I’m Chloe, an Australian living in Vietnam. Most of what I write starts with me getting curious about something. For VietAdvisor, I share what I actually liked, what I’d skip, and the practical stuff I’d tell a friend before they came to Vietnam.
Almost every Ha Giang Loop motorcycle tour sells you the same four days. Same passes in the same order, the same night in Dong Van, the same homestay dinner of black pork and morning glory and corn wine, and a 110 or 125cc Honda whichever office you booked at.
I ride the loop on my own bike most years and I’ve done it on the back of an easy rider’s bike too, and the part that decides whether the trip is good isn’t in any of that.
It’s in a handful of small things the listings leave out. Whether anyone in your group can explain what you’re looking at, how many bikes are in the convoy, what’s on your head, and whether your driver was drinking with the table at eleven the night before.
So that’s what this review covers. The route you can read anywhere.
Quick Answer: A Ha Giang Loop motorcycle tour with an easy rider costs $150 to $170 for 3 days or $190 to $230 for 4 days in 2026, plus a tip of $10 to $20 a day, and it’s what I’d book over self drive unless you already ride a manual motorbike at home and hold a 1968 convention licence. The route, bikes and homestays barely change between companies. What does change is whether there’s a separate English-speaking group leader, how big the group is, what helmet you get and whether the drivers drink at dinner, so check those four before you compare prices.
What’s the same on every easy rider Ha Giang Loop tour:
Tipping: $10 to $20 a day per rider, cash in dong, at the end. Tip the leader too.
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What Every Ha Giang Loop Motorcycle Tour Includes
Every Ha Giang Loop motorcycle tour includes a driver, his bike, fuel, homestays, meals, the border permit and entrance fees, and they all ride the same anticlockwise route.
The bikes are 110 to 150cc semi-automatics, nearly always Hondas, with your daypack strapped on behind the seat and your big bag left in a storeroom in Ha Giang city.
The route goes out over Quan Ba to Tam Son, through Yen Minh, up to Dong Van, over Ma Pi Leng to Meo Vac and home through Du Gia, and the four-day version adds Lung Cu and a morning at the waterfall, which is laid out day by day in the Ha Giang Loop itinerary.
Dinner is at the homestay, family style, the same few dishes on rotation. None of them are what Ha Giang is actually known for, which is a separate problem and sits in the best food in Ha Giang.
So when one company is sixty dollars more than the next, you’re paying for the things below.
Same route, same inclusions across every tour
Is There a Separate English-Speaking Group Leader?
This is the first thing I’d find out, and it shapes the trip more than the price does.
Most easy riders on the loop have a few dozen words of English. That’s fine and it isn’t their job. They know which corners hold gravel after rain, they’ll get you over Ma Pi Leng in fog without any drama, and they look after their passenger properly.
What they can’t do is explain Pa Vi to you, or make sure the vegetarian gets fed at a homestay that’s cooked pork for thirty.
The better companies send a group leader on his own bike to do all of that talking. Since April 2026 it isn’t really optional. After a young British traveller’s accident on the loop that month, the province told tour businesses to keep a guide with a valid card with the group for the whole trip, and said drivers and rental shops can only carry guests under a contract with a licensed travel company.
At Mama’s the leader sometimes doubles as one of the drivers. Some Mr Hung Tourism groups go out with two drivers who both speak good English, which on a small group covers most of it.
Drivers navigate; group leaders do the talking
Small Group or Private Ha Giang Loop Motorbike Tour?
Ha Giang Loop motorbike tours run anywhere from about seven people to well over twenty, and both ends get called small.
Mama’s often runs groups of around seven and meets its other small groups at the homestay in the evening.
Bibi sends out about eight and splits people off on day three if some of them are on the three-day version.
Bông is the biggest operator in Ha Giang by a long way, with more than 13,000 Google ratings, and its groups and evenings are big to match. It skews young and plenty of people call it a party trip, which at twenty-three is the point and at forty-five might not be.
On the road the difference is stopping. A group of eight pulls over when someone wants a photo. A group of twenty-two stops on a timetable, takes twenty-five minutes at each place because somebody always needs the toilet, and drifts to the pace of whoever is least happy on the back.
A private Ha Giang Loop motorbike tour is usually about a third more than the group price, and what it buys is the stopping.
For a couple, or anyone who doesn’t want karaoke three nights running, I think private is the better trip. Solo, the group is half of what you’re paying for, and I’d just pick a small one.
Homestay evenings on most tours go the same way: one long table, corn wine poured whether you want it or not, then karaoke, and on a lot of tours the drivers join in.
It’s a good night. It’s a worse idea if the man riding you over Ma Pi Leng at eight the next morning was toasting the table at eleven.
That was one of the complaints Vietnamese papers reported from foreign travellers this April, along with drivers spending more than eight hours a day on the bike.
So message the company and ask whether the riders drink at dinner. A good one will say no without making anything of it.
I go easy on the corn wine the night before a long riding day, and I’d want my driver to be stricter about it than I am.
Make sure your rider stays sober tonight
What Helmet Do You Get on a Ha Giang Loop Easy Rider Tour?
Some operators still hand out the thin plastic hats you see on scooters around Hanoi, and on a mountain pass those aren’t protective equipment.
Bibi gives out proper helmets with knee and elbow pads. Mr Hung Tourism has knee pads and arm covers for anyone new to motorbikes. Road Kings provides rain gear on its premium tours, which from May to August matters more than people expect.
I carry my own three-quarter helmet up from Hanoi. If you’re not bringing one, ask the company for a photo of what they provide.
Mountain passes need real helmets, not plastic
Ha Giang Loop Tour From Hanoi, or From Ha Giang City?
Booking in Ha Giang city means taking the night bus up yourself, getting in somewhere between four and five, then showering at the office and sleeping on a sofa until the bikes are loaded. Every company there is set up for it, and it’s still a rough way to start a day on the back of a bike.
Booking in Hanoi means the bus is part of the package. Jasmine Tours works from 22 Ngõ Phất Lộc in the Old Quarter, Cheers Hostel runs its loop tours from 5 Ấu Triệu, and both put you on the sleeper as part of the price.
Jasmine also does private groups, jeeps and slower five-day versions. What goes wrong with Jasmine is the Hanoi pickup running late, so don’t plan anything tight that evening.
A few four-day tours from Hanoi add an extra night at the start. You get off the bus, go to bed, and the riding begins the next morning. If this is your one go at the loop and you’re not great on night buses, that’s the version I’d pick. The bus options on their own are in Hanoi to Ha Giang by sleeper bus.
Drinks beyond dinner aren’t included anywhere, and the bus from Hanoi is another $36 to $52 return unless it’s bundled.
You will find four days for under a hundred dollars. The money has to come from somewhere, and on a motorbike tour there are three places it can come from: the driver’s share, the upkeep on the bike, and the helmet. Only one of those can you check before you go.
How Much to Tip Your Ha Giang Loop Easy Rider
$10 to $20 a day per rider is the normal tip, in cash, in dong, handed over at the end of the last day.
It isn’t in the price at any of the companies on this page, which makes a $200 four-day tour a $240 to $280 trip, and that’s the figure I’d compare companies on.
I give around 300,000 VND a day, which sits in the middle. Tip the group leader as well, because a lot of what you’ll remember about the trip is stuff he quietly sorted out.
Settle the number on day one. Otherwise the last morning turns into a small huddle in a homestay yard while everyone tries to find out what everyone else is giving.
People ask what easy riders earn, and I’ve never seen a figure I’d put my name to.
Easy Rider Ha Giang Loop vs Self Drive
Easy rider, unless you already ride a manual motorbike at home and have a licence Vietnam accepts.
The licence part settles it for a lot of people. Vietnam recognises international permits issued under the 1968 convention and doesn’t recognise the 1949 one, and some more things. The full version is in the Ha Giang Loop guide.
If you do ride, self drive is the better trip and it’s how I usually do it. You stop where you like and stay an extra night when a village is good. Most of the companies below will also let you ride your own bike inside one of their groups, which gets you a leader and a mechanic for $130 to $210.
What an easy rider gives you is Ma Pi Leng. Riding it yourself you watch the road, because gravel sits on the outside of the blind corners and the wall on the drop side is knee height where there’s a wall at all. On the back you can look down at the Nho Que for as long as you like, and you don’t need any motorbike experience to do it.
Self-drive for freedom, Easy Rider for the views
What Four Days on the Back Feels Like
Easier on your head than riding, harder on your body than you’d guess.
A day starts with breakfast around seven, then a slow twenty minutes in the yard while eight or twelve bikes get loaded and everyone works out whose helmet is whose, then four to six hours on the road, broken up by stops the drivers choose.
You hold on, you lean when he leans, and by mid-afternoon you’re cold and stiff through the hips and lower back in a way you aren’t when you’re the one steering. You’re not mentally wrung out, though, which is how I finish a day when I’ve ridden it myself.
Two things to raise when you book. Weight limits exist and they’re loose, but a driver on a 125cc carrying someone a lot bigger than him up a pass is a real issue, and companies will pair you with a larger rider if you mention it. And if you’d rather ride behind a woman, ask early, because there are very few female easy riders on the loop and you can’t count on one.
Doing as a passenger: stiff, cold, unforgettable
Is a Ha Giang Loop Easy Rider Tour Safe?
It’s safer than putting a first-timer on their own bike, and it isn’t risk-free.
There have been serious accidents on this road, some on organised tours. The April 2026 rules also stop companies mixing guests between groups or swapping the agreed driver or route halfway through, so you can refuse if someone tries.
Before paying I’d ask for three things: The company’s travel licence, a written contract, and a clear yes that nobody rides after dark. Any of the six operators below should hand over all three without a pause.
Check your insurance covers you as a motorbike passenger, since some policies exclude motorbikes entirely. Fog months and road conditions are under best time to visit.
Cliff drops, blind corners, and very real dange
Ha Giang Loop Tour Operators I’d Check First
Six companies with long track records, and where each one lands on the questions above. A fuller side-by-side is in comparing Ha Giang Loop tour companies.
The one I’d send a friend to first. Leader and driver are separate people, and the premium tours come with private rooms and rain gear. It’s out in Cầu Mè, away from the hostel strip, so the night before is quieter.
The biggest and the loudest. Every group has an English-speaking leader and they’re careful about allergies at meals. Book it for the social side and pay for a private room.
Groups of about eight, pads as well as helmets, and leaders who try to reach viewpoints while they’re empty. The one I’d look at for small without paying for private.
Small groups, a lot of attention on safety, bikes in good condition, and air-conditioned private rooms that are worth the extra from June to August. Ask whether your leader is separate or doubling as a driver.
What does easy rider mean on the Ha Giang Loop? A local driver whose motorbike you ride on the back of for the whole loop. You don’t touch the controls.
How much is an easy rider Ha Giang Loop tour? $150 to $170 for 3 days and $190 to $230 for 4 days in 2026, plus $10 to $20 a day in tips.
Can I do the Ha Giang Loop with no motorbike experience? Yes, as a passenger with an easy rider or in a jeep. Riding yourself needs real experience and a licence Vietnam recognises.
Is there a weight limit for easy riders? Nothing strict, but tell the company when you book so they can match you with a bigger driver.
Which Ha Giang Loop motorbike tour is best? Road Kings for the overall package, Bibi or Mama’s for a small group, Jasmine if you want to book from Hanoi with the bus included.
Would I Book a Ha Giang Loop Easy Rider Tour Again?
Yes. For anyone who doesn’t ride, it’s the right way to do the loop, and on a trip where I wanted to look at the pass and not the tarmac I’d book one for myself.
What I’d do: pick a four-day tour, read ten reviews for two names, then message the company with three questions about group size, the helmet and whether the drivers drink at dinner. Only after that would I look at price, and the cheapest company that answered all three clearly is a fine choice.
And if the name check turns up nobody who sounds like a leader, send one more message asking who leads the group. The way they answer will tell you most of what you need to know.
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One thought on “My firsthand Ha Giang Loop motorcycle tour review (2026)”
Malaysia
Deletethispostsays:
Did a 3-day Easy Rider tour and it was epic. The part about respecting local vibes helped me chat with our Hmong hosts. Bus from Hanoi sucked, but the loop was worth it. Maybe warn about spotty Wi-Fi up there.
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Did a 3-day Easy Rider tour and it was epic. The part about respecting local vibes helped me chat with our Hmong hosts. Bus from Hanoi sucked, but the loop was worth it. Maybe warn about spotty Wi-Fi up there.