If you live for the adventures and want to eplore places of the Northern Vietnam’s countryside rarely seen by others, this is a trip cut precisely for you. This trip will take you far beyond the standard tourist attractions and introduce you to places with unrivalled wild beauty.The Central North is known as the area of towering mountains and spectacular view of rock formation mountains, many weekly markets of the minority people it offers a real chance to explore the culture and places all around this eye-catching area. It has stunning splendid natural scenery and cultural sights attraction, there’s many colorfully dressed ethnic people and their different traditions.
Ha Giang is a mountainous province in the north of Vietnam that shares a 270-kilometer border with China. The province covers nearly 8,000 square kilometers. This is an area to have one of the very best Vietnam motorbike tour adventures. The province’s capital is also called Ha Giang and is 320 kilometers north of Hanoi. There are two important mountains and two major rivers in Ha Giang. The important mountains are Cam Mountain and Mo Neo Mountain. The major rivers running through Ha Giang are the Lo and Mien rivers.
Ha Giang is frequented by foreigners; however, the population that lives here is made up of 90% ethnic minorities. There are nine commune-level towns, also known as townlets, as well as 181 communes and 5 wards. Sixteen distinct ethnic groups inhabit this area. The best way to see and experience all of these villages and settlements is on a Vietnam off-road motorbike tour
The ethnic groups in the area provide an amazing market nearly every day of the week from about 5 am until around 3 or 4 pm. Many of these markets are daily, with some exceptions, like the annual Love Market.
The annual Love Market in Khau Vai Commune of Meo Vac District is held on the 26th day of the third month of the lunar calendar. This event only goes on until the end of the next day. This is the market of legends. The land area is so spread out that locals take over the commune for one night a year to find lovers or reconnect with past lovers. This is an extremely interesting site! You can check out several documentaries on YouTube to find out more about this mysterious market. To get to experience this your best bet is on a Ha Giang Loop motorcycle tour and Vietnam off-road motorcycle tours.
Sa Phin Market is unique as well. This market is also known as the backward market because of the day of the week that the market is held. The market is located in Sa Phin Commune, which is about 40 kilometers from Dong Van. Dong Van is an up-and-coming destination for backpackers taking the world-famous ride through the Ha Giang Loop. If the market was open on Friday of the previous week, it will be held on Thursday the following week, then on Wednesday the next week, making this a unique market. It is extremely full of color too, making this a wonderful place to enjoy taking photographs. The best way to visit here is on an off-road Vietnam motorbike tour, of course.
Another notable market is Xin Man Market, located in Xin Man commune. This market lies extremely close to China and offers wild bananas, plums, peaches, and corn for extremely low prices.
Ha Giang is not the easiest place to get to, so there are not nearly as many tourists in Ha Giang as in Sapa. There is no airport in Ha Giang and there is no train station in Ha Giang either. The best way to get to Ha Giang is to take a motorbike tour from Hanoi. It’s an extremely adventurous motorcycle tour! Ha Giang is roughly 300 kilometers from Hanoi. You could take a train from Hanoi to Lao Cai and transfer by bus or minivan from there, but this takes up a lot more time, and because of the train’s schedule, it is dark, so there are no beautiful views from the windows of the train anyway. The way I see it, there is no better choice than to experience this on a Vietnam motorbike tour adventure!
Ha Giang is the most beautiful province in Vietnam, with majestic mountains, indigenous people, a simple life, and many markets to explore!