Two places we actually know
We write about the two places we run trips to and no others. Both pages say what the place is really like, including the parts that have been overbuilt, before they mention a tour.
The two places
Ha Giang
A border province of grey limestone and switchback passes, four days from Hanoi and back. The hardest to reach and the reason most people come north. Read about Ha Giang.
Ha Long Bay
Drowned limestone islands two and a half hours from Hanoi, best seen from the quieter Lan Ha side. One night is enough; two is generous. Read about Ha Long Bay.
Hanoi itself is not a destination page here because we do not sell a Hanoi trip beyond one evening. What you need for that evening is on the street food night page.
How they compare
| Ha Giang | Ha Long Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Time from Hanoi | 6 hours by night bus | 2.5 hours by road |
| Nights worth staying | 3 | 1, or 2 if you have time |
| Best months | Sep - Nov, Mar - May | Sep - Nov |
| Worst months | Jul - Aug, landslides | Jun - Sep, storms; Dec - Feb, flat light |
| Physically | Moderate; steps, altitude, long road days | Easy; a gangplank and cave steps |
| Crowds | Moderate and rising | Heavy in Ha Long, light in Lan Ha |
| How it films | Best trip we run | Good in autumn, poor in winter |
If you only have time for one
Take Ha Giang if you have four clear days and the roads are open, because there is nothing else in Vietnam like the plateau between Sa Phin and Dong Van, and because the trip contains more than the sum of its stops.
Take Ha Long if you have two days, if you are travelling with someone who cannot manage steps and long road days, or if you are here between December and February when Ha Giang is cold enough to change the character of the trip.
Fix the month before you fix the place. Read when to go first — it is the decision that most often needs making, and it is the one people leave until last.
Not sure which
Send us your dates and how long you have in the north. We will tell you which of the two fits, and when the answer is neither.
Why there are only two
Sapa, Ninh Binh, Cao Bang and Ban Gioc are all worth going to and we do not run trips to any of them. A destination page for a place we do not operate in would be a page assembled from other people's blogs, and there are already enough of those.
If you want one of those places, ask anyway. We will tell you honestly who does it well, including when that is somebody other than us.
What people ask before booking
Do you cover central or southern Vietnam?
No. Northern Vietnam only, all trips departing Hanoi. Hue, Hoi An, Da Nang and the Mekong are outside what we run.
Can I visit both Ha Giang and Ha Long in one week?
Yes. Four days for Ha Giang, a rest day in Hanoi, two days for Ha Long, and you have used seven. It is the most common combination we book.
Which is better for a first visit to Vietnam?
Ha Long, if it is your only trip north and you have two days. Ha Giang, if you have four days and want the trip you will still be talking about later.
Do you write about places you do not sell?
No, deliberately. Two pages about places we run trips to are worth more than twenty assembled from research.
Read next
Tell us your dates and we will send a plan with a price
Dates, how many of you, and whether you want the film package. You get an itinerary and a total in writing, not a brochure.