The Song of the Loop

A few years ago a friend told me about the Ha Giang Loop. The Loop is made up of winding roads that pass through one of the most beautiful landscapes in the world, located in northern Vietnam just below the Chinese border. It’s best traveled via motorbike. As soon as I heard of this loop adventure I became fixated on it; like a song stuck in my head that can only be relieved by actually listening to it. 

It turns out the Ha Giang Loop is quite popular. It takes an average of 4 days to drive the entire loop. There are options to hire an “easy rider” that will ride the motorbike for you. Easy riders are locals that have been riding motorbikes since they were 14 years old, sometimes even younger. The option to ride as passenger had its appeal… you don’t have to worry about the mechanics of riding a motorcycle yourself, you can safely take in the views, and you can avoid any police fines for driving without a Vietnamese motor license. But like most things in my life, I needed to experience this loop for myself. I promised my uncle Kerry that I wouldn’t ride on the back of a motorcycle but I never promised him I wouldn’t ride my own. 

Lloyd, Jake and I joined a small group of other travelers and locals to conquer the loop with. The boys opted for easy riders and I was given my own semi-automatic 125cc motorcycle. Luckily I’ve driven one before and the tuktuk experience in Sri Lanka made this ride a breeze. Our Ha Giang leader, “T”, vowed he’d do his best to help me avoid unnecessary fines for driving without a Vietnamese license. He said it’s a scam for foreigners. He’d send a driver ahead of us to scope out any surprise police checkpoints, if the driver saw one he’d call T. We’d stop about a half kilometer before the checkpoint, send the rest of the group through on their easy riders, and then two drivers would come back: one to take me through the checkpoint and the other to take my bike through. This was seamless and actually quite fun. I felt like a fugitive avoiding the tourist police. 

We had four absolutely gorgeous days of riding. A day on the Loop consisted of getting up around 8am for a breakfast of pancakes and Vietnamese coffee then we’d hit the road. Our group was made up of 10 lovely travelers from around the world and 7 easy riders. We’d pull off every hour or so to take in the views, grab another coffee, and have lunch. We stopped for a chilly dip in the Du Gia Waterfall, a boat cruise down the Nho Que River, we visited the Lung Cu Flag Tower with views of the Chinese border, the Palace of the Hmong King (or known as the “opium house”), the Quran Ba Cave, and on our final day we stopped by a Hmong village where we learned how hemp is used to create clothing and decor by hand. 

After each exciting day of riding we’d stay in a different home in local villages. These homestays host hundreds of riders throughout the year. They provide food, a bed, and a place to connect with other travelers on the Loop. The Vietnamese love their “happy water” and karaoke. We drank homemade rice wine and sang our hearts out with the easy riders. We didn’t speak the same language but we bonded over singing terribly into worn-out microphones. 

My favorite part of the Loop was riding through the villages. We got a glimpse of what life is like in mountainous Vietnam. I was humbled and stunned over how hardworking Vietnamese people are. Men and women of all ages working in the fields carrying stacks of tree branches, bamboo, and other natural supplies on their backs. They’re herding livestock while carrying babies. Oxen and water buffalos plow the earth to create rice paddy fields. The children play in the rice paddies, covered in mud, and wave to us as we pass through. Small scooters are used to transport animals, mattresses, building material and whole families. They live off the land. Reality really slapped me in the face when I woke up in the middle of the night at one of our home stays to the sound of a pig being slaughtered. It was clear to me just how blind we can be to the amount of work that goes into our basic needs in the west. Most of the time we don’t even know where our food, water, building materials and clothes come from. 

Ha Giang Loop is now crossed off my bucket list, but when I met a couple riding with two young kids a new song got stuck in my head. I’m sure it won’t be for awhile, but I have a good feeling I'll be back on the Loop someday. 

Listening to: Rolling by Michael kiwanuka