Ha giang loop Day 1

The Ha Gian loop was another definite highlight of this trip. Three days of riding a motorbike through tricky, winding mountain passes alongside steep drops of to breathtaking views. Most people get an easy Rider, a local who drives the bike for them as the roads can be difficult and dangerous, but I was one of the five in a group of 20 who opted to risk fines from the Vietnamese police to drive myself.

I did have to get a lift from one of the hostel star past the checkpoint, set up just down the road from a hostel on the first day, but after that it was smooth sailing, and I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of driving the 350 km journey as a steadily increasing pace over the next three days.

The mountain scenery was quite simply stunning, and we got off at various points to admire the vast valleys and sheer cliffs, going on a couple of short hikes, and one boat trip across a Hydro dam lake, situated in a colossal ravine.

My group was lovely to. It was amazing to link up with Livi and Sophia again and spend some time with Bobby who arrived at the start of March in Vietnam, and had joined the girls.

The additions of Jannika, Paulina and Sil as well as all the extras we met along the way made for a really good time off the bikes too, whether it was happy water (corn wine) and pool/karaoke the first night, or night markets and bar the second night. I can’t really do it justice with writing, so I hope some of the footage can.Read more