We set off on the Ha Giang loop at around 11:30am on Friday 19th October, after being on the bus overnight from Hanoi weary-eyed but super excited. I chose to hire an easy rider, who is a professional/ experienced motorbike rider, and who knows the best spots to stop, for view points, for lunch as well as for accommodation, over the four days. It also meant we didn’t have to worry about anything as far as logistics go. The weather was mostly overcast but fairly ok to ride in.
After lunch, we made a stop in Quà n Ba, where there was a sweet little village which would be one of many villages we passed along the way. We said hello to the people as we walked through, and headed towards the viewpoint we were going to see. On the way up, the thing that struck me most was the children working. There were children no older than the age of six and sometimes younger, carrying huge bundles of branches- perhaps for construction or for fires, I’m not completely sure. They’re hacking at these plants in a way that looks as forceful or more forceful than I could do. It’s illegal for children under the age of 15 but most of the children I saw working were significantly younger. In 2016, the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs showed that there are more than 1.75 million children doing hard labour or working in an unhealthy environment, but the likelyhood of it is that there are many more than that taking part in some kind of work in Vietnam (a survey in 2012 stated that 1/6 of the child population / 2.83 million children was engaged in some kind of economic activity). The obvious but necessary thing to point out is not my judgement of these facts - but rather my thoughts along the way, and the emotions I experienced.
The attraction we had stopped for here was Lùng Khuy cave, which was discovered in 2015 and quite cool. I had never seen a cave before. Coming down from the cave and back down to the bikes, walking through the village again, were a small group of children playing. Bare foot, appearing completely content. There’s something incredibly heart-warming seeing children so engrossed in play. I felt both a sense of relief and confusion at seeing the (what seem to be) contrasting realities in the same space. I don’t know of course, any context to these children’s lives: I know nothing about them or their circumstances. I took solace, though, in how happy the children seemed when they were playing.
Over the next few days, we would stop at many breath-taking view points and see many local people (90% of the province are ethnic minorities, made up of the Pu Peo, Lo Lo, Giay, Nung, the Tay, The Dao, and the H’Mong people). They were extremely friendly and seemed excited to see other tourists along the loop.
On the second day, we entered China! The route passes the border between Vietnam and China, and there’s an area where you can cross and stand in what is technically China for a while. It made me wonder how exact borders are created and who gets to choose, and then I thought about how ridiculous the idea of borders are really, for all the problems and conflict they cause. Saturday evening was fun, we stayed at a homestay in Dong Van and were able to really experience Vietnamese custom - we had a family meal with Happy Water and then all took part in Karaoke. Half way through the family hosting us, brought out a pile of Vietnamese clothes for us to dress up in and we danced around in them, which was really cute and funny.
The third day was probably my favourite day when we set off on the ride. Before that in the morning, though, I was saddened by the Sunday Market in Dong Van, where I saw chicken and pigs being sold live, there were about 10 chickens in a tiny cage, and the pigs were squealing. I also saw people carelessly dragging and kicking the pigs in order to shut them up or make them move. As the day continued, the sights grew more and more green, luscious and beautiful, especially because it was sunny! That afternoon we stopped and swam in a waterfall which is near to where we were staying that night. To get to the waterfall, we had to ride through a small village and once again, the kids were unbelievably cute. As you ride they run to the side of the road, sometimes holding their hand out to give you a high-5, or just wave and repeat ‘hello!’ Over and over. Sometimes they ran after us as well; the novelty of seeing tourists pass through seems to still be there for them, and I’m not sure how much longer that’ll last with the loop becoming more popular each year. In the evening we stayed in another home stay, this time in Yen Min. The evening meal was great and we all sat in a large circle on the matts on the floor, with around 10 dishes to share, as goes traditional Vietnamese cuisine. We had quite a lot of happy water on this night too!
On the fourth and final day, we stopped off at Lùng tà m village and were shown how traditional H’mong clothes are made, from plant to cloth, spun, weaved, dyed naturally with different wood. The lady who showed us around then dressed me in some traditional clothes, including a skirt that she made over a few years when she was 13 years old. The H’Mông people here, who relatively have so little compared to more developed countries, are so kind and welcoming. These communities are so rich in culture and tradition, and possess this aura of humility that is hard to put into words. They didn’t expect any money for the tour and gave us a free purse, that would’ve taken a whole day to make. Not even on a donation basis would they accept money. I guess spreading the knowledge of the process of what they make and how it works is more impacting, and their purpose transcends financial gains. They also sold some of the products in a shop but by no means were they pushing us to buy anything.
The Ha Giang loop was an unforgettable experience and one I will truly never forget. I’m glad that I chose to go for it and not hold back because of how dangerous it can be. At the moment the roads are definitely not ideal, and I was scared at times, especially when we were high up on a mountain with narrow roads and barely any barriers, or when a huge lorry zooms past. But the chances of something awful happening are low relative to how many people do the loop, and I am sure over the coming years with the influx of tourists, the roads will improve. It’s impossible to sum this experience up through words or photos, but I recommend this to anyone visiting Vietnam or considering it, and going on an easy rider if, like me, you aren’t confident enough to ride yourself!
After lunch, we made a stop in Quà n Ba, where there was a sweet little village which would be one of many villages we passed along the way. We said hello to the people as we walked through, and headed towards the viewpoint we were going to see. On the way up, the thing that struck me most was the children working. There were children no older than the age of six and sometimes younger, carrying huge bundles of branches- perhaps for construction or for fires, I’m not completely sure. They’re hacking at these plants in a way that looks as forceful or more forceful than I could do. It’s illegal for children under the age of 15 but most of the children I saw working were significantly younger. In 2016, the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs showed that there are more than 1.75 million children doing hard labour or working in an unhealthy environment, but the likelyhood of it is that there are many more than that taking part in some kind of work in Vietnam (a survey in 2012 stated that 1/6 of the child population / 2.83 million children was engaged in some kind of economic activity). The obvious but necessary thing to point out is not my judgement of these facts - but rather my thoughts along the way, and the emotions I experienced.
The attraction we had stopped for here was Lùng Khuy cave, which was discovered in 2015 and quite cool. I had never seen a cave before. Coming down from the cave and back down to the bikes, walking through the village again, were a small group of children playing. Bare foot, appearing completely content. There’s something incredibly heart-warming seeing children so engrossed in play. I felt both a sense of relief and confusion at seeing the (what seem to be) contrasting realities in the same space. I don’t know of course, any context to these children’s lives: I know nothing about them or their circumstances. I took solace, though, in how happy the children seemed when they were playing.
Over the next few days, we would stop at many breath-taking view points and see many local people (90% of the province are ethnic minorities, made up of the Pu Peo, Lo Lo, Giay, Nung, the Tay, The Dao, and the H’Mong people). They were extremely friendly and seemed excited to see other tourists along the loop.
On the second day, we entered China! The route passes the border between Vietnam and China, and there’s an area where you can cross and stand in what is technically China for a while. It made me wonder how exact borders are created and who gets to choose, and then I thought about how ridiculous the idea of borders are really, for all the problems and conflict they cause. Saturday evening was fun, we stayed at a homestay in Dong Van and were able to really experience Vietnamese custom - we had a family meal with Happy Water and then all took part in Karaoke. Half way through the family hosting us, brought out a pile of Vietnamese clothes for us to dress up in and we danced around in them, which was really cute and funny.
The third day was probably my favourite day when we set off on the ride. Before that in the morning, though, I was saddened by the Sunday Market in Dong Van, where I saw chicken and pigs being sold live, there were about 10 chickens in a tiny cage, and the pigs were squealing. I also saw people carelessly dragging and kicking the pigs in order to shut them up or make them move. As the day continued, the sights grew more and more green, luscious and beautiful, especially because it was sunny! That afternoon we stopped and swam in a waterfall which is near to where we were staying that night. To get to the waterfall, we had to ride through a small village and once again, the kids were unbelievably cute. As you ride they run to the side of the road, sometimes holding their hand out to give you a high-5, or just wave and repeat ‘hello!’ Over and over. Sometimes they ran after us as well; the novelty of seeing tourists pass through seems to still be there for them, and I’m not sure how much longer that’ll last with the loop becoming more popular each year. In the evening we stayed in another home stay, this time in Yen Min. The evening meal was great and we all sat in a large circle on the matts on the floor, with around 10 dishes to share, as goes traditional Vietnamese cuisine. We had quite a lot of happy water on this night too!
On the fourth and final day, we stopped off at Lùng tà m village and were shown how traditional H’mong clothes are made, from plant to cloth, spun, weaved, dyed naturally with different wood. The lady who showed us around then dressed me in some traditional clothes, including a skirt that she made over a few years when she was 13 years old. The H’Mông people here, who relatively have so little compared to more developed countries, are so kind and welcoming. These communities are so rich in culture and tradition, and possess this aura of humility that is hard to put into words. They didn’t expect any money for the tour and gave us a free purse, that would’ve taken a whole day to make. Not even on a donation basis would they accept money. I guess spreading the knowledge of the process of what they make and how it works is more impacting, and their purpose transcends financial gains. They also sold some of the products in a shop but by no means were they pushing us to buy anything.
The Ha Giang loop was an unforgettable experience and one I will truly never forget. I’m glad that I chose to go for it and not hold back because of how dangerous it can be. At the moment the roads are definitely not ideal, and I was scared at times, especially when we were high up on a mountain with narrow roads and barely any barriers, or when a huge lorry zooms past. But the chances of something awful happening are low relative to how many people do the loop, and I am sure over the coming years with the influx of tourists, the roads will improve. It’s impossible to sum this experience up through words or photos, but I recommend this to anyone visiting Vietnam or considering it, and going on an easy rider if, like me, you aren’t confident enough to ride yourself!
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