Ha Giang is on Vietnam’s most northerly regions with a unique geographical makeup and diverse range of cultures. The mountainous area with towering limestone peaks, share a 270 km border with neighbouring China and plays host to the border crossing at Thanh Thuy. This remote and stunningly beautiful area is one of the last areas of Vietnam that requires tourists to obtain a visa in order to visit, but not to worry it is relatively cheap and easy to purchase one. Although gaining popularity with tourists, this remarkable area is still off the beaten track and goes unnoticed by many. Those that do make it to what is known as the “Final Frontier of Vietnam” are rewarded by sweeping views of karst mountains, carpets of flowers, colourful markets and rich, diverse ethnic minority communities.
Day 1: Ha Noi – Ha Giang City
8.30 pm: We’ll pick up you in your hotel. Start to Ha Giang city, Over nights in coach.
Day 2: Ha Giang – Meo Vac – Ma Pi Leng Pass – Dong Van (L/D)
7:30am rings the beginning of your greatest adventure in one of the most remote areas of Northern Vietnam. Your guide will pick you up at your hotel in Ha Giang City to start the drive to Dong Van. On the way you will pass by Quan Ba and its legendary Fairy Bosom Hills, visit a French bunker dated from the colonization and stop in Mau Due for lunch.
You will then reach Meo Vac to start the first trek of the trip, a 10-kilometer hike through Ma Pi Leng pass, a must-see destination in Ha Giang. You will stroll around the valley, cling to the side of the undulating mountains, overlooking the Nho Que river, giving unrivalled views of the valleys and terraced hemp fields, which decorate the mountainsides. Walking this path will give you feelings you have never experienced before.
Though it is not advised, if you do not want to trek you will have the possibility to stay with the driver in the car and zigzag down the pass to the end of the trail. You can stop for photos on the way. Arriving in Dong Van, you will settle for the night in a hotel and have dinner in a local restaurant.
Day 3: Dong Van – Yen Minh – Ha Giang (B/L)
If you are lucky to be travelling in Dong Van on a Sunday morning, do not miss out on the weekly market which gathers all the local ethnic minorities in the area and gives you the unique opportunity to walk through the crowd, witness the trade market of buffalos, cows or chickens, or be dazzled by the colourful booths of traditional ethnic clothes.
Back in the car, we will continue our loop to the final frontier and travel through Ma Le, the ‘one-eyed ghost’ area. This road remains a secret, it can take you to the northernmost point of Vietnam, Lung Cu, home of the Lo Lo ethnic minority, or to Vuong palace which is our next destination. It is a unique place, home of the H’mong King, whose architecture is influenced by three cultures: Chinese, French and Hmong. It was also used during the French colonization as a secret storage room for opium.
The tour then continues to Yen Minh, known for its countless terraced fields, posed on the mountainsides. Lunch will be served at your next stop in Quan Ba, before returning to Ha Noi in night. End of tour
