Hanoi · Ha Giang Limestone Loop Stage

Two passes and 416 km

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Why this ride

Limestone drama and a route that is never casual. Out of Hà Giang and back again: 416 km, roughly 8 h in the saddle. The climbs: Quan Ba Heaven and Ma Pi Leng Pass. It tops out at about 1,500 m. The passes are the reason to go.

Roadbook

1. Ha Giang base sleep

   Ha Giang is the last real town before Vietnam runs out of road and turns into limestone, a small, busy provincial capital on the Lo river, about as far north as you can go without crossing into China. About thirty thousand people live here, in a grid of shops, cafes, homestays and motorbike rental places that exist because of the ride that begins at the edge of town. This is where riders sleep, sort out their kit and eat a big bowl of pho before the mountains, and it is a sensible base for exactly that purpose.

   The Ha Giang Loop is the draw, a few days of tight, steep, foggy mountain road through the Dong Van Karst Plateau Geopark. The road climbs from the valley through the Heaven's Gate pass at Quan Ba, past terraced rice fields and villages of the Hmong, Dao and Tay people, to Yen Minh, Dong Van and the border country at Lung Cu, where a flag tower stands at Vietnam's northernmost point. The highlight is the Ma Pi Leng Pass, a narrow shelf cut into a cliff above the Nho Que river, which runs a startling jade green at the bottom of one of the deepest canyons in Southeast Asia. The tarmac is mostly decent but narrow, with sharp hairpins, sudden potholes, mist and the odd buffalo. Take it slowly, and avoid riding at night.

   The pass was built by hand in the early 1960s. Thousands of volunteers, many of them young people from across northern Vietnam and from local minority communities, worked with picks and dynamite for years to carve the road from the rock, and it became a symbol of national effort. Near Sa Phin, a short ride off the main route, stands the old palace of a Hmong chieftain family, a house of stone and wood from the early twentieth century. Markets in the hill towns, on certain days of the week, are colourful gatherings where people trade in traditional dress, and the weekly Sunday market in Dong Van draws crowds.

   The landscape is spectacular. Stone peaks rise from the fields like broken teeth, and terraces of rice, maize and buckwheat climb the slopes, with pink buckwheat flowers in October and November, and plum blossom in late winter. The air is cool, damp and smells of wood smoke, and the mist often hides everything until it suddenly lifts.

   Fuel is easy to find in town, so fill up before leaving. Pack a rain jacket, warm layers and a phone with offline maps, and make sure your bike and brakes are in good order. Beds in town are cheap and simple, and an early night is wise.

2. Quan Ba Heaven Gate pass · 1500 m

   The Heaven Gate, Cổng Trời in Vietnamese, is the pass above Quản Bạ, where the road tops a ridge at about fifteen hundred metres and the whole Dong Van Karst Plateau opens beneath it. Below, a valley of green rice terraces and small fields is dotted with the humped outlines of limestone hills, and in the middle sits the pair of round green mounds known as Núi Đôi, the Twin Mountains, which local people call the Fairy's Bosom. On a clear morning, mist lies in the hollows and the hills float above it.

   This is the far north of Vietnam, a few kilometres from the Chinese border, and the country is mountain, rock and weather. The Dong Van Karst Plateau is a UNESCO Global Geopark, recognised in 2010, a high landscape of grey limestone, deep gorges and ancient fossils, and it is home to a mosaic of ethnic groups, including the Hmong, Tay, Dao and Lo Lo. Villagers farm every scrap of soil, planting maize between the rocks, and weekly markets bring colourful traditional costumes. The nearest big town is Hà Giang, about twenty-six kilometres back, where you should fill the tank and check the bike.

   The Ha Giang Loop is a famous adventure for riders, and this pass is one of its first great moments. The road is a ribbon of switchbacks cut into the mountainside, mostly paved but narrow, with blind curves, potholes, sudden fog and trucks and buses taking the middle of the road. Take it gently, use the horn at corners and watch for livestock. In the rainy season, from about May to September, landslides and slick surfaces are common, while autumn and spring offer clearer weather, though cold mornings.

   Pack layers, a rain jacket and a spare phone battery, as it gets chilly at altitude. Buy water and snacks in town, and look for small roadside stalls selling sweet corn and tea. At the pass there are stalls and viewpoints, and a short stop gives you the best view of the Twin Mountains. Local guesthouses in Quản Bạ and Tam Sơn serve simple, tasty meals, and the Hmong market days make the village lively. Early starts help avoid cloud and traffic.

3. Dong Van plateau sight

   The Dong Van plateau is a landscape in which almost nothing is flat. In the far north of Vietnam, in Ha Giang province near the Chinese border, a vast area of limestone has been uplifted, cracked and worn into jagged grey ridges, deep valleys and pockets of terraced fields, and it is protected as a UNESCO Global Geopark. The rock is old, much of it hundreds of millions of years, and in places it is full of fossils. Maize is grown in little pockets of soil between boulders, with farmers building stone walls to hold the earth in place, so that whole hillsides look like handmade quilts.

   People live here, too, in a way that seems impossible. The area is home to several ethnic minorities, including the Hmong, Lo Lo, Tay and Dao, and each has its own dress, language and customs. Villages are built of stone and clay, with thick walls against the cold, and the Sunday market in the little town of Dong Van is a riot of colour, with traditional clothing, livestock and food. In autumn, usually October and November, the buckwheat fields bloom with pink and white flowers, a gentle contrast with the grey rock.

   The riding is among the best in Southeast Asia. Roads climb and twist along cliffs, with hairpins, sudden drops, steep gradients and stunning views at every bend, and the famous Ma Pi Leng Pass looks down into the Nho Que river canyon, a deep green gash far below. Surface quality is mostly good, but landslides, potholes and fog can be a problem, particularly in the wet season. Traffic is usually light, but trucks, motorbikes and buffalo share the road, and drivers overtake on blind bends, so caution and a steady pace are wise.

   The town of Dong Van has fuel, basic guesthouses and simple restaurants, and it is the practical base on the plateau. Elsewhere, fuel may be sold from bottles at roadside shops, so fill up when you can. Try thang co, a traditional horse or buffalo stew, and corn wine, and expect cold nights even in summer, since the altitude is well above a thousand metres. Bring a warm layer and a rain jacket, and give yourself time, because the best moments are often the unplanned stops.

4. Ma Pi Leng Pass pass · 1500 m

   Mã Pí Lèng is the great pass of the Ha Giang Loop, a road cut along the side of a vast gorge on the way between Đồng Văn and Mèo Vạc, and it earns its reputation in the first minute. At about fifteen hundred metres, the road clings to a cliff hundreds of metres above the Nho Quế River, which winds through a sheer, green-black canyon far below, often described as one of the deepest in Southeast Asia. The sides drop away on one hand, the mountain climbs on the other, and the colour of the river, a clear jade turquoise on a good day, is unforgettable.

   The road has a story that matters. It is known as the Happiness Road, and it was built by hand between 1959 and 1965 by thousands of young volunteers and local labourers from many ethnic groups, who hung from ropes to drill and blast the cliff face with little more than hammers and dynamite, working for months at a time. A monument at the pass recognises their effort, and some of those who built it died in the work. Today it is a paved, if narrow, road, with viewing points, tea stalls and small cafés where you can sit and look across the gorge.

   For a rider, the pass is a thrilling, careful ride. The bends are tight and often blind, the road is shared with trucks, buses, scooters and livestock, and fog can appear suddenly, cutting visibility to a few metres. Rain makes the surface treacherous. Go slowly, stay on your side, and use your horn before blind corners. Mornings are often clearest, and the best light is just after sunrise, when the sun burns off the mist. The road is frequently crowded with tour groups at midday.

   Carry water, warm clothes and a rain jacket, as temperatures can drop sharply. Local food in the nearby towns includes thắng cố, a hearty horse or beef stew, and buckwheat cakes. In autumn, the buckwheat flowers bloom pink across the hills, and the days are crisp and clear, making it the best season.

5. Back to Ha Giang base finish

   Back at Ha Giang base. That is the ride.

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