Questions we get asked at the desk

Most nationalities apply online for a Vietnamese e-visa — currently up to 90 days, single or multiple entry — through the government portal evisa.gov.vn. Some passports are exempt for a shorter stay. Rules and fees change, so check the official portal for your own passport rather than trusting a blog.

One warning: there are many copycat "visa" websites that simply charge you extra to fill in the same government form. Use the official portal, or ask us and we will point you to it.

October to April is the reliable half of the year for Ha Long Bay: clearer skies, calmer sea, fewer cancelled departures. December to February is genuinely cold in Sapa and Ha Giang — think jackets, fog, and occasionally no view at all from the top.

May to September is green, dramatic and cheaper, but it is also the rainy and typhoon season: mountain roads can close for a day after heavy rain, and cruise schedules get changed by the harbour authority. September and early October is when the rice terraces turn gold — the best photographs of the year, with the highest chance of a wet afternoon.

Cards work in hotels, bigger restaurants and shops in Hanoi. Almost everything else — markets, street food, motorbike taxis, village homestays, the woman who sells you coffee — is cash in Vietnamese dong.

ATMs are everywhere in Hanoi and fine in Sapa and Ha Giang town, but withdraw before you head into the mountains, and expect a per-withdrawal fee. Bring a small amount of cash for the first day so you are not hunting for a machine at midnight.

Buy a tourist SIM or eSIM on arrival — it is cheap, the data allowance is generous, and coverage across the north is better than most visitors expect, including on the Ha Giang loop. We can arrange one before you land if you would rather not queue at the airport.

Yes, and buy it the day you book, not the week you fly. It is the only thing that pays you back when a trip is cancelled for a reason that is nobody's fault — illness, a delayed flight, a storm that closes the bay. If you plan to ride a motorbike, read your policy's small print on that specifically (see below).

Roughly, by road: Ninh Binh 95 km, about 2 hours. Ha Long Bay 170 km, about 2.5 hours on the expressway. Moc Chau 200 km, about 4 hours. Sapa 320 km, about 5.5 hours. Ha Giang 300 km but 6–7 hours, because the last stretch is mountain road, not motorway.

That last distinction matters more than the kilometres. Anyone selling you Ha Giang as a comfortable day trip has not driven it.

Sleeper buses are the normal way Vietnamese people travel long distance, and the good operators are fine. The differences that actually affect your night are the operator, the seat you get and whether the driver takes the mountain road at night — not the price.

If you sleep badly on buses, take the night train to Lao Cai for Sapa instead; it is slower and costs more, and you will arrive in a better mood. Tell us which you are, and we will book accordingly.

Be honest with yourself about two things, because the mountain will not be.

Licence. To ride legally in Vietnam you need a Vietnamese licence, or an International Driving Permit issued under the 1968 Vienna Convention, which Vietnam recognises. An IDP issued under the 1949 Geneva Convention — which is what many countries, including the United States, issue — is not accepted here. Check what your own authority issues before you assume you are covered.

Insurance. If you ride without a licence that is valid in Vietnam, most travel insurance will not pay for a hospital bill after an accident. This is the single most expensive mistake we see travellers make.

If either of those is a problem, take an easy rider — a local driver, you on the back. Same road, same photographs, and someone else handling the trucks.

Yes, if you hold a foreign passport. A Ha Giang border area permit is required for the districts the loop runs through — Quan Ba, Yen Minh, Dong Van, Meo Vac, Du Gia — and for the Lung Cu flag tower on the border. Checks at the district gates have been enforced since 2026.

The official fee is about US$10 per person. If you travel with us, send a photo of your passport page and we file the paperwork before you arrive; the fee itself is paid to the authorities and is not in the tour price. Riding up there without it means being turned back at a checkpoint, a long way from anywhere.

You send your dates and group size. We reply with a written price and exactly what it includes. If you want to go ahead, a 30% deposit confirms the booking and the remaining 70% is due at least 14 days before departure. Bookings made inside two weeks, or under US$600 in total, are paid in full at once.

No money is taken on this website, and you will never be asked to pay before you have a written quote in hand.

The deposit is not refundable — it pays for the cabins, rooms and vehicles reserved in your name the day you book. Cancel more than 14 days out and anything paid above the deposit stays as credit with us for a year. Inside 7–14 days, half the trip value is charged; inside 7 days, or a no-show, the full amount. Groups over 8 people follow the same steps from 30 days out. Ask for your exact figures in writing before you pay anything.

Safety first, and the harbour authority has the final word: in a storm, Ha Long Bay departures stop and no operator can overrule that. After heavy rain, mountain roads can close for a day. When that happens we reroute you, rebook the dates, or refund whatever part was not used, as far as the boats and hotels allow. What we will not do is send you out on a boat that should not sail.

Shared is cheaper and perfectly good on the short day trips. Private is worth it when you have small children or older parents, when you want to stop where you like, or when you are three or more people — at that point the gap in price is smaller than most travellers expect. Tell us who is travelling and we will tell you which one we would book.

Yes. The six itineraries here are our plans, not fixed departures. Swap a day, add a night, start from a different hotel, skip the hard walk. Say so when you ask for the price.

Tell us before we book, not on the day. Vegetarian food is easy across the north; halal takes planning outside Hanoi, and we can build a trip around restaurants that are genuinely halal rather than guessing. Serious allergies are worth writing down in Vietnamese — we will do that for you to carry.

Yes, with the right trip. Ninh Binh, Ha Long and Hanoi work well for both. Fansipan, long trekking days and the Ha Giang loop do not, whatever a website promises. Give us ages and any mobility issues and we will say plainly what will and will not work.

Not required, and never demanded by anyone we work with. It is common for guides and drivers on multi-day trips, and appreciated rather than assumed. Tip what feels right to you; nobody will treat you differently for not doing it.