Ha Giang
Hà Giang is a city in the northeast region of Vietnam, on the banks of the Lô River. The surrounding Hà Giang Province impresses visitors with its high karst plateau, steep hills, winding roads, and ethnic diversity. It is ideal for outdoor activities such as trekking and camping. Hà Giang is the gateway to the Dong Van Karst Plateau Geopark, with its famous Ha Giang Loop.
Understand
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Hà Giang is the main city of Ha Giang province, which is in the far north of Vietnam and shares a long border with southern China.
The weather can vary greatly from hot, dry and windy to cold and rainy quickly.
Get in
editBy bus
editFrom Hanoi: buses leave from My Dinh, Gia Lam and Giap Bat bus stations (300 km, 200,000 dong). You can also book a "limousine bus" or a sleeper bus. These will generally pick you up at your Old Quarter hotel, and drop you off at your Ha Giang hotel about 6-7 hours later.
From Dong Van: Regional minibuses run between Hà Giang and Đồng Văn (departure at 9:00 a.m. from the market square), taking 6 hours. The better view is on the right-hand side when coming from Hà Giang.
- 1 Ha Giang Bus Station (Ben Xe Khách), Phương Thiện (2 km south of the town center).
Get around
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By motorbike
editA common price is 150,000 dong/day for a semi-automatic bike (110cc). You can find several rentals in Ha Giang. Some of them run out of motorbikes, but booking in advance is not necessary. It's better to have a look at the bike before renting.
- 2 Thuê Xe Hà Giang, Lane 487, Ly Thuong Kiet St, ☏ +84 825331983, sales@thuexehagiang.com. 06:00-18:00. Cars and motorbikes to rent with or without a driver or English-speaking guide. Large, well-maintained fleet of bikes. Gives advice on roads and places to stay along your route. Always good to book your bikes in advance.
See
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Most travelers are passing through, on their way to the Ha Giang Loop through the Dong Van Karst Plateau Geopark, about 30 km north.
If you're staying close to the city, the countryside includes rice fields terraces, green natural caves, cascading waterfalls and green tea fields.
- 1 Mã Pí Lèng River Gorge. There are small tour boats here. The Mã Pí Lèng Pass above lies at an elevation of 1,500 meters.
Do
edit- 1 Tây Côn Lĩnh Trekking.
Buy
edit- 1 Hung Cuong Trading Company, hungcuongtea@fpt.vn. Produces organic tea, certified according to USDA, EU, COR, IFOAM standards.
Eat
edit- Lap suon sausage
Drink
edit- Shan Tuyet Tea (Mountain Snow Tea) — Ha Giang has some of the oldest tea trees of Vietnam. This tea is named for the snow-like white fur on its large leaves, and is made into green tea or aged white tea.
Sleep
edit- 1 Mama's House Hostel, No 368, 20 thang 8 street, 1st group, P. Nguyễn Trãi, ☏ +84 915121987, ExploreHagiang@gmail.com.
- 2 Huong Tra Hotel, Km17, Vi Xuyen district, ☏ +84 2193825876, huongtrahotel.hagiang@gmail.com. From 250,000 to 400,000 dong.
Go next
edit- The city is the beginning of the Ha Giang Loop, a motorcycle route through the Dong Van Karst Plateau Geopark.
- Cao Bang
- Hanoi
- Lao Cai