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Getting to Ha Giang
There is no airport and no train. Ha Giang city is reached by road from Hanoi in six to seven hours, from Sapa in about six, from Cat Ba or Ha Long in eight to ten, and from Cao Bang in six. Sleeper buses and limousine vans run daily on all of those routes; night services from Hanoi arrive between four and six in the morning.
We do not sell bus tickets and we take no commission on them. Tell us where you are coming from and we will tell you which operator to book and where their vehicles actually stop, which is not always what the ticket says.
Practical questions
Money
Ha Giang city has ATMs; the plateau largely does not. Draw what you need before you leave and carry it in small notes — homestays, roadside stalls and boat tickets are cash businesses.
Phone signal
Viettel has the best coverage in the mountains by a wide margin. Expect dead spots on the passes and around Du Gia. Guides carry local numbers and know where the signal returns.
What to pack
- A windproof jacket. It is ten degrees colder on Ma Pi Leng than in the city, in any season.
- Long trousers and closed shoes — the single best protection you can wear on a bike.
- Sun cream and sunglasses, even in cloud.
- A headtorch. Homestay bathrooms are often outside.
- A small backpack only; everything else stays in storage.