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Explore the unique cultures of one of the most remote Vietnam trekking regions while traversing roads that few get to experience. The Ha Giang Hiking Trails take you deep into one of the country’s most dramatic and untouched landscapes. Over the course of five days, you’ll immerse yourself in the vibrant local markets, where you’ll encounter ethnic communities whose traditions have remained largely unchanged for centuries. As you trek through towering peaks and navigate some of the most thrilling mountain passes in Vietnam—Dong Van and Ma Pi Leng—you’ll witness the vast, rugged terrain that has shaped the lives of those who call these mountains home.

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Good to know

  • Top rated on Trip Advisor
  • Responsible travel specialist
  • Vietnamese owned & operated

What's included

  • Included Accommodation
  • Included Guided excursions
  • Included Ground transfers
  • Included Some meals
  • Included Equipment
  • Included Support
Days

5

Starting from

$804 pp

Contact us now for more information about this trip
This tour is operated by
Mr Linh's Adventures

Speak to Linh for expert travel advice

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Destinations
Ha Giang
Activity
Adventure, Hiking & Trekking, Active, Walking, Nature & Wildlife, Culture, Responsible Travel, Community-led Tourism, Slow Travel, Solo Travel
Tour Type
Small group tour
Physical Level
Mild
Season Season
January - December

Detailed itinerary

What you'll see and do

Hanoi - Ha Giang

Your guide will meet you at your hotel in Hanoi around 8:00 AM to start the drive to Ha Giang. The journey takes you through Tuyen Quang, a region marked by tea plantations, forested hills, and villages inhabited by ethnic minority communities.

Lunch will be at a local restaurant in Tuyen Quang, providing a break before continuing on to Ha Giang. Arriving in the late afternoon, you’ll have time to visit the Tay villages of Ha Thanh and Thon Tha, where you can stroll through quiet paths and meet local residents going about their daily routines. Dinner will be served at your accommodation, a traditional Tay stilt house, where you’ll also stay the night.

  • Walking distance: 5-7 km.
Trekking in Ha Giang

After breakfast at the homestay, the day’s trek begins with a route to the village of Lung Vai, a journey of approximately 6-8 hours. As you walk, the trail winds through terraced rice fields, quiet palm forests, and rugged mountains. Along the way, you’ll encounter farmers and villagers from ethnic groups such as the Dao and Man, who often welcome brief exchanges with visitors.

Lunch will be a picnic amidst the serene landscape before continuing to the secluded village of Khuoi My. The trail is alive with the sights and sounds of agricultural life, and there’s an opportunity to join in with farm work if time allows.

The trek concludes in Ban Tha Village, where a driver will transfer you to Nam Dam, a Dao community. Dinner will be a homemade meal at a local homestay, offering a glimpse into the culture and traditions of the Dao people.

  • Walking distance: 13-15 km.
Quan Ba to Dong Van

The day begins with a drive through the highlands of Ha Giang, following a series of dramatic mountain passes after securing your travel permit. Along the way, you’ll stop at Tam Son, a tranquil mountain village, for lunch.

Continuing onward, you’ll visit the King of the H’mong Palace, an early 20th-century fortress built by Vuong Chinh Duc, a local leader who collaborated with the French during the colonial era. The palace, crafted from stone, wood, and terracotta tiles, offers a fascinating glimpse into the H’mong people’s history and their interactions with regional powers.

From Dong Van, a 3.5-hour trek leads to the area’s highest peaks, rewarding you with sweeping views of the valleys below. You’ll visit villages of the H’mong, Lo Lo, and Giay ethnic groups, each offering insight into the diverse cultures thriving in this remote region.

The day concludes with a return to Dong Van for dinner and an overnight stay in a hotel.

  • Walking distance: 8-10 km.
Dong Van to Meo Vac and Ha Giang

After breakfast, you’ll explore the Dong Van Old Quarter, a small but historic area showcasing traditional architecture and a sense of the region's past. From here, you’ll trek to Pu Lo Fortress, an outpost built in 1890 and abandoned in 1945. Perched high on a hill, the fortress offers sweeping views of the surrounding mountains and valleys, a vantage point once used for both defense and governance.

The trek continues to the iconic Ma Pi Leng Pass, an 8-kilometer climb through a surreal landscape of jagged limestone peaks, plunging canyons, and stone forests. This stretch of the route, often referred to as the "Sky Path," delivers some of the most remarkable views in all of Vietnam.

Descending into the valley, you’ll reach Meo Vac, a quiet town nestled between mountains and home to a rich mix of ethnic groups. After a break, a drive will take you back to Ha Giang, where a hearty dinner awaits and your evening is spent in the comfort of a local hotel.

  • Walking distance: 8-10 km.
Ha Giang to Hanoi

On your final day, the journey back to Hanoi follows a less-traveled route, winding through lush valleys and along rivers that carve their way through the northern highlands. As you pass through remote hamlets, you’ll have the chance to interact with curious locals, offering a genuine and unfiltered glimpse into their daily lives far from tourist hubs.

Before reaching Hanoi, a stop at Duong Lam Ancient Village provides a fascinating detour. This well-preserved village is home to centuries-old houses made of laterite stone and wood, where the rhythms of traditional Vietnamese life remain largely unchanged.

After a local lunch, the last leg of the trip will bring you back to Hanoi in the late afternoon, where you’ll be dropped off at your hotel.

  • Hanoi

    Hanoi

    Vietnam’s capital is a riot of blaring horns, stunning architecture and delicious street food...
  • Ha Giang

    Ha Giang

    Ha Giang is Vietnam’s northernmost province and the landscapes are like something from a science fiction flick...
  • Dong Van

  • Ha Giang

    Ha Giang

    Ha Giang is Vietnam’s northernmost province and the landscapes are like something from a science fiction flick...
  • Hanoi

    Hanoi

    Vietnam’s capital is a riot of blaring horns, stunning architecture and delicious street food...

Speak to a Ha Giang specialist about this trip

Mr Linh's Adventures

Contact us now for more information about this trip

Talk to us

Where to stay

Some of our sample accommodation.

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Mr Doan's Homestay
Simple

Mr Doan's Homestay

Visit Mr Doan, his wife and his two sons in a traditional stilts house of Tay ethnic minority group in North of Vietnam...

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Mr Hung's Homestay
Basic

Mr Hung's Homestay

On the remote village of Na Nghe...

Expand
Ba Be Jungle Houses
Simple

Ba Be Jungle Houses

A step up in amenities to Ba Be's homestays, this lakeside place in Coc Toc village takes the form of six small, spic-and-span, wood-panelled private rooms, and a dorm...

Expand
Ta Van Homestay
Simple

Ta Van Homestay

Located by the beautiful Hoa stream, surrounded by green terraced fields, visitors to this Ta Van homestay will experience the feeling of staying in the poetic stilt houses of the Northwest ethnic group...

What's included

Included Accommodation

All nights in our carefully chosen ecolodges, hotels and homestays. We take care to pick the most interesting, locally owned accommodations to give you a unique insight into Vietnam life.

Included Guided excursions

Fully accompanied by an experienced, local, English-speaking guide. Our guides are the best in the business and will open doors you didn't know existed!

All entrance and sightseeing tickets, taxes and other fees are included.

Included Ground transfers

All hotel collections / drop-offs and other ground transfers as required in the itinerary.

Included Some meals

All meals while travelling.

Included Equipment

All camping, kayaking, paddling and other equipment as required by the itinerary.

Included Support

24/7 hotline support while travelling.

Reviews

What people are saying about Mr Linh's Adventures

Abby
04/10/2024

We (family with 6yo and 9yo) stayed magnificently at Ba Be jungle house in the deluxe family room. We chose this place to relax after our adventures in Ha Giang, and loved the pool against the lake.

After resting on our first day (free kayaks and bicycles available but we felt too lazy!) we decided to go on the Tham Phay cave expedition which seems to be quite the hidden gem in Vietnam. We had a great guide who led us through the lush jungles of Ba Be, crossing streams, rice paddies, bamboo forests and valley to a farm where my kids held a teeny baby goat.

The farmer (and our English speaking guide who was full of great info about local flora, fauna and life in Ba Be) then led us down into the cave, lit only by our helmet lights and torches, just us. It was beautiful and very exciting. The guides let us know the safest places to stick to. We were provided with wet bags and offered wet shoes (we brought our own) and we walked and swam through the crystal cool waters of the underground river, observing fish and insects and bats, and hanging cave worm threads. The cave formations were amazing, full of sparkles and pools, stalactites and stalagmites, waterfalls and parts yet unexplored. Pristine ancient corridors curved and arched and widened before us, carved by water. One small opening required rolling into!

After we climbed back out and dried off, we walked back to the car and went to a local home for lunch and shared a pot of tea. This experience was easily amongst the top in our Vietnam trip! I hope this cave remains protected and sustainably accessed without losing its rawness.

Mr Linh's also organised a little boat trip for us on the lake in the morning after (enchanting) as well as our transport back to Hanoi. And 2 weeks of laundry!

Thanks so much for a great experience in Ba Be.

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Scott
15/11/2024

My friend and I really enjoyed the Ha Giang Secret Trails tour. They were extremely communicative in advance of the trip and were flexible and accommodating with our agenda. It was a good mix of trekking and road time, with amazing sights all along the way. We ended up customizing the trip so that we could do the first two days on motorbikes with Easy Riders and by car the last day, which I highly recommend if you have some extra budget. (As two 50 YO dudes we thought the bike option was safe and super fun but can be hard on your arse after a couple days.). Our guide Tu Ahn was exceptional and showed us many “off the beaten track” sights. She is obviously very passionate about her job and her country. Highly recommend!

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Bryan
03/03/2024

Great organised tour from pickup at our hotel and dropped backed, Good knowledge by our guide Sonny and great driving by the driver, we first got picked up and went to Ha Long bay and spent the night with 30 others from a different tour on a boat in HaLong bay, good food and tours of caves and kayaking, only negative would be the over crowded islands, went back to Hanoi for a stay at a very nice hotel, from there the next morning we got picked up by Sonny and the driver, there were only four of us on this tour, we went to the caves, waterfalls on the China border and then on to a farm stay in a village, next day on to Ba Be Lake National Park where we spent the night at a lovely guest house, next day we did a long boat trip up to a village, temple and back to the guest house for lunch and then drove back to Hanoi .The tour did a circuit of North Vietnam, it is a lot of driving but the accommodation is very good along with all the food, the driver ( sorry forgot his name) was excellent along with Sonny the guide who's local knowledge was first class, Sonny kept a eye on everything including dealings with locals making sure we weren't over charged, dealings with Linh Hue via WhatsApp was excellent from my first research via the internet in Australia, high would highly recommend this company, regards Bryan, Australian

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Sophie R
08/10/2024

Mr Linh's adventures were very communicative and helpful over email while organising the trip. Our guide (Mr Hoa - John) and driver (Bao) were fantastic. They were so well organised, everything ran very smoothly without feeling rushed and Bao drove very safely.

Read more

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