinely check, and a fine runs up to 3,000,000 dong for a bike under 125cc. Without those papers in your pocket, the back seat is the relaxed choice.

On the back of your own travel companion’s bike is the cheapest option, but only works if somebody in your group is riding. By car you do the whole route in an SUV with a driver, from two people upwards: the sensible answer if motorbikes are not your thing, or if it is pouring in the season you are there.

Where you sleep and what you eat

Tiem Tours runs three packages over the same route. In the Saving package you sleep in a dorm in the homestays, with local food and a local guide. In the Budget package you get a private room every night. The Plus package is the comfortable one: a private room in the nicer homestays, bigger meals with hotpot and barbecue, an English-speaking guide, travel insurance up to 30,000,000 dong, and groups of no more than eight.

Every meal on the road is in the price, and here that matters: the evenings exist to sit at a long table with the riders and the rest of the group. Vegetarian, vegan or an allergy? Say so when you book.

The night before the tour starts you sleep free in the dorm of their own guesthouse in Ha Giang; a private room is available for extra. Your big backpack stays in their luggage room, so you ride into the mountains with a small bag.

You pay in cash

The price depends on how many days you ride, how you sit on the bike and which package you pick. All the amounts are in the price block, with the three-day and four-day versions side by side.

Two things to sort out in advance. When you book you pay a deposit that comes off the total, but that you do not get back if you cancel, so only book once your date is fixed. And the rest you settle in cash on arrival, in dong, euros or dollars. Tiem Tours does not take cards and does not take QR, so make sure you have enough cash before you go into the mountains: the balance of your tour, the border area permit, and a few hundred thousand dong a day for drinks, snacks and a tip for your rider.

The bus between Hanoi and Ha Giang is not included. You can add it through Tiem Tours or arrange it yourself.

Why we send people here

The Ha Giang Loop stands or falls on who is riding in front of you and who you end up next to at dinner. That Tiem Tours works with a team from the region is exactly what you want on this route: somebody who knows these roads the way you know your own neighbourhood, and who can tell you who lives in which valley.

What we also like is that they leave the choice to you. The same route, but you decide whether you steer or sit behind, whether you sleep in a dorm or a private room, and whether you take three days or four. That makes the loop work for a backpacker counting every euro and for somebody who wants it a bit more comfortable. And the numbers say something too: 5.0 out of 459 reviews on TripAdvisor, with a Travellers Choice award in 2026.

Rebels on the Road discount

Riding the loop with Tiem Tours? Give the code REBELSONTHEROAD the moment you message them or hold your place. They sell direct out of Ha Giang and do not work through a booking platform, so there is no button that applies the discount for you: you have to say it yourself. Put it in your first message, alongside your date and the number of days, and it is sorted before you pay the deposit.

The Ha Giang Loop with Tiem Tours: worth it or not?

If you are in the north of Vietnam we would not skip the loop, and you want to ride it with people who live there. Tiem Tours is that kind of operator: small, based in Ha Giang itself, with its own riders and its own guesthouse where you can stay the night before.

Take the four-day version if you can. You see the same highlights as on the three-day, but with room to stay at a viewpoint instead of moving on, and with Du Gia added.

Two things to arrange before you book: your international driving permit if you want to ride yourself, and enough cash. Put the code REBELSONTHEROAD in your first message, because without it you miss the discount.

See Tiem Tours