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What To Pack For Your Ha Giang Loop Tour?
Ha Giang is known for its breathtaking scenery with impressive karst mountains, lush green forests, and beautiful golden rice terraces. Fairly new on the tourist map, Ha Giang offers an off-the-beaten-path adventure, especially if you choose a tour with a local travel agency, who will build one off of your interests. You will go through winding, adrenaline-inducing mountain passes and stop on the way just to take in the landscape. The Ha Giang Loop is typically a multi-day trip, so you’ll get to spend a lot of time with the locals, get to know their cultures, and try all the amazing dishes.
However, there are a few things to look out for before going to Ha Giang. We recommend spending at least 3 days on your Ha Giang trip, you can technically do it in 2 days but travel time alone takes about 7 hours, and once you get to Ha Giang you’ll be pretty tired. Not to mention, if you’re spending a lot of time on a motorbike, you’ll get sore and uncomfortable, especially with the road conditions in Ha Giang.
So with that, how do you prepare for your trip to get the best experience? Here are some of the most important things to pack for your Ha Giang Loop Tour.
Clothes + bags
- Shoes (boots, flip-flops): you’re probably going to need more than one pair of shoes. You won’t need to bring cute ones though, because you’ll be going on dirt roads, so opt for comfortable and practical ones. They might get dirty or ruined after a hike, so bring more than one pair, you can bring the ones you don’t usually care for. Make sure to bring a pair of flip-flops to use in the bathrooms.
- One pair of socks and underwear for each day: bring lightweight ones that can dry quickly, because there are probably no laundry services nearby.
- Rain jacket: bring a poncho because the weather in Ha Giang can be unpredictable, a rain jacket is great even if it's not raining because it can keep you warm.
- Comfortable clothes: it’s important to be comfortable on the trip because you’re going to spend a lot of time on a motorbike (or a car), not to mention your clothes can get dirty so opt for comfortable pieces, wear long sleeves at night because there might be bugs and mosquitoes. Bring a light jacket to wear at night, or warm clothes if you’re going in winter.
- Swimwear: bring swimwear if you want to go for a swim in the pool or at a waterfall
- Fanny pack: apart from your huge backpack, you should also bring a smaller bag when going out, or a fanny pack to keep the important stuff like your phone, cash, and your passport.
Toiletries
- Toothbrush + Toothpaste: an absolute must. Some accommodations don’t provide dental care products, even if they do, the toothbrushes are the ones with stiff bristles which can be pretty uncomfortable to use, and the toothpastes are one-time-use. So bring your own toothbrush and toothpaste.
- Shampoo + Conditioner: same goes with shampoo and conditioner, the ones that you’re provided with are either in packets (which is not a lot if you have thick hair) or in tiny bottles, so if you’re staying for more than a few days, or have sensitive hair, dyed hair or something that needs special care, bring your own hair products.
- Sunscreen: it’s important to have some skin protection because you’re going to be spending a lot of time out in the sun
- Hand sanitizer: bring hand sanitizer just in case your bathroom doesn’t have soap, or to clean your hands when you’re out on the road
- Medication: bring anti-motion-sickness medication if you’re traveling by car, even if you don’t get motion-sickness normally because the roads in Ha Giang can be very bumpy and steep. You can pack some cold medicine as well because there might not be many pharmacies around.
- Bug-repellant: this is a must, especially during the summer. You don’t want bugs crawling on your skin while you sleep or going hiking now, do you?
- First aid kit: you can never be too prepared. Accidents happen way more than you think, especially in Ha Giang, so be safe while driving and bring a first aid kit with you.
Other essentials
- International Driving Permit (IDP) and a Ha Giang Loop Permit: to drive in Ha Giang or any other place, you need to have your IDP ready. If you’re doing the Ha Giang Loop, you’ll also need a Ha Giang Loop Permit, to get access to certain parts of Ha Giang. Whether or not you get checked for these is up to chance, but have them ready just in case, because sometimes your homestay host asks for the Ha Giang Loop Permit.
- Passport: an important document to have with you while traveling. You might need it if you want to rent a motorbike, a hotel or to get the Ha Giang Loop Permit.
- Cash: bring some cash with you, but in smaller bills. There are ATMs in Ha Giang but not many if you’re staying in smaller towns. The shops in Ha Giang usually take cash, and you’ll also need them for the bathroom or to tip. Even though tipping is not a culture in Vietnam, you can give the driver (if you’re getting one) a little something extra to support them.
- Travel insurance: you can never be too careful, say it again with me “Accidents happen way more than you think”, so make sure you have travel insurance to cover any damages
- Gas and gears: if you’re traveling by motorbike, get some spare gas for the road just in case because you’re gonna be driving a lot, and there aren’t many gas stations. You can bring some gear in case something goes wrong with the bike.
- Power bank: bring a portable power bank if you take a lot of videos or photos on your phone (you will because everything is so beautiful).
Conclusion
We hope that this article helped, and this is taken from our own experience traveling in Ha Giang. If you still have other questions about the tour, like how to get there, where to stay, what to eat, or how much it costs, read more below:
=> Ha Giang Loop Tour Prices: Everything you need to know
