Vietnam: Started With A Bang Doing The Loop Of Hi Giang

During our travels through Thailand and Laos, talk of the Hi Giang Loop kept cropping up. It was supposedly similar scenery to Sapa but far better as it was rural and not yet spoilt from tourism. You could also do authentic home stays during the loop so we were repeatedly told it was the highlight of everyone’s time in Vietnam. What can I say, we were sold.

When we touched down in Hanoi we booked with a little company on the street which was part of Cheers Hostel. We paid £150 for a night bus to Hi Giang, all our food, accommodation (including a home stay one night) and easy riders who drove the motorbikes. We also got a free night at Cheers Hostel when we returned back to Hanoi. It was worth every penny. The scenery, the food, our drivers; it was all incredible. So what was it?

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

The Hi Giang Loop is right by the Vietnamese Chinese border (yup, we did risk Corona Virus by going up close to the very country where it had all begun but hey, it was definitely worth it). This means it is located North of Hanoi and can therefore get pretty chilly (especially when you’re whizzing along on a motorbike).

The weather is unpredictable; our first day was misty with low visibility and a bit of light rain but the next two days were sunny and the temperature got progressively warmer. For the first day I wore a sports bra, thermal top, jumper and coat (and I still got a bit cold at times). I wore leggings every day but the others wore hareem pants and these seemed equally effective. A coat is essential, though, as it’ll act as a barrier to the wind (even if it’s warm and sunny there’ll be a breeze when you’re on the motorbike). I’d also suggest gloves if you have them.

You have two options in terms of doing the loop; hiring a motorbike yourself and organising accommodation along the way, or using an easy rider. We went with easy riders as none of us were confident on motorbikes and the loop is dangerous (you have to be a pretty accomplished motorcyclist to do it yourself). This also meant all our accommodation and food was sorted for us so it made the trip entirely hassle free.

It’s protocol to tip the drivers at the end of the tour. They earn very little and work tirelessly every day to ensure you’re comfortable and happy. Whenever we wanted to have an extra layer or delayer, they would unwrap our bags from the motorbike and then reattach it after. They would serve us our food and despite speaking little, or no, English, they’d try their hardest to communicate clearly. I never felt in danger at any point as the drive was so smooth, so giving a tip was a no brainier.

DAY 1

We were in Hanoi so at 7PM we dropped our big bags at Cheers Hostel which was only down the road from where we’d been staying; VBH, also known as Vietnam Backpackers Hostel. We then had an unexpected opportunity to ‘socialise’ which involved karaoke. It was unsurprising that only us girls partook whilst everyone else sat quietly and drank the free beer.

At 8PM 13 people, 6 of which were us, bundled into a transfer bus. We arrived about an hour later at the coach station where we boarded our ‘limousine’ (it was actually just a very fancy bus but we loved how it kept being referred to as a limousine). It was seriously luxurious transport with little cabins for us to sleep in. We had televisions, charging points, curtains ... we were in our element! Unfortunately, we knew we’d be arriving at 3AM so wanted to get so sleep.

Sure enough, at 3AM we pulled up at Amazing Hostel in Hi Giang. It was basic but perfect for the few hours of sleep we had left. 7AM and it was time to get up for our free breakfast of honey pancakes (there were always options for toast and eggs too, but we stuck to the sweet stuff). We then got to meet our easy riders who would be driving the motorbikes for the next three days; all of which were brilliant.

When we set off, it was pretty sketchy weather. For some reason Grace was dressed up in colourful plastic overalls so she resembled a human condom, whilst the rest of us just had our arm and knee pads and a helmet for protection. We winded through the mountains as mist descended on us and at our first stop off we all joined Grace in wearing ridiculous looking overalls. The Hi Giang Loop is known for its breath taking views and scenery ... all we could see was thick grey cloud (but we came back this way and did see the views on the last day).

Although visibility was limited, I found it very atmospheric twisting through the the loop as mountains would emerge and then disappear in seconds. This is where having an easy rider was great. We didn’t have to worry about directions or concentrating on the road, so we got to see everything during the drive. Being on the motorbikes was so much fun and I loved having the six of us all in convoy together (the other seven in our group were separate to us during the day). We stopped in a town for lunch which was included (we got to choose a meal off the menu and also got chips to share between us).

There were plenty stops throughout the day to admire the view, but there wasn’t much to see so we mostly just chatted and stretched our legs during these times. I noticed that despite the bad weather, there was constant laughter between us and we were loving every second. This made me realise the importance of having a good group. The six of us were having a ball because we all had the attitude of let’s make everything the best it can be; we definitely achieved that.

Towards the end of the day we stopped at the Kings House to have a look around before arriving at the hostel. It was seriously nice and the meal they put out for us was lovely. It was all very traditional, and being vegetarians it was mostly tofu based dishes but there was also pumpkin soup, rice, garlic vegetables and many sauces to add flavour. We all agreed that the day had resembled a days skiing. We were up in the mountains, wind rushing around our helmets and the cold threatening our bodies if we didn’t have a hot chocolate stop (which we did) and French fries for lunch to warm us up. Being a huge fan of skiing, motor biking around the loop resembled one of my all time favourite activities (no wonder I loved it so much)!

DAY 2

It was another early start so we had hit the hay at a reasonable hour the night before. We made our way to breakfast for 8AM and had more pancakes with honey and banana to help fuel our bodies for the day. It was still overcast but after an hour or so the clouds cleared and the sun came out to play (hooray)!

We were really able to appreciate the views today, with the mountain hills rolling for miles into the distance. Truly stunning. Our first stop was the start of Happiness Road which, when built, opened up so many opportunities for those living in the area as they could access much needed areas far more easily. I loved that it was called Happiness Road and before we moved on we got to see a man play bamboo (yes, he literally played bamboo as if it was a flute)!

Before lunch we hiked down to a boat where we got to cruise down the river. Three of us sunbathed on the deck as the weather was really heating up now. On our way back up we all drastically delayered as the steep ascent was quite the workout. Finally we were down to one layer! Then it was time for lunch in a similar town to the one we’d gone to the previous day.

Before the day was up we got to go to a waterfall which was located down the most treacherous road I’ve been on. With potholes, mud and stones all posing threat, our fabulous drivers safely got us to and from the attraction.

We were treated to a home stay that night which was only down the road from the waterfall and it was brilliant. We were right amongst the lush padi fields in a truly authentic Vietnamese farm. We’d passed through a lot of farms today and I’d so enjoyed observing the culture, but to actually stay in a home was the icing on the cake. We all slept together in one big wooden room and somehow the feast which was put on for us topped the previous night! We were also all given rice wine which we had to shot after they’d done a traditional chant. It was brilliant. Our second day had been a triumph and we were all excited to get back on the bikes for the final stage tomorrow.

DAY 3

It was our final day on the Hi Giang Loop so we got up and went down for breakfast which was ... more pancakes (honest to god I was staring to think I’d turn into a pancake by the time we’d finished)!

We hopped on our bikes and got taken to the local market. It turns out that a local Vietnamese market is actually more like an outdoor slaughter house (not great when five out of the six of you are vegetarians). I always love to embrace a culture but I couldn’t help but walk briskly through the caged chickens, decapitated fish and squealing piglets. it was just a bit distressing seeing livestock stuffed in bags and attached to the side of the purchasers bike (I even saw a terrified goat straddling a motorbike at one point whilst yelping)! Our drivers asked if we wanted to go up to the cattle ring where cows were being yanked onto trucks by their noses; we declined.

Thankfully, we set off and made our way to a workshop for making clothes (now this was more up our street). It was fascinating being shown how a hemp plant (yep, literally the green stalk of it) is dried out, pulled apart, and turned into fabric. We all gawped at the beautiful creations inside the shop next door and a couple of us bought purses. We then set off and indulged in yet more sensational scenery and spectacular views. It was so peaceful and finally we were all able to get away with just a t-shirt under our coats. We got to go back to the spot which had been shrouded in mist the first day and my god it was amazing to see the difference now the sun was out. It was an all round brilliant trip with our final stop being at a river which we could swim in.

We had lunch and arrived back at Amazing Hostel where we had about an hour to get ourselves together. It was then back onto a ‘limousine’, which whilst not as fancy as the night bus on the way here, was still pretty bougie. We left at 4PM and arrived back at Cheers Hostel around 11PM (we had a stop for dinner on the way but this wasn’t included so we had to pay for anything we ordered). When we got back we headed upstairs as we had a free night here included in the price (we also got a free breakfast the next day, I bet you’ll never guess what it was...).

As I went to sleep that night I could finally relate to everyone that said it was the best thing they’d done in Vietnam. Yes we’d been in this gorgeous country for less than a week, but I knew for sure this would be a highlight. A lot of people choose to go to Sapa but in my opinion nothing could top the thrill of motor biking for three days. To put it bluntly, come rain or shine you’d be crazy to miss the Hi Giang Loop.