“Beyond Our Bucket List” – Gruppo RPM Completes Vietnam’s Ha Giang Loop

Ha Giang Loop! What’s that again? “Let’s do the Ha Giang Loop in Vietnam,” I said. We were taking our last dinner in Taipei after doing the North-Central Loop in Taiwan on rented motorcycles. We are a bunch of mountain bikers that formed Gruppo RPM, a motorcycle riding group, 10 years ago.

“Let’s do it before the end of February 2026 so we can use our IDP (International Driving Permit) once more be fore it expires and we can save P4,200.” There were 9 of us who did the Taiwan ride. It was a 3 days, 2 nights DIY ride that passed through multiple long tunnels, never-ending twisties, and reached Wuling Pass, Taiwan’s highest highway at 3,275 meters. With the help of Bong, a Filipino rider based in Taiwan, the ride turned out to be a seamless epic ride that’s one for the books.

Ha Giang Loopers were Erwin, Doc Sj, O’bry, Eric, Bon, Neil, Ayi, Bogie, Pab, and me, Badge. Tedy, Potch, & Dexter, who were part of the Taiwan ride, weren’t able to process their visas, even though Vietnam is a visa-free country. This time, it’s RPM & Friends. We booked the loop through Jasmin Tours. It was safer and more economical than doing it DIY style. It’s a package tour which includes the
motorcycle, gasoline, motorcycle insurance, food for the whole trip, and accommodations.

We departed Manila last February 24, stayed the whole day exploring Hanoi, and then by 9 PM, we took a 7-hour bus ride to Ha Giang. Good thing we were up graded to a sleeper bus. The first day of the 360+ km, 4 days, 3 nights ride started with a briefing and test ride. There were fifty participants in the tour divided into 5 groups, and we were the only Asians and self-driving participants. The other 40 were mostly Europeans who booked as back riders.

After a short briefing, we were asked to choose our bikes and make a short test ride within the Jasmin Hotel. Two guides were also assigned to us, and groups would just meet up at hostels. The ride started with light rain, but during the lunch stop, the sun was waving at us. Temperature was comparable to Sagada, even some parts of the scenery. Lunch was good—plenty of local dishes were served, which you could ask for more without shelling out extra money.

The first major stop was at a small town, and we had to trek up for 2.5 kms to enter the Lung Khuy Cave. It was a nice cave but tailored for tourists, with a lighted plank walkway. Several rest stops were done at designated areas with view decks. The whole group stayed at one big homestay. Dinner was served with the Vietnamese Happy Water. It’s a local alcoholic drink and you have to replicate the chant of your guide before you drink it. We just shouted what Wuwu, one of our guides, said, and we couldn’t understand anything about it.

The second day of the ride was more scenic with a lot of paved mountain twisties. It’s like riding in Sagada or Kalinga but with more up-and-down twisties. We decided to bypass some of the rest stops so we could go ahead to the next major stop. It was the Lung Cu Flag Tower, located at the northernmost part of Vietnam near the Chinese border. You can see China from the tower. I did some shouting there which I cannot disclose here, but for people who know me, you might have an idea of what I was yakking out at the border! We also passed by Tham Ma Pass, a very scenic road between two mountains.

The last stop before heading to the hotel was at the Ma Pi Leng Pass. It’s considered the most beautiful path of the Happiness Road. The view deck was at the top of the Ma Pi Leng Canyon, which is the deepest canyon in Vietnam. The view was like looking at a postcard — breathtaking and surreal.

The hotel was located in a small developed mountain village with wide roads. We even had time to explore the town by foot and ended up at a park with BBQ stalls. Food was nice and cheap. The only problem was how to order, so you just use your finger, point at what you want to grill, and show how many you want using your fingers. Vietnamese people are also like Filipinos, very warm and welcoming, always smiling even though they can’t understand us. The hotel had a bar, so after dinner and the ceremonial drinking of Happy Water, the party started. Beers were also cheap, but last order was at 10 PM because we were leaving at 9 AM. Neil and Bon, our hydration specialists, ordered like 20 more beers before 10 PM.

The third day was more of a relaxed ride going down the mountain to the canyon. We parked our bikes and rode an elongated golf cart to bring us to the dock. We did a 45-minute boat tour at the Nho Que River—it’s the deepest canyon in Southeast Asia. It was also included in the package, so no worries about paying for the other activities. Several rest stops with coffee shops were also on the agenda. All these rest stops were positioned in the mountains, so you could take in the amazing view while drinking Vietnamese coffee.

The last hotel was located in a small valley. It was the best of the three accommodations that we had. It was surrounded by mountains and rice terraces. We were welcomed with Vietnamese snacks and some sort of spring roll. At night, the whole group was together, and a party was held with karaoke. So it was time for Erwin, the rockista in the group, to step up. After a couple of songs and a round of applause from the Europeans, we passed the mic to them. Music, beers, and food were flowing non-stop.

The fourth day of the ride was the most fun for us. After a 15-minute trek to the Du Gia waterfalls, the ride became more interesting. Roads started to get bumpy with some patches of dirt roads and pot holes that we treated as pylons, as if we were riding a slalom course in the mountains. Even our lead guide allowed us to go ahead. Roads were narrow without railings, so one missed turn and we would need a 100-meter rope to retrieve the bike and the rider. Mountain bike skills ON. All we could hear in our helmet coms was laughter and Erwin as a commentator in a motocross competition.

Touchdown at Jasmin Hotel at around 3 PM, retrieved our suitcases, took a bath, and ate dinner. The tour gave us two shirts each as souvenirs of the ride. We took a bus to Hanoi at 8 PM and pre-booked a hotel in Hanoi to spend the rest of the night. The following day was spent on a yacht for our Ha Long Bay tour, it’s like El Nido and Coron fused into one. It was a nice, relaxing tour to recharge ourselves after a 4-day motorcycle ride. The last day was spent exploring Hanoi more, testing local delicacies, coffee, and spending time at the market for pasalubong before heading to the airport for a night flight back to Manila.

This is our second time riding in a different country—an experience shared among close friends with one passion, and you know that each one of them has your back. We all have a common wish: that we can offer the same kind of tour in our country. We have the scenery and resources—we just need a little tweak in our country’s infrastructure and support from the government so we can be more competitive in attracting tourists to visit the Philippines.

Words by: Mr. Badge Santos

Photos from: Gruppo RPM