Ha Giang, 300km from Hanoi, is located at the highest altitude in Vietnam. This province is surrounded by Cao Bang, Tuyen Quang, Lao Cain and Yen Bai. It shares a border with China in the North. Ha Giang is a charming region of character and an important cultural site where live 20 ethnic minorities, including Dao, Hmong, Tay, Nung. Each ethnic group is full of mysteries. Its villages are peaceful with their own cultural traits
The climate is divided into two distinct seasons (wet and dry) but it tends to vary with altitude. The temperature is about 1oC in winter and reaches 24oC on the hottest days. Ha Giang is a perfect place to organize activities such as hiking and camping. Famous sites include Quang Ngan Waterfall and Than Thuy-Thien Bao National Frontier Pass.
You can visit the markets of this region to understand the lives of its inhabitants. Despite their small size, the markets have many items imported mainly from China. The original people of ethnic minorities go to the market not only to buy but also to walk. In Ha Giang, tourists can admire the H’Mong housing which is surrounded by a stone fence and pears.
Sites to visit:
Dong Van Karst Plateau, an ideal destination
Dong Van is a mountainous border district located 146km from the city. In Dong Van, Mount Lung Cu is considered the “roof” of Vietnam. You can see the huge Vietnamese flag that marks the border with China. This region is famous for its natural scenery, its fruits and medicinal herbs. Many vegetable plants are used for their medical value such as ginseng, anise and cinnamon. Dong Van offers beautiful scenery with mountains, forests, hidden caves with multicolored orchards.
Khau Vai market, the market of love
In Meo Vac district, the market of love is held once a year (the 27th day of the 3rd lunar month). This is the “meeting place for lovers” in the region. During the visit of this market, tourists can buy all kinds of goods and multicolored clothes. The Khau Vai love market takes place once a year and usually falls in May, where the locals gather for their old and new loves. This is also the place where tribes sell their local products like food, vegetables, local textiles.
Pho Bang village, a peaceful valley
Located 58km from Yen Minh, Pho Bang is an authentic Chinese village in Vietnamese territory, with multi-storey houses to the walls “drilled” into the ground, covered with tiles, perched on the mountains … like oases if we look at them from afar. It is the ideal place to discover their daily lives.
Palace of the King of H’Mong people, an original architecture
Located 10km from Pho Bang, Vuong Chi Sinh Palace was built in the early 20th century as a fortification. This is a beautiful architecture, unique and very original in Ha Giang province. There, you can understand the turbulent history of the H’Mong ethnic group in Vietnam. This monument has become a historical relic and has been preserved since 1993. It is an ideal stopover for tourists after a long tiring journey alongside steep cliffs.
Co Tien Double Mountain in Quan Ba, Creator of Art
Located in Quan Ba district 40km from Ha Giang town, these are two mountains that look like two peaches. In the mountains and sloping fields emerge two very funny shaped mountains and visitors are very surprised by the spectacular beauty of the Creator. Two mountains are connected with the legend of poetic “Mount Fairy”. With good weather in very cool highlands, Double Mountain in Quan Ba has become an attractive tourist destination in Ha Giang province.
Sin Man district, natural and cultural discovery
Located at 146km from Ha Giang, Sin Man is famous for the height of the rice terraces and the color of the costumes of ethnic minorities (H’Mong, La Chi, Tay, Nung, etc.). 15 ethnic groups live together and preserve their cultural identity, creativity in work and hospitality. This area is ideal for trekking to discover the cultural aspects of different ethnicities. In Sin Man, tourists can admire the majestic scenery of the primitive Deo Gio jungle, and Tien River which is the top from the river that flows through 40km.
