A lush, mountainous region of northern Vietnam, Hà Giang is known for its breathtaking limestone landscape, carved by erosion into a “surreal mix” of vertiginous, oddly shaped peaks.
Equally fascinating, though, are its diverse tribal cultures, said Lizzie Frainier in The Times – 22 in all, each with its own language.
It is only a decade or so since the government opened the province to tourism, but visitor numbers have risen greatly since. Particularly popular is the Loop, a circuit of the province, usually made by motorbike, that is worth doing despite the risk of encounters with “rowdy” British gap-year students along the way. Tour operators offer many “options and price points”, and Hà Giang as a whole still feels remote, “unique” and unspoiled.
I made the four-day journey on a group tour with Mama’s Homestay, a company that attracts travellers of roughly my own age (early 30s). The trip began with an eight-hour minibus ride from Hanoi, and a night in a grim and spartan hostel. After that, however, we slept in “simple”, welcoming homestays with decent shared rooms, good food and plenty of “happy water” (the local rice liquor). Some people drove their own motorbikes, but I opted to ride pillion with an experienced local driver – which I was glad about when I realised how many hairpin bends, sheer drops and deep potholes there are on the region’s roads. My driver also proved a helpful translator when I went to hospital for a rabies jab one night, after foolishly reaching out to pet an unfamiliar dog and receiving a nasty nip to the hand.
Bar that incident, the trip was magical. I loved the cool wind in my face, the “adrenaline from the speed”, and the wonderful views. Hà Giang’s terraced rice paddies seem to “glow” in the sunlight, and the peaks – some “serrated”, others like hourglasses, pyramids or inverted bowls (the aptly named Fairy Bosom) – are so varied and fantastical that I never tired of gazing at them.
The trip costs from £155pp, including local driver but excluding flights.