As we mentioned in our previous post, we’re attempting to spend some time off the beaten path. While our first three stops followed the standard tourist script, we managed to explore a few less-known destinations in the second half of our time in the north.

To start, we discovered our favorite experience in Vietnam thus far, a motorbike tour of Ha Giang province in the far north. Next, we fell in love with our homestay in relaxing Mai Chau, southwest of Hanoi. Finally, we finished off northern Vietnam by returning to the tourist track, exploring Ninh Binh for a few days before heading south.

Touring

Ha Giang

The town and province of Ha Giang  are located in the far north of Vietnam. They are so far north, in fact, that Vietnam’s most northern point is found there, on the border with China.

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Off the Beaten Path

Ha Giang is the sort of place that, once you see it, you have to wonder why so few people visit. After 3.5 weeks in the country, it’s easily our favorite destination and possibly the prettiest place we’ve ever been to. In spite of this, of Vietnam’s 16 million annual visitors, only 250 thousand make time for Ha Giang.  Why?

Why so Few Visits?

Admittedly, we understand the hesitance to visit Ha Giang. Honestly, we considered skipping it too.

First, it’s a long 6+ hours north of Hanoi. Once you’re ready to leave, there’s nowhere to go but back to Hanoi. Realistically, however, this isn’t why so few people visit.

The real issue is that Ha Giang is a mountainous region best toured by motorbike. Most visitors spend a few days biking the 350-kilometer loop, riding over high mountain passes and up winding narrow, winding, cliffside roads. These mountain passes are both the reason to visit Ha Giang and also what keeps most visitors away. Justifiably, most tourists are hesitant to learn to drive a motorbike in such dangerous conditions. Fortunately, there’s another way.

Easy Rider

Enter the easy rider: a tour where you ride on the back of a guides motorbike, letting you take in the views, trusting your experienced driver to navigate the difficult roads.

After scouring the internet, we found a 4-day tour within our budget and booked it excitedly. All things considered, the tour was a mixed bag. On the one hand, we’re thrilled we went. Not only were our guides safe, helpful, and friendly, the views stunned us at every bend. On the other hand, however, the nighttime lodging did not live up to our standards – it was either uncomfortable or noisy. Oh well, that’s what we get for booking one of the cheaper tours.

Must Visit

With all of that said, Ha Giang is an absolute must-visit. It is a place of constant, unrivaled beauty, no matter where you look. Pictures can’t do the place justice and we hope you can make it someday.

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Mai Chau

Mai Chau valley is situated 3.5 hours southwest of Hanoi. The valley is occasionally used as an alternative to trekking in Sa Pa, for tourists short on time. Having visited both, we can confidently say that Sa Pa is a better, if more crowded, destination for trekking. Fortunately, we went to the valley looking for something else.

Prior to relaxing in Mai Chau, however, we needed to get there. After uncomfortable, $12 limo-bus rides to Ha Giang, we decided to be adventurous (cheap) and took the local bus. At a mere $3 each, we weren’t expecting much but were pleasantly surprised when the bus was both more comfortable and more on time than our previous experiences.

Homestay Relaxation

Our first goal in Mai Chau was relaxation. It turns out that 6 hours per day on the back of a motorbike is surprisingly uncomfortable and we needed to rest our weary bodies. As a result, we were both excited to let our butts, backs, and necks recover.

Luckily, the homestay we booked was exceptional, our favorite in Vietnam thus far. It had everything we could hope for. Not only was it beautiful and comfortable. The food was delicious and the people staying there were friendly. Topping it all off, we were upgraded, for free, to a private bungalow with really nice views!

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Motorbike Adventures

Our next goal materialized when, after a few weeks in Vietnam, we realized that one of us needed to be able to drive a motorbike for us to tour southeast Asia properly. As Jackie was not willing, this duty fell to Wyatt. After some discussion, we agreed that hectic Hanoi and mountainous Ha Giang were the wrong places to learn but quiet Mai Chau could be the ideal location to pick up the skill.

Everything went well on the first day when we rented a moped for $6 and drove to a nearby waterfall.

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On the second day, having succeeded in the initial test, we rented another automatic moped and tried touring nearby Pu Luong National Park. We say tried because, while we made it over halfway around the Pu Luong loop (~110 km), the bike was not powerful enough for the mountains. We encountered a 15% grade that, with 2 people on the bike, stalled our moped. Declaring the day a partial success, we turned around and returned to our homestay the way we came.

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Ninh Binh

The north-south train travels through Ninh Binh on its way from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City. This fact, coupled with nearby tourist villages, made it seem like the perfect gateway into central Vietnam.

We stayed in Tam Coc and, while the area was OK, we would be just as happy having skipped the stop. Over our two days, we took some boat tours and hiked to a few temples. All things considered, we found the area very touristy (in the bad way) and didn’t think it was as pretty or interesting as other places we’ve visited. Still, we did get some nice pictures and enjoyed seeing “foot rowing” in person.

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Observation

Changing Culture, Changing Country

We hinted at it in our previous post but Vietnam is changing rapidly. It’s a very different place than it was 10 years ago and that change is only accelerating. For example, consider that tourism has increased from 4 million visitors in 2009 to 16 million in 2018. That’s huge!

Ignoring the impacts of tourism, there are a few other ways in which the countries change is visible, even in a short 2 month visit.

Possibly the most notable change is education. Virtually none of our guides over 25, especially in remote areas, went to school. It’s hard to imagine, but many of them can’t even spell their own names. In contrast, however, school attendance is now compulsory.

As a striking example, one of our hosts in Sa Pa was 19 and she did not attend school while her younger siblings, aged 8 to 12, are in school.

The difference between urban and rural life provides a contrast that highlights the change in the country. First, there are cities with high rises popping up, good roads, and a subway under construction in Hanoi.  Then, in contrast, there are rural areas where the roads are bad, the people are poor, and the housing is often dismal. In fact, many families still live in shacks with thatch rooves.

We have to think that, as Vietnam grows richer, the rural areas will quickly change to resemble the richer cities.

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Karaoke

Karaoke is rampant. It’s loud. It’s bad. It’s 2 PM, why are you singing karaoke!!

People are Nice, Mostly

People in Vietnam are generally kind and helpful. Of course, that’s no surprise as, in our experience, people everywhere are generally kind and helpful. In Vietnam, however, people trying to sell you something are often exceptions to this rule.

It’s unfortunate but we encounter aggressive salespeople every day, to an extent that we have not seen in any other country. The most quintessential example is people trying to pull us into a shop or force something into our hands; as if that means we bought it.

Perhaps the most notable example occurred while driving to the Hang Mua parking lot in Ninh Binh. About 500m from the site, a woman stood in the road, crossed her arms, and blew a whistle at us, trying to force us into her personal parking lot. Fortunately, we read reviews about this scam beforehand but it didn’t make dodging her any more pleasant.

Cheap

Vietnam is one of the least expensive countries to travel to in the entire world. We’re constantly amazed when we receive a large meal, easily feeding both of us, for only $4. Even more amazing, a private, ensuite room for $15. Oh, and breakfast is included!

Our cheapest day yet was $30.19. That included food for two, a room, a trip to the gym, pedal bikes, and visiting a cave. After nearly a month here, we’re averaging about $100 per day, despite some pretty extravagant activities such as a 3 day cruise in Ha Long Bay.

Conclusion

Northern Vietnam is possibly the prettiest place we’ve ever visited. With Ha Giang, Ha Long Bay, and Sa Pa, it’s difficult to top such a concentration of natural beauty. Furthermore, Vietnam continues to satisfy our desire for cultural differences, with us noticing something new every day. Still, it’s time for us to head south. Central Vietnam: Here we come! Please don’t rain too much!