The Hi Giang Loop is the best thing to do in Southeast Asia. I will run this narrative to the ground. The Motorbike journey takes place in the northern province of Vietnam near the Chinese border. The routes are varied, and equally unique and beautiful.
The trip gives you a real insight to Vietnamese life for ordinary villagers living in the valleys. You can choose to go for 3-5 days, though, I highly recommend picking the 3-day tour. It’s more than enough. This is a great opportunity for solo traveler’s. You meet a whole host of new people and have a great chance of building friendships.
Firstly, you need to choose who to go with. The name that pops up again and again is Jasmine. It’s popular, and they ride very fast round the loop. Most of their riders fly past you on the road, displaying the consequences of that through obvious injures with bandages.
We chose Mad Monkey Hostel and Mama’s Hostel. Both were very similar, but Mama’s group was extensive compared to Mad Monkeys. The smaller the group, the better for the Hi Giang Loop.
I loved it so much, in fact, that I went twice. I had a driver for the first trip, and I rode my own bike the second time I did it. Both are very different experiences. If you aren’t confident on a motorbike or have no experience. I highly recommend you get a rider and sit on the back. If you are experienced, ride the bike yourself. Its cheaper and worth it.
Day 0
Again, depending on who you go with, your itinerary will look a little different. For this example, we’ll go with Mad Monkey.
You get picked up from the Mad Monkey hostel in Hanoi at around 13:00 in the afternoon. We’d just come in from a flight at 6 am, so we were already exhausted by this point. The Mad Monkey Hostel will arrange the entire trip for you after you pay at the Reception. Food & accommodation is included in the costs.
The minivan will pull up and pick you up straight outside the hostel. After some more pickups with likeminded folk, you’ll soon be on your way. After a few hours, you will reach the starting point of your 3-5 day journey on the motorbikes. Be excited, it’s justified.
You’ll arrive in what seems like a small town. Everyone will be dropped off at their homestay for the night. My friend and I were put in a group with 3 other lads. All from the same country, and a small group, so that was pretty awesome. Much like Love Island, chucked into a house getting to know each other on the first day. You’ll be given food to eat and a drink to wash it down.
Day 0 is over, and the accommodation was way better than I expected. Take a look for yourself. Good food, great hospitality and great beds. Bring on day 1.
Day 1
Early start. It’s hot, so you’ll rise early by no choice of your own. Unless you’re adapted to SE Asian heat (I’m not, thanks England).
Breakfast down, 7-9am and you’ll meet your easy riders if you booked to ride on the back of one. The bike will be given to you if you’re riding yourself.
You’ll be shown the route of your trip and where you’ll stop and when. You don’t really need to pay that much attention to this. You’re going the way your rider takes you anyway.
Day 1 begins. You’ll be riding through the lowlands of the Vietnamese mountains. It gets a little chilly on the bike higher in the mountains. Make sure you bring some waterproofs and a layer. You’ll be on the bike for a few hours till lunch. Take a pillow for the bike, your ass will hurt after 3 days of non stop sitting down. Don’t make that mistake loads of us have
Afternoon pitstop. The lunch every day, for 3 days, was incredible. The options of Vietnamese food coming out on the platter that’s shared around your group. There’s more than enough to go around. They also top it up if you ask.
Night time
Karaoke, good food, good people. Mingling with the other groups at the homestay after riding around the Vietnamese mountains. It’s as good as it sounds. The eventful nights make the Hi Giang loop what it is. Community. The riders will make it unforgettable for you and put on events until the early morning.
Day 2
Day 2 will consist of riding in the upper mountains. Depending on who you go with, a boat tour too. You snake through the mountains on the bikes. The roads can be quite choppy but you can trust your rider. You’ll stop off at some unbelievable view points for regular breaks. This is a chance to take a rest have a snack and a laugh with others. Take some pictures of the viewpoints. It’s truly like nothing else you’ll experience.
Day 3
The Chinese Border. After a few eventful days, you’ll start on your final rodeo to the mountainous range near the Chinese border. It’s full of drones and people watching you without you knowing. Forget all of that, though. One of the members in a different group decided to fly a drone over to the Chinese side. It got shot down within a minute of it being airborne. You don’t want that trouble.
It’s faint. However, the white line on the mountains is a fence that the Chinese built. It’s quite remarkable how they managed to do it. There is a village at the bottom of the hills. The border has undergone many changes over the years. Due to this, the locals on either side have had some issues with residency.
Some riders don’t, but most of the time, the guides speak good English. It’s always worth asking questions about the places you are looking at. Otherwise, you are just looking at nature without cause.
As per our guides voice, this road was built by the villagers. Whom were very young boys, and it took them over a year to finish the road. With no supplies or authority. They risked their lives so the village brings supplies in by cutting out the long and dangerous route. Local community is everything here, it’s commendable.
The journey comes to an end. Congratulations. You’ve had some of the best 3 days of your life. You’ll be taken to the rendezvous point by your riders. You’ll be seen off in the minivan in which you came in back to your respective hostels. it’s like clock work they had it all covered. Don’t forget to tip your easy riders. These guys work very hard and it can be forgotten how hard they work when they’re in the background. In the best way possible, your tip is a monthly wage for them. Be generous if you can, they deserve it.
Here are some more photos from the trip so you can get a feel of what you’re going into. Enjoy!
Solo. Together. Anywhere. 