Private & tailor-made · 1–4 guests
Ha Giang Loop Tour by Private Car: Three Days from Ha Giang City
The whole loop in your own car, with your own guide: Quan Ba, the Dong Van plateau, Lung Cu, the cliff road of Ma Pi Leng, a boat on the Nho Que and a quiet last night in Du Gia. Every entry fee, the boat and the border permit are paid before you travel.
A sample trip at a glance
What changes when the trip is yours
A private car for your group alone
Private, 1-4 guests, and nobody outside your party is added to it
Your own licensed local guide
Fluent in English and explains the H’Mong, Lo Lo and Tay villages and the story of each pass — to your group alone, not a convoy of strangers
Collected at your own hotel
Anywhere in Ha Giang city, or at your bus office. No meeting point to reach on your own
Every ticket, the boat and the permit prepaid
Nothing is collected from you at any gate, pier or checkpoint
No shop stops, in writing
No detour to a souvenir market that pays to have you delivered
No motorbike, no convoy
The same passes the easy riders take, in a car with a mountain driver, stopping wherever the view makes you want to
Duration
3 days, 2 nights
Departure
08:30 pickup in Ha Giang city
Pickup
Any Ha Giang city hotel
from · $354 · / person · ›Check your price ›
Choose your group size · price is the total for the group
Solo traveller$975 BOOK →2 guests$1,075 BOOK →3 guests$1,315 BOOK →4 guests$1,415 BOOK →Free cancellation up to 5 days before · every tour tailored on request
Three days on the loop, stop by stop
This is a sample route: add, skip or linger over any stop and we will adjust it. Times are a guide; your guide shifts them for weather and light.
Day 1 · Hotel pickup · 08:30 · your Ha Giang city hotel or bus office
Quan Ba Heaven Gate
09:45 · about 30 minutes · on foot
No entry fee anywhere on this stop
1 photo · tap to enlarge
The first high pass north of Ha Giang city. From the top you look down on the Quan Ba valley and the two rounded hills known as the Twin Mountains. Your guide explains the story behind their name and how the Tay and H’Mong fields below are laid out.
Lung Tam linen village
10:30 · about 45 minutes · on foot
No entry fee — and no obligation to buy
1 photo · tap to enlarge
A H’Mong village where women still turn hemp into cloth by hand: splitting the stalks, spinning, weaving, dyeing with indigo and drawing patterns in beeswax. Your guide translates, so you can ask how long one skirt takes. You are welcome to buy nothing.
Yen Minh and Tham Ma pass · lunch in Yen Minh · about 2 hours of driving with stops
Sung La valley
14:30 · about 30 minutes · on foot
Entry fee included
1 photo · tap to enlarge
A high valley of earth-walled houses and stone fences, famous in Vietnam as the set of the film Pao’s Story. Your guide explains how the H’Mong build with rammed earth and why every field is walled in stone.
Vuong family palace
15:30 · about 45 minutes · on foot
Entry fee included
4 photos · tap to enlarge
The stone and timber home of the Vuong family, who governed the H’Mong of this plateau in the early twentieth century and grew rich partly on the opium trade. Your guide walks you through the courtyards and tells the family’s story, which is also the story of the border region.
Night 1 · Dong Van · hotel in the old quarter · dinner included
Lung Cu flag tower
Day 2 · 08:00 · about an hour · stairs or shuttle
Entry fee included
1 photo · tap to enlarge
Vietnam’s northernmost flag tower, on a hilltop above Lo Lo and H’Mong villages and the Chinese border. We aim to arrive at opening time, before the tour buses. The long stair climb is optional; an electric shuttle covers most of it.
Ma Pi Leng Pass and the Sky Path
10:30 · about 75 minutes · on foot, mostly flat
No entry fee anywhere on this stop
4 photos · tap to enlarge
The pass itself: a road cut into a limestone cliff, dug largely by hand in the 1960s, with the Nho Que River hundreds of metres below. We stop at the lookouts and walk the Sky Path, a narrow ledge trail on the cliffs above the road, for as long as you like.
The Nho Que River by private boat
12:00 · about 90 minutes including the shuttle to the pier
Boat fare included — the boat is yours
4 photos · tap to enlarge
A reservoir now fills the Tu San canyon, and a boat is the only way to see it from the bottom. Your group has the boat to itself for the trip between the walls. Boats stop after heavy rain; if the river is closed on your day, your guide swaps in the canyon viewpoints and a longer walk on the Sky Path.
Meo Vac to Du Gia · late lunch in Meo Vac · about 3 hours on the southern road
Night 2 · Du Gia · private room at an ecolodge or homestay · dinner included
Du Gia village and waterfall
Day 3 · 08:30 · about 2 hours · on foot
Nothing to pay on this stop
1 photo · tap to enlarge
A quieter valley of rice fields and stilt houses on the southern half of the loop. The morning is slow: a walk through the village and, when the water is right, a swim in the pool under the Du Gia waterfall.
Back at your hotel · Ha Giang city · around 15:30, in time for an afternoon bus or car to Hanoi
That is the whole loop
No stops we did not tell you about, nothing to pay at any gate, and any part of it can be changed.
Group total · everything included
Solo traveller$975 BOOK →2 guests$1,075 BOOK →3 guests$1,315 BOOK →4 guests$1,415 BOOK →Price is the total for the group · free cancellation up to 5 days before
WhatsApp · +84 368 938 081Want a different route, pace or group size? We will plan your trip and send you an all-inclusive quote. ›What is in the price
Included
- Private car with an experienced mountain driver
- Your own licensed local guide, fluent in English
- Two nights in private rooms, in Dong Van and Du Gia
- Meals as listed: 2 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 2 dinners
- Private boat through the Tu San canyon on the Nho Que
- Every entrance fee and the border-area permit
- Pickup and drop-off at your Ha Giang city hotel or bus office
- Bottled water in the car
Not included
− The bus or car between Hanoi and Ha Giang city — we can book one for you
− Drinks beyond the water and the meals listed
− Anything you choose to buy in the villages
− A tip for your guide and driver — never expected, always welcome
− Travel insurance, which we recommend you carry
Is this the right tour for you?
A good fit if
You want the Ha Giang Loop without riding a motorbike, or sitting behind someone who does.
You are travelling with parents or children and want a car, private rooms and stops when you need them.
You want to understand the villages you pass, not only photograph them.
You want one number that covers the rooms, meals, boat and permit.
Look elsewhere if
You want to ride the loop yourself. A self-ride motorbike tour is the real thing for that.
You are one person on a tight budget.
Long drives on winding roads make you unwell. The days are 5 to 7 hours in the car, with stops.
You have fewer than three days in the north.
If you would rather skip the bus from Hanoi, the four-day version collects you at your Hanoi hotel. See the four days from Hanoi. Or tell us what you want to see, and we will plan a day around it.
Questions before you book
About the trip
How long is the tour and when does it start?
Three days and two nights, 08:30 pickup in Ha Giang city. You are back in Ha Giang city around 15:30 on day three, in time for an afternoon bus or car to Hanoi.
Where do you pick us up?
At your hotel or bus office anywhere in Ha Giang city. Your guide waits in the lobby for 20 minutes. Overnight buses from Hanoi arrive before dawn, and we can book you a room to rest in until pickup.
Where do we sleep?
Night one in a hotel in Dong Van, night two at an ecolodge or homestay in Du Gia. Every room is a private room for your group, never a dorm.
How much driving and walking is there?
Around 5 to 7 hours in the car each day on winding mountain roads, broken by a stop every hour or so. Walking is short and optional: the Sky Path is a mostly flat ledge trail, and Lung Cu has a long stair climb or an electric shuttle for most of it. Tell us about travel sickness and we plan more stops.
Can we change the route or the pace?
Yes. This is a sample route and every part of it can be adjusted: add a stop, skip one, or spend longer at Ma Pi Leng. Tell us before you book and we confirm the plan and an all-inclusive price in writing.
Does the guide speak good English?
Yes. Your guide is a licensed local who speaks fluent English and explains the customs of the villages and the history of each pass as you go.
Booking and practicalities
Is the price per person or for the whole group?
For the whole group, from one to four guests: four people pay less each than two, and the car is the same car. Children under 5 travel free and do not count towards the group size; from 5 a child counts as one guest; groups of five or more travel in a larger vehicle — message us for a quote.
Do we need a permit?
Foreign visitors need a border-area permit for Quan Ba, Yen Minh, Dong Van and Meo Vac. We arrange it for every guest on our tours — send a photo of your passport on WhatsApp after booking.
How do I pay, and when?
Two ways: pay the full price online by card, or pay a 30% deposit online and the rest in cash on the first day of the tour, in US dollars or Vietnamese dong. We can also send a secure payment link on WhatsApp. The booking is confirmed once the online payment goes through, and your pickup time and guide’s name arrive in writing.
Can I cancel or reschedule?
Yes — free cancellation up to 5 days before departure for a full refund, and free rescheduling subject to availability. Within 5 days of departure, 30% of the tour price is charged because the car, guide and hotel rooms are already committed.
What should I bring, and do I need cash?
Your passport, warm layers from November to March when nights drop close to freezing, a rain jacket in summer and shoes you can walk in. You need no cash at any gate or pier; if you chose to pay the balance in cash, bring it for your guide.
What happens if it rains or a road is closed?
Landslides after heavy rain or a road closure can change the route on the day; your guide re-routes, with no partial refund. If the authorities close the loop or a natural disaster makes the tour impossible, you move the date free or get a 100% refund.
Book the three-day loop
Private car and licensed local guide, hotel pickup, your rooms, the boat and the permit already settled.
Group total · everything included
Solo traveller$975 BOOK →2 guests$1,075 BOOK →3 guests$1,315 BOOK →4 guests$1,415 BOOK →Price is the total for the group · free cancellation up to 5 days before
WhatsApp · +84 368 938 081Want a different route, pace or group size? We will plan your trip and send you an all-inclusive quote. ›