After 2 weeks in Hanoi we left to head north on Nov. 4, destination Ha Giang. We had heard about “The Loop” so decided to look into it - a multi-day 370 km. adventure over rugged mountain roads with spectacular scenery - usually done on motorbikes, either self drive (not recommended) or “easy rider” - an experienced local rider that drives & you ride. We are not riders & yes, we are old, so luckily there is a jeep option! Originally we booked an older army jeep but they were recently banned by the government so we were in a new jeep - the 2 of us, our trusty driver & our guide. The trip included transport from Hanoi & then on to Sapa, 2 nights accommodation, all meals & entrance fees - for 2 we paid $900 US. And we covered virtually the same route as the bikes & in much more comfort. When we were away from large towns the top of the jeep was rolled back so we could stand up (& hang on for dear life).
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| Map of the Ha Giang area |
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| At the 0 km. cairn |
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| Tasty supper the night before - all this is wrapped in rice papers to eat |
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| Kingfisher |
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| Dragon fruit plants |
The roads were winding, lots of hairpin corners, rough at times with evidence of recent landslides but generally smooth with plenty of guard rails. We stopped every hour or so at jaw dropping overlooks to admire the scenery, have coffee or just relax. We passed thru the Dong Van Karst Plateau Geopark, a UNESCO Global Geopark.
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| 1st coffee stop |
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| Stunning - land terraced to grow crops, often high up into the mountain |
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| One of many small towns |
We drove thru remote small villages & bigger towns, admiring the stilt houses & watching daily life. We saw the fence that borders China, deep river canyons, limestone karst cliffs, traditional clothing & a lot of motorbikes! We took way too many photos so this post will be mainly photos of our adventure with commentary below some.
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| Narrow roads, lots of big trucks |
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| Tarps right on the road, covered in rice drying |
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| Rice terraces, strange evergreen trees |
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| One of the stops - many bikes |
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| Inside the “Kings House” - the mansion of the Vuong family, built in 1898 |
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| Entrance to Nha Vuong |
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| One of the passes near Dong Van, typical roads |
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| Luckily we had good weather |
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| Our Homestay (hotel) in Dong Van - 6 sided room, round bed, attached bathroom - & a view out all the windows! |
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| Typical meal, family style, rice not shown |
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| Buckwheat in bloom with a butterfly |
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| Road rules in Vietnam are pretty loose, you pass when & where you want, just honk the horn & away you go! |
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| Looking into China - the zigzag dirt road is China, there is a fence going up the hill that separates the 2 countries |
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| Large lake created in the dammed river |
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| Local school kids |
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| More winding roads |
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| Landslide, almost cleared away |
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| Local vendor |
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| Water buffalo, quite common |
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| Young girl, maybe 6, carrying a baby! |
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| Terraces visible on the mountain side |
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| Corn cobs drying |
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| Waterfall for jumping & swimming |
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| A boy with his pet chicken - we didn’t see much for toys, but lots of nice cell phones |
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| More terraces |
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| Stilt house |
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| View from an overlook, then we descended to the town |
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| Bunches of rice drying, then they beat it to remove the husks |
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| Local women heading to or from the market |
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| Selling ducklings & chicks |
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| Mom was way off, washing dishes, baby happy with the cell phones |
We consider ourselves lucky to be able to experience life in the far north of Vietnam,enjoying the spectacular scenery & doing it “in style” in a jeep. Now on to Sapa, also in northern Vietnam.
Still Living the Dream!
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