Are you considering Hoang Su Phi on your next Vietnam motorbike tour?
Hoang Su Phi is a district of Ha Giang province – one of the heavens for motorbike tours in Vietnam. While Ha Giang has been a mainstream and well-known destination for motorbiking, Hoang Su Phi remains largely unexplored till recently. The place boats pristine mountain landscapes with forests, mountain pinnacles and Ha Giang’s most stunning rice terraces. Join one Vietnam motorbike tour of ours and explore the beautiful mountains of Hoang Su Phi.
What Hoang Su Phi offers to Vietnam motorbike tour riders?
The motorbike riding trails
The first thing to mention are the extremely winding roads leading to and from Hoang Su Phi. At Bac Quang town instead of continuing with QL 2, take a left turn following DT 177 and travel for 55 km (34 miles). But hang on, it’s not 55 km, it’s a scenic and hearty ride. In the other word, the ride itself is one of the highlights. Even though the road is surfaced (with portholes, of course), it does its best to negotiate with the terrain. At some point it slithers through pine forests, edge the mountain sides with a raging river underneath. At some other points it twists itself back and forth as the mountains do not want to give way easily. There’s little traffic on this road, since the town of Vinh Quang – the heart of Hoang Su Phi – is a small one with some 7000 inhabitants.
Vinh Quang town
The surroundings of Vinh Quang town boasts many picturesque scenery, which takes around 2 days to explore on a motorbike. Places to ride to are: Ban Phung, San Xa Ho, Ban Luoc, Then Chu Phin, Dan Van. Here, roads cross rivers, mountains, slither through valleys and get themselves lost in forests, then come out again and soar up into the cloud-shrouded mountain tops. A dozen of minorities group reside in Hoang Su Phi, and every now and then you get to see or pass by a community where life has remained almost the same for many decades.
Vietnam motorbike tour to Chieu Lau Thi peak
One of the best roads for motorbike riding in northern Vietnam is the road connecting Ban Luoc and Chieu Lau Thi peak.
This 56 km of mostly off-road terrain is a true excitement on our Vietnam motorbike tour. And with 3 quarters of its were unpaved. In the other word, this is more like a winding trail with gravel (or big stones?) surface and portholes. And if it rains, then hello mud. Even though it may not be thick enough to suck your tires, it does make the trip a tougher one. As a result, most probably you are the only motorcycle rider here at a time:
At its highest, this trail tops over 2000 meters above sea level, and good chance you’re in or above clouds. From here, trek some 30 more minutes and you are at the landmark of Hoang Su Phi – the Chieu Lau Thi peaks, sitting at 2400 meters above sea level. This is a landmark on your Vietnam motorbike tour.
Vietnam motorbike tour amidst the extraordinary landscape of Hoang Su Phi
Apart from all fabulous roads and scenery, there’s something else special about Hoang Su Phi: Its terraced rice fields. In 2012 the rice terraces of Hoang Su Phi was recognized by the Vietnamese government as National Heritage – a title of incredible beauty or precious cultural values. Ever since, the places drew in a good number of local motorbike riders and motorbike tours operator start to take in the destination.
Hoang Su Phi rice terraces
The rice terraces are an art, that has been developed for many hundred years. And this is where the local minority groups dig in the mountain to build massive steps, which then helps to keep water for cultivation. With only hand tools and manual neighbor, thousands hectares of mountain sides have been painted picturesquely by lines and colors. Also, there are 02 times that the rice terraces are in their utmost beauty: the beginning and the end of crop. Respectively, one is when the water floods over the terraces, making each mountain side to be a gigantic mirror reflecting the sky above. The other one is when the rice ripens, covering the whole mountains in a yellowish color.
…And it is truly photogenic and simply jaw dropping landscape that can distract any landscape lover. At either time, any photo shot is the one that can impress your friends. So how about including this beautiful region on your Vietnam motorbike tour?
There is 1 rice crop per year in Hoang Su Phi. That is to say, May is the beginning and Sep – Oct is the end of 1 crop.
Life of the locals
Hoang Su Phi district has a dozen of minority groups, who scatter in valleys and along mountain edges. Most of them are Nung, Dao and H’mong. Each have their own language and culture that they have retained for many hundreds years.
There’s one time that you can get to meet all of them, and it’s weekly. It’s on Sunday, when these locals descend from the mountains and gather at the market of Vinh Quang. Like others, the mountain market of Vinh Quang town opens once a week, when the minorities bring their domestic products for sale. The incredible sounds of strange languages, of scooters, of animals for sales and people shouting to advertise their products are overwhelming. At the same time, it’s a cultural experience not to be missed out.
Where to stay in Hoang Su Phi on a Vietnam motorbike tour?
These days, opening home-stays is a good source of extra incomes for many farmers living in the mountains. And Hoang Su Phi is of no exception. In nearly every community, one can look for a home-stays, clean or acceptable. For those who are looking for more of a hotel experience, there are the following options:
These are all higher-end choices, and a night might be around 40-75$/night.
