Traveling to Ha Giang brought me many interesting experiences. Ha Giang vietnam is famous for its majestic landscape, endless winding roads and huge flower fields. Besides, the kindness and friendliness of the people there also contribute greatly to its attraction. Visitors are easily overwhelmed by the colorful mosiac of yellow kale flowers, purple buckwheat flowers (Tam Giac Mach), or pure white of plum flowers.
Best time to visit Ha Giang
Ha Giang is beautiful all year round thanks to its majestic landscapes with winding roads and endless terraces. Therefore, you and Vietnam trip tips can visit Ha Giang at any time of the year. However, if you want to observe a poetic and romantic side of this mountainous region, you should travel to Ha Giang during blooming flower season as below:
– Oct and Nov are when Tam Giac Mach flowers bloom.
– Nov and Dec are when Kale flowers bloom.
– In spring, you can witness the pure white cherry blossoms and plum flowers.
How to get to Ha Giang?
Ha Giang is over 300km (187 miles) away from Hanoi capital. You can start your journey by bus at night and arrive in Ha Giang in the next morning. The fare is about $10. Some popular bus agencies from Hanoi to Ha Giang to consider:
– Khai Huyen bus: leaves at 9 p.m from My Dinh bus station (Bến xe Mỹ Đình). Tel: +84913.271.384 or +84978.384.384
– Bang Phan: leaves at 9 p.m from Giap Bat bus station (Bến xe Giáp Bát). Tel: +84219.388.7867 – +84915.223.171
– Thinh My: leaves at 5 a.m from My Dinh bus station. Tel: +84913.516.135 / +84914.868.737
– Ngoc Son: leaves at 12h30 p.m from My Dinh station. +84913.036.456
Things to do & see in Ha Giang – Vietnam for a 3-day trip
1. On the first day, after arriving in Ha Giang city, you move to Dong Van plateau, which is over 130km (81 miles) away from Ha Giang city. You may get there by bus or rent a car or motorbike. You may rent one at your hotel or contact Mr. Nam at +84917.797.269 (for motorbike) or Mr. Sơn at +84912.606.500 (for car), the price $175/car for 2 days.
On the way to Dong Van, you may stop at Quan Ba sky gate (Cổng trời Quản Bạ) to do some sightseeing. From here, you can have an overview of the whole town.
At noon, you should stop at Yen Minh town for early lunch.
In the afternoon, travel to Cao Street (Phố Cáo) and Sung La town (Sủng Là). These are places with huge kale flower fields and plum flower gardens. Beside, in Sung La, you may visit Pao house, the architecture of which is really impressive.
After that, move to Vuong palace (Phủ Vương), where the Hmong’s king, Vuong Chi Sinh – the most powerful person in Ha Giang, used to live in the past.
In the evening, you may stroll around Dong Van old quater (Phố cổ Đồng Văn), drink a cup of coffee and spend the night at a hotel in Dong Van. (the list of hotels in Dong Van is provided below)
2. If you have 2 days and 2 nights, on the second day, you should visit Ma Pi Leng pass (Đèo Mã Pí Lèng) and then get back to Ha Giang city. Along the road between the two places, there are many beautiful sites. You may stop for a rest and take some photos. However, you need to notice the time to avoid missing buses back to Hanoi.
3. If you have 3 days and 3 nights, in early morning of the second day, you should go to Lung Cu (Lũng Cú), the northernmost point of Vietnam. Lung Cu is a sacred place in Vietnam. There, you can visit the flagpole and some villages of Lo Lo ethnic group.
In the early afternoon, travel to Meo Vac (Mèo Vạc), a district of Ha Giang province. On the way to men Vac, stop at the summit of Ma Pi Leng pass to do some sightseeing and take photos. In the evening, stay in Meo Vac (the list of hotels in Meo Vac is provided below). On the third day, return to Ha Giang and then go back to Hanoi in the evening.
Important note: Ha Giang has a long border with China, so this is quite a complicated place. Therefore, apart from the above places, if you want to go further, you should ask for permission in written form of Ha Giang military commander. And even when having permission, you should carefully prepare for your journey so as not to get lost in China, which will definitely causes you a lot of troubles.
Hotels and motels in Ha Giang
During the summer, especially on the weekends or national holidays, hotels and motels in Ha Giang are usually fully booked. Therefore, if you travel in a big group, remember to book hotel rooms well in advance. One more thing you need to know is that hotels in Ha Giang have no exact address, so it is a bit difficult to find them. The following are some well-known hotels in Ha Giang:
In Quan Ba district
Tourists rarely spend the night in Quan Ba so there are only a few hotels and motels here. Some of them include:
– 567 motel, tel: +84219.3.846.129
– Tam Son motel, tel: +84219.3.846.543
– Ha Son Quan Ba, tel: +84219.3.846.371
In Dong Van
– Cao Nguyen Da hotel, tel: +84219.385.6868
– Hoang Ngoc motel, tel: +84219.385.6020
– Khai Hoan motel, tel: +84219.856.147
– Mr. Chi motel, tel: +84977.993.071. This is right behind Dong Van market.
– Mr. Duc motel, tel: +84982.791.830. This motel is near a Karaoke shop and Dong Van market.
– Hien Hoa motel, tel: +84219.3856.216
– Lung Cu motel, tel: +84219.3510.000
– Besides, you may book a room at Pho Co Dong Van coffee. The fare is $3/person/night. You will stay in a house which is similar to the house of ethnic people. Contact Mr. Khuong at +84945.378.318
In Meo Vac
– Nho Que motel: +84219.3.871.322
– Cao Nguyen: +84219.3.871.440
– Khau Vai: +84917.706.503
– Hai Thuy: +84219.3.871.355
– Mai Dao hotel: +84219.3871.294
– Hoa Cuong hotel: +84219.3871.888
