Where is Ha Giang?
Ha Giang is located in the Northern highlands of Vietnam. It is a mountain region at a high altitude. The city itself is from 800-1,200m above sea level, and the 49 mountains range from 500-2,500m.

What is there to see and do in Ha Giang?
There are many amazing things to see in Ha Giang. The first is simply the road that leads you to Ha Giang called the Happiness Road. This is a loop that connects Dong Van and Meo Vac called Ma Pi Leng Pass. Happiness road is beautiful and really interesting to view as you travel within Ha Giang, or arrive to Ha Giang.

While in Ha GIang there are many natural wonders to see. Noong Lake is a freshwater lake about 23km from Ha Giang City. The natural body of water has a floating tree forest that changes depending on the season, This is extremely magical and beautiful to look at. En Cave is located about 60km from Ha Giang city. It is a tourist attraction, but is still considered untouched. Here you will see huge stone stalactite formations.

For the adventure traveler, Hoang Su Phi is a highland border district that is located about 50km from Ha Giang city. The reason this is considered for adventure travelers is the road here is somewhat dangerous. When you arrive you will be greeted by natural beauty of terraced rice fields looking different in each season.

There are a few historical and man-made attractions in Ha Giang. The Vuong Family mansion is a taste of what it would be like to live in a Vietnamese mansion. The architecture is beautiful and it is made entirely out of stone. It took 10 years to finish the construction. For a bit of history Sung Khanh Pagoda is a famous temple. It is located on a small hill in the village of Nung Village, and is only 9km from Ha Giang City. This could be accessible on a bicycle for the adventurous traveler!     If you are interested in going to the Chinese border, the actual border gate is only 22km from Ha Giang City.

Ha Giang market is a wonderful cultural experience that happens regularly, and in different locations according to the time of year. This market is usually quite crowded and has many different types of goods from different ethnic minorities of the people who live in Ha Giang. Once per year on the 27th day of the third month in the lunar calendar is a special event called the Khau Vai Love Market. This is a market where the different people who live in Ha Giang come to meet ex-lovers, new lovers and to show affection in general. People also dress up in crazy outfits with beautiful colors. This can be an exciting and unique time to visit Ha Giang.

When is the best time to visit Ha Giang?
What is great about Ha Giang is that all of the seasons are beautiful. There are two main seasons, the wet rainy season and the dry season. Generally, April to early October is the rainy season. The weather should be hot and humid with consistent rainfall. It can be important to remember your rain jacket or umbrella if you plan to visit during the rainy season. There is a chance of slippery roads, and landslides to the high volume or rain. What is best about this time is that the surrounding areas are very green. The dry season lasts from October through late April. The climate can be considered a bit nicer due to it being cooler, not as humid, and barely any rain. The temperature can get very cold in the high mountains and can even snow in January and February. Although there is no bad season to visit Ha Giang, the dry season is considered the best time to visit.

From October to December the buckwheat flowers are blooming all around the grey mountains, which give them a pink color. This is beautiful and can be compared to cherry blossom season in other Asian countries. January and February are the months when the Lunar New Year occurs, and is also where peach and plum flowers bloom. May is the month when the rice fields are flooded to prepare for the rice season. The scenery looks extremely unique at this time. From September to October the rice fields turn golden, and a famous place to view them are in Hoang Su Phi.

Do I need a permit to visit Ha Giang?
Ha Giang is also known as Vietnam’s “final frontier,” and therefore travel to this area is controlled in order to protect the different ethnic people and animals living here. If you do not have a travel permit before traveling you may be escorted by law officials out of the area, or have your mode of transportation taken away. It is impossible to fake this permit, and most hostels, airbnb and hotels will ask to see this when checking in.

How do I get from Hanoi to Ha Giang?
The distance between Hanoir and Ha Giang is around 300km, as Ha Giang is situated in the far north of Vietnam. This ride on either a motorbike or in a normal car will take 8-10 hours. If you choose to take a public bus, it will only take 6-8 hours due to needing less rest than on motorbike. There are two well recommended bus companies that run from Hanoi to Ha Giang, the Guang Nghi and Hung Thanh companies. This is a very comfortable way to travel as they both offer sleeper options. Guang Nghi company is the more expensive of the two companies, at $13 USD per person. This journey departs at either 715am, or 415pm, and will last for 6 hours. For the Hung Thanh company, the price is $10 USD, so it is a bit cheaper, but the journey will last for 8 hours. There is a bit more flexibility with this company as they have 3 options for departure, 830am, 230pm and 9pm. There are no trains that go through Ha Giang.

What is there to eat in Ha Giang?
Ha Giang is known for a few interesting and unique dishes due to it’s high elevation and proximity to the Chinese border. The first local dish is called, Au Tau Porridge, is a bit bitter and can be found all over Ha Giang city. There are many spices within this porridge as well as rice, and meat. Originally this was known as a medicine to cure those suffering from a common cold. Buffalo met is also a famous local meat specifically eaten not only in Ha Giang, but in all of the northwest of Vietnam. The meat is prepared by marinating it in peppers, and ginger, and then hung above a kitchen fire to be cooked over charcoal. This is a must try local dish for those who are not vegetarian. Another meat dish, that is not always loved by foreigners, is Thang Co. Thang Co is made from horse meat, and is traditional with the Hmong people. It is prepared by taking all parts of the horse meat and frying them. Traditionally women will eat this with rice balls and men will have it with ground corn.

Since buckwheat is one of the main crops grown in Ha Giang, there are many foods that are made from the flower of the buckwheat. These are known as Tam Giac Mach flowers. They are a beautiful color of pink, and have a specific tasty flavor. These flowers are made into wine, cookies, cake and more. Regarding sweets, there is a special dessert soup found in Dong Van and Meo Vac called Than Den. This dish is meant to warm up the body during the colder months of the dry season. The soup is made of glutinous rice balls which are soaked in syrup. They place peanuts, sesame and coconut slices over the top. This can be compared to mochi balls of Japanese origin.

How do I get around in Ha Giang?
Many travelers choose to travel to Ha Giang by motorbike themselves, and is something that the region is famous for. But if you choose not to rent a motorbike and travel to Ha Giang from elsewhere, there are places to rent one and travel around Ha Giang. This can be exciting and give you a bit more freedom in terms of where you can visit and what time you can go there. If this is not necessarily up your alley, you can choose to rent a car, or hire someone to drive you in a car to visit parts of the region. This shouldn’t be terribly expensive and you should be able to find someone from any hotel or guesthouse to help organize this for you.

How long should I plan to be in Ha Giang?
It is recommended to visit Ha Giang longer than only 1 night due to its location and distance from Hanoi. Truly to get a grasp of the beauty and visit many things in Ha Giang, at least 3-5 days would be enjoyable. This is obviously dependant on how many things you would like to see in the area, and the weather as well. If you visit during the wet season and aren’t able to get around for 1 day, you will have wished you had set aside a bit more time to experience the region. It really depends what style of traveler you are, and what you are looking to get out of your trip.

Ha Giang is a wonderful and special region in northern Vietnam. It is not as popular as Sapa, and definitely a bit more accessible from Hanoi. There are many beautiful wonders to see, and interesting things to eat. If you would like a bit of a break from the hustle and bustle to learn about a different cultural side of Vietnam, then Ha Giang is the best place to be.

ABOUT VIVUTRAVEL
Vivutravel is a local, trustworthy and professional Vietnam tour operator, offering a wide range of Vietnam and Indochina tour packages to the most exciting destinations at most competitive price. Our Business License Number is 0104000493 and our International Tour Operator License Number is 01 – 258. We are very pleased to be a member of Vietnam Administration of Tourism with financial guarantee – a deposit of 1.000,000,000 million Vietnam Dong (US$ 50,000) in a bank of Vietnam. Besides that, we are also official members of VISTA (Vietnam Society of Travel Agents), PATA (Pacific Asia Travel Association) and higky recommended on Tripadvisor.

Are you planning your Vietnam Holiday, but not sure how to arrange the trip? Getting lost in many tour options? Being sick of searching...? Just leave your troubles behind to read our Vietnam travel guide and send us your requests. Your private travel consultant at Vivutravel will help you design a perfectly suggested tour itinerary and quote which are tailor made to suit your wishes and budget.

* How to plan my Vietnam tour with you?
1. Send us an inquiry by submitting one of our online tour inquiry forms (Click). Tell us as much information as possible. For examples;

- Please tell us how many people will be traveling with you?

- Please tell us your preferred hotels, level of hotel (3, 4 or 5 stars), type of hotel, type of room...

- Please tell us your type of travel, length of travel and activities that you are interested in. For example; Family with kids, Couple's vacation, Honeymoon, Friends, Shopping, Sightseeing, Leisure and Relaxing, Cuisine & Cooking, Kayaking, Caves & Grottoes, Fishing, Swimming, Hiking, Minority, Adventure & Discovery...

- Please tell us where and what you want to visit. If you do not know much about Vietnam and Indochina, just give us your travel plan and ideas and we will create a suggested tour for you.

- Most of our tour guides are English speaking tour guides, but if you want another language like French, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Chinese... we can always arrange. Please tell us what you do you expect from your guides, for example; you want a guide with sense of humor? Good knowledge in history & culture? Male/Female guide? Talkative/untalkative? Young/Old guide?

- Please advise if you want breakfast included only or also lunch and dinner. Please let us know if you are a vegetarian, the food you can eat or can't? If you want local food in local restaurants or western food in tourist restaurant...? Actually, you do not have to send us all information, but the more we know, the better we plan your holiday.

2. After having received your inquiry, one of our professional Vietnam travel consultants will email and give you a proposal.

3. If you accept the proposal (you may modify it till you are satisfied with it), we will calculate the tour cost and send you the tour price. If you accept it, please confirm that you would like to book it.

* How Travel Experts at Vivutravel Service you?
"Highest Standards of Quality and Honesty" is the core value of each specialized team at Vivutravel.

Everyone in our company is working hard for only one goal, which is to ensure the highest level of service, luxury, and attention to detail from the minute you begin planning your trip, to the day you return home.

1-on-1 Travel Consultant
After sending us an inquiry, one of our travel consultants will get back to you within 0.5~23.5 hrs. In the next few days, he/she will be working closely with you to formulate a customized tour plan, as well as providing professional suggestions based on your travel interests, time, and budget.

Beside, he/she will keep in contact with you during your entire tour in Vietnam and Indochina, continually checking if everything is going well as planned.

* How to proceed to book Vietnam and Indochina tour with you?
When you decide to book your Vietnam and Indochina holiday with us, please send us your full names (name on passport) for hotel and domestic flight reservations, and your international flight details in and out Vietnam/Indochina for airport transfers / pick up & see off.

* How to pay the deposit and the balance?
Deposit: When the booking is completely confirmed, we will send you confirmation details including confirmed itinerary, invoice, voucher then deposit request of about 30% of the total tour cost (can be less). You can pay by credit cards (via onepay gateway, pay online), make wire transfer, western union. The deposit is used to pay the flight tickets, hotels, train tickets in advance.

Balance: You can pay the rest 2 weeks before your arrival, or you can pay us on your arrival in Vietnam by credit cards, cash (AUD, USD, EUROS, VND...)

* How to enjoy the tour?
Our job is to make your holiday a memorable experience. To make sure you will have a great time, there are something that we should share;

When you request the tour: Please let us know your personal interests so our travel consultants will design and include in the itinerary, or take notes for the hotels, tour guide, restaurants...

Before you come: One week before your arrival. we always send our clients an email to update about the weather and climate, booking status, and remind you to prepare/check the documents, visa...for the holiday.

When on tour: The tour is fixed, but you can always discuss with us if you want to make it more flexible. For example, you want to make some changes in the itinerary, restaurant (meals), tour guide... please just let us know, we will do the best for you.

Tour guide: Please let us know what do you expect from your tour guides and we will arrange the right ones for you.

* Can you buy the international flight tickets for us?
Yes, we do. However, we advise you to buy the flight tickets in and out Vietnam from your end as it is always cheaper than if booked in here.

* Do you offer any discounts?
Yes, we offer discounts for;

- Family with kids and children < 12 years old
- Disable people
- Old people (> 65 years old)
- Second trip with us
- Big group

* How can I pay you the money?
1) Credit card; (secure online payment gateway via Onepay)
ONEPAY - ONLINE PAYMENT GATEWAY (VISA, MASTERCARD, AMEX & JCB ACCEPTED)

Like PayPal, OnePAY is a payment gateway but specialized in Vietnam where the PayPal has not yet reached. This is a perfect and the first payment processor which gains reputation among clients about its efficiency and timely friendly support.

OnePAY in cooperation with biggest bank in Vietnam - Vietcombank which has been implemented this service among many tour operators in Vietnam.

OnePAY is approved by MasterCard for this payment collection on the behalf of us. OnePAY uses SSL Verisign® over internet transaction under 3D-Secure program by respective creditcard companies so you are free from worries your card information disclosed. OnePAY payment portal also meets standards of international financial system such as PCI DSS of PCI Security Standards Council, 3D-Secure of Visa, MasterCard and JCB.

2) Wire transfer (bank transfer)
3) Cash
4) Western union
5) Combination

* Is there any charge if i change my travel plan such as travel dates, tour itinerary, hotels,...?
We are happy to work on your requests, and will not charge you any money. However, if it is too urgent and the date is too close, the hotels or airlines may chare you some money, in this case we will let you know.

* What is the latest time that I can make my reservation?
We suggest you make reservations at least one month before the departure date. If you decide to travel to Vietnam in May, September or October which is peak season, we recommend you make the reservations two months (at least one) before your departure date. Late reservations can not be guaranteed for the availability of domestic flights, hotel rooms, etc.

However, we DO accept late reservations, things are possible at Vivutravel.

* What about Cancellation policy?
In case of cancellation, we will not impose any charges if we are not being charged and possible to get refund from our suppliers but if our suppliers apply charges for cancellation, you will have to pay those charges that apply. Cancellation policies vary, depending upon the type of service, the time of year, and the reason for cancellation. We will pass on to you all details of any cancellation policy with our transparent reply upon demand.

General cancellation charges that applied by travel services in Vietnam and Indochina.

- Domestic flights: 25% of the fares
- 3 star hotels, no charge if you cancel 5 -7 days before your arrival. (FIT)
- 4 star hotels, no charge if you cancel 10 - 15 days before your arrival (FIT)
- 5 stars hotels, no charge if you cancel 15 - 20 days before your arrival (FIT)

However, in peak season, we may have to pay the hotels one month before your arrival to secure the booking, and in this case, the cancellation policy will be based on the hotels' cancellation plolicies.

* Can we get refund?
For the unused services, Vivutravel will refund you the money.

* How do I get a visa?
Vietnam Visa - For those who would like to avoid the perhaps lengthening visa procedures with their local Vietnam's Embassies, the service of Vietnam Visa On Arrival is available for help. It is legitimated and supported by the Vietnamese Immigration Department. We recommend that you choose visa upon arrival, as picking up visa at the Vietnam int'l airport/border is quite simple, easy, no additional charges and no fail.

Steps to obtain Visa on arrival
a) Please provide the following information for us to apply for your visa.

1) Full name on passport
2) Passport number
3) Date of birth
4) Nationality
5) Date of arrival
6) Date of issue
7) Date of expire
8) Please make sure that your passport is still valid for 6 months

You can apply Vietnam visa online through our www.vietnamvisaprovider.com.

b) How long does it take?
It will take 2-3 days (Normal process), 01 day (Urgent process) to get the “Visa Approval Letter” which we will send you via mail. What you need is to print it out and take it along to get the stamp at airports/borders

c) Get the stamp
Upon arrival, you will need to fill in a certain form with your personal information, get the stamp and visa will be done. For this process, you will need to prepare 02 photos (4*6) and $25 USD each in cash which is stamping fee.

* Do our tour guides and drivers have meals with us?
The guide and the driver in each destination will dine at the same restaurant as yours. But, they will not join you unless you invite them.

* Where can I exchange our money into Vietnam currency?
We advise you to stop in any of a Vietnamese bank during the tour (Our tour guides will take you to the bank), you can also exchange money at your hotel, but the exchange rate is not really good.

* Can I use credit cards in Vietnam?
Major credit cards such as Master Card, Visa, Diner's Card, American Express and JCB can be used to purchase goods in large shopping malls and stores in the big and medium cities, to pay for hotel rooms and for meals in some of the fancier restaurants, and to buy plane tickets with them.

Note: If you are to travel to those small cities or even remote rural areas, only cash in Dong can be used.

* Do I need to bring my medical record with me?
Yes, we suggest you take your medical record with you in case that you need it in the event of an emergency, and please also take with you your doctor's name, address and phone number, emergency contact name and phone number, and your insurance company's name, address and phone number.

* When I finish my tour in Vietnam, if I still have some local money, what can I do?
Upon leaving Vietnam, if you still have some local money, you can change them back to foreign currency with your passport and the exchange memos given by the banks or money exchange counters. So please keep those exchange memos well whenever you change money.

* Tipping
Tipping is not compulsory, but expected by your tour guide and driver.  We advise you to tip as below:

- US$10 - $15 per day for tour guide
- US$7 - US$10 per day for driver

Note:
- Tipping can be more or less or nothing that depends on how big is the group? And how do you enjoy our services?

- Other tipping for tuktuk, sampan boat, cyclo,... please check with your tour guide during the tour.

* Shopping
Vivutravel guarantees "no shopping tour", which means we protect you from the tourist shopping centers or traps. However, if you want to buy something, our travel consultants, tour guides will give you suggestions, advices and help you buy to avoid being overcharged.

Bargaining is a "Must" when buying something in Vietnam and Indochina.

There are not many luxury hotels in this northeast region, but homestay, mostly mini hotels and a few 3-4 stars are available.

Homestay: Homestay is a great way to experience life and culture of the ethnic group in Ha Giang depending on your tour itinerary, you can stay in homstay at Phuong Do village of the Tay minority, Nam Dam Village of they Dao minority or LoLo Chai village of the LoLo ethnic.

Homestay is clean, having comfortable mattress, mosquito net, hot and cold shower. Some homestay has private room, too.

Hotel:  Phoenix Hotel is the first 4 star hotel in Ha Giang city. In Dong Van, Hoa Cuong is still the best choice (aroudn 3 stars). Mini hotels are not a bad idea to save cost, but still comfortable enough.

Tour guide and driver are Vivutravel's representatives and your travel companions during your travel in Sapa & the Northeast of Vietnam who take care of our travel services and make your holiday a memorable time. Understanding this, Vivutravel always selects the best tour guides and drivers for such amazing trips to the far North.

Tour Guide:

We do understand that a good tour guide will make your holiday a beautiful time and tour guides who work with us are well-paid, experienced with a university background, eager to exchange our culture, lifestyle, knowledge...with travelers, and have a great passion for their country and understand the personal touch.

Then we always use experienced tour guides who are expert in guiding trips to those Northeast areas and will show you the most beautiful view-points, introduce to you unique cultures and lifestyles of local ethnic people as well as guide you to amazing trekking routes.

Transportation:

Vivutravel guarantees to offer the best means of transport during your tour to Sapa & the Northeast. The safety, comfort and security of our customers come first. Furthermore, as all tourist sites are mostly far from towns and city centers, vehicle must be the latest modern one or it will be very difficult to manage in case it is broken on the way. Furthermore, checking the vehicle carefully before the trip is a must-do procedure in order that it will work well and stays away from all rising troubles. Our drivers must be very experienced and careful too as it is not easy to go around those untouched areas. They are all full time workers, government licensed in the tourism industry with at least 5 years driving experience.

Luxury restaurants are not available in the far North of Vietnam. Standard restaurants can hardly find. Then our meals are mostly at basic local restaurants with simple dishes. It is not expensive for having lunch/dinner there and it costs around 5-7 usd per meal only. Breakfasts are mostly not included at hotel and you will have breakfasts outside with Vietnamese popular dishes like noodle soup, sticky rice, bread, etc.  

NOTE: Acceptable restaurants are all located at towns which are sometimes far away from our visiting destinations. So lunch can be arranged quite late at around 1pm or 2pm.

Dinner at homestay