Ha Giang has long been a favorite destination for many foreign tourists with beautiful scenery, mild climate, along with diverse culture, bustling festivals held here. So when is the best time to visit Ha Giang? Follow this article of AFS Travel to get the most useful information for your upcoming Ha Giang trips.
Where is Ha Giang, Vietnam?
As a province at the northernmost point of the country, Ha Giang borders Yen Bai and Lao Cai to the west, Cao Bang to the east, China to the north and Tuyen Quang province to the south. Possessing a rugged terrain, overlapping mountains with many sharp turns, Ha Giang is nevertheless blessed by nature with majestic natural beauty, diverse climate, fresh air and unique cultural experiences.
Ha Giang does not have an airport, so you need to fly to Noi Bai airport, Hanoi city. Then continue to Ha Giang by car. For convenience, you can travel by car, sleeper bus or limousine. If you are an explorer and want to experience a motorbike trip in Vietnam, you can choose to go to Ha Giang by this means. The price of renting a motorbike will range from 150,000 VND – 200,000 VND/day. The estimated time to travel by motorbike from Hanoi to Ha Giang is about 6 – 8 hours.
If you land at other airports in Vietnam such as Da Nang, Tan Son Nhat (Ho Chi Minh City),… then you should book another flight to Noi Bai airport (Hanoi), then continue traveling by the above methods to Ha Giang. AFS Travel suggests that you can book a package tour at the company for the most convenience, with transportation at the airport as well as a tour guide to guide you through the most necessary procedures.
Ha Giang Through the Seasons – When to Visit?
Ha Giang’s climate is typical of the northern mountainous region of Vietnam, with an average annual temperature ranging from 21 to 24 degrees Celsius, colder than the lowlands and adjacent midlands. Ha Giang has high humidity all year round, with heavy rain lasting from June to August.
Ha Giang is beautiful in every season in its own way, so you can travel to this land at any time of the year. Let’s explore the beauty of Ha Giang through the 4 seasons with AFS Travel to see what’s special!
Spring (January – March) – Blooming Flowers & Festivals
Spring in Ha Giang usually lasts from January to March, this is also the time of changing seasons so the climate is quite pleasant, chilly at night and sunny during the day. Spring in Ha Giang is likened to a watercolor painting with the romantic, poetic beauty of peach and plum blossoms blooming all over the land. At the beginning of the year, Ha Giang also welcomes many tourists to come here to see flowers, take pictures, along with experiencing trekking and exploring majestic nature
Coming to Ha Giang in the spring, you can visit Sung La valley – famous for its brilliant yellow rapeseed fields, embellished with the romantic pink of blooming cherry blossoms. In addition, do not forget to conquer Ma Pi Leng pass – “king of the passes”. Most foreign tourists when coming to Ha Giang are also impressed by the majestic and spectacular beauty of this pass, and this will definitely be an interesting place to visit in your journey to explore Ha Giang!
Not only that, spring – the beginning of the new year is also the time when Ha Giang people organize many special festivals such as: Long Tong – a festival of the Tay people held to pray for a prosperous and prosperous new year. Or the Gau Tao festival of the H’Mong people takes place from the first day of Tet until the full moon of January, organized with the purpose of worshiping heaven, earth and gods for blessing the village with a bountiful harvest.
Summer (April – June) – Green Landscapes & Adventure
Saying goodbye to spring with its poetic atmosphere, Ha Giang summer opens up a youthful beauty, full of vitality with green terraced fields, murmuring streams, fresh and cool air. Coming to Ha Giang, you will be able to dispel all the fatigue of life, fully enjoy the fresh and pure nature of this place, which will definitely help you feel more refreshed than ever.
In particular, in the summer, the terraced fields in Hoang Su Phi are covered in a beautiful green coat. This is also the time when Ha Giang enters the water pouring season (people take water to the terraced fields to prepare for the new crop), so any tourist coming here at this time is extremely excited, wanting to join the experience of planting rice with the people, transforming into real farmers
However, summer is also the time when there are sudden showers, and it is a bit hot during the day, which can easily make you feel uncomfortable when you have to move around a lot. Therefore, you should prepare sun-protective clothing and bring a raincoat just in case.
Autumn (August – October) – The Best Time to Visit Ha Giang
Autumn is considered the most beautiful season to travel to Ha Giang, this is also the time that welcomes the most tourists here in the year. Ha Giang autumn is attractive with purple buckwheat flower fields – usually starts in late autumn, blooming all over the space, creating an impressive and attractive natural picture.
More impressively, this is also the time when Ha Giang enters the season of golden ripe rice on all the terraced fields. The image of terraced fields gradually changing color from green to yellow, accompanied by the fragrant smell of ripe rice wafting in the wind, brings an interesting and impressive experience that AFS Travel is confident will be a memorable experience for every foreign tourist when coming here. We would like to suggest some places to see the ripe rice: Hoang Su Phi, Ho Thau, Phung village, Tay Con Linh peak,…
Winter (October – December) – Misty Mountains & Cultural Experience
In the last months of the year, the temperature in Ha Giang can drop below 0 degrees, the highest temperature during the day is only about 10 – 12 degrees Celsius. The weather is cold, so don’t be subjective, bring enough warm clothes when coming to Ha Giang and be careful when moving through the mountain passes here. The cold weather, fog covering the hills creates a dreamy and magical scene.
Coming to Ha Giang in winter, you will have the opportunity to admire the fields of canola flowers and wild sunflowers blooming brilliantly on the hills. Not only that, from around October to November, buckwheat flowers bloom most brilliantly on the cliffs, mountain slopes, along the village roads, adding to the cold winter here a charming and splendid beauty.
Besides, when coming to Ha Giang, visitors can experience cloud hunting at some places such as Lung Tao commune, Pho Bang, Lung Cu,… If you want to find a quiet space to relax, you can visit Yen Minh pine forest, where the fresh air and chirping birds will help you dispel all the fatigue of life.
What to eat when traveling to Ha Giang?
Thang Co
Thang Co is a famous traditional dish of Ha Giang, the main ingredient of this dish is made from horse intestines, however, it has now been replaced with other ingredients to make it easier for diners to eat such as buffalo, beef, and pork. Thang Co means “meat soup”.
Xôi ngũ sắc – Five-colour sticky rice
Xôi ngũ sắc is a dish that makes up the unique identity of the ethnic minorities in the highlands. Sticky rice is made from fragrant sticky rice, usually in 5 colors: white, blue, purple, red, yellow symbolizing the five elements of metal, wood, water, fire, earth. To make the eye-catching color of sticky rice, people usually use sticky rice, purple leaves, gac fruit, ginger leaves, grapefruit peel turmeric, black rice leaves.
Bánh tam giác mạch – Buckwheat cake
Bánh tam giác mạch is made from the famous flower of the Ha Giang rocky plateau – buckwheat flower. Not only does it have a delicious flavor and soft texture, this cake also symbolizes the unique cultural values of the people of the beautiful Ha Giang land. In Ha Giang, you can easily buy this cake anywhere at the local markets.
Phở chua – Ha Giang Sour Pho
Different from pho eaten in Hanoi and other places, pho in Ha Giang is uniquely prepared with a sour taste made from a mixture of vinegar mixed with sugar, tapioca starch, and spices with typical mountain flavors. The main ingredients include fragrant sticky rice to make pho noodles, char siu, roasted meat,etc.
Bánh cuốn Đồng Văn – Dong Van Rice Rolls
Bánh cuốn is an easy-to-eat dish and is loved by tourists and locals alike. The crust is made from steamed rice flour, then thinly spread. The filling includes wood ear mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, and minced meat. The dipping sauce of Ha Giang bánh cuốn is different from that of lowland bánh cuốn as it is stewed from bones, and is served with herbs and dried onions.
Thịt gác bếp – Smoked Meat
This is a traditional dish of the Tay and Dao ethnic groups and has created a unique brand of Ha Giang. Anyone who comes here wants to enjoy the authentic Ha Giang smoked meat. This dish not only appears in daily meals but also in festivals, worship ceremonies and as gifts for distinguished guests. The smoked meat is marinated with spicy “mắc khén” seeds, along with the characteristic smell of kitchen smoke, bringing a unique flavor to diners when enjoying this dish.
Travel Tips for Visiting Ha Giang
If you are planning to travel to Ha Giang in the near future, do not miss the following notes to have a safe, complete trip with the most interesting experiences:
- You should not bring too much luggage or bulky suitcases. You should only bring light travel bags and backpacks because the road to Ha Giang is mainly mountainous and you will travel by motorbike a lot
- Don’t be subjective, bring enough warm clothes, especially in winter because at night in Ha Giang the weather is quite cold and can easily make you catch a cold
- Prepare enough mosquito repellent, insect repellent, headache and stomach ache medicine to prevent necessary situations
- You should wear sneakers with soft soles for easy movement. In addition, you should choose non-slip shoes to ensure the best climbing and sightseeing process
- If you rent a motorbike, choose one with 2 rear view mirrors for easy observation. Also, make sure you have a steady hand because the roads in Ha Giang have many dangerous steep passes. If you want to be the safest, hire a motorbike taxi to let the locals take you
- You should choose hotels in the city center for convenient travel, safety and easy to find your way
- You should travel in the morning, avoid traveling at night to avoid accidents.
Through the information shared by AFS Travel, we hope you have the answer to the question “When is the best time to visit Ha Giang?”, right? And if you are interested in services and tours to Ha Giang, you can contact AFS Travel via hotline (+84) 329.287.287 for advice and to book tours at the best price!
