North-Vietnam Bicycle Tour Travel Laocai Bac Ha Xin Man Ha Giang Bac Me Cao Bang Ba Be lakes

Day 1: Overnight train to Lao Cai
You will be met up with Lotussia Travel guide at your hotel in Hanoi and transferred to Hanoi station for overnight train to Lao Cai

Day 2: Lao Cai –  Bac Ha
You will be greeted by Asia Pacific Travel local team at Laocai station and transferred to a local restaurant for breakfast. Enjoy a full day cycle from Laocai to Bac ha with stops en route for visiting local tribal villages.

Day 3: Bac Ha – Xin Man
We will bike across one of the most remote parts of northern Vietnam. At first we tackle a steady climb of 6km on good paved road but then turn into short section of jeep track. After around 3-hr riding we will have a picnic lunch wherever we find  good for that. After lunch we continue riding to Xin Man, a small and busy town near Chinese border. Xin Man is around 75 km from Bac Ha and the biking in the afternoon is not less challenging than the one in the morning. We will climb for the first hour or so up to a plateau at 2500m, where we have fantastic view before hitting rough paved road for a steady descent into Xin Man. During the biking we will have regular stop for break, snack and taking photo. Dinner and overnight in hotel.

Day 4: Xin Man – Hoang Shu Phi – Ha Giang
Today we take a gentle ride covering 90km from Xin Man to Viet Quang Town. The ride takes us down to a bridge over the main river and for the next 40km we ride along a quiet road that gently climbs and follows the river upstream to Hoang Shu Phi, a quiet town at 1000m. Have a break in town for snack and refreshment then continue with downhill quiet road 60km to Viet Quang. We will have a late light lunch in Viet Quang Town then take a bus transfer to Ha Giang Town, the capital of Ha Giang Province which is the final frontier in northern Vietnam, a lunar landscape of limestone pinnacles and granite outcrops. Dinner and overnight in Ha Giang Town.

Day 5: Ha Giang – Bac Me – Bao Lac
Today the ride is mostly road based. At first we tackle 12 km climbs and then it is an undulating, idyllic route through friendly villages and paddy fields, surrounded by jagged limestone hills. Around noon time we will reach Bac Me Town where we will have lunch in local restaurant. After lunch we will continue riding to Bao Lac. The long and gentle section in the afternoon can be done partly by biking and partly by driving. We may ride around 35km on quiet road then take a drive to Bao Lac Town where we stay overnight in a simple guest house. Dinner in town.

Day 6: Bao Lac – Tinh Tuc – Ba Be Lake
Having a relaxing breakfast and then we leave the town around 9am. Today we will enjoy the last ride of our trip. We start with a climb 6km, followed by an undulating quiet road though scenic villages. We will have snack break on the way and have late light lunch in the small town of Nguyen Binh. After the lunch we will take a relaxing drive to Ba Be National Park. We will stay  overnight in the beautiful village of Pac Ngoi, which is home to Tay people who live on Ba Be Lake in stilt house. Our hosts will cook us a great dinner and we will have a great time talking with the friendly hosts.

Day 7: Ba Be Lake – Cho Ra – Hanoi
After the breakfast we say goodbye to the hosts and take a short walk through the village. We will board a long boat for a fantastic boat trip on the stunning Ba Be Lake. This lake is one of the country’s largest natural lake, surrounded by limestone cliffs, waterfall, caves and an abundance of wildlife. The interesting boat trip lasts around 1.5hr and we will ride along the Nang River to reach Cho Ra Town. Drive 5hr back to Hanoi with a lunch stop on the way. We arrive in Hanoi about late afternoon. End of Asia Pacific Travel service.

Trekking Ha Giang Vietnam Reviews

Ha Giang Province is located in the northern mountainous border area. It borders China in the north, Tuyen Quang Province in the south, Cao Bang Province in the east, and Yen Bai and Lao Cai Provinces in the west. The mountainous and hilly terrain causes difficulties for travel and transport of goods, but in return it bestows beautiful tourist sites with dozens of rivers and streams, fascinating caves and grottos, historic and cultural relics and a treasure of traditional cultures of the ethnic groups, which all enchant the visitors.
Ha Giang province Vietnam offers a wide selection of trekking tours ranging from easy half day trek to multi-day trekking tours. Most of the Ha Giang trekking tours begin and end in Hanoi.

It is possible for anyone to take an overnight train from Hanoi to Lao Cai. One night will be spent on board train. The following day, the train arrive early in Lao Cai train station. Travelers can hire a private car to travel to Bac Ha and enjoy a free day in Bac Ha or they can start their adventure from there.
For any trekking tour that goes through Ha Giang and Bac Ha area, hiring a private vehicle with English-speaking tour guide is a must-do. Because these areas – Bac Ha, Ha Giang, Cao Bang are located in the Vietnam frontier border and a authorization paper is required for visiting these areas. The application is easy and does not take long. This paper can be handled by your local tour operator.

Trekking in Ha Giang is not something luxury and comfortable. If anyone looks for a trekking tour  that includes luxury lodge, mountain resorts, then Ha Giang will not be the choice. Most of the nights will be spent in local stilt house where the conditions are simple and basic. Travelers will share the house with family with private bedding setup. The toilets are located outside the house. Hot water is sometimes available.
If the Ha Giang trekking tour is booked with Lotussia Travel, sleeping bags and waterproof blue bags will be provided.

In terms of the road, the scenery is very nice. But the road is bad, especially the part between Bac Ha and Ha Giang.

 Witness spectacular scenes at every turn in Ha Giang, Viet Nam

Dramatic scenes unfold with a truly epic performance of nature’s majesty in Ha Giang province, northern highlands Vietnam. Every turn and bend reveals another part in this spectacular play. It is both awe inspiring and humbling to witness.

Vietnam’s northern most point is found in the mountainous Ha Giang province which boasts dramatic scenery; deep abysses, rivers, streams and rapids and shares a 274 kilometre border with China.

Rich in culture and tradition, 22 different ethnic groups live in the region. Picturesque Ha Giang town is on the banks of the Tien River. Explore the ancient town of Dong Van and witness spectacular scenes on one of the world’s greatest drives between Dong Van and Meo Vac where granite cliffs soar and paths twist their way to the valley floors below. The road through the Dong Van Plateau Global Geopark is a feat in itself and many road workers died making the mountain pass in the 1950s and 1960s.

Wind your way through Ancient Street in Dong Vang which stretches for almost a kilometre and was formed nearly a century ago. Its architecture is characteristic of early times with stone walls, mud brick houses and cobblestone laneways. A highlight of the old town is the lively markets including a weekly livestock market.

Take the opportunity to meet the H’Mong communities who farm rocky outcrops and walk kilometres for water or to sell their wares.

Hiking Adventure Tour in Northern Vietnam Travel through Ba Be lakes Bac Me Ha Giang Quang Binh Bac Ha Lung Khau Nhin

Day 1 : Hanoi – Babe Lakes

You will be met up with Asia Pacific Travel team at your hotel in Hanoi. The journey begins as we depart the town and pass through the undulating terrain of tea plantation and the many timeless villages linked to the road which is the main artery of trade between the northeastern region and the capital city.

This is our first glimpse of rural Vietnam and sets the tone for the days ahead. Depending on road and traffic conditions our drive will leave us with a mid to late afternoon arrival in Ba Be lakes. After checking into hotel we will have free time to walk around or simply to relax on the lake. O/N in Ba Be.

Day 2: Babe Lakes – Na Hang – Bac Me – Ha Giang

The national park of Ba Be is centred on large Ba Be Lake. This is just one continuous water body although its name means ”three lakes”. Today we embark on our boat navigating around the lake, which gives us a taste of relaxation and an enjoyable visit to the park . Along the way, we make stopover at some hill tribe villages before getting off the beaten track to the Dau Dang Waterfalls. After a short walk down to the waterfall, we start our trek to Na Hang Lake. Lunch will be served by the waterfall or somewhere else advised by our guide on spot. After lunch we will take the boat again to cruise along the river till we reach Bac Me where our vehicle is ready to pick us up and transfer to Ha Giang. Dinner and overnight in Ha Giang.

Day 3: Ha Giang full day Trek

Breakfast at local guesthouse then we get on the car departing for Cao Banh village where we begin our full day trek through many hill tribe villages. Picnic lunch will be provided on spot. Around late afternoon, we will arrive at Me Village where we stop for overnight. Dinner and overnight at village.

Day 4: Ha Giang – Quang Binh

After breakfast, the Lotussia Travel guide will take you either trekking or motorbike riding through the magnificent mountain ranges. On the way up to the mountain top, you will pass through several little villages. This is an excellent chance to get some great photo’s and take in the absolute beauty of the place. After arriving back to the stilt house you will have traditional food with the family and spend the night with them, having fun chatting and may be a few drinks. Dinner and overnight at village.

Day 5 : Quang Binh – Bac Ha

After saying goodbye to the local family we depart for Bac Ha. After arriving in Bac Ha (approx 3 hours) you can visit the Bac Ha local market, is open on Sunday only where there are many traditional foods, drinks, clothing and handicrafts as well as all the local produce such as pigs, dogs, cats, horses and buffalo for sale. This is interesting as you also get to meet all the different Minority people also doing their shopping. After arriving there you check into the hotel and have the rest of the evening at your own leisure.

Day 6: Bac Ha – Cao Son – Lung Khau Nhin

Drive to Muong Khuong; local villages, verdant and rugged mountains along the Nam Thi River. After a couple hours, arrive Muong Khuong; presentation about the region and the expedition. Head southeast for Lung Khau Nhin via Na Phin, Na Nam va Chung Chai Village, friendly H’Mong and Nung people. Lunch in the shade, continue to Lung Khau Nhin, stilt-house overnight.

Day 7: Lung Khau Nhin – Me Village (H’Mong)

Gentle descent o­n single track and dirt roads through forest and remote villages; guide will point out rare points of interest, traditional customs. After three hours hiking, stop for lunch; rest of the day o­n the rugged terrain to Me Village (H’Mong). Sleep in the tents or at the local school.

Day 8 : Me Village (H’Mong) – Quan Than San Village

Following breakfast, trekking through the rugged terrain past rice paddies, local villages. Be prepared to get wet – some streams; picnic lunch; quiet trails to our final point. After three hours o­n the trail, the tiny village of Quan Than San, H’Mong people. Stay the night here.

Day 9: Quan Than San – Bac Ha

Mixture of ups and downs throughout the day, challenging climbs, exceptional views of the Thang Sin Mountains, distant H’Mong villages; trek to Can Cau Village (Cau Cau Market open o­n Saturday); climbing up from Can Cau for about 8km through remote villages; spectacular terrain to Thai Giang Pho Village, lunch in the shade; downhill to Bac Ha hotel stay.

Day 10: Bac Ha – Nam Mon Village

Bac Ha bustles o­n a Sunday – market day. Flower H’Mong, Blue H’Mong, Tu Zi, Tay, Nung and Lo Lo people all converge here bringing life to this sleepy mountain town. o­ne hour free after breakfast to explore the market; photographs and shopping; descend from mountain to village o­n the banks of the Chay River; footpath hike through plum and peach plantations; lunch break o­n quiet roadside, photograph the scenery – good stretch. Finish at Nam Mon Village (Tay, Nung and H’Mong people Ha Giang). Sleep in a traditional Tay house.

Day 11: Nam Mon – Hanoi

Leave Nam Mon; final trekking day; two hours’ hike o­n footpaths to the Chay River; board a small covered boat and enjoy an hour cruise past Hang Tien (Fairy Cave); wander to Ban Du and Cac Cop. Conclude trekking at Cac Cop Village and board the boat to Bao Nhai Bridge; transfer to Lao Cai for standard hotel day room. Dine in a local restaurant before overnight train back to Hanoi.

Day 12: Arrival Hanoi.

Arrive in Hanoi early morning, transfer to the hotel. End of Asia Pacific Travel service.

Introducing Ha Giang, Viet Nam

Ha Giang is one of the less traveled place in Northern Vietnam. This area is still untouched to many Vietnamese travelers and foreign tourists. Here is an articles extracted from the New York Times. The article is written by JENNIFER BLEYER and is published on the New York Times on October 27, 2010.MY first glimpse of the place that some call Shangri-La came on a brisk spring afternoon as we were careening along a narrow road hemmed in by sheer limestone walls. Our driver made a hairpin turn and all at once the landscape erupted into a sweep of dazzling slopes, serrated ridges and hanging valleys. In the pocket of a mountain pass called Heaven’s Gate, Hoang Tuan Anh, who also served as our guide, stopped his pickup truck so we could gaze at the vista of radiant sky that had opened up before us. This was only the beginning, Mr. Anh said, as we resumed our upward drive. “We will go as high as the clouds!”

My husband, my daughter and I had been in Vietnam nearly a month before we visited Ha Giang province in the northern reaches of the country. It was a place I had never heard of, but Vietnamese acquaintances talked about the region as if it were the Land of Oz, their eyes widening as they incanted its name (pronounced Ha ZAHNG). Worldly young Hanoians said that one could not truly consider oneself Vietnamese until having been there. Expatriate friends implored us not to squander any opportunity to experience this holy grail, far from the country’s deeply trodden tourist track.

Such reverence, we soon learned, was warranted, and it wasn’t just because of the region’s spectacular landscape. In an ever-shrinking world, Ha Giang, with its uniquely preserved tribal culture (nearly 90 percent of the population is ethnic minorities), is one of those rare places that hasn’t been corralled by modernity or prepackaged for visitors. At least, not yet. During the past two decades, as Vietnam’s lowlands and urban centers have teetered on tracks of globalization and economic development, much of this distant 5,000-square-mile province has remained detached and frozen in the past.

That isolation has been reinforced by strained politics, but in recent years, border tensions stemming from a 1979 Chinese invasion have thawed, the government has poured money into improving the province’s roads and other infrastructure, and new, albeit modest, hotels have arrived. Middle-class Vietnamese already appear in throngs, and foreign visitors have begun trickling in as well — last year some 3,500 foreign tourists visited the region. That figure seems poised to grow since the Dong Van plateau, at the province’s northernmost edge, was named the country’s first Unesco-designated Global Geopark earlier this month, a status that the organization bestows on places of significant geological and cultural heritage. The 900-square-mile plateau is studded with ethereal karst formations, evidence of tectonic events that started molding the area over 400 million years ago.

It was that plateau that beckoned to us, as it does to most travelers who venture to the region.

The overnight train from Hanoi deposited us at dawn in Lao Cai, a blustery northern city about 70 miles west of Ha Giang. There we boarded a crammed local bus that chugged for eight hours through misty hills. We spent part of the afternoon lodged in a mudslide, only to be rescued by a hydraulic backhoe doubling as a tow truck. Our 11-month-old daughter craned her head and stared quizzically through it all, as if we were toting her through some particularly mountainous corner of the Upper West Side.

In Ha Giang’s sleepy provincial capital, the city of Ha Giang, we were met by Mr. Anh, our guide of Tay ethnicity with whom we had arranged a three-day tour — first to Dong Van, a town that was less than two miles from the Chinese border, and then along a mountain road to the town of Meo Vac. Mr. Anh escorted us to the concrete headquarters of the immigration police to procure $10 permits from an unsmiling official. Although the requirement was abolished in most of the country in 1993, foreigners are still expected to obtain permits to tour Ha Giang, a Communist rite of the rubber-stamping variety so seldom experienced by travelers in modern Vietnam as to seem almost quaint.

Later, as we barreled past the limits of Ha Giang city into the area’s remarkable landscape, Mr. Anh, a garrulous man in his late 30s who had studied in England and lived in Hanoi before returning to his native Ha Giang, recounted how his parents would spend days during their youth walking the winding route to Dong Van before there were paved roads. Our trip, he said, would take a mere six hours.

THE story of Ha Giang is in many ways the story of the proud and independent Hmong who, following the Tay and other ethnic groups, began migrating there in the late 18th century, fleeing unrest in southern China. In Ha Giang, they found the high altitudes they were accustomed to, and alkaline soil in which their opium poppy crops would flourish.

Buffeted by the political winds that blew through Vietnam in the past century, the Hmong and other minorities occasionally rebelled but mostly cooperated with the French colonists and, subsequently, with the ruling Viet Minh, who promised them a degree of autonomy in exchange for their support. (They ultimately reneged on that promise.) The overriding desire to remain free and secure was challenged during the 1979 Chinese invasion; border flare-ups persisted for years, but by 1991, relations were normalized between the two countries, and negotiations led to a final decision last year about where the 800-mile border would be. Although one of the poorest provinces in Vietnam, with little industry besides mining and agriculture, Ha Giang was once again safe for the Hmong and others, and visitors began to show up…

Visit Remote Hilltribe Villages in North-Vietnam Travel Hanoi Ha Giang Yen Minh Dong Van Meo Vac

Day 1: Drive Hanoi – Ha Giang (D)
8:00: You will be met up with Asia Pacific Travel team at your hotel in Hanoi and transferred to Ha Giang via Tuyen Quang province. We arrive in Ha Giang around early afternoon. We will check into a local village house and have lunch. After lunch, we will have a short walk around this village. Meeting and talking with local villagers will help you understand more the culture of the Tay ethnic group. Dinner will be provided at the village. Overnight in a stilt house.

Day 2: Ha Giang – Yen Minh (B)
After breakfast in the stilt house, we will have a short visit of the Ha Giang museum before we continue our drive towards  Dong Van stone plateau. We stop en route for a short walk through the hill of pine and visit a Red Dao of village. Lunch en route. We arrive Yen Minh town around late afternoon. Check into a local guesthouse for overnight.

Day 3: Yen Minh – Dong Van – Meo Vac (B)
8:00 we continue our road trip to Dong Van karst plateau. A stop will be made en route for visiting a Hmong village in Lung Cam, and the residence of the Vuong family, still called “Palace of Hmong King”.
After lunch and short rest, we continue our drive towards Meo Vac town. We make some stops en route for admiring the scenery and taking some photos of Ma Pi Leng pass. Arriving in Meo Vac, we check into a local hotel and take a rest. Then if time permit, we will have the opportunity to visit a village of Hmong near the town.Dinner and overnight in Meo Vac.

Day 4: Meo Vac – Ha Giang (B, D)
After breakfast, we start our road trip back to Ha Giang town. Upon our arrival in Quan Ba, Yen Minh, we will make a stop in Lung Tam village, a Hmong village where you will learn how local villagers weave brocades. After lunch at Quan Ba, we continue our trip back to Ha Giang. Check into a stilt house for dinner and overnight.

Day 5: Ha Giang – Hanoi (B).
After breakfast, enjoy a full day drive back to Hanoi. Lunch will be provided en route. Arrive back in Hanoi around mid-afternoon. End of Asia PacificTravel service

Tour Cost includes:

    Transportation in mountain by 4 X 4, Ford Transit group over 4 pax
    Meal as mentioned: B = breakfast, L = Lunch, D = diner.
    Accommodation : twin sharing room at the below mentioned hotel or homstay
    English or French speaking guide and local guide in Ha Giang
    Entrance fees and permission to indicated sights

    Tour Cost not includes:

    Flights
    Travel insurance
    Visas and visa fees
    Tips and gratuities
    Personal expenses

Ha Giang Travel

Ha Giang is a mountainous province in the extreme North of the country. The province of Ha Giang has a total area of more than 7,884 sq km. Ha Giang province borders Tuyen Quang province in the South, Lao Cai and Yen Bai provinces in the West, Cao Bang in the North-west, Yun Nam and Quang Xi provinces (China) in the North with a borderline of over 274 km in length.

Ha Giang climate is temperate so it is cool through the year and the air is fresh. It has been remarked an ideal destination by domestic and foreign tourists.
Ha Giang province has lots of nature resources for developing travel such as the rocky highlands Quan Ba, Dong Van, vast primeval forests, mysterious caves, hundred year tea gardens and a number of rivers, springs, waterfalls and mineral springs.

There are 22 ethnic groups living together creating preciously cultural value and ranked cultural monuments such as Vuong family’s building, Cang Bac Ma, Sung Khanh pagoda, etc. In the Sunday market Dong Van, Meo Vac, Quan Ba…different ethnic groups come to the market to trade and also to travel.  They dress colorfully and make the market one of highlight of any tour to Ha Giang.
The only way to travel to Ha Giang is by road. There is no train serving Hanoi – Ha Giang. There is no airport in Ha Giang province neither.

To travel to Ha Giang, it is possible to take a public bus or to hire a private vehicle. The cost is not the same of course. A guided tour is highly recommended for Ha Giang travel.

Ha Giang Tour

Ha Giang, located in the northern mountainous border area offers a wide selection of tour activities such as 4wd tours, cycling tours, trekking tours. The shortest tours can be arranged from Hanoi are the three-day tours and the longest can be up to a week.

The most popular tours are the 6 day tour that begins in and ends in Hanoi. Booking this tour, travelers will have the opportunity to visit Ba Be National park, Bao Lac, Dong Van plateau, Meo Vac, Yen Minh, Quan Ba Ha Giang.

Classic touring is combined with easy trekking or cycling. Spending in a local house in local village is also included in the Ha Giang tour (homestay).
One of the biggest highlight of Ha Giang tour is to visit the Sunday market. Both Dong Van market and Meo Vac markets are open on Sunday. Different ethnic groups come to the market for buying, selling and also for eating “Thang Co” and drinking rice wine. Those who live far from the market need to depart the day before. These central highland markets are not only the place where ethnic people trade but also the place they socialize.

 Another tour that is also very attractive is the 7-day tour that includes such destinations as Ba Be park, Bao Lac, Dong Van, Meo Vac, Yen Minh, Quan Ba, Hoang Su Phi, Xin Man and Bac Ha. The trip takes its end in Bac Ha which is also very popular for the Sunday market. The road from Ha Giang to Bac Ha is quite bad. But the scenery is terrific.
For more information about Ha Giang tour, visit www.hikingvietnam.com or www.lotussiatravel.com