Is the Ha Giang Loop Too Touristy in 2025? What Backpackers Should Really Know
- Faye Hilling
- Oct 6
- 9 min read
If you’ve spent even five minutes on backpacker TikTok in 2025, you’ve probably seen the same scenes of the Ha Giang Loop on repeat: long convoys of motorbikes, matching helmets, GoPros galore, and crowds piling into viewpoints like festival-goers pushing toward the main stage.
So, let’s be honest:
Yes—the Ha Giang Loop has exploded in popularity. It’s louder, busier, and far more visited than it was just a couple of years ago.
And with TikTok, Instagram, and travel vloggers pumping out the same clips of smiling Easy Riders and buffalo-dodging mountain passes, the question backpackers keep asking in 2025 is inevitable:
“Has the Ha Giang Loop become too touristy?” Or is social media simply making it look that way?
The truth—the real truth—is more layered than either extreme admits. And that’s exactly what this guide is here to unpack.
No sugar-coating, no gatekeeping, no “back in my day it was untouched wilderness” nostalgia. Just a clear, honest look at what the Loop is actually like in 2025, and whether it’s still worth your time.
And here’s what most people don’t realise: You can still experience the Ha Giang Loop in a deeply authentic, meaningful way—if you choose the right route and the right operator.
And that’s where Bong Hostel comes in.
Is the Ha Giang Loop Too Touristy in 2025? Short Answer: Yes… and No
The Loop is definitely more popular than it was five, even two years ago. Social media has changed the game.
Thousands more travellers visit every month, especially from September to December and again from March to June.
But here’s the part no one talks about: The crowds are concentrated.
The “Loop becoming touristy” depends heavily on your route, your timing, your tour leader, and even your riding choices.
And Ha Giang province is enormous—most of it is still untouched.
Calling the entire Loop “touristy” because four cafés in Dong Van get busy at sunset is like visiting London, seeing the queue at the London Eye and declaring “the UK is overrated.”
Let’s break this down properly.
What “Too Touristy” Really Means on the Ha Giang Loop
People throw around the word touristy like it’s a crime. But what does it actually mean in Ha Giang?
1. More travellers doing the same 3-day route
The classic 3D2N Loop (Ha Giang – Yen Minh – Dong Van – Meo Vac – Ha Giang) is now the most crowded version. It’s short, it’s accessible, and it’s the route most vloggers post.
2. A rise in homestays, cafés, and convenience shops
More infrastructure = more comfort. There are more places to stay, more food options, more English-speaking locals, and far fewer questionable bathrooms.
But while some travelers see the new businesses as a sign of tourism “changing” the Loop, there’s a positive side:
Many of these new cafés and homestays are owned by local H’Mong, Tay, and Dao families who are opening their first businesses thanks to tourism.
Even the tiny coffee shacks on the roadside represent someone’s hard work, someone’s new income, and someone’s chance to improve their quality of life.
3. Sunset hotspots have queues
Places like the Dong Van flagpole or Ma Pi Leng Skywalk can get packed at golden hour.
4. Large groups from big companies can be overwhelming
Some companies send 30–60 people at a time, which can make certain viewpoints feel like a field trip.
But none of this means the Loop has lost its soul. It just means you need to know how to travel it with intention—and with the right Easy Rider.
Why the Ha Giang Loop Still Isn’t “Too Touristy” (If You Do It Right)
This is the part people who complain on TikTok leave out.
1. Ha Giang is massive — you’re not confined to one road
The province is huge, mountainous, and full of alternative routes that only experienced Easy Riders know. Most backpackers stick to main roads. Your Easy Rider doesn’t have to.
With a good company, you can:
Detour through remote Hmong villages.
Ride through tiny passes with zero tour buses.
Explore local markets not listed on Google Maps.
Visit viewpoints no tourist brochure has ever photographed.
The Loop becomes “touristy” only if you stay on the main backpacker highway.
2. Local culture in Ha Giang is still deeply authentic
The ethnic minority groups (Hmong, Tay, Dao, Giay, Lo Lo) who live here are not performing for tourists.
They’re living their real lives—farming, weaving, harvesting corn, raising families in the mountains.
Unlike other Southeast Asian regions, Ha Giang hasn’t turned its culture into a product. You’re witnessing the actual daily rhythm of mountain communities.
Related article: Understanding the Different Ethnic Groups on the Ha Giang Loop.
3. Most of the day, you see way more locals than travellers
Even in peak season:
You pass women carrying bundles of freshly cut grass.
Children walking home from school.
Men playing games with friends.
Markets full of vegetables, chickens, and loud bargaining.
You might see groups of travellers at viewpoints—but during the actual ride, the Loop is still overwhelmingly local.
4. The Easy Rider culture is a unique part of the experience
The people who ride with you aren’t just drivers. They’re:
Guides.
Translators.
Photographers.
Safety officers.
Storytellers.
Concerned aunties.
And sometimes emotional support humans (especially after one too many shots of Happy Water).
Their stories, humour, music, and kindness add something no amount of tourism can dilute.
Related article: Why You Should Get an Easy Rider for the Ha Giang Loop.
Why the Rumour Started: The Social Media Effect
In 2023–2025, the Ha Giang Loop exploded on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram Reels, and travel pages. One good highlight video and suddenly thousands more people were inspired.
But social media also creates an illusion:
People film the same viewpoints, at the same times of day, from the same angles.
You don’t see:
Quiet village roads.
Early mornings with mist rolling over rice fields.
Long stretches with only you and the mountains.
Slow, peaceful moments at local homestays.
The internet shows you 10 seconds of the busiest spot (or the hectic homestay shenanigans), not the actual 8 hours of riding.
That’s why people who haven’t even done the Loop yet think, “Wow, looks packed.”
But anyone who’s actually been here knows: It still feels like freedom.
So, Should You Skip the Ha Giang Loop Because It’s “Too Touristy”?
Absolutely not.
Do traveller numbers affect the experience? Yes.
Does the Loop still deliver one of the most life-changing, heart-stopping, breathtaking adventures in Southeast Asia? Also yes. By a landslide.
To help you decide for yourself, here’s the real, honest breakdown.
The Parts of the Loop That Do Feel Touristy (Let’s Be Real)
To give a fair, transparent overview, here are the areas that can feel a bit crowded in high season:
1. Ma Pi Leng Skywalk (midday)
A lot of travellers snake along that winding path up to the famous overhanging boulder to gather for photos. Go early—or let your Tour Leader take you to better viewpoints (yes, they exist).
2. Tham Ma Pass
Tham Ma Pass has become a very busy mountain pass viewpoint at any time of day. Go in the morning and you have to contend with fellow backpackers, go in the afternoon and you’ll be met with a lot of Vietnamese tourists.
You can still get your money shot but there are other, more impressive and less touristy mountain passes along the loop, if you know where to look (ahem, join Bong Hostel’s Secret Tour and we’ll show you).
3. Lung Cu Flag Tower at sunset
One of the most Instagrammed spots. Stunning, but expect crowds unless you time it right.
4. Dong Van old town cafés
Pretty, newly renovated, often busy in the evenings for their nightly fireshow.
Honestly, this one is worth braving the crowds for and it gets quieter in winter!
5. “Ha Giang Loop party nights”
Some homestays host big family dinners with rice wine to encourage socialising. Fun for many, overwhelming for some.
Pssst! With Bong Hostel you can have the best of both worlds, you can either join a more party-focussed tour or our more authentic (less touristy) Culture Tour.
Related article: Evenings on the Ha Giang Loop: How Bong Hostel Creates the Best Memories.
6. Big-group companies
A convoy of 40–60 bikes definitely makes an area feel busy.
But once again: These are moments—not the whole Loop.
The Parts That Are Still Beautifully Remote (Yes, Even in 2025)
This is the part travellers never expect:
1. Villages between Quan Ba and Du Gia
Tiny communities where locals still farm with their hands.
2. The quieter mountain passes your Easy Rider chooses
Many routes are only known by locals.
3. Early morning rides
Peaceful, misty, empty.
4. Small local markets
Not tourist markets—actual weekly markets full of produce, livestock, textiles, and gossiping aunties.
You’ll see people eating their breakfast and get beeped out of the way by others and realise that this is truly local—no one is performing for your benefit.
5. Hidden waterfalls and swimming spots
Still totally untouched.
6. Roads only locals take
The side paths and alternative links between districts are where you see the true Ha Giang.
If you want the Ha Giang Loop to feel authentic—it can.
Related article: Ha Giang Loop Culture Guide (2025–2026) | Best Cultural Tour in Ha Giang.
How to Avoid the Crowds: Expert Tips from People Who Live Here
No one understands the Loop like the locals and Easy Riders who ride it every day.
Here’s how to keep your experience magical:
1. Choose a company that takes smaller groups
Although Bong Hostel is a popular choice for the Ha Giang Loop, our tours themselves are not “large group tours.”
Each group goes out with 8–12 people, which keeps things social but still personal. And even with our overall capacity, guests don’t get lumped together—we split our guests across multiple homestays.
That means your group might only cross paths with three or four other groups, keeping the experience intimate rather than overwhelming.
And if you prefer something even more private?
Our Culture Tour runs with smaller groups (2-10 people), and we also offer private homestay options, where you stay in completely separate, quieter accommodations.
In short: even with a well-loved, high-volume hostel like ours, your Ha Giang experience can still feel authentic, local, and not too touristy.
2. Go for an Easy Rider tour instead of self-driving
Easy Riders know:
Alternative routes.
Quiet scenic corners.
Best timings for viewpoints.
Which roads are safe that day.
Which paths have just had landslides (yes, this matters).
Which spots are full of travellers and which you can avoid.
Self-driving is fun, but you lose access to “local-only” routes.
Related article: Tips on How to Self Ride the Ha Giang Loop.
3. Avoid peak season weekends
If you can, skip:
Vietnamese national holidays.
Friday–Sunday in high season (cue the Vietnamese tourists—a double whammy).
Tet (Lunar New Year).
Late September golden rice fields (crowded around Hoang Su Phi).
4. Spend extra days
The longer you go, the quieter the experience becomes as you don’t need to rush to certain viewpoints before certain times.
5. Ask your Easy Rider for sunrise or sunset detours
They’ll take you to stunning spots away from crowds.
Related article: Escape the Crowds: Why a Cao Bang Tour is Your Next Big Adventure.
Why the Ha Giang Loop Is Still Worth Doing in 2025
Even with increased tourism, the Ha Giang Loop still offers things that no amount of popularity can take away:
1. The landscapes are simply unmatched
Towering limestone mountains, winding passes, rice terraces, gorges, valleys—it’s jaw-dropping.
2. The local culture is authentic, rich, and deeply rooted
You’re not visiting a theme park.
You're riding through real communities.
3. The emotional aspect is huge
Something about Ha Giang hits people in the feelings. Hard.
People cry. People bond deeply. People stay friends for life.
4. The Easy Rider connection
Your Easy Rider isn’t just a driver—they shape your entire experience. Their stories, humour, music, care, and kindness stick with you long after the Loop ends.
5. The sense of freedom
This is the big one.
Even with more travellers: When you’re on the back of the bike, wind in your hair, mountains rising like giants around you—you feel free.
No crowd can take that away.
The Real Question Isn’t “Is the Ha Giang Loop Too Touristy?”
It’s: “Is It Still Life-Changing?”
And that answer is easy.
Yes. A thousand times yes.
If you come with the right expectations, the right company, and the right spirit, the Loop is still one of the best adventures in Asia.
Final Thoughts: Should You Still Do the Ha Giang Loop in 2025?
If you want:
Untouched nature.
A mix of adventure and culture.
Deep connections with locals.
Breathtaking views.
An emotional, transformative experience.
Something that stays with you long after your backpack is unpacked.
Then yes—the Ha Giang Loop is absolutely worth it.
Is it more popular than it used to be? Sure.
Does that ruin it? Not even slightly.
What matters isn’t how many people visit. What matters is how you do it.
Choose a trusted company (wink wink), who’ll provide you with an Easy Rider who knows the mountains and a route that goes deeper than TikTok’s 15-second highlights.
Do that, and you’ll understand why Ha Giang is loved not because it’s hidden—but because it’s unforgettable.
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