Bac Sum Pass: The Winding Warm-Up Before Quan Ba

Bac Sum Pass is the first time the Ha Giang Loop makes you work. Twenty-odd kilometres out of the city, the flat river road ends, the hillside stands up in front of you, and the tarmac starts folding back on itself in a dozen or so hairpins. By the top your hands know the bike, your eyes know the corners, and the plateau is waiting behind Quan Ba Heaven Gate.

It is not the biggest pass on the loop. It is the one that sets your rhythm. This guide covers where it is, what the climb is like, how to ride it safely, and how it fits into the loop in both directions.

Where is Bac Sum Pass

The pass lies on Highway 4C in Minh Tan commune of Vi Xuyen district, about twenty-five kilometres north of Ha Giang city. The road follows the Lo river out of town, crosses to the far bank, and then begins climbing at the village of Bac Sum, which gives the pass its name. Locals say doc, slope, rather than pass, and the word fits: it is one long, steady climb rather than a ridge crossing.

The road gains roughly a thousand metres of altitude in around seven kilometres of climbing. At the top the land levels briefly before the last stretch to Quan Ba Heaven Gate, another few kilometres on. On our Ha Giang Loop map it is the first named point north of the city.

What the climb is like

Bac Sum Pass is a pleasure to ride because it is built well. The surface is good tarmac, the lanes are wide enough for a truck and a bike to pass, and the hairpins are stacked tightly enough that you can see the next two bends above you as you take the one you are in. From certain corners the whole staircase of the road is visible below, which is why the pass photographs so well from above.

The gradient is steady rather than steep. A 110cc semi-automatic climbs it in second and third gear without complaint, two-up with luggage included. Manual bikes and the bigger 150cc machines make it feel easy. The view opens as you climb: the Lo river valley behind, terraces on the slopes, and, on a clear day, ridges rolling toward the Chinese border.

Give it twenty to thirty minutes with stops. There are pull-outs on several of the outside corners, and one or two small stalls near the top where you can buy water.

How to ride Bac Sum Pass safely

• Stay in your lane on the hairpins. Trucks and buses cut the inside line on tight corners. Keep to the right, and on left-hand bends assume something is coming down the middle.
• Use the engine on the way down. Coming back to the city at the end of the loop, drop into low gear and let the engine hold the speed. Dragging the brakes for seven kilometres cooks them. Our riding tips for the loop cover descending technique in detail.
• Watch for fog. Bac Sum sits in the cloud belt between the valley and the plateau. In winter mornings the top can be inside a cloud with visibility down to a few metres. Slow down, lights on, and keep the white line on your left.
• Mind the gravel on the inside line. Rain washes small stones onto the inner edge of the bends. Take corners a little wider than feels natural.
• Do not stop on the corner itself. Pull fully off the road at the marked pull-outs before you reach for the camera.

Bac Sum Pass in both directions

Riders who leave Ha Giang city anticlockwise meet Bac Sum in the first hour of day one. That is where the name of this guide comes from. It is the warm-up: your first hairpins, your first altitude, your first look back over a valley you have just climbed out of. Then comes Heaven Gate, and the real show begins.

Our tours run the other way. We head east out of the city through Thai An and Du Gia first, and come back through Quan Ba on the final day. On that route Bac Sum is the last pass of the trip: the descent toward the city, the river appearing below, the sense that the plateau is closing behind you. Both of our loops, the 3 days 2 nights and the 4 days 3 nights, ride it on the way home.

How Bac Sum Pass compares with the other passes

Pass	Where on the loop	Character
Bac Sum	Between Ha Giang city and Quan Ba	Long, steady staircase of hairpins on good tarmac, the warm-up
Tham Ma	Between Yen Minh and Pho Cao	Short, famous nine-bend climb, the photo pass
Ma Pi Leng	Between Dong Van and Meo Vac	Cliff road above the Nho Que canyon, the king of the loop

If you can ride Bac Sum comfortably, you can ride the rest. It has the same bend shapes as the harder passes without the cliffs. That is why we tell nervous first-timers to treat it as a test: if your shoulders are relaxed at the top, the loop will be fine. For a full list, see the mountain passes of Ha Giang.

Tips before you go

• Fuel: fill up in Ha Giang city. The next reliable pumps are in Tam Son.
• Timing: leave the city by eight if you want the pass before the trucks and the tour minibuses, and before the heat in summer.
• Weather check: if the city is under low cloud in the morning, expect fog on the top of the pass. It usually burns off by ten.
• Photos: the best shot of the whole staircase is from the higher pull-outs looking back down. Stop on the way up, not the way down, so you are on the safe side of the road.

Ride the Ha Giang Loop with Mr. Biu

Our tours are run by a local family who have ridden these roads their whole lives. Bac Sum is the last pass of every trip we run, and our guides ride it in front of the group so the descent stays slow and easy.

Ha Giang Motorbike Tour 3 Days 2 Nights

The classic loop: Thai An Pass, Du Gia waterfall, Ma Pi Leng and the Dong Van Karst Plateau, with two homestay nights, plus the Sung La valley and Lung Cam on the final morning. Around 350 km, from $100.

Ha Giang Motorbike Tour 4 Days 3 Nights

Everything above plus Lung Cu Flagpole, a Lo Lo village, the Yen Minh pine forest and Lung Khuy Cave, at a gentler pace. Around 440 km, from $140.

Self-drive or easy rider on both. Message us on WhatsApp at (+84) 3272 58338 or email mrbiu.booking@gmail.com and tell us your dates.

Frequently asked questions

Where is Bac Sum Pass?

On Highway 4C about twenty-five kilometres north of Ha Giang city, in Minh Tan commune of Vi Xuyen district. It is the climb between the Lo river valley and Quan Ba Heaven Gate.

How long is Bac Sum Pass?

Around seven kilometres of steady climbing with a dozen or so hairpins, gaining roughly a thousand metres. Plan twenty to thirty minutes with photo stops.

Is Bac Sum Pass dangerous?

Not by loop standards. The tarmac is good and the lanes are wide. The risks are trucks cutting corners, gravel on the inside of bends, and fog on winter mornings. Ride in your lane and slow down in cloud.

Can a beginner ride Bac Sum Pass?

Yes. It is the pass we use as a test for nervous riders. The bends are the same shape as on the bigger passes but without the cliff edges. A 110cc bike climbs it easily in second and third gear.

Which direction do Mr. Biu tours ride Bac Sum?

Downhill toward the city on the final day. Our loops start east through Thai An and Du Gia and return through Quan Ba, so Bac Sum is the last pass of the trip.

What is the difference between Bac Sum and Tham Ma Pass?

Bac Sum is longer and gentler, a staircase of hairpins on the way up to Quan Ba. Tham Ma is short and steep with nine famous bends between Yen Minh and Pho Cao. Both are on the standard loop.