Ha Giang Loop Motorcycle TourHa Giang Loop Tour From Hanoi: Which Departure to Book
A Ha Giang loop tour from Hanoi is really two journeys bolted together: a 6-7 hours sleeper bus north, then three days of riding. The bus is included both ways on every Hanoi departure here, which is why they cost $138.59 to $208.49 while the same riding bought in Ha Giang city runs cheaper. What separates them is the night you lose, the size of the group, and whether the Nho Que boat is in the price or waiting for you at the pier.
About the Hanoi departures
Sleeper bus from the Old Quarter, leaving around 21:00 and arriving in Ha Giang near 04:00
Per person, bus both directions included on every Hanoi departure listed here
Most travellers sit behind a local rider; only one listing is sold as self-drive
Shared rooms are standard; private rooms are a paid upgrade on some tours
Not in the price. Your guide files it from your passport details and you pay on arrival
Up to 24 hours before departure on all six
Check dates
Live calendar for the Chestnut Travel departure, the most reviewed of the Hanoi trips.
Which Hanoi departure to pick
If you want the safest default
Every departure here rides the same circuit, about 350 km out of Ha Giang city and back. What you are choosing between is the group, the nights and what the price quietly leaves out.
The Chestnut Travel trip at $164.33 has 787 reviews at 4.9, more than double any other Hanoi departure on this page, and it prints the Nho Que river cruise in its inclusions rather than leaving it to the pier. You can pick the two-day or the three-day version at checkout, which is unusual: most operators sell those as separate products at separate prices.
The catch is scale. An operator running that many departures runs big groups, and big groups do not stop where you want them to stop. Ask the group size when you book.
If you want the whole field rather than this slice of it, every Ha Giang loop motorcycle tour on one page sits on the front page with prices and ratings.
If you want the highest-rated
The small group trip at $138.59 holds a clean 5.0 across 328 reviews and is the cheapest Hanoi departure here. Reviews talk about the food and the size of the group rather than the itinerary, which tells you where the operator spends its effort.
It is also the only Hanoi departure that openly sells both self-riding and easy rider on the same booking, so a couple where one person rides and one does not can travel together without booking twice.
If you sleep badly on buses
Two listings solve the 04:00 problem by including an extra night in Ha Giang before the riding starts: the three-day at $185.32 and the four-day at $226.66. You still take the sleeper bus, but you arrive, go to a bed, and start the loop the following morning instead of four hours later.
That extra night is worth more than it looks. Day one is the day you learn the bike, and doing it on ninety minutes of bus sleep is how people drop it on the first gravel patch.
If you are already north
One trip on this list starts in Ha Giang city rather than Hanoi: the three-day small group at $186.90, with a campfire evening and traditional games at the homestay. No bus is included, so the price is pure riding.
Book it only if you are getting yourself to Ha Giang. If you are coming from Hanoi anyway, a Hanoi departure with the bus inside the price almost always works out cheaper than buying the bus separately.
The six departures
Five leave from Hanoi with the bus included. The sixth starts in Ha Giang city, for riders who are already up there.
from $164.33 Easy Rider Loop, 2 or 3 Days, Sleeper Bus Both Ways
- Easy rider included
- Nho Que river cruise included
- Du Gia homestay night
from $138.59 Ha Giang Loop in 3 Days: Small Group from Hanoi
- Small group
- Hanoi sleeper bus both ways
- Self-drive or easy rider
from $208.49 Hanoi to the Loop: 3 Days with a Local Easy Rider
- Easy rider
- Hanoi hotel pickup
- Three riding days
from $206 3 Days, 3 Nights on the Loop with an Easy Rider
- Easy rider
- Three nights accommodation
- Hanoi round trip
from $185.32 3-Day Loop with an Extra Night in Ha Giang
- Extra night in Ha Giang
- Hanoi hotel pickup
- Three riding days
from $186.90 3-Day Small Group Loop with a Homestay Campfire
- Campfire evening with locals
- Lao Xa and Dong Van villages
- Ma Pi Leng walking stop
Side by side
| Tour | Days | Price | Book | Starts | Riding | Reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 or 3 | $164.33 | Hanoi | Check | Easy rider | 4.9 (787) | |
| 3 | $138.59 | Hanoi | Check | Either | 5.0 (328) | |
| 3 | $208.49 | Hanoi | Check | Easy rider | 4.9 (84) | |
| 3 | $206.00 | Hanoi | Check | Easy rider | 4.9 (152) | |
| 3 | $185.32 | Hanoi | Check | Either | 4.8 (130) | |
| 3 | $186.90 | Ha Giang city | Check | Either | 5.0 (119) |
The bus night, honestly
What the sleeper bus is actually like
A Vietnamese sleeper bus is three rows of reclining pods, not seats. You take your shoes off at the door and they go in a plastic bag. The pods are built for a frame under about 165 cm, so anyone taller sleeps folded. The driver uses the horn as punctuation.
Departure is usually around 21:00 from the Old Quarter, with hotel pickup included on most of these tours. The run takes 6-7 hours on a road that has been improving for years and still has stretches that will wake you. You reach Ha Giang around 04:00, move into a hostel dorm, and get a few more hours before breakfast.
Bring an eye mask, earplugs and a jumper. The air conditioning on these buses has one setting.
The day bus alternative
Almost nobody mentions it, but a day bus covers the same route for roughly the same money and lets you watch northern Vietnam go past instead of guessing at it in the dark. It costs you a daylight day, which is why operators default to the night run.
If your Vietnam calendar has slack in it and your sleep does not survive a moving bus, ask the operator to move you onto a day departure. Most will.
Coming back
The return leaves Ha Giang in the evening and puts you back in Hanoi late at night or early the next morning. Some tours include a night's accommodation in Hanoi on your return, which sounds like a small thing until you are standing in the Old Quarter at 04:00 with a bag.
Check that line in the inclusions. It is the single most common thing travellers assume is included and then pay for again.
How a three-day Hanoi trip runs
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Day 0, 21:00
Leave Hanoi
Pickup from your accommodation in the Old Quarter, then the sleeper bus north.
-
Day 1, 04:00
Arrive Ha Giang
Into the operator's hostel for a few more hours of sleep, then breakfast and the bike briefing.
-
Day 1, 09:00
Bac Sum Pass and Heaven Gate
The first climb, then the Quan Ba viewpoint over the Tam Son valley and the twin mountains.
-
Day 1, 13:00
Lunch in Yen Minh
Included. Afternoon runs on through Chin Khoanh Pass onto the Dong Van karst plateau.
-
Day 1, 16:00
H'Mong King's Palace
The Vuong family compound at Sa Phin, then into Dong Van for the night.
-
Day 2, 08:30
Ma Pi Leng Pass
The cliff road to Meo Vac, with a coffee stop at the viewpoint and the skywalk if the schedule allows.
-
Day 2, 11:00
Nho Que River
Down to the pier for the boat through Tu San canyon. Included on some tours, 120,000 VND on others.
-
Day 2, 17:30
Du Gia homestay
Village night in the rice fields, family-style dinner, happy water.
-
Day 3, 09:00
Du Gia waterfall
Swimming stop, then the ride back through Lung Ho to Ha Giang city.
-
Day 3, evening
Bus back to Hanoi
Another 6-7 hours south, arriving late that night or early the next morning.
Know before you book
The border permit
Quan Ba, Yen Minh, Dong Van and Meo Vac all sit in a border area, and foreign passport holders need a border area entry permit to ride through them. Operators started charging it openly in 2026, usually as "$10, pay on arrival", which works out at 200,000 to 250,000 VND.
Operators say checks tightened from 1 June 2026. No published government notice confirms that date, so treat it as how the road is being run rather than a law you can look up. Either way, send your passport scan when you book and your guide handles the rest.
What to bring on the bike
Your main bag stays in Hanoi, at your hotel or the operator's office, and you ride with a daypack strapped down and wrapped in plastic. You will not open it while moving.
- Warm layers for the evenings, even in July, because Dong Van sits high
- Waterproof shoes, not sandals
- A buff or scarf against dust and wind
- Sunglasses, hard to buy once you leave Ha Giang city
- About 1,000,000 VND in small notes, roughly $38, for coffee, drinks and tips
- Your passport, for the checkpoints
What the price does not cover
Drinks and coffee stops, and there is a cafe roughly every hour. Tips for the guide and rider. The border permit. The Nho Que boat on the tours that do not include it. Any private room upgrade.
Budget an extra $50 to $70 across three days and you will not think about money again until Hanoi.
Who it suits, and the rules
This trip is not suitable for anyone who cannot sit on a moving motorbike for five hours a day, or for travellers with back or knee problems that a bus seat already aggravates. Riders under 18 cannot take the handlebars, and children are not carried as passengers on the loop.
What to bring: a daypack that closes, warm layers for the plateau evenings, waterproof shoes, a buff against the dust, sunglasses, your passport for the checkpoints and about 1,000,000 VND, roughly $38, in small notes.
Not allowed: riding without a helmet, riding after the happy water at dinner, and taking the handlebars yourself unless you hold a home motorcycle licence and a 1968-convention International Driving Permit.
Hanoi to Ha Giang
About 300 km north by road, which is why the bus takes most of a night. The loop itself starts where the bus stops.
Questions about the Hanoi departures
How long is the bus from Hanoi to Ha Giang?
6-7 hours, leaving around 21:00 and arriving near 04:00. It is included both ways on every Hanoi departure here, including the most-booked trip.
What does a Ha Giang loop tour from Hanoi cost?
$138.59 to $208.49 per person for the departures on this page, with bus, bike, guide, meals and accommodation included. The cheapest Hanoi departure is also the highest rated.
Do I sleep on the bus or in a bed on the first night?
On the bus, then a few hours in a hostel dorm before the riding starts. If that sounds unbearable, this trip includes an extra Ha Giang night so you start rested.
Can I start the loop in Ha Giang city instead?
Yes, and it is cheaper because no bus is priced in. The small group departure starts there at $186.90. It only makes sense if you are getting yourself north some other way.
Is the Nho Que boat included?
On some tours. The Chestnut Travel trip lists the river cruise in its inclusions; on others you pay 120,000 to 150,000 VND, about $5, at the pier.
Do I need the border permit on a Hanoi tour?
Yes. Every itinerary crosses the border districts. It costs about $10, your operator files it from your passport details, and you pay on arrival.
Can I leave my big backpack in Hanoi?
Yes. Hotels and hostels in the Old Quarter store bags for free while you ride, and most of these operators offer the same at their own office.
What riders said
Great trip. Unreal value for money. Tony was safe and fun. Breathtaking views. I did the 2 day tour. Felt like that was plenty of time to do everything. I would recommend the sleeper bus.
Incredible experience with Lee as our tour guide! Definitely gets your bum hurting but 100% worth it!!!
Team Lee was the best! So helpful and kind. All the drivers were amazing. I highly recommend this.
Still deciding
Two days, three or four
Three days is what these Hanoi departures are built around and what most people book. Two days compresses the same circuit into longer riding days and drops Du Gia. Four days adds the villages, the waterfall and enough slack that a fogged-in morning does not cost you a landmark.
If you are weighing the options against price rather than days, every trip we track sits on one page with its rating, inclusions and departure point.