Choosing a Ha Giang Tour Company: 10 Questions to Ask Before You Book

Choosing a Ha Giang tour company is harder than it looks, because from the outside every listing reads the same. Local guides, epic passes, cosy homestays, happy water at dinner. The differences only show up once you are on the road.

They show up as a tired bike on a wet descent, or a guide who rides ahead and vanishes for an hour. Sometimes it is a cheap price that quietly grows every evening.

We are a Ha Giang tour company ourselves, running motorbike trips out of Ha Giang city, and we hear the same questions every week. Below are the ten we think matter most, each with the answer we give for our own trips, so you have something real to compare against. Ask every company the same ten. A good one will answer them straight.

1. Who will actually ride with you?

Ask who leads the group, how many guides ride with it, and whether the easy rider drivers are locals who ride these roads all year. A guide who has done the loop a handful of times will not know where gravel collects after rain, or which homestay kitchen runs late.

Ask about English, too. Your guide needs enough of it to explain a problem quickly, at the side of a mountain road, with trucks going past.

Our trips are run by the family business Mr. Biu set up in 2019, and our drivers are locals who ride these roads all year. You can read how it started on our story page.

2. How big are the groups at a Ha Giang tour company?

Group size changes everything. It decides how long breakfast takes, how often you stop, and whether a viewpoint feels like a viewpoint or a car park. Twenty bikes on Ma Pi Leng move like a bus.

Our tour listing caps each departure at eight guests, plus the guide and any easy rider drivers. If a company will not give you a number, assume the group is large.

3. What bike will you get, and who looks after it?

Ask for the exact bike model, not just “semi-automatic”. Ha Giang roads are notoriously hard on brakes, chains, and tyres, and a company that names its specific fleet is usually one that actually maintains them.

• For Easy Rider tours: 100% of our pillion passengers ride on the powerful Honda Winner 150cc at no extra charge (we do not use 110cc or 125cc bikes for easy riders).
• For self-drivers: Our standard fleet includes the reliable Honda Blade 110cc and Honda Future 125cc, which come at no additional cost. If you want more power, upgrading to a Honda Winner 150cc is 200,000 VND (about $8)/day, or a Honda XR 150cc for 300,000 VND (about $12)/day.

Then ask what happens when something breaks. On our tours a broken bike is repaired or replaced, with a proportional refund if it costs you part of the trip. We wrote a full guide on bike breakdowns on the loop if you plan to ride without a company.

4. What does the Ha Giang tour company include in the price?

This is where cheap tours stop being cheap. Ask for the full list of what is included and, just as important, what is not. Here is ours, taken from our own tour pages.

Item	On our tours
Fuel	Included for the whole trip
Helmet and basic protective gear	Included
Meals	3 breakfasts, 3 lunches and 2 dinners on the 3-day tour; 4, 4 and 3 on the 4-day tour
Homestay beds	Included, in shared rooms with bunk beds
Entrance tickets	Included
Insurance for the motorbike	Included
Drinks other than water	Not included
Bus to and from Hanoi	Not included, but we can book it
Private room	Extra, on request
Tip for your driver	Not included, your call
Border area entry permit	Not included

One small thing that saves money: everyone who books gets a free dorm bed at our hostel the night before the start date. You can arrive on the night bus and sleep before you ride. For a fuller budget, our Ha Giang Loop cost guide breaks down the extras.

5. What are the homestays like?

Most loop tours use shared homestays, with mattresses or bunk beds in one long room. For plenty of riders that is half the fun. For others it is the thing they complain about all trip.

Ask before you book, not on arrival. Ours are bunk-bed homestays as standard, and a private room is possible at extra cost depending on the house. If you want to compare places along the route, our list of homestays in Ha Giang is a good start.

6. Will the tour company let you drive without a licence?

This is the question some companies skip. To drive a motorbike yourself in Vietnam you need an International Driving Permit. It must be issued under the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic and carried with your home licence. Our tour pages state the same rule.

A Ha Giang tour company that hands a bike to anyone without asking is not doing you a favour. If you crash without the right licence, your travel insurer may refuse the claim. Our guide to getting an IDP for the Ha Giang Loop explains what counts and what does not.

If you do not have one, ride as a passenger. With us that means an easy rider, a local driver who does the riding while you watch the road, and no licence is needed.

7. Is travel insurance included?

Motorbike insurance and travel insurance are not the same thing. Ours covers the motorbike. Your own medical cover, for a fall, a fever or an evacuation, is something you buy yourself.

Read the small print for motorbike exclusions and engine size limits before you leave home. We collected what riders usually miss in our Ha Giang Loop insurance guide.

8. How much is the deposit, and what if you cancel?

Ask how much you pay upfront and what happens to it if your plans change. Rain, a missed bus and a bad stomach all happen.

With us, a booking is confirmed with a 10-30% deposit. The deposit is not refunded, but it can be moved to a later date, and you can hand your booking to someone else. Our booking conditions also allow refunds for cancellations caused by bad weather or personal reasons, as long as you tell us at least two days ahead.

9. How far do you ride each day?

Ask for kilometres per day, not just the list of places. On mountain roads, 120 km with photo stops is a full day.

On our three-day route, day one runs Ha Giang to Thai An and Du Gia, about 120 km. Day two goes through Mau Due and over Ma Pi Leng to Dong Van, about 110 km. The last day comes back through Yen Minh and Quan Ba, around 120 km.

The four-day version with Lung Cu adds a day for Vietnam’s northernmost point and a Lo Lo village. It finishes with a shorter ride of about 100 km home. If you are nervous on a bike, the extra day matters more than any upgrade.

10. How do you get there, and where do your bags go?

Ask where the trip starts and how you reach it. We arrange transport from Hanoi, Sa Pa and Cat Ba Island. On the last afternoon a limousine leaves Ha Giang at 4:15 PM and reaches Hanoi’s Old Quarter around 11 PM. Bus tickets are not in the tour price, but we book them for you.

Luggage is the other question nobody asks until it is too late. Homestays have little space, so travel with a small backpack and ask the company where the big bag stays. Our guide on where to store luggage for the loop covers the options.

Red flags in a Ha Giang tour company

A few answers should end the conversation:

• A price far below everyone else, with no written list of what is included.
• No bike model named, or “we will see on the day”.
• No clear answer about licences and insurance.
• No group size given, or “as many as come”.
• Pressure to pay everything now, before you have seen the booking conditions.

None of this means the most expensive Ha Giang tour company is the best one. It means the right one is the one that answers clearly, in writing, before you pay.

Ride the Ha Giang Loop with Mr. Biu

If you want to test us against this list, send us the ten questions. We answer every one in writing, and you can see Mr. Biu’s guided motorbike trips in Ha Giang before you decide.

Ha Giang Motorbike Tour 3 Days 2 Nights

Thai An, Du Gia, Ma Pi Leng, Dong Van and the karst plateau, with two homestay nights and around 350 km of riding. From 2.850.000đ ($114) sitting behind a friend, 3.190.000đ ($128) driving yourself, or 4.000.000đ ($160) with an easy rider.

Ha Giang Motorbike Tour 4 Days 3 Nights

The same route with a day added for Lung Cu Flag Pole, a Lo Lo village and Lung Khuy Cave, and three homestay nights. From 3.850.000đ (about $154) sitting behind a friend, 4.050.000đ ($162) driving yourself, or 4.900.000đ ($196) with an easy rider.

Compare both trips on our tours page, or book online when you are ready. Questions first? Contact us, message us on WhatsApp at (+84) 3272 58338, or email mrbiu.booking@gmail.com.

Frequently asked questions

How do I choose a good Ha Giang tour company?

Ask every company the same questions. Who rides with you, how big is the group, which bike do you get, what does the price include, and what happens to your deposit if you cancel? The one that answers clearly and in writing is usually the safer choice.

How big is a group with a Ha Giang tour company like Mr. Biu?

Our tour listing caps each departure at eight guests. Easy rider drivers and the guide ride on top of that.

Does a Ha Giang tour company include fuel in the price?

On our tours, yes, for the whole trip. Other companies differ, so check the list before you book.

Do I need a licence to book with a Ha Giang tour company?

Only if you drive yourself, in which case you need an International Driving Permit under the 1968 convention plus your home licence. Passengers and easy rider guests do not need one.

How far ahead should I book a Ha Giang tour company?

A few days is often enough, but seats on the night bus from Hanoi fill first in peak season. Message us with your dates and we will tell you what is free.