Going to Ha Giang from Ho Chi Minh by which means of transport is often a popular question of those who are planning a trip to Ha Giang. There are some ways to go to Ha Giang as follows:
Option 1: Firstly, you can take a flight from Ho Chi Minh to Ha Noi, then take a bus from Noi Bai airport to Ha Noi city center. Next, take a Ha Noi – Ha Giang bus which often departs from My Dinh bus station.
Option 2: Firstly, you can take a flight from Ho Chi Minh to Ha Noi, then take a direct bus which picks you up at the area near Noi Bai airport. So, it helps you save time and money to move to Ha Noi city center by bus.
Option 3: You can drive a car/ a motorbike by yourself to Ha Giang, or take a train from Ho Chi Minh to Ha Noi, then take a bus from Ha Noi to Ha Giang. But this option is maybe hard for you as you will be tired before starting your trip in Ha Giang where the main roads are mountain hills.
In this article, I just focus on introducing option 2 because this is the most popular way that many travelers including me used during my last 4 day – 3 night trip to Ha Giang from Ho Chi Minh in this October.
To get to Ha Giang from Ho Chi Minh, first you need to book air tickets from Ho Chi Minh to Ha Noi, then book a bus picking you up at an area near Noi Bai airport.
Table of Contents
Booking air tickets from Ho Chi Minh to Ha Noi
To travel through Vietnam by air, you have some options to book air tickets via the following four domestic airlines. Depending on your demand, your budget, you can choose the suitable flights.
Vietnam airlines
Vietnam airlines is a leading 4-star global airline and provides the highest quality of products and services. For a Vietnam airlines ticket, you already have free 12 kg hand-luggage and 23 kg checked baggage. When you press Search button to find your flight on its official website, the ticket prices have already included all fees, taxes, and payment processing fee.
To book air tickets of Vietnam airlines, you can download its application or buy air tickets on its website here.
Vietjetair
Vietjetair is one of low-cost airlines in Vietnam. Hand-luggage weight allowed is 7kg. Most Vietjetair tickets do not include checked baggage and taxes and fees. You need to choose tickets you want to see full prices. Besides, at the processing payment step, a payment processing fee will be added to your ticket price. It often costs 55.000 VND.
So, you can book the tickets via Vietjet air official website.
To check luggage allowance, please click here for more details.
Bamboo airways
Like Vietjetair, Bamboo airways is a low-cost airline in Vietnam. A luggage allowance of 7kg hand-luggage is applied for Economy Saver Max ticket type, the other prices already include 20 kg checked baggage. For more details of baggage allowance, please click here.
To book air tickets of Bamboo airways, please click here.
Pacific Airlines
Pacific airlines is the first low-cost airline in Vietnam. Vietnam Airlines currently holds 98% stake in Pacific Airlines. So, when booking air tickets in Vietnam airlines website, you can see under some cheap prices mentioned operated by Pacific airlines. With that notice, you are just allowed to carry 7kg hand luggage.
To book Pacific airlines tickets, please click here for more details.
Booking bus tickets from Ha Noi to Ha Giang
Manh Quan bus operates Ha Noi – Ha Giang route
For my Ha Giang trip in October, I booked online bus tickets for Ha Noi – Ha Giang journey on the website vexere. In fact, I rarely booked online bus tickets before. I mostly booked bus tickets by going directly to a counter of bus company or via Hotline call because I was afraid of booking tickets via untrustworthy websites. But now, my mind changes when I tried to find Ha Noi – Ha Giang buses. After searching on the internet and reading many recommendations, finally I booked bus tickets for my trips from Ha Noi to Ha Giang and from Mu Cang Chai to Ha Noi on vexere website for the first time.
Choosing one of payment methods to book bus tickets to Ha Giang on Payment screen of vexere website
Besides, I can book these bus tickets cheaper than buying them directly or calling a hotline because I can use my discount codes I have on e-wallets used for payment methods of vexere website.
My successful payment for buying 3 bus tickets to Ha Giang using Promotion code in my VNPay wallet.
For Ha Noi – Ha Giang route, there are many buses operating from dawn till night.
Timetables of Ha Noi – Ha Giang buses are at 00:30, 07:00, 07:30, 07:45, 08:00, 08:30, 09:10, 09:30, 11:30, 12:30, 13:00, 13:30, 14:30, 15:10, ….,23:45
A page of Vexere website to choose bus to Ha Giang
Choosing a pick-up point of Ha Giang bus in Ha Noi
Buses which have a pick-up point near Noi Bai airport are more convenient for you when you fly from Ho Chi Minh and do not want to go to Ha Noi first.
Some pick-up points near Noi Bai airport where most buses stops are:
- Noi Bai Crossroad (Ngã tư Nội Bài) (4.8km from Noi Bai airport)
- Kim Anh crossroad (Ngã ba Kim Anh – 3km from Noi Bai airport)
- (Domestic Terminal) – 1st Floor, Hall E, Arrival E1.5 – Noi Bai International Airport
- (International Terminal) – 1st Floor, Arrival A1, Pillar 9 – Noi Bai International Airport
Noi Bai Crossroad (Ngã tư Nội Bài) to catch a bus to Ha Giang or cities in Northern Vietnam from Ha Noi
Some following buses which are rated more stars and have pick-up points near Noi Bai airport are:
- Bang Phan bus
- Manh Quan limousine
- Cau Me bus
The following examples are departure time in Noi Bai Crossroad and arrival time in Ha Giang.
- Bang Phan bus 23:45 Noi Bai Crossroad – 05:30 Ha Giang
- Ngọc Sơn (Ha Giang) 21:00 Noi Bai Crossroad – 03:30 Ha Giang Bus Station
The distance between Ha Noi and Ha Giang is about 300km. It takes 7 – 8 hours by bus.
You can see, there are most night buses arriving in Ha Giang in the very early morning such as 2 am, 3 am, 4 am, 5 am. Do not worry that you can not find a cheap hotel at that time. There are many cheap hotels around Ha Giang bus station which provide dorm service for those who want to check-in at these times. A bed in a 20 bed dorm costs 50.000 VND – 60.000 VND = 2 USD – 2.3 USD. Some beds cost 90.000 vnd – 130.000 vnd = 3.7 – 5.4 usd.
Besides, many motorbike rental shops in Ha Giang provide free beds for those who rent their motorbikes. You can take a short sleep, change clothes, take a shower, leave luggage there free of charge. These shops are not far from Ha Giang bus station.
These motorbike rental shops are:
- Hong Hao motorbike rental (rated *4.8/5)
Tel 0353 982 928 (zalo)
Tel: 0165.398.2928 (Ms Hong) or 0915.842.019
Add: 10 Pham Hong Thai str, Minh Khai ward, Ha Giang
- Rent a motorbike in Giang Son
Tel: 0941719955 – 0988470863
- QT motorbike and tours (*4.7/5)
Tel 0975 278 711
Add: 84 Duong Doi str, Lam Dong, Phuong Thien, Ha Giang
- QT Guest House
Tel: 0355069696
Add: 84 Duong Doi, Lam Dong, Phuong Thien, Ha Giang, 310000, Vietnam
- Ha Giang Hostel – Motorbike Rental and Tour (or Ha Giang hostel) (*4.9/5)
Tel 0982818385
Add: Duong Doi Cau Me (200 meters far from Ha Giang bus station, Ha Giang
1 bed in dorm 94.000 VND– 125.000 VND
Choosing a drop-off point of Ha Giang bus in Ha Giang
Most Ha Noi to Ha Giang buses stop at some popular points in Ha Giang city as follows:
- Ha Giang bus station
- Jasmine Station
- Car rental Jasmine
- Rent a motorbike in Giang Son
- Hong Hao motorbike rental
- Ha Giang milestone number 0
- Shuttle service available, drop off in Ha Giang City
Based on my experiences, Ha Giang bus station is 5 km far from the city center. Most motorbike rental shops are so close, around 1.5 km far from Ha Giang bus station. So, it’s very convenient to rent a motorbike and stay in this area. During my Ha Giang trip, I booked a room at Ha Giang hostel and rented 2 motorbikes there with 250.000 VND/a day including insurance because I was afraid of being fallen while driving in Ha Giang and can make some damage to the motorbikes. But finally, I drove safely without falling on the road at all. Then, I thought maybe I should choose a motorbike to rent with 180.000 VND/a day, and I will economize some money :D.
Another option is to rent a motorbike with 180.000 vnd/ a day without insurance if you believe in your driving skill and try to drive not too fast because many passes in Ha Giang are extremely winding. Safety is a priority! While driving on these passes, I felt like I was mesmerized by continuously short, sloping,winding stretches of road.
Ha Giang hostel provides colorful good helmets. They re-checked motorbikes before giving them to us on the day of departure to discover Ha Giang. The room is nice with affordable prices. Besides, when renting a motorbike at this hotel, you can get free additional equipment as follows:
- Elbow protectors, knee protectors (you should ask the host. If not, they won’t give them to you)
- Light raincoat
- Strings to tie your luggage behind the motorbike
- A very big plastic bag to cover your luggage against the sudden rain on the way.
- Free good helmets.
On the way to Lung Cu flag tower in Ha Giang with my rental motorbike
So, if you have not booked a hotel in Ha Giang city yet, you also can easily know which drop-off point you should choose in the list above when booking online ticket bus.
Bus ticket cancellation policy for Ha Noi – Ha Giang route
Ticket cancellation is a thing that no one wants to do but in some urgent cases, you must do so.
So, during booking a Ha Giang ticket bus, you should carefully read Ticket cancellation policy to cancel tickets free of charge before the time required. Some buses allow to cancel tickets free of charge 30 minutes – 2 days before the time of departure.
At your account on Vexere website, it’s very easy to manage your booked tickets at My tickets tab.
My tickets tab helps you manage all your tickets.
A refund will be credited to the account that you used to pay for online tickets. For example, I used my VNPAY e-wallet with promotion codes to buy Ha Noi- Ha Giang bus tickets. Because of sudden delay flight to Ha Noi, I had to cancel my tickets on 1 oct at my account on vexere website. On 4 Oct, the refund was credited to my e-wallet account. It’s very quick and convenient.
Refund of my cancelled tickets credited to my account at VNpay e-wallet 3 days after cancellation day
How to get to Noi Bai crossroad from Noi Bai airport to catch Ha Giang buses
After arriving at Noi Bai airport from Ho Chi Minh, you need to go to the pick-up point to wait for your Ha Noi – Ha Giang bus.
If your pick-up point is Noi Bai crossroad or around there, the most convenient way is to get an electricity bus at the airport to go there. The distance between Noi Bai crossroad and Noi Bai airport is 5km, about 10 minutes by car.
At the airport, near an area for taking taxis, just turn right in the direction of going out of the airport, or you can ask the receptionist at the airport where the electrical bus (xe điện) is. The cost is 50.000 vnd/1 person.
In summary, no matter where you are, in Ho Chi Minh or Ha Noi, it can be easy for you to travel from Ho Chi Minh to Ha Giang or from Ha Noi to Ha Giang by booking bus tickets online on vexere website. With many buses operating from Ha Noi to Ha Giang everyday with different time of departure, you won’t be worried about choosing a bus suitable for your time.
