How to Travel from Ha Giang to Sapa

Ha Giang and Sapa are 2 of the most attractive destinations in the North of Vietnam. Not only famous for the great nature, amazing scenery, or stunning yellow rice terrace, but the destinations also attract millions of tourists every year with the unique and diverse culture of the ethnic minorities living in the area.

If you are confused about which place you should come to, because there are so many things interesting that you can’t tell which one is better: Ha Giang with the remarkable natural beauty, epic mountain passes, and ethnic tribe culture or the highland town of Sapa with its mist-covered mountains, French architecture houses, plunging valleys and mountains towering above on all sides. The advice is don’t think much, visit both.

Ha Giang to Sapa distance and travel time 

Sapa and Ha Giang are gateways to the outstanding mountain scenery of Vietnam’s northwest. Traveling from Ha Giang to Sapa, you can enjoy the truest pristine beauty of the scenery here, and the life of the local ethnic minorities on these mountains. The travel distance from Ha Giang to Sapa is 235 km.

It sounds not too far, but since there are continuous windings and turns, it takes at least 5 - 6 hours to travel that distance.

How to get from Ha Giang to Sapa

There is no airport near Sapa or railway station in Ha Giang, so when traveling the 235km distance from Sapa to Ha Giang, you only have 3 options: you can consider taking a bus and using a private car service or ride a motorbike.

Ha Giang to Sapa bus

It takes 8-9 hours to get from Ha Giang to Sapa by bus. Depending on the traffic, sometimes the bus arrives 30 minutes earlier or later than scheduled. Some bus companies can stretch out your legs and relax on the 8 hours journey from Sapa to Ha Giang or vice versa, and you can book it by yourself or via a travel agent.

It’s fine if you want to book the ticket by yourself, but you should expect a language barrier because most bus companies' staff are not fluent in English. Paying a few dollars extra to book the ticket, travel agents will give you the best option of schedule and bus service.

Ha Giang to Sapa private car

It cost around 150-200 USD to travel by 4 seats private car from Ha Giang to Sapa. Despite the high price, private car service is the most flexible way to transport. You can choose any time convenient for you to depart and freely stop in any beautiful place in the middle of the path. 

Moreover, with an experienced driver, you can get the best advice on which is the most beautiful way to travel, stop getting the best photo, or contact the most authentic food. You also haven't to worry about the weather or getting lost because this is not like the bus, you don’t need to come to any bus station.

The driver will come to pick you up directly at your place and take you to exactly the destination you want. Not to mention the high price, a private car is the most convenient option to travel from Ha Giang to Sapa.

Ha Giang to Sapa motorbike

Suppose you are an adventurer or want to experience the most authentic way of traveling to enjoy all of the great nature instead of traveling from Ha Giang to Sapa by bus or private car. In that case, the motorbike is better option as journey between two mountain towns is just as thrilling as the landscape. 

Since the purpose of a lot of travelers choosing a motorbike trip is to self-discover the landscape, there are 2 main route options to consider, one is the direct route which is 235 km long-staying, mostly on the main road and also the same route with most of the bus.

The other is to drive on the Vietnam - China border route. This way can take days to travel because the roads are extremely mountainous and the views are superb. Connecting dozens of small minority hamlets and remote army outposts, the border road climbs up and down several mountains and above deep river gorges, going through the strange settlement of Si Ma Cai and on to the famous market town of Bac Ha. Anyway, riding from Sapa to Ha Giang is an epic & scenic road trip that is really worth giving a try.

Local tips to get to Sapa from Ha Giang

- If you are not used to the winding roads of the Northwest mountainous, equip yourself with some motion sickness patch and medicine while traveling by bus or car, it will help you avoid vomit and get tired quite good.

- When packing, don’t forget to keep passport and personal documents with you, and save some copies in the luggage. That is only for the bad situations, but you will never know if there’s any chance you get some small troubles during the journey.

- Check the schedule carefully to make sure that you will not miss your bus.

- On some buses, they will not allow you to eat on board, but that’s okay with the others, so maybe you should ask in advance and prepare some snacks since the traveling time is long and perhaps you get hungry.

- We know that all sorts of alcohol in northern mountainous areas are good, but we have to advise you not to drink too much, nor get drunk before you travel from Sapa to Ha Giang or vice versa, not only feel tired, you can also face the risk of missing your arrival.

- And last but not least, travel insurance is a really important paper that you should never skip.

In a nutshell, a trip from Ha Giang to Sapa - the most outstanding destinations of the Northern mountainous area is a dream of a lot of adventurers who want to discover every inch of Vietnam. No matter what time do you travel, or which means of transportation do you use, it is an amazing journey.

Let's discover our Vietnam adventure tours which also included both Sapa and Ha Giang in the journey.

Hue Pham

Image source: Internet