Private & tailor-made · 1–4 guests
Ha Giang Loop from Hanoi: Four Days by Private Car
Door to door from your Hanoi hotel: no night bus, no motorbike. Your own car and guide take you up to Quan Ba, across the Dong Van plateau to Lung Cu and over Ma Pi Leng, with a good hotel every night. 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 Hanoi, or at Noi Bai airport. No night bus and 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
A good bed every night
A resort in Quan Ba, a hotel in Dong Van and an international hotel in Ha Giang city before the drive home
Duration
4 days, 3 nights
Departure
07:00 pickup in Hanoi
Pickup
Any Hanoi hotel or Noi Bai airport
from · $543 · / person · ›Check your price ›
Choose your group size · price is the total for the group
Solo traveller$1,515 BOOK →2 guests$1,640 BOOK →3 guests$2,045 BOOK →4 guests$2,170 BOOK →Free cancellation up to 5 days before · every tour tailored on request
Four days, door to door
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 · 07:00 · your Hanoi hotel or Noi Bai airport
Drive north · about 300 km, around 6 hours with a lunch stop · The Tuyen Quang–Ha Giang expressway is not yet open end to end (target: end of 2026), so Hanoi to Ha Giang city takes about 5–6 hours by car today.
Quan Ba Heaven Gate
15:30 · about 45 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.
Night 1 · Quan Ba · resort bungalow in the valley · dinner included
Lung Tam linen village
Day 2 · 08:30 · 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
13:30 · 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
14:30 · 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.
Lung Cu flag tower
16:00 · 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 arrive in the late afternoon light, after most tour buses have gone. The long stair climb is optional; an electric shuttle covers most of it.
Night 2 · Dong Van · hotel in the old quarter · dinner included
Ma Pi Leng Pass and the Sky Path
Day 3 · 08:00 · 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
09:30 · 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 Ha Giang city · lunch in Meo Vac · about 4 to 5 hours back through Yen Minh
Night 3 · Ha Giang city · international hotel in town · dinner included
Day 4 · Back at your hotel · Hanoi · early afternoon, after about 6 hours on the road
That is the whole trip
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$1,515 BOOK →2 guests$1,640 BOOK →3 guests$2,045 BOOK →4 guests$2,170 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 driver, door to door from Hanoi and back
- Your own licensed local guide, fluent in English
- Three nights in private rooms, in Quan Ba, Dong Van and Ha Giang city
- Meals as listed: 3 breakfasts, 4 lunches, 3 dinners
- Private boat through the Tu San canyon on the Nho Que
- Every entrance fee and the border-area permit
- Pickup at your Hanoi hotel or Noi Bai airport
- Bottled water in the car
Not included
− 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 the night bus and without a motorbike.
You are travelling with parents or children and want a car and a proper hotel every night.
You want to understand the villages you pass, not only photograph them.
You want one number that covers the car from Hanoi, 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. Two of the four days are mostly driving.
You also want Du Gia or the Hoang Su Phi rice terraces. Add a fifth day, or start from Ha Giang city on the three-day loop.
Already in Ha Giang city, or happy to take the bus up? The three-day loop starts there and adds a night in Du Gia. See the three-day loop. 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?
Four days and three nights, 07:00 pickup in Hanoi. You are back at your Hanoi hotel in the early afternoon of day four.
Where do you pick us up?
At your hotel anywhere in Hanoi, or at Noi Bai airport if you land that morning. Your guide waits in the lobby for 20 minutes.
How long is the drive from Hanoi?
About 300 km each way, around 6 hours with a lunch stop. The Tuyen Quang–Ha Giang expressway is not yet open end to end (target: end of 2026), so Hanoi to Ha Giang city takes about 5–6 hours by car today.
Where do we sleep?
Night one at a resort in the Quan Ba valley, night two in a hotel in Dong Van, night three at an international hotel in Ha Giang city. Every room is a private room for your group.
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 add a fifth day for Du Gia. 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.
How much driving and walking is there?
Days one and four are mostly driving; days two and three have 4 to 5 hours in the car on winding roads, broken by stops. Walking is short and optional. Tell us about travel sickness and we plan more stops.
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 four days from Hanoi
Private car and licensed local guide, pickup at your Hanoi hotel, your rooms, the boat and the permit already settled.
Group total · everything included
Solo traveller$1,515 BOOK →2 guests$1,640 BOOK →3 guests$2,045 BOOK →4 guests$2,170 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. ›