Ha Giang, the western side

The east of the old Ha Giang province is the Dong Van Karst Plateau Geopark: 2,356.8 square kilometres of limestone across the districts of Meo Vac, Dong Van, Yen Minh and Quan Ba, at an average of 1,400 to 1,600 metres, home to 17 ethnic minority groups. It joined the UNESCO Global Geoparks network in 2010. Most visitors see it from the road, on the motorbike circuit known as the Ha Giang Loop.

The west is Hoang Su Phi, outside the geopark. Here the hills are earth, not rock, and families have cut them into terraces from the valley floors to the ridgelines. The terraces were recognised as a national heritage site in 2012 and cover more than 3,700 hectares across eight communes. Fewer roads and fewer visitors make it the better of the two for walking village to village.

Since 1 July 2025 the entire former Ha Giang province is part of Tuyen Quang province. Locals, maps and bus companies still use both names.

The harvest moves from year to year. In 2025 it came early and was over by the end of September. We check with families on the route before confirming a harvest date. More detail is on the trekking seasons page.

Homestays are the main accommodation in the terraced communes. A 2025 press report put dinner, breakfast and a bed at about 500,000 VND per guest; check before you travel. Food in the small market towns is cheap. The largest cost of a Hoang Su Phi trip is the vehicle and driver for the long transfers, which is why party size matters more here than on any of our other treks; see the pricing page.

• If you have fewer than four nights. The drive makes a short visit mostly road time.
• If your heart is set on Ma Pi Leng and the karst plateau: that is a road trip, and not one we run.
• If long drives on mountain roads make you unwell.
• If you are new to multi-day walking: Pu Luong or Sa Pa is a gentler start.