Field notes from Southeast & East Asia
Asia Trip Blog
Cover Story — Northern Vietnam

Hanoi to Ha Giang: Sleeper Bus, Limousine or Private Car

Read the story
Asia Trip Blog — Field GuideVietnam, in priority order
Vietnam · five places to start

Where to go first

01

Sapa

Read →

Terraced valleys and Hmong trekking villages threaded through the northern highlands.

02

Ha Giang

Read →

Vietnam's most dramatic road trip, one hairpin at a time.

03

Ha Long Bay

Read →

Thousands of limestone karsts rising straight out of jade-green water.

04

Hanoi

Read →

Old Quarter alleys, egg coffee, and a thousand years of history.

05

Da Nang

Read →

Long beaches and the gateway to Hoi An and the Marble Mountains.

Asia Trip Blog — Farther AfieldLaos, Cambodia, Thailand, China
Farther afield

More of the trail, roughly in the order we’re covering it

06 · Laos

Laos

Slow river towns and the Banana Pancake Trail's quiet heart.

07 · Cambodia

Cambodia

Angkor's temples and the Mekong's floating villages.

08 · Thailand

Thailand

Bangkok's chaos, southern islands, and northern hill country.

09 · China

China

Ancient capitals and landscapes that inspired a thousand scrolls.

Asia Trip Blog — DispatchesFresh off the trail
Latest field notes

Fresh off the trail

Northern Vietnam

Ha Giang Loop Map: Every Stop, Distance and Overnight

A useful Ha Giang Loop map is not a picture of a circle. It is a list of distances, riding times and places you can actually sleep. The route runs roughly 350km from Ha Giang City, north to the Chinese border and back. Here is every leg, how long each takes on a 110cc bike, […]

In brief

Asia Trip Blog — ContributorsThree storytellers, one trail
Who’s writing

Contributors

Northern Vietnam & rail

Jack Lee

Jack launched AsiaTripBlog after spending years backpacking through Southeast Asia on a shoestring, then returning in style. He specialises in Vietnam — from the northern highlands to the Mekong Delta — and believes the best meal you'll ever eat costs about $2 and involves a plastic stool.

Adventure & Outdoors Writer

Ken Ng.

Ken is happiest when there's no Wi-Fi and the next destination requires a boat. An avid hiker and diver, he covers the wilder side of Asia — from motorbike loops through Ha Giang to island-hopping in the Philippines and jungle treks in Borneo.