| Hanoi | 2 nights |
| Cat Ba | 3 nights |
| Overnight bus | 1 night |
| Ha Giang | 1 night |
| Ha Giang Loop | 2 nights |
| Hanoi | 3 nights |
We travel by train from Ninh Binh to Hanoi which is a pleasant 2.5 hour journey. I get a Grab, check into my capsule dorm and go out exploring.
Impressions of Hanoi:
I get a bus to Cat Ba from Hanoi and have a choice of going over to the island by ferry or riding the cable car for a small extra fee. I decide on the cable car which is great, but the mist obscures what should be a spectacular view.
I book on a hiking tour which includes trekking in Cat Ba National Park, lunch in Viet Hai village, cycling to the port and exploring the bay by boat and kayak.
The hike is challenging for me which I didn’t expect. It starts off gently on a fairly flat path through the forest. Gradually the path becomes thinner and the forest becomes thicker until the path disappears all together. The trek becomes pure scrambling, up slippery, wet rocks and through mud to the top. It is hard graft for not much gain as there are no views through the thick forest.
It is 98% humidity and over 30 degrees so I am sweating profusely and struggling. My thighs are burning with the tension as well as the physical exertion. The guide cuts me a bamboo stick to use as a walking pole, but more often than not I use my hands, scrambling like a monkey.
The descent is worse – steep, stony and slippery – requiring careful placement of each step. I am the slowest, the oldest and the most cautious in the group of 7. I definitely couldn’t have done this trek without a guide. I am glad of him and the group who are a bunch of supportive people. I hadn’t been warned of the difficulty of this walk in advance. Although I’m exhausted and dehydrated I have a feeling of achievement when we reach the flat path into Viet Hai village.
After the 4 hour hike, we have lunch in a traditional village in a superb setting surrounded by mountains. The rest of the day is a joy: cycling along the waters of Lan Ha Bay in spectacular scenery; enjoying the beauty of the bay on the boat, kayaking and swimming. It really is a gem. I choose to explore this region instead of Halong Bay, which is now so busy and commercialised.
I deliberate long and hard as to whether I should go to Ha Giang and do “the loop”. I am tempted to spend my last week relaxing by a pool reading my book. The loop is a rite of passage for young backpackers. It was my son who told me how amazing it was. But what about for a 60 year old?
This once in a lifetime opportunity of an exhilarating motorbike tour through the mountains is calling me. Both the journey there and the tour itself are taking me out of my comfort zone, but will it be worth it?
While I am waiting to set off sitting in Cat Ba Homestay I am doing breathing exercises to calm my anxiety. I’m going on a sleeper bus for 12 hours and then I’m riding on the back of a motorbike for 3 days.
I’m very nervous about going on the night bus thinking it will be full of partying backpackers. When I get on there are only about 4 people on the bus. So I get to choose a good seat/bed. I choose a bottom one by the window and am happy with it. The bus proceeds to go around the houses picking people up. We eventually get to the ferry port where we stop for ages. The ferry has lots of cars on and the bus and a lorry got on last. The bus has a difficult job manoeuvering into a tiny space and then straightening up enough for the lorry to get on too. The two drivers do this with lots of shouting at each other.
Half an hour across the water and we arrive in Haiphong. We spend literally hours driving around Haiphong picking up people and cargo. Three hours into the trip we stop for a toilet and food break at around 6pm and we are still in Haiphong.
After the meal at around 7pm we finally get going properly. The bus is actually reasonably comfortable. I can’t stretch my legs out fully but the seat goes right back and lies flat so I can get into a sleeping position. I doze on and off as yet more people are picked up until the bus is full. There is another shorter stop at around midnight and then we carry on and arrive in Ha Giang at 3.45am.
The bus goes around dropping people off at various hotels. I get dropped off close to my hotel, ring the bell to wake them up and get let in.
I have a day in Ha Giang before starting the motorbike tour. This place doesn’t have much to offer except a stop off for the loop. It feels really dead, there are few tourists and I struggle to find any decent places to eat or drink. I think I’m the only one staying in my accommodation as I haven’t seen anyone else. Most people seem to arrive in Ha Giang off the night bus and go straight on the tour.
I book with a company called Ha Giang Road Trip. It had been recommended to me and I discuss my concerns, making sure it will be suitable for an ‘older’ person. They reassure me and seem very professional.
Ha Giang Loop Day 1
I meet my fellow riders early in the morning in Kiki’s House, Ha Giang. There are only 3 others on the tour: a 26 year old Australian woman and an Israeli couple on their honeymoon. We are assigned to our drivers. Mine is the boss and is called Steve. They have a system whereby Steve leads, sets the pace and the other bikes always stay behind him. These are experienced riders who have probably been riding motorbikes since they were young teenagers. It feels safe.
I’m anxious when we set off. I get used to being on the back of the bike in about half an hour. I can then start to relax and enjoy the experience.
After the initial straight road out of Ha Giang we reach the mountains and begin to weave our way up and down the windy roads with countless hairpin bends. We stop at various view points and stare in awe at the tremendous scenery. We eat lunch in Bon Bang Homestay in Yen Minh, a simple spread of dishes with rice.
In the afternoon we enter the Dong Van Karst Plateau Geopark which looks like a moonscape. We encounter Hmong people who live up in the mountains, in traditional dress.
Our guide shows us around King’s House – Dinh vua meo, which is a mansion owned by the Vuong family who are wealthy landowners, worshipped as kings by the Hmong people.
We ride all day in the mountains, seemingly far away from towns and civilisation. I am therefore amazed when, out of nowhere, we descend into a big town called Dong Van.
We eat dinner together as a group and sample the local rice wine, otherwise known as “Happy Water”. They are all good company. We stay the night in the Hoang Van Hotel.
Ha Giang Loop Day 2
From Dong Van we ride a long way up on a narrow windy road. We reach the Ma Pi Leng pass and follow a road clinging to the cliff. There are amazing views of conical limestone peaks, layer after layer of them.
We stop to take photos but it’s a bit misty. We look down and back at the the small road we have come up on, snaking around the cliff. After the Tu San Canyon we pass through remote village settlements. We turn onto a dirt track – a really bad, unmade road, with big drops and no barrier. This incredibly bumpy stretch requires huge concentration from the drivers. The road is narrow. Larger vehicles come the other way and we have to stop as there’s not enough space for us to pass.
More climbing and looking back at the hair pin bends our drivers have negotiated. We reach an area which is more cultivated – a beautiful view of rice terraces and corn planted on incredibly steep slopes.
Today feels more remote. We pass old shacks and wooden houses which make up small traditional villages along the way. We descend and ascend and some of the roads are so high that we are close to the peaks. It feels atmospheric and eerie in this misty moonscape.
We finally descend into the village of Du Gia where we are staying for the night. We check into the fabulous Du Gia Cozy Homestay which is a traditional wooden structure with a terrace looking out onto a magnificent view.
Ha Giang Loop Day 3
I get up early and walk into the village. It happens to be market day so the one main street is bustling with everything you can think of for sale from veg to goats, clothes, pots and pans, slabs of meat (in the sun).The Hmong people are buying and selling, adorned in their very colourful traditional dress. Motorbikes drive through the crowds, announcements are made through loud speakers, music is blaring.
Our final day begins with our convoy dodging the crowds riding through the market. After some early morning misty climbs, we come to a well kept and straight road through remote villages in the valley. The riders open their throttles along here and we enjoy a rare moment of speed.
Eventually we return to the familiar steep windy roads and start climbing once again. The roads are narrow but in reasonable condition.
We pause for a drink by the river and continue on to visit Lung Tam Linen Co-operative, where they weave hemp. Steve guides us through the entire process from raw hemp to finished articles.
Shortly after this we join back onto the main road QL4C, back to Ha Giang.
This is an experience I will never forget. The amazingly patient and professional Vietnamese riders, the genial company, the breathtaking scenery, the heights, the unknown, riding on two wheels with the wind in my hair, achieving something I really wanted to do, but didn’t know I could.
Stepping out of your comfort zone really does bring incredible rewards.
Also see Vietnam Trip Part 1 – HCMC, Hoi An, Hue, Phong Nha, Trang An
Vietnam – a month in April 2023 – Part 1 – HCMC, Hoi An, Hue, Phong Nha, Trang An
