Ha Giang

A scenic road amid the Karst Plateau of Dong Van

Country: Vietnam
Province: Ha Giang

Tinh Ha Giang Holiday Weather today

Date/time of update: April 20, 2024, 12:49 am, Timezone: GMT+7
Overcast Clouds

Temperature: 26.76°C
Temperature feels like: 29.54°C
Minimum Temperature: 26.76°C
Maximum Temperature: 26.76°C
Atmospheric pressure: 1004hPa
Humidity:84%
Visibility: 10000m
Wind speed: 1.24m/sec
Wind Direction: 153 degrees
Cloudiness: 90%
Sunrise: 2024-04-19 10:35:19
Sunset: 2024-04-20 11:22:05

Ha Giang is 312km north of Hanoi and the trip by car or by motorbike takes one full day. Ha Giang Province is famous for the rock plateau of Dong Van and the sublime pass of Ma Pi Leng which are both 150km from Ha Giang Provincial capital.

Tourist attractions in Ha Giang include the unreal karstic plateau of Dong Van, the ethnic minorities with untouched cultures, and the mesmerizing rice terraces at Hoang Su Phi. Besides, our motorcycle adventures and mountain biking tours in Ha Giang provide you with thrilling experiences of the land. Below is a recommended list of what to see and things to do in Ha Giang.

Ha Giang Travel Guide, Tourist Attractions, What to See in Ha Giang

1/Dong Van Karst Plateau

It is rock everywhere and the scenery is beyond imagination! Houses, gardens, corn fields, mountains, roads… are all made of rock on averaged elevations of 1,400-1,600m above sea level, and the landscape is more like in fictions than on planet Earth. You experience the plateau and see how beautiful it is.

Dong Van Market in Ha Giang

A trip to Dong Van Plateau from Hanoi should take 5-6 days; shorter time for the adventure would be fine but you would be in a rush. There are lots of interesting things to do in Dong Van Plateau and you can find out more on this by visiting our post for the plateau, the below list is to give some ideas.

1.1 Quan Ba

Quan Ba is the gateway to the Dong Van Plateau from Ha Giang provincial capital. In Quan Ba, you will see the abrupt change of altitude with steep gradients. The topology changes from soil to rock and the landscape becomes just captivating. The highlights in Quan Ba include the Heavenly Gate with breathtaking views of mountain peaks, the Can Ty Gradient with river and mountains, ethnic villages with traditions of weaving or handicrafts, the twin mountains at Tam Son Township...

A scenic road near the Heavenly Gate at Quan Ba, Ha Giang, Vietnam

1.2 Yen Minh

It is just breathtaking landscape at Yen Minh with mostly serrated ridges lining the horizon. There are breathtaking yet hidden valleys of Du Gia, Lung Ho. There is also the Tham Ma Gradient to test power of horses. Rest assured your photos of Yen Minh are breathtaking!

Yen Minh Township, Ha Giang Province, Vietnam

Rocky Mountains at the Lung Ho Valley in Yen Minh

1.3 Dong Van

Dong Van District is in the center of the Rock Plateau of Dong Van. Traveling through the land, you will love the ethnic communities as well as the stunning landscape. The moment you leave Yen Minh for Dong Van, you venture further into another world: pure rock everywhere you turn.

Hmong houses at Lung Cu, Dong Van

After passing through the Tham Ma Gradient, you’ll enter Pho Cao with different Hmong communities who make a living from cultivating corn on the soil in thin cracks of the rock of the plateau! Life is tough for certain but things look wonderful!
If you happen to travel through Dong Van in the months of October, November or late December through February, there are blossoms all over and it is certainly magical!

Dong Van Old Quarter

If you look for specific spots, then do not miss the former Residence of the Hmong King of Dong Van with wonderful architecture at the Sa Phin Valley, the Dong Van Old Quarter with an amazing history and vibe, Dong Van Sunday Market where different ethnic groups have weekly gatherings… Pho Bang is also an amazing place for a feel of an urban settlement in the remote highland. Lung Phinh and Sung Trai are places for weekend markets amid awe-inspiring nature… You will discover more of Dong Van making your own trip through this amazing place: several places are not visited by most travelers to the plateau!

1.4 Meo Vac

Meo Vac is famed for the Ma Pi Leng Pass with stunning views of the sublime nature around, for the Nho Que River with the deepest canon in Vietnam of Tu San, for the love market where old lovers have brief moments together once a year... But again, Meo Vac has several secrets that not yet discovered. It is a huge rock plateau and many secret places can only be accessed on foot only, paths are too small or uneven for vehicles.

Meo Vac Market

Ma Pi Leng Pass between Dong Van and Meo Vac

2/Chieu Lau Thi Mountain

Chieu Lau Thi (Kieu Lieu Thi – 2402m) means a 9-storey poetic mountain. You can go to the top of the mountain by motorbike or on foot. The road or path to the top is 10km, an extremely bad one and it is worse in the rainy season when there are possibly landslides and rock-slides. Expect lovely photos from the summit especially when there are clouds. A trekking trip to the top of Chieu Lau Thi is an adventure of a lifetime and you’d need at least 2 days (1 night) for this trip.

Path to the summit of Chieu Lau Thi, Hoang Su Phi, Ha Giang

3/Hoang Su Phi Rice Terraces

The breathtaking rice terraces of Hoang Su Phi is with sublime mountains in the background which is extremely photogenic. Come in late September and early October, you’ll be in a world of fantasy and expect great photography during this time. The best way to experience the rice terraces of Hoang Su Phi is on a trekking tour which takes 3-5 days from Hanoi. Accommodations are at local ethnic villages. Boutique homestays with some comforts are available for a bit higher prices.

Captivating rice terraces at Hoang Su Phi, Ha Giang, Vietnam

Things to do, Adventure Travel & Trekking Tours, Motorbike Tours, Bike Tours in Ha Giang

1/Trekking Tours in Ha Giang

Trekking tours are available at Hoang Su Phi, Chieu Lau Thi Mountain, Dong Van Rock Plateau, Vi Xuyen. On site, the trekking trip takes 1-2 days and you should add at least 2 more days from Hanoi to make up the total trip length. The difficulty levels are from moderate to hard.

Dong Van Rock Plateau - Ha Giang - Vietnam
Dong Van Rock Plateau

2/Motorcycle tours in Ha Giang

Getting thrilled amid the untamed world of the rock plateau of Dong Van is something that lasts for the rest of your life as a wonderful memory. Words and pictures fail to tell you how great it is. Come and do it yourself then. AdventureGreen hosts 5-7 day motorbike tours to Dong Van Plateau from Hanoi. There are side trips involving trek, hike, walk… on these adventures. Expect to take the routes rarely seen by other visitors.

A motorcycle ride in the rock plateau of Dong Van

3/Mountain-bike tours in Ha Giang

Let’s savor the beauty of the Rock Plateau of Dong Van on AdventureGreen mountain bike adventures. Extraordinary beauties must be savored, digested very slowly. On our bike adventures in Dong Van Plateau, every of your moments are sensational. Everyday, we’ll follow different paths which lead you to nowhere, of which the landscape is unbelievably breathtaking! The trip takes 4-6 days from Hanoi.

Mountains at Quan Ba, Ha Giang

4/Photography adventures in Ha Giang

Yes, you have to have a sense of adventure to take on these tours. There are a lot of hiking and trekking involved so that you could fully enjoy the landscapes from different angles. The sites for our photo tours are in Hoang Su Phi and Dong Van Karst Plateau.

Amazing mountains near Dong Van Town

AdventureGreen hosts a number of trekking and hiking tours through Ha Giang. Besides, our motorbike adventure and mountain biking tours in Ha Giang provide you with thrilling experiences of the land.

Accommodation

There are several mini hotels in Ha Giang City and in the Dong Van Plateau. Luxury hotels are yet available in the province. Alternatively you can stay in villages with an ethnic family which could give you interesting experiences.

A homestay at Hoang Su Phi, Ha Giang

How to get there

1/ Hanoi to Ha Giang

You can travel to Ha Giang from Hanoi, Cao Bang, or Lao Cai. From Hanoi to Ha Giang, the distance is over 300km via Route 2 which is in great conditions nowadays; via this route you access Ha Giang from the south of the province.

National road No. 2 which connects Hanoi, Vinh Phuc, Phu Tho, Tuyen Quang and Ha Giang. The road is in good conditions and is to be under upgrade

2/ Lao Cai to Ha Giang

The route from Lao Cai to Ha Giang gives you access to the province from the west. There are two routes:
- One is via route 279 which has parts in bad conditions. The landscape is very nice.
- Another route is via Bac Ha – Xin Man – Hoang Su Phi: this route offers stunning scenery with imposing mountains, lovely ethnic villages and markets and captivating rice terraces… But the roads may be in extremely bad conditions and prone to landslides during the rainy season.

National Road 279 at Xin Man District, on this route we can travel from Ha Giang to Bac Ha District of Lao Cai Province

3/ Cao Bang to Ha Giang

The route from Cao Bang to Ha Giang gives you access to the province from the east. There are two roads to choose from: Road No.34 which is in fine conditions mostly yet still prone to floods and landslides in the rainy season; provincial route 203, 204 or 208 which travel either via Thong Nong or Ha Quang and along the Chinese border to Meo Vac. The latter offers wild and sublime natural landscape, secluded ethnic villages…but it is in extremely bad conditions and not suitable for cars. One should be an experienced adventure travelers to take this route.