Ha Giang Loop 3-day Motorbike Tour: Ma Pi Leng Pass
Ride Vietnam's steepest mountain pass and sleep where the road builders lived
A 3-day motorbike tour of the Ha Giang Loop in northern Vietnam with a local English-speaking guide, riding the famous Ma Pi Leng Pass and staying in H'mong family homestays. You ride your own motorbike (petrol included) through Quan Ba Heaven Gate, down to the Nho Que River for a 1-hour boat trip, and finish at a waterfall where you can swim. Accommodation and all transport logistics are arranged. Pickup from Hanoi Old Town is available.
Options for this experience
3 optionsStep-by-step itinerary
Day 1: Ha Giang to Dong Van via Quan Ba
- Visit Quan Ba Heaven Gate
- Ride through The Road of Happiness
- Lunch in Yen Minh town
- Dinner with local family
- Stay at H’mong family homestay
Day 2: Dong Van to Du Gia via Ma Pi Leng Pass
- Ride Ma Pi Leng Pass
- Take boat trip on Nho Que river
- Dinner with Tay People
- Stay at homestay
Day 3: Du Gia to Ha Giang via Duong Thuong
- Swim at waterfall
- Return to Ha Giang
What’s included
- Motorbike with petrol.
- local English-speaking guide for the full 3 days.
- accommodation in H'mong family homestays.
- 1-hour boat cruise on the Nho Que River.
Times
- Every day 08:00 20:00
Before you book
Operated by Ha Giang Lotus Group and Tours
Prices and times updated 8 days ago
Traveler reviews
The experience
The Ha Giang Loop is a 3-day motorbike route through Vietnam's far north, and this tour puts you on the bike yourself instead of watching from a passenger seat. You start at Quan Ba Heaven Gate, a mountain pass 43 kilometers from Ha Giang city at over 1,500 meters high, then ride toward the Dong Van Ky rock plateau. The road itself is the draw: Ma Pi Leng Pass, built over 11 years by ethnic minority workers in the 1960s, sits at 1,500 meters with hairpin bends tight enough to make your stomach flip and cliffs that drop straight down. Locals call it the King of Vietnamese mountain passes, and the asphalt ribbon along the mountainside, nicknamed "The Happiness Road", feels like riding through a scene you did not expect to find on earth.
On day two, after the pass, you descend to the Nho Que River. The road down is steep and wound tight, so a local rider takes you on their motorbike if you do not want to handle it yourself: no shame in that choice. Once at the river, you board a boat for an hour, drifting under the cliffs you just rode above, with the mountains often hidden in cloud cover but the water giving you a view the road cannot match. You stay in a homestay that night, not a hotel, which means your accommodation is in the villages the road connects rather than in a town built for tourists. Day three heads toward Du Gia and a waterfall where swimming is part of the plan, so pack a swim suit. A local English-speaking guide rides with you the whole way and handles the route, the timing and the stops.
Every motorbike comes with a rider (your guide) and petrol is included, so the only thing you are managing is the throttle and the line through the curves. You sleep in H'mong family homestays, which means simple rooms and the chance to eat what the family eats rather than a menu written for outsiders. The tour runs 3 days and 2 nights, and pickup from Hanoi Old Town is available as an add-on option at checkout.
Is this one for you?Book this tour if you want to ride the motorbike yourself rather than sit as a passenger, and if staying in village homestays instead of hotels matters to you. The guide handles the route and timing, so you focus on the road and the landscape without building the day from scratch.
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Top questions
Can children come?
Yes. Ticket types: Youth (10 to 17 years). Children under 10 can't be included in the booking.
What is the Quan Ba Heaven Gate and why does the tour start there?
Quan Ba Heaven Gate is a mountain pass in Quan Ba District at over 1,500 meters high, located 43 kilometers from Ha Giang city. It marks the beginning of "The Happiness Road" and serves as the gateway to the Dong Van Ky rock plateau, making it the natural starting point for the loop.
Is Ma Pi Leng Pass really as steep and winding as people say?
Ma Pi Leng Pass is Vietnam's most impressive mountain pass, built in the 1960s over 11 years by local workers. It sits at 1,500 meters with hairpin bends throughout and cliffs on either side. The road is so dramatic it is nicknamed "The Great Wall of Vietnam" and known as the King of Vietnamese mountain passes.
What happens at the Nho Que River, and do I have to ride down the steep road myself?
After Ma Pi Leng, you descend to the Nho Que River for a 1-hour boat trip under the cliffs. If the downhill road feels too steep or winding, a local rider will take you on their motorbike instead of you riding it yourself. You choose when you get there.
Do I need to be an experienced rider to do this tour?
The tour is suitable for all physical fitness levels according to the operator. You ride your own motorbike with your guide leading the route, so the pace and stops are managed for you rather than left to chance.
Where do I sleep on this tour?
You stay in H'mong family homestays in the villages along the loop: simple, local accommodation rather than hotels. This puts you in the communities the road connects and means eating with the family instead of ordering from a menu.
What is included in the price?
The tour includes your motorbike and petrol, a local English-speaking guide for all three days, cozy accommodation in H'mong homestays, and a 1-hour boat trip on the Nho Que River. Pickup from Hanoi Old Town is available as an option at checkout.
Ha Giang Loop 3-day Motorbike Tour: Ma Pi Leng Pass
3d · EN
from US$ 200 per person
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