Hey, everyone! I just got back from the Ha Giang loop in Northern Vietnam which was definitely one of the coolest tours I’ve ever gone on. Riding on the back of a motorbike for four days was thrilling. Vietnam continues to keep me captivated.

A few housekeeping things:

1) If you’re interested in my art, have a look at my merchandise on RedBubble!
2) If wanting to read my first novel, Eclipse Me, you can find the link here.

Pre-Tour

My main reason for going to Ha Giang was to do the Ha Giang Loop, which is basically a convoy of people riding a “loop”-path on motorbikes around the Ha Giang region. I’d heard from multiple people it was an experience NOT to be missed. I had reached out to a friend of mine that recently did it and he recommended I go with a place called Sunflower Tours. Immediately, that drew my attention because, well, we all know how I feel about sunflowers. My friend explained the tour is much cheaper than the others because it’s still a new company and it’s trying to gain traction. I did some research comparing it to other companies, trying to see WHY it might be less expensive. Were there things it was lacking? Were some meals not included, etc.? But no, everything checked out. I ended up booking with them. I’m very glad I did.

I took an extra night in Ha Giang before starting the tour to recuperate from the bus ride from Sa Pa. I put my last blog post together, briefly wandered around town, ate food… but mostly I was spending time in the room, not doing much of anything at all. Which was lovely!

Upon arriving at the Ha Giang hostel, I was warmly greeted by the tour organizer as well as the two lovely hosts who are an older couple. While there was a language barrier, we managed to make it work through Google Translate. I paid for the tour and the room (which was actually free the night before the tour) and then went to decompress after the bus ride.

The next morning, I continued to be a slug. Around noon, I got dressed and was about to head out for lunch. The host asked if I was going out for food. I said, “yeah, bún chả!” “Bún chả!” he repeated happily. As I was putting my shoes on, he stopped me and asked if I’d like to try some “double cakes.” I had no idea what that was, but… sure! I thought it was some little dessert that his wife had made and was just going to offer me one – but no. His wife whipped up two large pancakes, an omelette, and two large bananas on the side. Apparently, this counted as “breakfast included” at the homestay. Usually the hours are 7-9am, so I typically miss them haha. What a win! A delicious brunch and I also was able to save a little bit of money. That + the free room my second night felt like a major win.

While having brunch, I tried to tell the hostess the food was “delicious” in Vietnamese. She enjoyed the compliment but tried to correct me on my pronunciation. Her husband ended up joining in on it, too. We were all laughing about it – I just seemed to be completely incapable ot pronouncing it correctly. In my ears it sounds exactly the same as what they’re saying, but… apparently not. This has become a recurring joke in Vietnam – everyone keeps telling me how to pronounce it in different ways. I finally think I’ve got it and then… nope. In Ba Bể, I was taught to say “zett nong,” but then in Ha Giang, I was told you say “nawn te lam.” During the Ha Giang loop tour, someone said it sounds like “nawn”, but someone else said “knee-awn.” So, you know… I have no FUCKIN’ idea!!! All I know is that it was nice to form a connection with the hosts. They were warm and silly with me.

After a filling breakfast, I was ready to begin my 4D3N tour of the Ha Giang Loop. I was matched with my easyrider, Bin Bonh (sounds like Bing Bong), who was waiting for me outside. Essentially, an “easyrider” is having your own personal motorbike driver. That way, the guests can sit back and enjoy the views. With my limited experience, there is no way I would have been able to drive the Ha Giang Loop by myself.

I didn’t know until the night before the tour but apparently a Super Typhoon had just hit Taiwan and China and was headed towards Vietnam. It was expected to be much less powerful by the time it reached land but rainfall was definitely expected. And raining it was. I put on my rain jacket. Bin Bonh provided rain pants as well. Win. I selected a helmet from the wide array of options but the host ended up selecting another for me – one with a visor, which in hindsight was definitely the right option. And then I was off! I was apparently the only one that had booked through this company. So… I guess it’ll just be me and Bin Bonh the next few days.

I was wrong. Bin Bonh explained that we’d be joining up with another tour company. Okay, cool! I waved goodbye to the hosts at my homestay and we drove a few minutes to meet up with the others. We were a small group and each of us had easyriders. There was Hugo and Luca, brothers from France. Hulya, a girl from Turkey. Stephanie, a fellow American from California. And then Janine and Allen, a couple from Australia. Once everyone was gathered, our group leader, Tum, gave us a briefing of what the next few days would look like.

The tour was incredible value because for USD $180, it included: accommodation for three nights, breakfast/lunch/dinner every day sans dinner the final day, entrance fees for any activities, the easyrider, and of course the gorgeous scenery we’d be passing through during that time. Because my daily budget is $50, I didn’t have to “spend” anything the first three nights so in a way, the tour itself was only -$30 for me. CRAZY!

After our briefing, we hopped on our bikes and… began our multi-day adventure along the Ha Giang Loop.

(Please note for the following sections, I have things like Day One: Geopark Road in Project. Those “slogans” were posted on various placards/billboards in each of the four sections of the Ha Giang loop, so I wanted to include them here.)

Day One: Geopark Road in Project (AKA Majestic, Wild Beauty)

After exiting the city limits, we began gaining elevation. As we did, the backdrop became more and more scenic. I wanted to pull out my phone to snap some photos but I was also worried I would drop it, which would obviously be a problem. So I refrained from doing so and instead, admired the views with my eyes. “Wow, it’s so beautiful,” I declared to Bin Bonh. I asked him how to say beautiful in Vietnamese, which he said sounded like “debb lahm.” He told me, “you can take photos.” I thought he was explaining we would be at a viewpoint soon. But no – he just meant I could pull out my phone and take photos/videos wherever. It took me another day to get more comfortable with that. I never was as carefree as some of the other passengers but I did sneak some videos every now and again.

Maybe 45min into our trip, we stopped along a small rice terrace field. Coming from Sa Pa, I wasn’t particularly impressed although I think the lighting conditions and the status of the rice made for a beautiful photo. Our group leader Tum explained that we were actually looking at three different types of rice. There was the rice used for sticky rice, the rice for instant noodles, and the rice for… normal rice, I guess? I can’t remember haha.

We continued along for some time and then stopped again to check out a large waterfall on the side of the road. Our group slowly began to bond, person to person. It took most of the first day but by the end of the night, we were all friends. I first connected with Hugo because of our shared nicotine addiction – he introduced me to his older brother. And then Janine and Allen – because I always seem to gravitate towards Australians. Hulya looked for any excuse to laugh, much like me, and so we began to enjoy spending time together. Stephanie was American but we didn’t talk much until dinnertime. Of our group, it was just Hulya, Hugo, and I who were traveling long-term. The others were on shorter holidays.

After the waterfall, it began to rain again.

We all put on our gear and stopped at an outdoor coffee shop (many of these along the Loop) to seek cover for a bit. The coffee shop had a view of the valley below but we weren’t able to see anything. I was slightly disgruntled, wondering if we wouldn’t be able to see any views at all if the rain kept up. As we sought shelter from the rain, other tour groups were sinking karaoke at the coffee shop. They ended up leaving and since it was just our group, I sang Pink Pony Club by Chappel Roan. I was given some praise afterwards which was nice. I love singing!

So we continued on. Another viewpoint, another foggy view. But then we would get spots here and there where we could see better. We zig-zagged up and down the mountainsides. Through puddles, dodging potholes, rounding sharp corners along the switchbacks. Yeah. No way in hell I was driving the motorbike by myself hahaha. At times, I had invasive thoughts as we were driving. What would happen if the driver made a mistake and I just FLEW off this bike? I would be screwed lol. I always wore a helmet, though!

Around lunch, we got our first sample of what the meal plan looked like. Chicken, beef, spring rolls, French fries, tempura, veggies, and more! SO MUCH FOOD!

Before going back to our bikes, a bee began buzzing around me. I am calm when it comes to bees – I let them do their thing and don’t swat them away. Wasps… I like less, but I feel there is nothing I can do. Well, earlier in the day, a wasp took quite an interest to me. We all watched it as it flew around me. Occasionally, it would fly to others, but it was particularly infatuated with me. We realized its because my shirt had designs of flowers on it… the wasp thought they were real flowers haha. This trend continued every day – almost all my shirts had some kind of floral or plant design on then. In turn, bees/wasps were taken to me the entire trip. “The bee whisperer,” Stephanie joked one day.

In the afternoon, we arrived at our first real stunner of a view. The shapes of the mountains were unusual for me – tall and narrow, yet rounded. How awesome!

Despite the rain, the floating fog created a beautiful ambience. We all took photos of the view.

Some time later, we arrived at our accommodation. I wasn’t sure what the situation was going to be. I wasn’t given a choice of dorm vs private room so I didn’t know what I was going to be dealing with. With luck on my side, I ended up having a private room. YES! Every day, I had my fingers crossed for a private room. And I did end up with a private room every night! Talk about a major win.

Our group leader Tum showed us to our rooms, where we dropped off our things. We were instructed to then come back outside because we were going to our last stop of the day – another waterfall. Because I didn’t look too closely at the itinerary, I didn’t realize this was supposead to be our “swimming” spot. I didn’t change into the swimsuit that I’d brought along. Somehow everyone else knew to change! We drove another fifteen minutes and then arrived at the location. More incredible views of the surrounding area – still very moody from all the lingering fog, even though the rain had eased up for the moment.

Other tour groups were at the waterfall already, swimming in the area, jumping off the small cliff, etc. I wish I’d known this would be our only swimming spot of the trip because I probably would have changed into my swimsuit! It was chilly, though, and there was breeze. I’m sure I would have been shivering like crazy. Instead, I watched others enjoy jumping off the cliff. I scoured the area for wildlife to no avail. Where I’ve been so far in Vietnam has certainly been lacking in terms of easily visible wildlife. I’ve heard further south is better. Apparently, poaching has been a very large issue which has destructed many wildlife populations.

After some time at the waterfall, we returned back to our accommodation for the evening. “Dinner is at 7,” Tum announced. I unpacked my things and found that my GODDAMN WATER BOTTLE had been sweating condensation again. It completely soaked my journal. Luckily nothing else was damaged. I spent the next couple days blow-drying the notebook and now it’s finally dry again. Once I’d finished my shower and went through the days’ photos, it was nearly 7. I went out to the dining area and met the others for food.

So much food! Yummy food! We all began to chat some more, getting acquainted. Tum and the homestay host came by and poured shots of “happy water” for everyone. I explained that I don’t drink but they said it’s okay, that I can just cheers with them and then give the shots to someone else. So, that’s what I did – and it was nice because I was able to feel a part of it. Stephanie wasn’t drinking either so we were sober partners in crime. Prior to taking the shots, Tum asked us to repeat a Vietnamese cheers to him – “Một, hai, ba, dzô!” Cheers!!! Stephanie looked it up and apparently the happy water is essentially moonshine lol.

Once dinner finished, the karaoke switched on. A few of us sang songs but others seemed too embarrassed or self-conscious about it which was a shame. It would have been nice if everyone was really into it. Alas. Around 10pm, I retired for the night. Despite the rain and at times, lack of views, it was a solid day. I was looking forward to what the following days had in store for us.

Day Two: Sky Journey to Pride and Happiness

We met up around 8.15am for breakfast. We packed up our things and were on the road shortly after 9am. This was the pattern for every morning. Up early, hit the road. Our accommodations were different every night, so we couldn’t get too comfortable at any one spot.

Our first stop of the day was a local’s farm… I guess? There were some pigs (and piglets), cows, water buffalo, and goats. To be honest, I don’t know what Tum was talking about. I was paying more attention to the piglets oinking around the area haha.

It was another gloomy day, but very atmospheric. Fog clung to the peaks of the surrounding mountains. After the farm, we began our ascent into the clouds.

Thus began my favorite day of the trip. We seemed to be climbing higher, higher, higher. Bin Bonh navigated numerous, never-ending switchbacks. We began to rise above the fog. The views were so incredible, I couldn’t help but pull out my phone and take videos every few minutes. The shapes of the mountain peaks (and the mountains themselves) were so foreign to me. I loved seeing them.

Our lunch spot sat along a small river next to a rice field. There was a cutely decorated bridge leading over the river towards the field. I stepped along it to snap some photos and Tum warned me “careful – it’s broken!” LOL.

Later, we branched off and took a side road that navigated through a small village. Kids waved to us as we passed by – some reached out their hands for high-fives. So cute! Some kids couldn’t be bothered along the Loop, but I always got a kick out of the ones who were excited to see us. One one occasion, three kids had their hands out for high-fives. I was able to high-five two of the three, but the last kid was a little too far away. Our palms had ALMOST touched but weren’t quite able. I saw his face falter as he realized they wouldn’t connect – and then he quickly turned mischievous and flicked me off. My jaw visibly dropped and then I started laughing. His face twisted to a smirk – knowing I caught him giving me the finger hahaha. And another time, one kid was looking down at us from his porch, just flicking everyone off as we passed by hahaha. THESE KIDS, I TELL YOU!!! So funny.

After passing the village, we climbed even higher. I was in constant awe. I felt compelled to howl or scream out. I didn’t, but I should have. Instead, I let the feeling swell and swirl inside my stomach. Excitement, joy. All the good stuff. I was so glad to be on this tour. The raving reviews were right – it cannot be missed.

We reached a gorgeous viewpoint and pulled over. Stepping off the bike, I was exclaiming, “THESE VIEWS! How incredible is this?!” It was a high of sorts – I was certainly beaming from the adventure. And on top of it, I have to admit, I felt pretty badass riding around with my “crew.”

We took a group photo and also helped one another take solos. As we did so, the fog began to really roll in. And then… the rain.

Oh, the rain.

We tucked into our waterproof gear again and then hit the road. The rain would not be stopping us on this day. Was this the effects from the outskirts of the typhoon I had read about? Almost certainly.

It came in bouts. Sometimes a drizzle. Sometimes heavier. But there was a pocket of time where it really kicked into gear. My hat got soaked. Rainwater snaked its way underneath my rain ponch and onto the front of my shirt. Despite having coverings over my shoes, too… even they were soaked. Well, my right shoe anyway. (Why not the left?!)

There was a point where it was raining so hard, I had to close my eyes. Foolishly, I was wearing a baseball cap under my helmet and because of this, I couldn’t put my helmet visor down. Maybe had it been a sunny day, this would have been a good idea. Not this day.

I got glimpses of some beautiful sights, though. I saw a cascading waterfall I would have loved to snap a photo of, but the rain was too strong. Maybe ten minutes later, we arrived at our activity of the day: a boat tour along the river. I didn’t know what to expect. None of us did, really. I think we all thought, eh, it’ll be some random river tour but nothing too special. Well, it was pretty remarkable.

The views from within the canyon were striking. Unusually peaked mountains, various cascading waterfalls, the gloomy fog shrouding the area. WOW.

The boat cruised towards a narrow chasm which served as a great photo opportunity. Along the way, we saw waterfalls feeding into the river.

The rain lightened and we went to the bow, taking photos. My rain pants had ripped and I felt I looked silly, but Hulya insisted she take my photo anyway. Okay, paparazzi!

Hulya was also in charge of group photos throughout the tour – always making sure we were getting ample photos of our group as a unit.

My favorite view was just past the chasm, as the river widened slightly. It provided lovely views of the distant mountains.

We were all pleased by the unexpectedly lovely boat tour. And somehow, the rainfall ceased.

After the boat, we began riding up, up, up again. The fog had cleared and we stopped at the waterfall I’d wanted to see earlier.

We continued on and reached an otherworldly viewpoint. We were able to see the river below.

Stephanie remarked how the river was two-toned, something we hadn’t noticed while on it. It seemed to transition from a greenish-blue to a muddy brown color.

We were surrounded by mountains and it was really cool to see the winding roads off in the distance, carved along the mountain’s edge. It almost reminded me of Iceland in a sense, which somehow seems like a strange comparison. Or Fiordland National Park in Aotearoa New Zealand.

We drove further up and reached possibly my favorite viewpoint of the entire trip.

Stunning. Awe-inspiring. Breathtaking. Just wow. And so many different perspectives to soak up.

What an adventure.

Our last stop of the day was only a few minutes later – a monument that had been built in honor of all the lives lost during the construction of the roadways. Obviously, it is treacherous terrain. Rockfall, landslides… it was a dangerous job building these roads. I have seen plenty of evidence of rockfall and landslides. As I write this, the bus is slowly navigating along a muddy road. To the right is a former landslide. To the left, a raging river. It is raining. So, yeah. Landslides happen. People die.

Shortly after, we descended down the mountainous switchbacks and made it to our accommodation for the evening. Again, I was pleased to have a room to myself (and as we know, on subsequent nights). We had some time to kill before dinner at 7pm. I had a shower and tried to dry out my notebook more thoroughly with a hairdryer. It was still damp from the day before.

We had another major feast for dinner. More shots (not me), more cheersing. More karaoke. We kind of synced up with another tour group, too – they were singing a lot of songs as well. My group was not singing haha. I sang three songs but that’s it. Again, around 10pm, I retired to my room. A big, rainy, exciting day. WHOO!

Day Three: Life Melody in a Rocky Kingdom

The following morning, Allen and Janine split off from the group. They were on a 3D2N tour while the rest of us were 4D3N. It felt like our Group Mom & Dad were leaving a little bit haha. I really enjoyed chatting with them. We shared hugs and wished each other well for the remainder of our travel adventures. They still have some time in Vietnam and then will be going to Cambodia before returning to Australia.

We were all ready for a sunny day and it was seeming like it might pull through. I wore my sunglasses. Luca remarked that I must be quite confident it would be a sunny day. Here’s hoping!

We left the accommodation and drove to our first viewpoint. After the sights of the prior day, none of us were very impressed. Still beautiful, though. Our drivers enjoyed a coffee break while our group spent less time admiring the views and more time chatting.

Continuing on, we made ANOTHER coffee stop, but on this one we were able to see the fence along the border of Vietnam and China. We weren’t able to go up to it but could see it from afar. Later in the day, we got a better view of the fence – where we could see it running along the side of a mountain, leading all the way to the river below. Very cool.

Unfortunately, the rain started again – but this time only briefly. We drove another 30min or so and arrived at the northernmost point in Vietnam – decorated by a massive flag pole. We had the option to hike up to the base of the flag pole. Some opted out but Hugo, Luca, and I made the ascent.

I was surprised to find that the tower at the base of the flag pole had a spiraling staircase. We were able to walk up it to the top of the tower. The flag was massive! And there were some cool views of the town below. Colorful rice terraces and what looked like some kind of palace across the way.

The rain eased up and we continued along. We drove to a Lo Lo (ethnic) village and were able to walk around. It was nice but after having spent time in Lao Chai, I wasn’t blown away.

We also stopped at one of my favorite views of the trip.

Gorgeous peaked mountains, switchbacks lining the side of the mountains. Really cool area.

Afterwards, we drove some more and made it to yet another viewpoint with some very interesting rock formations. Large rocks were saturating the landscape. It was the first and only time I’d seen it along our trip and apparently it’s the only spot in Vietnam that has that geology.

At the viewpoint were some young H’mong girls dancing (for tips… sad). Hulya joined them. Cute!

We were at this stop for a while because one of the drivers had to head into town to get something on his bike fixed quickly. We used the extra time to do some photo ops. Tum forced me to climb up the tree LOL.

One of our final attractions of the day was going to a H’mong village. We stopped at a workshop where Tum tried to explain the process of indigo dyeing to us. We had some time to kill afterwards, so we sat along a stone fence and watched the locals. There was a beautiful field of wildflowers but when we went to take a photo, a man came up wanting money for the photos. We hadn’t yet taken them and were like uhh no thanks. That’s how it goes sometimes! Places should really have signs put up if they want tourists to pay to take a photo.

There were some really adorable observations of the locals in the area though. Kids with baskets of flowers clung to their backs. Little boys wearing berets and suspenders. An old granny came up to Stephanie at one point and smiled at her. Stephanie was like, “aw, you’re so cute I want to hug you!” She reached out her arms and granny shook her head and was like “nah, bro” before waddling off. LOL.

I also learned that many years ago, that particular town’s one source of incoming was growing/selling poppy plants and particularly opium. WILD! Apparently, they don’t grow it anymore and have substituted poppy with other crops.

And somehow I forgot to write about this, but… our last stop was at Tham Ma (or “Snake”) Pass. This photo opportunity is sort of the “money shot” – it is the quintessential photo of the ceaseless switchbacks along the Ha Giang Loop.

Like in the H’mong village, young girls had flower wreaths and baskets of flowers for purchase.

And of course, had to get a solo shot.

After another eventful day, we stopped by our third and final accommodation in Yen Minh – this is the town that my easyrider Bin Bonh was from. It was nice that he was able to go visit with friends and family that night. I LOVED my private bungalow and this was easily the best accommodation of the bunch. It had a large backyard with a cute set-up. A pool, a karaoke room. It felt very open and friendly. The others were, too, but this one was my fave.

We had another large dinner. Tum hung out with us for a while but by the end of the night it was just Hulya, Hugo, and me having conversation. A really lovely final night along the Ha Giang Loop.

Day Four: Road Up Earth’s Fecundity (AKA From Grey Past to a Green Future)

Our final day was mostly about returning to Ha Giang. We had about 130km to go through still-winding roads. And yet, we had another couple viewpoints to enjoy before it was all over.

AND a visit to a cave!

The side roads we took to get to the cave were crazy. So bumpy and uneven. While I’d mostly been fine throughout the trip, by day four my ass was like GET ME OFF this bike haha. The bumpiness did not help.

The hike to the cave was uphill and about 20min in direct sunglight. Finally, we had a sunny day and now we were all wanting the clouds to return haha.

The walk in the cave was incredibly easy. It had boardwalks throughout and took all of maybe five minutes to get through. There is a legend about the cave and how people went there to pray for rainfall after a particularly dry spell. It worked.

Once we’d descended from the cave, Hulya was HUNGRY. “Now we go for lunch?” She asked Tum. “No lunch today,” Tum insisted. But we were all sure that lunch was supposed to be included on this final day, just not dinner. I wasn’t too bothered, but Hulya was insistent that she needed to eat something. After teasing us for five minutes, Tum said, “Yeah, we go for lunch.”

We boarded our bikes and continued on to the lunch spot. Our final lunch together! I asked the group what their rose, thorn, bouquet was of the loop tour. For the most part, we all shared the same answers. Bouquet was the boat tour or being able to have private rooms unexpectedly, rose was the gorgeous views, and the thorn was the rain(?).

The Comedown

We had three more stops before we would arrive in Ha Giang. The first of the three was my favorite. I’d seen photos of it along the way. Called “Fairy Double Mountain,” it colloquially is BOOB MOUNTAIN. Hugo and I jokingly cupped our hands along the mountain “breasts” hahaha. So silly.

I wish that had been our last stop because it would have been funny to end it with boobs.

Another gorgeous view.

And the final stop was just to stretch our legs before the last 20min ride to Ha Giang.

The terrain had flattened at this point. For the last hour, we had seen signs saying “thank you for visiting” – signaling the end of our loop tour. It was ending. And it truly did feel like a comedown, with the afternoon of day two feeling like the “peak” of the trip. Back to reality after an amazing, unforgettable trip.

We saw dark rain clouds in the distance. Very dark.

As we arrived in the city, the wind was kicking up everywhere. Vendors’ umbrellas were sideways. Dead leaves whipped off trees and swirled around the street. I covered my eyes with my hands, trying to avoid anything hitting me in the eyes. The winds were STRONG and rain was imminent.

Hulya passed me by and, with a smirk on her face, declared, “I think the typhoon is coming.” That was our final interaction. I figured we would all stop at the same hostel where we’d first met – so we could properly say goodbye and I could thank Tum for being such a great tour leader. Instead, Bin Bonh swerved down a side street and took me directly to my hostel.

It is strange when things don’t wrap up properly and you don’t get to hug everyone goodbye, especially after sharing such an incredible experience together. But in other ways, it is fitting. “I think the typhoon is coming,” she had said, a laughter and lightness in her voice. It was kind of the perfect ending to the trip.

I made it back ONE MINUTE before it started pouring rain, and continued to pour rain the rest of the evening and morning. (STAY TUNED for next blog post, which deals with the aftermaths of these crazy rains.)

Luckily, we all were connected on WhatsApp and later in the day, I sent a group text saying it was great to meet everyone. We’ve been swapping photos since then.

What. An. Experience.

I didn’t even know the time most days that we were riding along the Ha Giang Loop. The tour forced presence. I couldn’t believe when the tour was over – it all happened so quickly. But I loved it. Highly, highly recommend.

I gave Bin Bonh a tip and thanked him for keeping me safe the last few days. He had invited me to meet up for “beer” that evening and joked that we could even try dog meat but I knew that I needed to just completely decompress and rot in bed the rest of the day. So that’s what I did.

I had booked another night at the same accommodation since the bus to Cao Bằng only runs in the mornings. When I checked in, the host greeted me and translated, and told me we’d have bun cha for breakfast the following morning – a callback to our earlier interactions. Sure, I said! Later, he came to my room and asked if 8am worked. Definitely, my bus was at 9am so that worked out. At 8am, I went downstairs, expecting his wife had made bun cha. She and the host were busy assisting someone about to leave for the loop tour. Around 9.15am, the wife gestured for me to go to her husband. He was in his car and waving for me to join him. But… I thought we were just having breakfast here? Haha. I ended up joining him but translated that I had to be back by 9am. He nodded, but I wasn’t sure he fully understood.

Anyway, by 9.30am, we were eating bahn cuon at a local joint. Basically it was the living room of his friend’s place. The others seemed shocked that I was there haha. They were asking me questions in Vietnamese but since I don’t know a lick of Vietnamese, I had no idea what they were saying. I ended up just smiling and laughing about the absurdity of the situation. More food kept coming out and boy, was it tasty. It was getting closer to the time I needed to be back for the bus. The host was gesturing if I wanted more food but I reiterated to him that I needed to head back soon. He nodded and we finished up. The host ended up paying and asked how much I owed. “Later,” he told me. Well, later ended up blurred because as we were driving back, his wife called to let him know the bus was there. A minute later, the bus driver called me. “Uh… I’ll be right down!” I said. We were still a few minutes away. I’d heard busses are very punctual and will leave without you even after two minutes. Fortunately for me, this bus was here EARLIER than the slated time. Much earlier. Initially, it was supposed to depart at 10.30am but I’d gotten a text the day before saying 9.15-9.30am. Well, 8.55am and they were there waiting for me and I wasn’t there.

I hopped out of the car and ran upstairs to grab my things. Luckily I had packed everything already, so was just a matter of slinging them around my shoulders. I went back down and thanked the host for such a lovely time. I put my shoes on and then in the blink of an eye, I was on the 8hr VIP limo shuttle from Ha Giang to Cao Bằng.

Talk about a whirlwind of a morning! I must say, I was incredibly touched by the gesture of the host. Surely not everyone is provided with such warm service – even so far as going out of one’s way to take me to a local food spot. Very kind. I do wish he had let me pay my share while we were still there. Maybe he wanted it to be my “breakfast included” but maybe not. When I gave him a goodbye hug, he hadn’t said anything about it and I didn’t think of it because I was too hurried. Regardless, I’ve written a glowing review online so hopefully it all comes out in the wash somehow.

Miscellaneous

On our last night of the tour, we were asking Tum a number of questions about Vietnam. I was curious to know what the attitudes were towards Americans (and also French) based off the unpleasant past experiences. Tum is only a year older than me and I’m sure opinions vary person to person and especially those involved in the Vietnam War, but essentially Tum said that there is no bad blood anymore. And I want to believe that! I have had really lovely experiences with the Vietnamese so far – and a few of them do know I’m American. I’m grateful for that forgiving nature because if I felt everyone hated me simply for being an American, that would make for an unpleasant experience here.

I also recently learned that Vietnam invented the yin yang concept. They also invented the zodiacs prior to the Chinese – I suppose the Chinese just popularized it to westerners.

One thing I am loving about Vietnamese culture is that the people here seem largely unbothered by all the tourists. “Oh, another tourist? Okay, no big deal, let me keep doing my thing.” I feel I’m allowed to observe the locals in a genuine way that was somehow missing in many of the other countries I visited.

As a note about the typhoon… it was rather severe! It killed many in Taiwan, some people in China as well. By the time it reached land in Vietnam, it faded out and turned into a “tropical depression” but still did some damage. Hulya was right when she said “I think the typhoon is coming.” There was a second one that just hit central Vietnam today. A number of people died and others are missing. I am up north and the main issues here are flooding and landslides – we are just feeling the edge of the typhoon’s power. Scary stuff, natural disasters. (Again, stay tuned on this. I wrote all this before shit hit the fan in Cao Bằng lol.)

Reflections

Surprisingly, I’m not even exhausted after that big, four day adventure. I suppose we had ample chill time in the evenings. We had long days but we also had a lot of time at night to recover. And last night I didn’t do shit.

I’m now on a bus from Ha Giang to Cao Bằng. It’s an 8hr journey which is long but also… meh. Since Indonesia and Malaysia, I’ve gotten used to these long bus adventures.

It’s still raining. The roads are crazy. There are fallen trees on the road every now and again. The bus driver is constantly beeping as he rounds a corner (as was also the case all the time along the Ha Giang loop).

I am only in Cao Bằng briefly. There are two attractions I want to see, but one that I’ve wanted to see for years. It’s supposed to be one of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World, but I suppose that depends on what list you’re looking at.

After Cao Bằng, I have another long bus ride but then things slow down a bit from there. I will have about six weeks left in Vietnam, and six regions to explore. So that’s one week per region, or maybe even more if I like one area more than another. I will have a little more relaxation coming up.

To be honest, though, I do like this pace. I think booking three nights to start and extending as needed definitely works well. That way, I don’t feel trapped if I don’t like a spot but I can extend if I want to stay longer. Works well.

Lots to see and do in Vietnam still! I’m excited for all that is yet to come.

Until next time, sending you all my love. x