Ha Giang Loop Vietnam: 4 Days of Food, Adventure, and Happy Water
They say the “Ha Giang Loop'“ is the ultimate Vietnam adventure and they’re absolutely right! For four days and three nights, my partner and I rode through breathtaking mountain passes eating our way from village to village in collaboration with @hagianglooptour .
As chefs often say that food tells a story, for us this trip was proof of that truth. Every village on the loop welcomed us with dishes full of freshness, flavour, and pride. Our easy rider Lai summed it up perfectly: “The food from these villages is the most authentic you can get: no factory chicken or meat ever comes here.”
Each meal was a celebration of what the land provides: vegetables picked that morning, fish caught in nearby streams, and meats raised freely in the open air. Breakfast was always a choice between a steaming bowl of noodle soup (pho) or a baguette sandwich (bánh mì) filled with egg omelette, both made with care and served with that unmistakable Vietnamese warmth.
Lunches were hearty and rustic and with a lot of selection (difficult to finish everything!): grilled pork marinated with lemongrass, sticky rice, buttered sweet potato, tumeric spiced chicken, three way springrolls, stew mountain goat and so much more!
After many hours of riding the bikes, for dinner, we gathered around wooden tables in local homestays, sharing slow-cooked meals and endless bowls of rice, while stories and laughter filled the air.
No evening on the Loop is complete without “happy water”, the local rice wine that brings everyone together. Each toast was a symbol of friendship between travellers, guides, and hosts. The room would fill with laughter, singing, and that beautiful blur of languages and joy. Those dinners became the heart of our journey: festive, generous, and full of connection.
Between meals, we often stopped at small coffee shops perched on mountain edges, each offering stunning views over valleys and rice terraces. The coffee, brewed slowly through a phin filter, a traditional Vietnamese method similar to a French press, was rich, dark, and deeply satisfying. Sipping it while watching clouds roll over the hills was one of those quiet, perfect moments that stay with you long after the ride ends.
Every bite and every sip along the Ha Giang Loop carried the essence of this region: honest, handmade, and deeply connected to the land. This road trip in the North of Vietnam was a journey throught the food, the people and their tradition that we will never forget.
Four days and three nights of adventure brought us big flavours and long-lasting friendships. A reminder that traveling, like art and cooking, is about savouring what’s in front of you and celebrating the simple beauty of sharing it with others.
