Ha Giang Loop on the heels of typhoon Bualoi

Catherine
Oct 26
5 min read

September 30th to October 4th 2025

Due to traffic, the bus that had taken three hours to get to Mai Chau took over six hours on the way back. The snail's pace was making us nervous as we’d planned to catch another bus that evening from Hanoi to Ha Giang.

The traffic ground a standstill and we decided (despite the pouring rain and thunder) it would be faster to walk across the remainder of the city.

Once we stepped off the bus, we were immediately drenched in rain and noise. The reason for the traffic insanity became apparent - flooding across the Old Quarter made many streets impassable. Motorbikes were able to crawl forwards by weaving in and out of the cars, and jumping the curb. As pedestrians on the sidewalk, we hade to give way to scooters ripping past in both directions. The deepest parts of the water we waded through was above my knees!

At this point, I was certain that the four day motorbike tour we’d booked to explore the mountains of northern Vietnam would be cancelled. To my surprise, the booking agency assured us that everything would go ahead as planned....

Almost an hour later, we emerged from the floodwater like a pair of drowned rats. I was feeling entirely too damp and smelly to spend the next six hours on an overnight bus, but onwards we went!

The heavy rain, thunder and lighting continued overnight and it was rather bumpy (and nerve wracking) for sleep, but by around 3am we had made it to the outskirts of Ha Giang.

By this time, the river running through the city had overflowed its banks, and water had risen to the second story. Our bus could not continue to the scheduled drop off point within the city, and was unable to return to Hanoi until the water receded.

By 9am the rain had relented, and I’d had enough of the bus! So, somewhere in a rural area outside the city we got off the bus (sweet freedom!!) and started walking. The first mission was to find a cup of coffee. After this vital task was accomplished, we located a good hotel within an hours walk. Unfortunately, the storm caused a power outage in the area, but by this point we were grateful for a roof, a bed and a cold shower. Later, we’d heard from our guide that the mountain roads were closed due to flooding (shocker) and it may be 2-3 days before it became passable.

Over breakfast, we were debating our next move when the guide called and said we could leave that afternoon on an alternate and shorter route. We’d originally planned to drive the motorbike ourselves, but later found out the Canadian international drivers licence is not recognized in Vietnam. If we drove, we’d risk getting fined by the police, having our bike impounded and not being covered by insurance in case of accident. The only way we could go ahead at this point was to have the guide drive the motorbike as we rode behind them. While disappointing, considering what we’d gone through to get to Ha Giang, we decided it would be better than nothing.

In retrospect, I’m very thankful that the guides were the ones driving the motorbikes! They knew a route that avoided the worst of the storm damage, and expertly navigated some sketchy sections where the road was falling away and/or covered by a landslide.

We completed the loop in two half days and one full day. I loved seeing the different cultural dress of the village people, the rice paddies perched on the mountainsides, and winding in and out of the clouds on a motorbike.

The first night we stayed with a local family and ate together at their table for dinner. The mountain villages of this area are only a few kilometers away from China. Dinner was hotpot - something familiar to us from having gone to a Chinese Baptist Church while we were living in Calgary. For those who’ve never had hotpot before, there’s a burner on the table with a big boiling pot of broth, and then raw meat, vegetables and noodles to add to the pot to cook. Once ready, you scoop a small bowl for yourself and eat. Then you just keep adding and eating until everyone’s full.

As I ladled a bowl of duck meat and squid for myself, I unearthed a whole chicken foot and duck skull (and hastily stopped poking around in there for fear of what else I’d find). We learned a lot during this meal! We were taught how to say cheers in Vietnamese, how to drink rice wine and the importance of shaking hands. A one handed shake implies respect, a one handed shake while holding your arm at the elbow with the other hand shows greater respect, and for your elders you shake their hand in both of yours. As the amount of rice wine consumed increased, so did the cross table hand shaking. Throughout the night, more and more family members (or friends?) arrived and sat down to the meal. Although everyone was speaking in Vietnamese around us, me and Joel felt very much a part of the festivities as our wine cup was always quickly refilled and our hands frequently shaken. After several hours of this, we were roped into singing karaoke. Suffice to say, we shared our Albertan culture via some questionable country songs.

The next day, I woke up with a moderate case of food poisoning while Joel remained healthy as ever. I was determined to still enjoy the day, and did (for the most part). The guides were very concerned that I was not eating and insisted on making me rice porridge for dinner. Although I’d politely declined this offer several times, a large bowl of rice porridge appeared through my door. But alas, I was asleep and dead to the world by 8pm.

I learned the next morning from Joel that when he’d come back to our room following a large barbecue chicken dinner, a second bowl of rice porridge had materialized. While I slept, Joel was pacing back and forth in the bathroom eating two large bowls of rice porridge so as not to cause offense. Joel’s bottomless stomach was truly tested that night!

Although the Ha Giang loop became a bigger adventure than we'd initially bargained on, the views were unforgettable and completely worth it.