Days 101 to 108: Sa Pa & the Ha Giang Loop

My last week in Vietnam was a whirlwind of trekking and motor-biking through the mountains of Northern Vietnam – from the rice fields of Sa Pa, to the winding roads of Ha Giang, up to the Chinese border, and back east to Hanoi to catch my flight to Luang Prabang. An exhausting week, I am looking forward to taking a few rest days in Laos – but this was a wonderful conclusion to my time in Vietnam, and I’m excited to share it with you!

Sa Pa: The Hoàng Liên Son Mountains

A 6 hour drive from Hanoi, Sa Pa sits in the Northwest of Vietnam in Lào Cai Province. A popular trekking base, the township overlooks the vast rice fields of the Muong Hoa Valley, including the 3,143m Fansipan peak, dubbed the “Roof of Indochina”.

A quiet mountain town, Sa Pa is home to a great diversity of ethnic minority peoples. The total population of 36,000 consists mostly of minority groups. Besides the Vietnamese people (15%) there are mainly five ethnic groups in Sa Pa: Hmong (52%), Dao (25%), Tay (5%), Giay (2%), and a small number of Xa Pho. Each ethnic group speaks their own language as well as Vietnamese and a few even speak a third language.

With 4 days in Sa Pa, I had the opportunity to do a bit of everything – hiking in the mountains, trekking through the rice patty fields, and visiting some of the local villages and homestays.

My first two days consisted of exploring the very touristy town of Sa Pa, and doing the 12 hour out-and-back hike to Fansipan peak. The 14-mile hike spans an elevation gain of about 1,600 meters and offers great views of the rice paddies and rolling hills Sa Pa is known for.

Fun Fact! The peak is the highest mountain in the Indochinese Peninsula (comprising of Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia).

While a beautiful hike through the mountains of Lao Cai Province, I found the top of the mountain to be quite unsatisfying due to the immensely touristy amusement park and cable car system installed a couple years ago. While I would have a hard time recommending the hike, it was still a fun addition to my trip and it was nice to meet some other trekkers on the trail.

The latter two days of my time in Sa Pa were definitely the highlight. Dubbed the “Buffalo Trek”, the 2 day/1 night trek took our group of 6 through the Sa Pa mountains, following the H’mong’s people’s trails used to take care of their livestock. The path went through villages, rice paddies and a forest high in the mountains. For the two nights, we paid some local villagers to stay in their homes, where we got to spend some time with them and their families. We were fortunate enough on our trek to have a wonderful local English speaking H’mong guide, who took the time to tell us about the traditional way of life in the villages and give us an account of how tourism has changed the villages in Sa Pa.

On the trek, we saw a lot of rice patties-

And saw some great mountain view’s –

As well as a great sunrise –

Some cute (and less cute) animals –

And a lot of great food

Sa Pa was a great introduction to the ethnic and cultural diversity in Vietnam, and the views were some of the best I’ve seen in the country.

Ha Giang Loop

After returning to Sa Pa from the Buffalo Trek, I caught an evening bus to Ha Giang, about 6 hours from the mountain town.

Ha Giang is a city located on the banks of the Lo River in the Northeast region of Vietnam on the border with China. It is the home of a good number of ethnic groups living throughout the rocky plateaus. Every ethnic village of Ha Giang has their own traditions and customs, and most residents in the region work in agriculture.

The Ha Giang loop is a circular route renowned for being a motorcycle ride – the best way to experience the region due to the tight and winding roads that encompass the mountainous region. Full of stunning landscapes and roads that climb through the clouds before plunging into valleys, every corner offers a photogenic view of the region’s raw nature.

While some travelers choose to do the loop solo, I opted for a 3-day tour with a guide who knew the loop and its best views like the back of his hand. It also avoids some other challenges the loop presents regarding corruption and police. I’ll start by saying that I, personally, did not have any issues with police in Vietnam – many of whom were quite kind and helpful towards me; however, I have heard several stories of illegitimate arrests/fines and mandatory paying-off of the cops by foreigners. The Ha Giang loop, as a fairly new tourist destination, is particularly susceptible to this. Throughout the main town of Ha Giang and parts of the loop, there are police checkpoints. While the cops tend to leave riders alone, they will occasionally stop and search travelers, after which they make up a crime and require a payment to make it disappear.

This is not my first time dealing with corrupt law enforcement – Tanzania, Mexico, Colombia, and now… here. Most of the time, they leave you alone after you offer a donation with your license; but, I’ve found the best tactic is to position yourself with a local. When you are with someone from the area, the cops usually ignore you, and if they choose to still harass you, the local can usually strike a deal for you, reducing the payment to a couple bucks or a warning.

While not my favorite part of traveling, it is something everyone has to navigate. Joining a group with a guide, I could enjoy the ride without worrying if I had enough cash donations on me to get me through.

The main Ha Giang Loop is: Ha Giang – Yen Minh – Dong Van – Meo Vac – Du Gia – Ha Giang. It’s approximately 150-200 miles and is typically ridden in three to four days with some route variations. Here’s a map of the loop:

The scenery was unlike anything I’ve ever seen – a combination of the jungles in Jurassic Park and King Kong maybe?

In a group of about 10, we all rode together during the day – traversing the winding mountain roads – and hung out in the evenings – playing cards and singing karaoke with our guides and drivers.

Wind blowing in your face, a combination of exhilaration, fear, relaxation, and joy – riding the Ha Giang Loop was an emotional and physical pleasure unlike anything I’ve experienced before. While I don’t think I’ll be buying a motorcycle anytime soon (I’ve seen too many broken bones//road burns in the ER), the few days of adrenaline & nature were a wonderful way to wrap up my time in Vietnam.

Conclusion

My last evening in Vietnam, I sat by the Ho Hoan Kiem lake, boba ice cream in my hands, watching the night market’s of Hanoi go by.

I remember the first time I heard of Vietnam. In Elementary school, after reading a book about a US Army solider in WWII Germany, I eagerly picked up a book by the same author about a US Marine in Vietnam. My eagerness quickly dissolved into terror as the fantastical tales of WWII were traded for a nightmarish journey of jungle warfare and loss. I can’t remember the name of the book or the author, but the story has stuck with me over 15 years later.

After that experience, Vietnam was a place of mystery to me – a world that felt so different and far away from my own. As I got older and was able to better grasp the Vietnam War, I knew I would want to one day experience and deepen my understanding of the country. I will speak more about what I’ve learned re. the American involvement/occupation in Vietnam in my bookclub blog post on the Sorrow of War. But I will briefly say here how grateful I am to be welcomed so warmly by this country, and to learn so much the unique spaces it has to offer.

One of the best parts of traveling is the way in which it bridges the gap between various lifestyles and perspectives. It forces you to search for similarities or broaden your understanding to that of those around you. My 3 weeks in Vietnam offered me this – a chance to better grasp a world that had always been shrouded in mystery from my American upbringing – a chance to reeducate myself on a world that is so different, and yet so similar to my own.

See you next week in Laos,

Sam