Questions guests ask before they book

Sitting behind an Easy Rider is the safe way for almost everyone: local riders who do these passes every week, one guest per bike, helmets and protectors provided. Riding yourself suits confident riders with mountain-road experience; the passes are steep with sharp bends and 150 km days.

Only if you ride yourself or bring your own bike. Easy Rider and private car need nothing.

To ride yourself you need a licence for the bike class plus an International Driving Permit under the 1968 Vienna Convention. Some countries' permits are not valid in Vietnam, so send us your nationality on WhatsApp and we will tell you straight before you pay anything.

September to May is dry and clear. Golden rice terraces in September and October, buckwheat flowers in October and November, peach and plum blossom in March and April. June to August is green but rainy; rain gear is provided.

Children aged 6 to under 12 pay 75% of the adult price; from 12 they pay full price. Children under 6 cannot join any motorbike tour. On a Classic tour by private car, under-6s travel free sharing their parents' room.

Motorbike tours are not suitable for children under 6, pregnant women or anyone with serious back problems, and we cannot accommodate wheelchairs. Travel insurance does not cover guests over 80. Tell us your needs and we will suggest the private car option.

Same passes, same viewpoints. Essential sleeps in shared-dorm homestays with a joined group of up to 10, and runs from 1 guest. Classic sleeps in private en-suite rooms, keeps the group to 6, adds stops such as the Sky Path cliff-walk, and runs from 2 guests. Classic also offers a private car.

A local rider who drives the whole route while you sit behind, look and take photos. No licence needed, and the most chosen way to do the loop.

Yes, on the Essential 3- and 4-day loops. You pay the tour without the bike rental; the guide, homestays, meals, tickets and permit stay the same. Same licence rule as riding one of ours.

Private car, yes, on every Classic tour: 2 to 4 guests, your own driver, private rooms. Essential tours are motorbike only. We do not currently sell a jeep tour.

Yes. Essential tours run from a single guest and you join whichever group is riding that day. The 5-day Ha Giang – Cao Bang and all Classic tours run from 2 guests.

Homestay nights, meals as listed on each tour, 1.5 litres of water a day, an English-speaking local guide, entrance fees, the border-area permit, protective gear for self-riders, and travel insurance with BIC for every guest. Easy Rider includes the bike, fuel and your rider. The 3-, 4- and 5-day Essential loops include the boat through the Tu San Canyon.

Not included: the bus to and from Hanoi, personal spending, tips, and drinks beyond the water.

8% VAT is inside every price and the invoice is issued at exactly the listed price. The tour service is +10% on public holidays and flower-season weekends in October and November, and +15% at Tet. Surcharges never apply to the permit or bike rental. A private room on an Essential tour is +350,000 VND per room per night.

A deposit of 500,000 ₫ per guest, about $20, confirms your place; paying by card online adds the card fee. The rest is paid in full before the tour starts, at our Ha Giang office on arrival or by transfer beforehand, so nothing beyond the deposit is ever at risk.

Cancel 30 days or more before departure: the deposit comes back in full, less bank fees. 7 to 29 days: half the deposit. Under 7 days or no-show: the deposit is kept. Refunds take 7 to 14 working days. Once the tour has started, unused days are not refunded. Booked through Viator? Viator's own terms apply.

30 days or more ahead: one free change, subject to availability. 7 to 29 days: free if we can fit you in, otherwise the cancellation terms apply. Under 7 days the date cannot change.

If we cancel for safety, such as a storm warning, a closed pass, a landslide or a government closure, you choose a free date change or 100% back with no deductions of any kind. In lighter rain we ride with rain gear and adjust the pace. Full text: Booking & Refund.

Yes, Ha Giang is a border area. The permit is already in your tour price: we file it and pay it at cost, 260,000 VND per person per province, so nobody stops you at a checkpoint asking for cash. The 5-day tours cross into Cao Bang and cover two provinces.

Your passport, for the permit. If you ride yourself, your licence and the 1968-convention International Driving Permit as well.

Yes, with BIC for every guest: up to 50,000,000 VND for accidental death or disability, and medical costs from an accident up to 10,000,000 VND. Riding after drinking voids the cover, and guests over 80 are not insured. We still recommend your own international travel insurance.

By bus, day or night. Night buses reach Ha Giang around 04:00 to 05:00 and tour guests rest free at Ali Hostel until the 09:00 departure. Sleeper 250,000 VND, luxury and limousine from 300,000 VND, VIP cabin 350,000 to 550,000 VND, one way. We book it at the operator's fare.

Local homestays along the route in Dong Van, Meo Vac and Du Gia, with breakfast and dinner. Essential uses shared dorms, Classic gives you a private en-suite room. The night before departure you sleep free at Ali Hostel.

At Ali Hostel, free, until you are back in Ha Giang city. Take a small bag on the bike.

A light jacket, long trousers, sturdy shoes, sunscreen and sunglasses, cash in VND because villages have no ATMs, a power bank, and your passport. For the 4-day tours with Du Gia waterfall, swimwear and sandals with a heel strap.

All fine. Tell us when you book and we arrange it with the homestay hosts and restaurants in advance.

Tips are voluntary and never required. If you were happy with your rider or guide, it is entirely up to you.