Bibi Ha Giang Loop Tour Review (2025)

Check Places to Stay in Hanoi (Expedia) | Check Tour Prices (Bibi Website)

I will divvy up this review in 2 seperate sections: the first part will cover the agenda in-depth, going through what we did on the day, what we ate, what we saw, etc., and the latter part will review the tour group, itinerary, as well as providing any tips to people who are considering to go on the Ha Giang Loop.

Day Zero: Travel to Ha Giang from Hanoi

I read a lot about Easy Rider tours in Ha Giang. There are a multitude of options, ranging drastically in price and group size. Being a more low-key solo traveller, I was not here to seek out party hostels and rowdy large groups. The sweet spot was about 5-8 total in a group going through Ha Giang, and that’s how I narrowed it down to Bibi. Their drivers were reviewed to be safer than the average one, but still would take you on many side routes to explore paths less traveled.

I booked well in advance for the tour by using their website, which ultimately led to dealing with Bibi himself via WhatsApp. Being Vietnam, most business is directly handled through the app. We’d agree on the set prices (easy rider, 4 days, 3 nights) and also arrange for bus transport round-trip to/from Hanoi. Everything was handled very easily, and a deposit was made via an online portal.

2 months later, I arrived at the bus depot to wait for the ride to Ha Giang. The drive is supposed to take roughly 6 hours, but do not be surprised if your driver beats this time by an hour or possibly even two. Welcome to bus travel in Asia. If it’s your first time, remember to take off your shoes. It’s going to be fast and not altogether very pleasant. You’ll probably even pick up a few family friends of the driver and maybe even a few packages along the way. One thing you can guarantee is that it’ll be a fast journey, though.

The bus will stop a few times along the route, stopping you over at rest stops that are frequently outfitted with snacks, restaurants, and of course, washrooms. Be prepared on this journey with small VND bills as these washrooms typically will request a very small fee for usage (this will be in the range of 1000-3000 VND). I don’t recommend grabbing a bowl of pho to eat at these stops, not for any hygiene reasons but more so because the bus driver kind of just leaves whenever they want. I mean, I’m sure they checked how many people got in/out for these stops, but from my perspective, they just would start up the bus and leave without much warning.

After a few stops at other hostels to drop off others, we’d finally arrive at Ha Giang 1 Hostel, a temporary home for the night for other Bibi tour customers. The rooms are co-ed and are about 8-12 bunk beds per room. The beds aren’t exactly the nicest or cleanest, but they got the job done. There are 3 bathrooms/showers per floor, but many of them didn’t have toilet paper, soap, or both in some cases. The vibe from my room was a quiet one, and everyone was quite respectful of each other. That was a good precursor and sign of things to come during the rest of the trip.

The following morning, the gang would all meet downstairs, where the drivers and tour operator would be waiting. They provided us a small breakfast consisting of an egg sandwich and coffee. I supplemented this with mandarin oranges I purchased from the market next door. After a brief debrief from the man, Bibi himself, we’d be on our way to meet our group (mine ended up being about 6 total) and driver. The English level of our drivers was mostly low, but the group leader had much stronger English skills.

Our drivers would help us put on all our safety gear, and this would largely be the case for the rest of the journey, too. After initially choosing a Pikachu helmet to have a laugh, I thought better of it and grabbed a normal one instead. The driver would end up offering me his helmet instead, possibly as a joke too, but I took it anyway. It was time to set off on our adventure.

Day One: Lookouts, Waterfalls, Swimming, and Villages

The tour itinerary online did differ from the ultimate journey we ended up taking. This is largely due to the weather changing the best paths to take, but also because of the tour leader asking the group which direction we’d like to take (more scenic off-the-beaten paths or keep to the main roads). After a coffee stop overlooking a beautiful valley, we’d get our swimsuits ready for a dip.

The waterfall was located a very brief 5-10 minute hike away from our parking spots. There’s a tiny bit of elevation here through some stairs, but it’s incredibly easy. The water was soothing but a bit chilly. Keep in mind that I visited in November, so it was chilly, either on land or on water. Our guides wouldn’t get in the water, so they’d entertain us in other ways, some by stacking rocks (and some by accidentally knocking them over).

We’d arrive at our first lunch stop, where most other groups (from Bibi or from other, larger tour groups) all aggregated. We were served a multi-course meal consisting of a vegetable soup, various proteins (vegetarian options are provided as well), deep-fried potatoes, spring rolls, salad, rice, and fruits for dessert. This meal would largely be a preview to others on the itinerary as well – good spreads of tasty, albeit safe, Vietnamese food. The tablecloths here were all hemp-based, which is what the region is also known for producing.

After eating, we’d make a few pit stops for views and snacks. A few games of dá cầu (best compared to shuttlecock hackysack) later, and we were out to rest on the hammocks. It was a great time to get to know my fellow traveling crew.

Two Finnish friends, two Australians (who didn’t know each other prior but somehow were both from the same small town), and an American student majoring in nuclear energy. It was a great group to explore Ha Giang with, and the hammock stop was a great introduction to everyone.

We’d carry on further and get to our first group decision. Su, our group leader/driver, asked us whether we’d like to take a scenic route that involved steeper, more narrow roads but offered better views and fewer crowds: we were in.

We began our steep ascent up to a peak, where we’d pass by a small village and wave hi to the students and kids that came out to greet us. This would be a recurring event throughout the rest of the trip.

Reaching the top, a small family passed by us on motorcycles. By complete chance, they came from an area that Su was originally from. They spoke in a local dialect of Vietnamese together, and the incredibly fashionable group carried on with their lives.

A group of farming girls would come up to say hi to us as well. We’d communicate with each other in the only way we knew how to, by exchanging ‘hello’ and ‘xin ciao’, progressively getting louder and more enthusiastic with each reply. We’d end up shouting at each other at the end. It was great fun.

A few rest stops later, we’d make our way to our first homestay of the trip, Duy Homestay Du Già. This was our most remote stay through the whole tour. It was a very quiet, quaint location, run by a small family. The bed situation here was a few rooms shared between us and another 2 tour groups (I’m not sure if they were Bibi Tours as well). Each bed was for 2 people, so it was time to get cozy with another fellow solo traveller.

A spread of food was served for dinner. Fried eggs, soup, bean sprouts, fried chicken, beef, tofu, choy, morning glory, and finished with fruit. One of our tour members happened to have a birthday on the trip, and the group surprised her with a birthday cake, which she cut in the most insane way I think I’ve ever seen. Saying ‘Happy birthday’ to her would become a reoccurring joke throughout the trip.

A few Saigon beers and some happy water shots later, we were off to sing karaoke, whether we liked it or not. It was a great time. We played with some of the housecats before heading off to bed.

A note about the showers/bathrooms here: if you’re not used to sinks that run out onto the floor, be ready to get used to that here. For that reason, do not wear socks into the bathroom (unless you want wet socks).

Day Two: Cave Diving, Amazing Lookouts, Cliff of Death, and a Local Festival

The next morning, breakfast would be served. It was a choice between Vietnamese pancakes with fruit or a soup noodle. I’d have opted for the soup noodles before Su let me know that the pancake was better. I changed to that. It was alright, but fruits in Vietnamese are always at least going to taste good.

We’d set out for our first major stop: a lookout featuring a prominent Vietnamese flag stuck onto the base of a small cliff. A great photo opportunity here. I, unfortunately, was a little preoccupied at this photo stop after I had accidentally knocked my driver’s motorcycle over trying to grab my camera out my backpack. Definitely would advise not touching their bikes without them helping you.

A few stops to take in more breathtaking views later, and another spread of food for lunch, we were off to our cave diving/swimming spot. The way to get there would require taking a bamboo raft out to the cave and scaling a few rocks. Older, less athletic people, like me, beware. However, this is safe to scale on all fours if need be.

The water around the cave was chilly, with a nice Gatorade-blue color. There’d be water measurers in the water (that’s the bug, not a person with a very specific job). Water was relatively shallow in places and rocky. It was a great swim. Try to get as close to the inside of the cave as you can, the rock formations are incredible to see.

After getting dried off with some borrowed towels from the locals who lived by the raft point, we were off again. A few viewpoints and rest stops later, we’d arrive at the Mã Pí Lèng Panorama viewpoint, one of the most well-known stops on all of the Loop. No matter what group and route you go with, you’re almost guaranteed to stop here.

This viewpoint, overlooking the Nho Que River, is also a relative midpoint between the towns Dong Van and Meo Vac. On the right side, from where we stopped to take some photos, an infamous ‘illegal hotel‘ sits perched precariously on the cliff. Down below, boats would drive by on the river, some are available for tours. We smoked and took photos together.

The road we’d take next was probably the most dangerous one. I don’t think I even have any photos or videos of the path, as I was almost sure I’d fall over if I risked it. The road would only be a foot or two wider than our motorcycles, the valley down below almost calling for us. Bibi drivers are quite experienced, however, and not once did I really feel like it was truly dangerous. However, I did note at this point how young they all were.

The viewpoint we were driving to was likely even more well-known than the Mã Pí Lèng Panorama; the cliff of death is a very popular photo sight but was blocked off recently after a tourist fell to their death. Luckily, or unluckily, the path was recently re-opened right before our tour. We were given the option to hike up to the mountaintop if we chose. My driver would smoke and casually skip up to the cliff of death in a minute.

That night, we’d rest at Dong Van, a much more developed town than we were used to seeing on the loop. Black chicken hot pot (Lẩu Gà Đen) on the menu, a renowned specialty in Hà Giang, is known for its tender meat and lower fat content compared to regular chicken. It was a nice family-style meal with our new traveling family.

​Afterwards, we’d happen across a local festival at the town centre celebrating the new year. A fire would be nestled in the middle, which we’d all later dance around. Maybe this was a ritual of sorts. Our tour group would have a member break off into a dance-off with a local influencer celebrity doing a TikTok live. Apparently, they do this every Saturday night. What a nice little town. My jacket still smells of that fire smoke from Dong Van. I love it.

We’d check into Apollo Hotel, where we’d luckily have private rooms for each of us, except the one tour member that booked the tour the night before. They were able to find accommodation for him nearby, but it was not a private room. This hotel was nice and clean, with air conditioning, heat, and a king-size bed. It was an amazing luxury after having stayed in hostels a few weeks before this. The sink would not run out onto the washroom floor here. No wet socks here.

Day Three: Best View from a Cafe Possible, Climbing Lung Cu Flagpole, Seeing China

The next morning, we’d have our choice of breakfast between the local restaurants outside the hotel. I’d suggested to Su that I love Bun Bo Hue, and he insisted on finding us a place to have this for breakfast. We’d come across a small local joint, with not much signage, and clearly not a typical tourist stop. The bun bo hue was fantastic.

We’d set out for our first rest stop at a cafe afterward. I will not understate that the view from Ma ū Coffee is the best I’ve seen. The cafe is nestled on a perch overlooking the Má Ú valley, some hundreds of meters below. Sipping on that $2 coconut coffee here is something I could do every morning if I could.

Our journey today would bring us to Lung Cu, home of the Lung Cu Flag Point, featuring its 54 square meter massive Vietnamese flag, to symbolize the 54 ethnic groups of Vietnam, resting atop the Dragon Mountain.

It’d be a brief staircase hike up towards the viewpoint that would allow us a glimpse into China from Vietnam, one of the northernmost and symbolic landmarks in all of Vietnam. Bring water and be ready to walk. This would be the climax of our journey around the loop. We’d all take group photos here and sing catchy Vietnamese songs (likely propaganda pieces, but that’s alright) at the top of the viewpoint.

Riding southbound now, we’d make our way to the town of Lũng Táo, where we’d grab lunch and venture to explore the Sa Phin Market across the street. Not much was open that day. A shop owner and her son would greet us with smiles, and the toddler would follow us around saying ‘xin ciao’. We’d say ‘xin ciao’ and ‘hello’ back. I’d play ‘big two’ with the drivers here. A game I picked up from high school back at home. I promptly lost, but I had a lot of fun doing so.

We’d reach the Thẩm Mã Pass next, another one of Ha Giang Loop’s most famous photo spots. There’d be a small market next to the viewpoint parking, where vendors would hawk hemp clothing and accessories.

There was also a shop that featured a woman making hemp bags from scratch. Just one of these bags can take 1-3 days to make with the manual method they were using. She would happily pose for a photo. The goods here are all priced reasonably, and the vendors are open to haggling. I’d grab some hemp shorts and a wallet for a very reasonable sum, considering the labour they put in to making them.

That night, we stayed at Tôm Tép Homestay, our relatively coziest homestay on the journey. One room would feature an assortment of 11 or so beds. It was the perfect room layout for a movie night together, powered by my tiny laptop screen. It’d be our last night as a group together on this journey. Su would encourage us to do at least one karaoke song together. He’d also serenade us a few times himself, ever the entertainer and gracious host.

Day Four: Hemp Village, Another Waterfall, Home

The next morning, we’d make a few rest stops for coffee after a brief breakfast at the homestay. Today’s journey would largely be to bring us back to base camp in a fast and efficient way but would also include some key stops.

We’d stop at a very small village with a few dedicated stores to hemp weaving. The Hemp house “Dệt vải lanh truyền thống” would be the main visit point for us and a few other tour groups as well.

The shopkeeper would bring us around the exhibition section of the store, showing us in detail how they make the bags and wallets we’d find in the next section of the shop and just how intricate the process and time-consuming the creation of one item can be. Wallets can take 1-3 days, scarves 3-5 days, and clothing can take weeks, given the dyeing and embroidery times. All this to say, spend the money on buying a small thing here to support their local economy.

We’d cap off our journey with one more hammock-based rest stop and a waterfall swimming area. Su and the drivers would all have a surprise for us at the end of the trip when we returned from the waterfall area. I won’t spoil it here, but I’ll just say that I’m amazed how they were able to put that together for us in the time that we spent as a group. It was a great conclusion to one of the top highlights from my 3-month trip out to Asia.

Overall Review of Bibi Tour Group

Bibi and his team of riders were all professional and had our collective group’s safety in mind (in balance with our group’s desire for slightly more off-the-beaten-path things). Bibi was tremendously helpful in accommodating me on buses to/from Ha Giang. I had accidentally missed one of the buses heading back to Hanoi, as I arrived right at the scheduled time, as opposed to arriving earlier/staying at the hostel to wait for pickup. Bibi drove me and a fellow traveller out to intercept the bus that was en route to pick up other passengers. Operation-wise, they were quite efficient with paperwork, schedules, payments, and when we arrived/left.

In terms of the routes that our drivers took us, I was really satisfied with the sights we took in. There were definitely a few routes where the roads were so narrow that most groups did not go through there. The result of that would be visiting many more hidden-away villages where we were able to interact with locals, take in sights without any other crowd around us, and also learn about some local living. Rest assured, though, if you are uncomfortable with more precarious roads, you can let them know, and they will accommodate you as well.

The food provided at each stop, whether it be during the lunches during our travels or the breakfasts and dinners at the homestays, was all consistently quite good-tasting. You will likely be presented with a multi-course meal, served family-style, at each of these stops, with a varied mix of proteins (tofu is often served at each meal for any vegetarians/vegans), a soup, fresh vegetables (often boiled), spring rolls, rice, and fruits.

Rating Bibi Ha Giang Tour

Summary Rating

• Accomodations:
  • Day 0 Hostel: 6/10 (but it was free/included)
  • Day 1 Homestay: 8/10
  • Day 2 Hotel: 9/10
  • Day 3 Homestay: 8/10
• Food: 7/10
• Driver safety: 9/10
• Driver engagement: 8/10
• Cultural experience: 8/10
• Scenery: 10/10
• Value: 9/10

Overall: 8.5/10

Overall, I would recommend going with Bibi Tours if you’re planning on taking the Ha Giang Loop. Their easy rider multi-day package (4 days, 3 nights) was very good value. They were professional, fun, with small groups, good food, and safe. The homestays were of decently good quality, with a hotel provided in the middle leg for one night, but this will vary depending on the package you select.

The following is the cost breakdown for the 4-day tour:

Tour Package Prices and Details

• Regular tour: $225 USD/ea.
• Standard tour: $239 USD/ea.
• Luxury tour (min. 2 people): $260 USD/ea.
  • If just 1 person, charged +10$/1 night
• VIP private tour (min. 2 people): $520 USD/ea.

All Packages Include

• Meals: 4 breakfasts, 4 lunches, 3 dinners, 1 large bottle of water/day
• Accommodations (+1 night dorm room before the tour, free)
• Any tickets/entrance fees
• Easy Rider driver, the motorcycle gas
• Not included: additional drinks

VIP Van/Bus Price and Details

• $15 USD each way for VIP van to take you to/from Ha Giang <-> Hanoi

Check Places to Stay in Hanoi (Expedia) | Check Tour Prices (Bibi Website)

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