Ha Giang Loop Insurance: What Every Policy Actually Covers
Ha Giang Loop insurance is where most travellers get a nasty surprise, usually after a crash rather than before it. The short version is this. If you ride the bike yourself, you are probably not covered. If you ride pillion on a guided tour, you probably can be, with conditions. Nobody covers the damage you do to someone else.
This page sets out why, clause by clause. The detail comes from two insurers commonly sold to travellers in Vietnam: EKTA and HeyMondo. I put the same questions to both in writing in August 2026. Then I checked their answers against the published policy wording. This page carries no insurance links on purpose.
The short answer
| Your position | Covered? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Riding yourself, US, Canadian or Australian licence | Almost certainly not | Your permit is not valid in Vietnam |
| Riding yourself, UK licence with motorcycle entitlement and 1968 IDP | EKTA: possibly. HeyMondo: no | Two different exclusions |
| Pillion on a guided tour, with the border permit | Medical: yes, on both, with conditions | Riding pillion counts as transit |
| Damage or injury you cause to others | No, on both | Third-party liability is excluded |
Read the rest before you rely on any row of this Ha Giang Loop insurance summary. The conditions matter more than the headline.
Why Ha Giang Loop insurance turns on your licence
Almost every policy excludes claims that arise from breaking local law. Riding without a valid licence breaks local law. So the licence question comes first.
Vietnam recognises International Driving Permits issued under the 1968 Vienna Convention. The United States, Canada and Australia issue 1949 Geneva permits, which Vietnam does not recognise. The US Embassy in Hanoi is blunt about it. Its driving in Vietnam page says foreign licences are not valid, even with an IDP.
The United Kingdom is different. It issues all three permit types, and GOV.UK lists Vietnam under 1968. A British rider can get a permit Vietnam accepts.
There is one more catch. An IDP is a translation of your licence. It only carries the categories already on it. A car-only licence plus a 1968 permit is still not a motorcycle licence. Every bike on the loop is 110 to 125cc.
So for most readers, the licence problem is not fixable before the trip. That shapes everything below.
Two insurers, two different mechanisms
Both insurers refuse self-drive for most riders. They do it for different reasons, and only one of the reasons can be cleared. That difference is the most useful thing to know about Ha Giang Loop insurance.
| HeyMondo | EKTA | |
|---|---|---|
| Self-drive motorbike | Not covered on any tier, whatever the licence | Not covered unless your licence is recognised in Vietnam |
| Clause | S4(d), plus S3.E(c) for bikes over 75cc | 7.7.11, with proof required under 9.11.4 |
| Can the right paperwork fix it? | No | Yes, for a correctly licensed rider |
| Pillion on a guided tour | Medical covered on the base policy | Medical covered on GOLD or MAX+ with Sport & Extreme |
| Third-party liability | Excluded | Excluded |
| Search and rescue | Standalone limit | MAX+ only, capped at 10% of the medical sum |
| Regulator | Spanish DGSFP | Anjouan Offshore Finance Authority, Comoros |
HeyMondo: riding is not a covered activity
HeyMondo’s exclusion does not depend on your licence at all. Section S4(d) excludes activities “practiced with motorized vehicles”. Section S3.E(c) also removes the accident benefit for motorcycles over 75cc.
Their first answer to me said the Adventure Sports supplement covered motorbike riding. It does not. The supplement names cycling, mountain biking and quads, not motorbikes. When I showed them the wording, they corrected their own answer. They could have left the error standing. They did not.
So on HeyMondo, self-drive on the loop is not covered. No licence, permit or add-on changes that.
EKTA insurance: the licence clause
EKTA’s block is narrower and sits in two places. Clause 7.7.11 excludes driving any vehicle without the required valid licence. Clause 9.11.4 then asks, at claim time, for a licence showing your right to drive in the country where the accident happened.
A UK rider with a motorcycle entitlement and a 1968 permit clears that clause. Almost nobody else does. Two more EKTA clauses matter:
- Clause 3.8. Riding a motorbike above 15 km/h is extreme leisure in EKTA’s own definitions. Clause 7.7.8 then excludes that kind of activity “where an additional insurance premium has not been paid”. The extra premium is the Sport & Extreme add-on, which EKTA sells on GOLD and MAX+.
- Clause 7.7.9. This excludes accidents “while driving on tourist routes in the mountains, at the sea, in the jungle, or other remote areas”. EKTA says holding the border permit disengages it.
Be clear about how firm that last point is. EKTA’s position on 7.7.9 changed across six rounds of emails before it settled. What you are relying on is an email from their support team, not the policy wording itself. The wording is in the EKTA policy document.
Riding pillion on a guided tour
This is the position most readers will actually be in. Here the Ha Giang Loop insurance news is better. Both insurers cover a pillion passenger’s medical costs on a guided tour.
The reason is simple. Your driver holds a Vietnamese motorcycle licence, so the licence condition is met by them. Sitting on the back counts as transport, not as riding. EKTA’s own exclusion carves it out: clause 7.7.8 stops short “when the Insured has paid a fare and is a passenger of a passenger vehicle”.
The conditions differ:
- HeyMondo covers it under standard medical expenses, section S3.A.1, on the base policy. No supplement is needed, because pillion riding counts as ordinary transit.
- EKTA covers it on the GOLD or MAX+ tier with the Sport & Extreme add-on. You must also hold the border permit.
For a pillion passenger, HeyMondo is simpler and cheaper. This site earns nothing from saying so.
Two limits still apply. The driver must be legally licensed, so an informal lift from a stranger is a different case. And HeyMondo’s death and permanent disability benefit remains excluded on bikes over 75cc, even as a passenger. Medical cover is not the same as full cover.
If you have not chosen a format yet, easy rider vs self-drive sets out the trade-offs.
What no policy covers
Every Ha Giang Loop insurance policy we checked has the same hole. EKTA does sell third-party liability cover on MAX+, under clause 6.6.35. Clause 7.5.2 then takes it away for “damage caused by the Insured Person while operating any type of motorized vehicle”. HeyMondo excludes the same thing in section S3.D, points (a) and (h).
Say it plainly. If you ride yourself and injure a pedestrian or damage a car, you pay. Your travel insurance will not.
Damage to the rental bike is not travel insurance either. That is between you and the rental shop. Deposits run about $40 to $200, and damage claims about $50 to $300. When a tour says “insurance included”, it almost always means the bike, not you. Ask who underwrites it and what it covers.
Search and rescue from the plateau
A serious crash near Dong Van or on Ma Pi Leng Pass may need evacuation, not just a hospital. This is where Ha Giang Loop insurance policies differ most.
HeyMondo carries a standalone search and rescue limit under S3.A.17. It carves back its own remote-area exclusion in S4(f).
EKTA covers it under clause 6.6.34, in the MAX+ section, capped at 10% of the medical sum insured. On a $100,000 medical sum, that is $10,000. A helicopter evacuation from the far north can cost more. That clause also pays only where local authorities have not prohibited the route, which is the border permit again.
The border permit is a coverage condition
Foreign visitors need a border area permit for the loop. The fee is USD 10 per person under Circular 28/2026/TT-BTC. On paper, processing can take up to five working days. In practice, walk-in applications in Ha Giang City are reported to take 15 to 30 minutes. Most tour operators arrange it for you.
Both insurers make it load-bearing for Ha Giang Loop insurance. On EKTA, it disengages the remote-route exclusion. On HeyMondo, riding restricted border areas without it voids cover for incidents there. Carry the permit and keep a photo of it on your phone.
Where this site makes money, and where it does not
This page carries no insurance links, and it will not. It is written to be useful, not to sell a policy.
Elsewhere on this site, EKTA links earn us a commission of 25%. HeyMondo declined our affiliate application, so recommending it pays nothing. HeyMondo is still the better product for most readers here. We would rather you knew both facts.
Disclosure: EKTA is underwritten by IC “Auras Insurance” LLC, licence L16330/AI, in Anjouan, Union of Comoros, so a disputed claim does not reach a US, UK or Australian regulator. HeyMondo answers to the Spanish DGSFP. We earn a commission from EKTA and nothing from HeyMondo.
Five questions to put to any insurer in writing
Whichever Ha Giang Loop insurance policy you consider, send these questions before you buy. Ask for clause numbers in the reply.
- Am I covered as a pillion passenger on a guided motorbike tour in Ha Giang?
- Which tier or add-on does that need?
- Does my licence and permit satisfy your licence condition in Vietnam?
- Is there a remote-area or mountain-route exclusion, and does the border permit affect it?
- What is the search and rescue limit, and is it separate from medical?
Get your own insurer to confirm your specific route and activity in writing, with a clause reference, before you travel. Keep the reply.
Ha Giang Loop insurance FAQ
Does travel insurance cover the Ha Giang Loop?
It depends on your position. Pillion passengers on a guided tour can usually get medical cover. Self-riders mostly cannot, because of their licence or the policy’s activity rules.
Is EKTA insurance valid for self-drive in Vietnam?
Only if your licence is valid for that bike in Vietnam. Clause 7.7.11 excludes unlicensed driving, and 9.11.4 makes you prove the licence at claim time. In practice that means a UK rider with a motorcycle entitlement and a 1968 IDP.
Does HeyMondo cover motorbike riding?
Not as the rider, on any tier. It covers you as a pillion passenger under standard medical expenses.
Does the tour include Ha Giang Loop insurance?
Usually not for you. “Insurance included” normally means cover for the bike. Your own travel policy is still needed.
What is the biggest gap in every policy?
Third-party liability. If you ride and hurt someone, neither insurer pays.
For the risks this cover is meant to catch, read is the Ha Giang Loop dangerous. The route, formats and costs are in the complete Ha Giang Loop guide.