Guide to Adventure Tours in Ha Giang

Day3: Dong Van Karst Plateau: Lung Cu – Pho Bang Township – Pho Cao Commune – Dong Van Old Town

Descending the flag tower of Lung Cu, I traveled to Pho Bang Town, home to a little Chinese community in Dong Van. It was late in the morning. It seemed to me that it got colder now than earlier in the morning. The back road went via Lung Tao Commune. Except for a few kids and ladies bringing firewood home, I did not see anyone else. The landscape was mesmerizing and I couldn't help but stopped every now and again for adoring the unreal beautiful nature.

Guide to Adventure Holidays in Ha Giang

Day3: Dong Van Old Town – Ma Le Market - Lung Cu Flag Tower – Dong Van Old Town

I got up at 0600 in the morning and had noodle soup for breakfast, then my hot coffee. I loved contemplating over the steamy hot coffee in the early morning when the street was still quiet. It was a dry and pleasantly cold day. It made everything just clean and fresh. It was Saturday and the market gathering was on Sunday only. There were some vegetable and meat stalls in the market though. Some old ladies with big basket on the back were going to work. Walking on the narrow streets with shop houses on the side, it was so calm an atmosphere...

Guide to Adventure Vacations in Ha Giang

Day2: Ha Giang City – Quan Ba – Yen Minh – Dong Van

After Yen Minh, the road branched into two smaller roads: one led to Dong Van and the other to Meo Vac;  I took the former one with an ascent on a very steep gradient. The landscape changed suddenly into a sweeping view of serrated ridges which looked so unreal!

Guide to Adventure Trips in Ha Giang

It was a Friday in late spring, and the air in Hanoi was just fresh and chilly in the morning still. The rain in the earlier night made the trees so green all around. I had finished my coffee and was just ready to leave for the land of my dream: the fabled world of Dong Van Karst Plateau in Ha Giang Province, in the far-north of Vietnam. 

Dong Van District is the northern most area of Ha Giang Province and Vietnam. The district is bordered to the west, north and northeast by China, to the east by Meo Vac District, to the south by Yen Minh. The district shares a national border with China with the total length of 52.5 km.

Dong Van Market is in session every Sunday from 06:30 A.M to 10:00 A.M where ethnic people from the whole district of Dong Van in Ha Giang Province would gather for trading.

Dong Van Town is nestled in a valley in the heart of the Rock Plateau of Dong Van in Ha Giang Province. The town has a cluster of houses that line the street that one end leads to the road to Yen Minh Town and the other end takes you to the sublime beauty of Ma Pi Leng Pass and Meo Vac Town. Dong Van Town is surrounded by rock mountains with a sheer color of gray all year round.

Ha Giang, the northernmost land of Vietnam, is characterized by fabled limestone mountains with karst formations and colorful ethnic minorities with untouched lifestyle and culture. Ha Giang is much shrouded in legend and is not touched by mass tourism.

Ha Giang is the northernmost province of Vietnam. The capital city is Ha Giang City, 312km from Hanoi. Due to poor roads and tightening security conditions in the past, Ha Giang was not open to foreign tourists until recently.

Hoang Su Phi is among the most untouched areas of Ha Giang Province of Vietnam. The district was separated from the mainstream society until very recently. The capital town of Hoang Su Phi District is Vinh Quang Township, 60km from Tan Quang Town and 100km from Ha Giang provincial capital.

The ethnic market at the Vinh Quang Township in Hoang Su Phi District of Ha Giang Province takes place once a week on every Sunday morning. The market is a major gathering of ethnic groups in the region for bartering and socializing.

Ma Le Market is about 10km north-west of Dong Van Town, on the way to Lung Cu Flag Tower in Ha Giang Province. Ma Le is not as famous as Dong Van Market and people come here are mostly from local ethnic communities. The market is on every Saturday morning, but some restaurants start selling from Friday late afternoon. Local boys and girls also come early for a drink and for socializing.

Ma Pi Leng Pass is among the most beautiful mountain passes in Vietnam. The pass is nearly 1,400-1,700m in elevation and the length is about 20km between Dong Van Town and Meo Vac Town, in Ha Giang Province.

Meo Vac District of Ha Giang is 170km from the provincial capital town of Ha Giang Province. Meo Vac shares the border with Dong Van District of Ha Giang Province to the west and north; with Bao Lam District of Cao Bang Province to the southeast; with Yen Minh District to the south and with China to the east.

Quan Ba is a district of Ha Giang Province to the far-north of Vietnam. The capital town of Quan Ba is Tam Son, 50km north of Ha Giang provincial capital. The land is part of the famed Dong Van Plateau which is listed to the Global Geoparks Network by the UNESCO. Quan Ba shares a border of 54km with China to the north and west.

Dong Van Karst Plateau with sheer rock surface and numerous high mountain peaks is certainly an ideal place for travelers who visit Vietnam on a photography tour.

Ha Giang perched to the top northern territory of Vietnam is an amazing place. Dong Van Karst Plateau possesses an unreal beauty that is not seen elsewhere. But in this article Paradissa would like to embark you on a photographic journey to discover a little secret of Ha Giang: the captivating rice terraces at Hoang Su Phi.

Vuong Family was considered the King of the Hmong People in Dong Van, Ha Giang in the late 19th century and early 20th century. The residence with Chinese architecture was built in the scenic valley of Sa Phin, 20km from Dong Van Town.

Xin Man District of Ha Giang Province is 150km from Ha Giang Provincial Capital Town, 40km from Hoang Su Phi District of Ha Giang Province and 60km from Bac Ha Town of Lao Cai Province. Xin Man is right on the border between Vietnam and China.