Your cart is empty.
If you are planning a trip and suddenly see your route filed under “Tuyen Quang” instead of Ha Giang, you are not imagining things. On 1 July 2025, Ha Giang province was officially merged into Tuyen Quang province as part of Vietnam’s nationwide reorganisation from 63 provinces down to 34. The short version for travellers: the name on the map changed, but the roads, passes and villages of the Ha Giang Loop did not. Everything that makes this corner of Vietnam extraordinary is exactly where it has always been.
We are a local team based right where the Loop begins, so we field this question every week from riders who booked a “Ha Giang” tour and now see “Tuyen Quang” on their permit or hotel address. Here is the honest, practical explanation — what changed, what didn’t, and what (if anything) you need to do differently in 2026.
No — Ha Giang is no longer a separate province on paper, but yes, it is still the same place you came to ride. Here is the quick-answer version:
In April 2025, Vietnam’s government approved a plan to streamline the country’s administration. Neighbouring provinces were combined, and the district level of government was dissolved in favour of a simpler two-tier structure: province, then commune or ward. Ha Giang was one of the provinces absorbed into a larger neighbour.
The newly-established province keeps the name Tuyen Quang, covering a combined area of roughly 13,800 square kilometres and a population of about 1.73 million people. Its political and administrative centre sits in present-day Tuyen Quang city — around 150 kilometres (a four- to five-hour drive) south of where the Loop begins. You can read the official list of the 34 new provinces and their centres on the government portal, Vietnam Government News.
A few concrete things shifted for the region formerly known as Ha Giang province:
This is the part that matters most, and it is reassuring: a border on a government map is not a mountain pass. Geography does not move. Everything you came to see is still there, still spectacular, and still reached the same way along the Ha Giang Loop.
For 99% of travellers, the answer is: barely at all. But a few small, practical points are worth knowing so nothing catches you off guard.
Your hotel address, your Ha Giang border permit and some official forms may now read “Tuyen Quang province” instead of “Ha Giang province”. This is normal and correct — it is the same destination under its new administrative name. The border-area permit itself (needed for the frontier zones near Dong Van, Meo Vac and Lung Cu) still works exactly as before.
Map apps and third-party platforms update at different speeds, so you might see a mix of “Ha Giang” and “Tuyen Quang” labels for a while. When in doubt, search by the specific place name — Dong Van, Meo Vac, Ma Pi Leng, Lung Cu — which always points to the right spot.
The journey from Hanoi has not changed at all. The overnight sleeper buses and private transfers still run to Ha Giang city, the launch point of the Loop — see our guide on how to get from Hanoi to Ha Giang. Note that the new provincial capital, Tuyen Quang city, is a separate town well south of the mountains; you do not need to route through it to ride the Ha Giang Loop.
Yes. The Ha Giang Loop is a globally recognised travel name, and neither locals nor the travel industry have any intention of dropping it. “Ha Giang” still identifies the mountains, the ride and the culture — it simply is not a province name anymore. In everyday use, and on every tour we run, it is still the Ha Giang Loop, and Ha Giang city is still where your adventure starts. If anything, keeping the name avoids confusion for the millions of travellers who already know and dream about it.
Wondering whether the region still lives up to the hype after all the paperwork? It absolutely does — and if you are weighing it against the north’s other famous region, our Ha Giang vs Sapa comparison breaks down which suits you best.
From a rider’s point of view, plan your 2026 Ha Giang Loop trip exactly as you would have a year ago. A few local tips:
As a team based in Ha Giang (now, officially, Ha Giang ward of Tuyen Quang province), we handle the paperwork, the bikes and the guiding so a change of provincial name never becomes your problem. Browse our Ha Giang Loop tours or grab a motorbike rental and ride the exact same legendary roads.
No. Since 1 July 2025, Ha Giang has been part of the merged Tuyen Quang province. It is no longer a standalone province, but the region, its towns and its famous Loop all remain.
The area is now administratively part of Tuyen Quang province. The place name “Ha Giang” is still used for the city (now organised as wards) and, universally, for the Ha Giang Loop.
Absolutely. The Ha Giang Loop is a physical route through the mountains — Ha Giang city, Quan Ba, Yen Minh, Dong Van and Meo Vac — and it is completely unaffected by the provincial merger.
Yes. A border permit is still required to ride the frontier zones near Dong Van, Meo Vac and Lung Cu. It typically costs about $10 per person, and reputable tours arrange it for you.
They are now the same province on paper, but they are different places. Ha Giang is the northern, mountainous frontier where the Loop is; Tuyen Quang city, the new provincial capital, lies about 150 km to the south and is a separate destination.
Roughly 150 kilometres — about a four- to five-hour drive. You do not need to pass through it to start the Ha Giang Loop; head straight to Ha Giang city instead.
Vietnam’s 2025 reform redrew the map, and Ha Giang now sits inside a larger Tuyen Quang province — but that is a story about administration, not adventure. The passes still climb into the clouds, the Nho Que still glows jade-green in its canyon, and the Ha Giang Loop still begins in Ha Giang city. Come ride it; the mountains never got the memo.
Ready to plan? Message our local team on WhatsApp/Zalo at (+84) 787 652 333, email info@hagiangalitravel.com, or visit hagiangalitravel.com — we’ll sort your route, permit and bike from start to finish.
Don’t miss our future updates! Get Subscribed Today!
©2026. Ali Tour. All Rights Reserved.