How to Plan a Trip
Distance from Hanoi to Ha Giang 
By bus 
By car 
Best time to visit 
Riding the Ha Giang Loop Please note that this post may contain affiliate links and any sales made through such links will reward me a small commission – at no extra cost for you.
Let’s dive in on how to get from Hanoi to Ha Giang, Vietnam by bus, shuttle,or private car. We’ll cover schedules, ticket prices, and how to buy your tickets for your transfer.
How far is it from Hanoi to Ha Giang?
The distance from Hanoi to Ha Giang is around 280 kilometers, or 174 miles.
The exact distance will differ slightly depending on where in the city you are staying.
How long is the drive from Hanoi to Ha Giang?
The drive from Hanoi to Ha Giang takes between 5 and 7 hours, depending on traffic and the mode of transportation that you use. A
private car tends to be faster than a bus since you will not have to make any additional stops for pick ups and drop offs on your way from Hanoi to Ha Giang.
Hanoi to Ha Giang by bus
Hanoi has tons of transportation options, and is well connected to Ha Giang. The most popular way to get to Ha Giang from Hanoi is by bus. The bus journey from Hanoi to Ha Giang is approximately 6 hours.
You have a few different options for buses: sitting bus, sleeper bus and cabin bus. Although they are all roughly the same price (between $10-20), the cabin bus is by far the most comfortable in my opinion. This is because you have your own little cabin with a privacy curtain, whereas there is no privacy on the normal sleeper bus.
The downside of taking the sleeper bus or cabin bus however, is that it can not enter into the center of the city. You’ll be dropped at a stop about 30 minutes from Hanoi and transferred the rest of the way via a taxi. But honestly, even taking the normal bus this sometimes happens for convenience, so it’s still worth taking the more comfortable bus in my opinion.
Here are the current times for the cabin bus provided by a local tour operator:
Cabin bus: 11:30am, 1:30pm, and 8:30pm
We booked our Hanoi to Ha Giang transfer through Ha Hanh Booking, a local Hanoi tour operator, at +84 35 332 7105.
Hanoi to Ha Giang by private car
Another option for getting from Hanoi to Ha Giang is via a private car. Although considerably more expensive, with fares around $150 USD, transfers by private car tend to be fastest.
If you budget allows, they are also a convenient option because you can set your own schedule, versus aligning your travel plans to a bus schedule.
Arriving in Vietnam
Before we can get in to how to get from Hanoi to Ha Giang, you’re going to first need to make your way to Hanoi. If you’re arriving into Vietnam from outside of the country, then you’ll likely be flying into Hanoi. You can find flights from all over the world arriving in Hanoi.
To find the cheapest flight options from your city, you can use the search form below:
There are also buses and trains that connect Hanoi to the rest of Vietnam.
Best time to visit Ha Giang
The best time to first Ha Giang, and ride the Ha Giang Loop is from September to November and from March to May when the weather is relatively stable, although still unpredictable, and the landscapes are at their most beautiful.
But it really is always a bit of a gamble. You could still get 3 straight days of rain or 3 straight days of sun during these time periods.
We did our Ha Giang Loop ride in late April and had almost perfect weather. It was mostly warm and sunny, with a bit of clouds and a drizzle of rain on our last day.
Riding the Ha Giang Loop
The Ha Giang Loop, also known less commonly known as the Ha Giang circuit, is a famous 3-4 day mountain loop in northern Vietnam. The loop which takes you through windy mountain roads is the most popular thing to do in Ha Giang, and the reason that most people travel from Hanoi to Ha Giang.
Driving through the mountain roads of the Ha Giang Loop was literally one of the best travel experiences that I’ve ever had. I had to pick my jaw up off the floor a few times.
We booked our tour through Ha Giang Hostel (even though we weren’t staying there). Our group was only 6-8 people and the group age was mostly late twenties to mid thirties. If you’re traveling solo, or arriving into Ha Giang from Hanoi late the night before your loop, Ha Giang Hostel is a great, affordable lodging option.
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