Here’s what to consider when self-driving the loop
Alright, so you’ve chosen to self-drive the Ha Giang Loop – now what? You have your next decision to make, which is: do you want to self-drive as part of a tour group or do you want to tackle it entirely on your own? There are pros and cons to each option, depending on the type of experience that you want. Take a look!
TLDR: If you go with a tour group you won’t miss any ‘hidden gems’, you don’t have to plan any logistic, you can meet people and enjoy the group atmosphere, but you will have to contend with the stress of keeping up with the Easy Riders.
If you do it entirely on your own, you can go at your own pace and enjoy the peace and quiet, but you have the added task of planning all of the logistics and hoping you don’t miss any key stops!
Social atmosphere
The most obvious difference is that going with a tour provides a more social experience. This is good for anyone who is solo travelling or if you are someone who is looking to meet other people while travelling. These tour groups run anywhere from 4-20 people per group (depending on the company that you select) and all groups finish the evening with a family-style dinner. This provides an excellent opportunity to meet fellow travellers and share the experience with someone. However, the downside is that due to the nature of travelling in groups, you may not be able to escape the crowds. If you are someone trying to get the best of both worlds and escape the crowds while also meeting fellow travellers, selecting a small, local tour company will help with that.
If you aren’t as interested in meeting other people, self-driving on your own simply by using Google Maps and booking the homestays yourself is a great option. This way, you can time your route to get away from the touring crowds and make the most of the peaceful stops!
Logistics and planning
This leads us to the next most obvious difference between a group tour and going on your own. Exploring the Ha Giang Loop for 3-4 days can require a decent amount of planning and logistics including route, viewpoint stops, meal locations, homestay accommodations, weather gear and supplies. The biggest feature of going with a tour group is that you don’t have to think about any of this, simply follow the guide along with the rest of the group.
These guides are also incredibly familiar with the route and know the best places to stop for photos, waterfall hikes, hidden valley views and food. If you do it on your own, you may risk missing some sights and stops that you didn’t even know existed. Meals can be another tricky one, not because the options are sparse but actually the opposite!
The Ha Giang Loop is heavily populated with restaurant and cafe options. If you are someone who is not as picky about food, or is innately good at selecting authentic local restaurants, then you’ll have no trouble. If you are someone who stresses about where to eat, this might be a bit trickier. Many of the restaurants along the way are not your typical sit down, waiter comes to the table, order – style restaurants. Many of them serve family style meals which means you have to know what options they are serving for that day. This can be tricky with a language barrier. However it’s definitely not impossible! There are also several options along the route that do have more ‘traveller-friendly’ service so if you are patient to drive along until you find those, then you’ll be fine!
Homestay accommodations are plentiful along the route so finding one will not be a challenge. They can range in aesthetic from budget to luxury and can generally be found on booking.com. If you are planning on visiting in high season (September-March) it is HIGHLY recommended that you book ahead of time as many travellers are making their way around the loop and you would hate to have to keep driving as the evening gets dark just to find availability.
Driving speed
Going with a tour group means that you are required to keep up with the driving pace of the Easy Riders. These drivers have been driving motorbikes since they were teenagers and some of them drive this route every day. Needless to say, they have experience and they are FAST. There is definitely variation in driving speed between companies, so if you do choose to go with a tour company, ensure you select one that supports self-drivers and goes slower.
If you want to avoid the pressure of keeping up with other drivers, going on your own is the better option. However, there are pros and cons to everything and if you choose to go on your own, you do risk taking a wrong road or turn. Although the route is fairly simplistic on Google Maps, it has been known to lead drivers astray. Additionally, if the roads get washed out, locals will work to re-route the paths and you could end up unintentionally off the beaten path with no map to guide you. If you choose to go on your own, consult with a local on the route you should take because many of the destinations have more than one way to get there. The differences between the routes can literally be a matter of zero-stress or high-intensity anxiety for the entire trip.
Support
Support can come in many ways, from the logistics planning mentioned above, to helping in an emergency if required. Choosing to drive with a tour group means that you have people around you to help if something goes wrong. If you come across a flooded road, a landslide, end up with a flat tire or happen to fall, you have experienced drivers (and other English speaking customers) that are around you to help. If the road conditions are difficult, you have drivers that can help you navigate it. However, this circles back to the pressure of also needing to keep up with these local drivers if the conditions are tougher. They are used to tough conditions, you may not be, so they might not even realize you need help unless you explicitly ask for it. By going on your own, you can go at your own pace and work through difficult road conditions or situations slowly. However, you will have to deal with these situations with limited support.
If you choose to go alone, make sure that you have the contact information of the agency you rented the bike from and a backup plan in case you get into an accident or require mechanical assistance with the bike. The locals in the villages will often help you out of a tough situation but communication and asking for help can be difficult when you don’t speak the language.
Cultural experiences
By choosing to go alone, there is a greater chance that you will miss out on some of the unique cultural experiences. Now that being said, if you are someone who is very confident and outgoing, you may be able to find some of these on your own by being brave and talking with the locals as you go. Many of the locals are friendly and will be excited to share their culture with you; however, the language barrier can create a shyness from the locals that may make it difficult to seek these experiences out. If you are not someone who is confident in unfamiliar situations, you may miss out on these experiences. In any case, if you are trying to interact with the locals, please remember to be kind and polite as you are in their homes and their communities.
Going with a local guide allows you to experience things such as rice harvesting, corn harvesting, traditional clothes weaving, local cooking preparation, and more as these guides can bridge the language gap between tourists and locals. They know when it’s appropriate to invite you into peoples’ homes in a respectful and ethical way. Some companies are better at providing these types of experiences than others. If you are looking for a more ‘local’-type experience, choosing a small company (one that you don’t see advertised on TikTok or Instagram) will help with that.
Overall, there is no ‘correct choice’ – whether you choose to drive on your own or with a tour company solely depends on the type of experience you are looking for! If you choose to go alone, please arm yourself with as much information as possible and come prepared with the supplies you need, as well as continency plans for if things go wrong. If you choose to go with a company, please make sure you select a company that will support you in self-driving and make sure that you are safe while doing so!