There is a direct coach — 17:00 from Bãi Cháy for Hạ Long, 15:00 from Cát Bà. You do not have to go back through Hanoi, and the departure hour matters more than the fare.
Hà Giang to Cao Bằng: One Road, and Whether the Second Loop Is Worth It
Quốc lộ 34 runs 260 km between them — a day, not a morning. What the road is really like, how the two loops differ, and which order to ride them in.
Mèo Vạc: The Market Opens at Four in the Morning
The Mèo Vạc market runs every Sunday from about four in the morning. Most visitors arrive at nine, by which point they are looking at the end of a trading day.
Where You Actually Sleep on the Ha Giang Loop
On the loop you are not booking a hotel — you are booking a bed in somebody’s house. What a homestay night actually is, the four things worth checking, and what a private room costs.
Đồng Văn: The Market Burned Down in 1923, and That Is Why It Is Made of Stone
The stone market at the centre of Đồng Văn’s old quarter replaced a bamboo one that burned in 1923. Sourced history, the Sunday market caveat, and why this page won’t print an altitude.
Ha Giang City: The Town You Sleep In, and What It Is Called Now
No airport, and no longer a city on paper. What Ha Giang city is actually for, the two ward names that replaced it in July 2025, and where the border-permit zone starts.