KHAU VAI LOVE MARKET
This year we are joining thousands of local people in their annual appointment at the Khau Vai Love Market. This is an opportunity to discover one of the most beautiful regions of Vietnam with limestone karsts and colorfully dressed local hill-tribes, Ha Giang and its neighborhood frontier area, a region rich in legends.

You will meet the traditional owners of this land, the H'Mong, Dao, Giay, Nung, La Chi, Lo Lo, Bo Y, Pa Then, and Pu Peo people. They will welcome you in a simple and friendly manner, as if you were a member of their family who has been far away for a long time but has now returned.

I have been to the market many times, there is nothing special, nothing particularly memorable. Nevertheless, when the maize flower is blowing and the moon shining brightly, it touches my heart and I remember the folksong a young H'Mong girl sang one day. I am reminded of Khau Vai Love market. I am coming back one more time and will forever remember it.

We will organize 2 different trips to the Khau Vai Love market, 6 or 9 days.

The 6 day trip is very challenging and requires highly skilled experienced riding. This trip will pass through rocky, muddy and slippery roads during the 2007 rainy season. However, this is some of the best fun for riding a motorbike, simply put, this road is made for motorbiking.

The 9-day trip is an easier ride, through many villages where you will have opportunities to visit ethnic minority homes. Don't be in a hurry riding, be amazed by the crazy shock of the different cultures. Your guide will always be with you to help bridge the gap between cultures and make your trip unforgettable. This trip will take you about 1,000kms along the Chinese border with the most beautiful and spectacular limestone mountain karsts landscape in Vietnam.

So far, we are one of the very few companies specializing in tours to this region and have spent years studying and researching the land and people in Ha Giang province. It is difficult for other tour companies to get the necessary travel permits for Ha Giang but for us it is so easy to take you to visit our cousins.

Detail Itinerary

ITINERARY 1 (GTTKV001): 6 days / 6 nights (from May 11^th to 17^th )
 

Day 1 (Friday, May 11^th ): Lao Cai - Xin Man - Ha Giang
The train arrives in Lao Cai at 6.30 am, we will get our bikes and then prepare for the adventure; after breakfast in a local restaurant in Lao Cai town, we will fill up with gasoline and roll out along road no. 70 to Bac Ngam. We will stop to enjoy the beautiful scenery and mountain and river views. Then we head up the mountain pass to Bac Ha for lunch and take a short walk to visit some H'Mong villages.

In the afternoon we continue along the small trail to Xin Man, rough and rocky but enjoyable riding.

Then it's 100kms of mountain passes, along the Chay river for great bike riding up and down Sky Gate "Cong Troi" (passes going to Sky).

In the afternoon before arriving to Ha Giang we will make a stop to relax and swim in the natural hot spring.

Day 2 (Saturday, May 12^th ): Ha Giang - Dong Van - Meo Vac - Khau Vai
Rise and shine for a few hours trek to many of the Heaven Gates such as Quan Ba, Yen Binh, Dong Van. They are so called because one gets the feeling of touching the sky - the heaven's gates. This is the best time and place to appreciate the wonderful vast limestone mountain range and perpendicular rock walls, which brings one a feeling of adventure while being lost in a magical land.

Here we are surrounded by many rocks of all shapes and sizes. After lunch at Yen Minh town, this scenic route climbs over a pass before arriving in Pho Bang, also called Pho Bang Street, which was built many centuries ago and features multi-storey houses made of clay bricks and tiled roofs. Visit some of our friends, who are Hoa - Chinese minority. Then we continue our trip to visit the infamous Vuong Palace, a H'Mong family of high rank during French colonial rule, Vuong Chi Sinh, who was purported to be the H'Mong King in Vietnam. This palace attracts keen interest from architecturally minded visitors due to its mixed style of European and Chinese architecture.

After bidding farewell, we climb over the Ma Pi Leng Pass from which we can see and enjoy a beautiful sunset overlooking the Nho Que river.

Visiting these remote areas, we will see how hard the local people struggle with their environment for their survival and development. Because the living conditions are extremely hard - there is barely any arable land within the rocky mountains - the people who live there survive on a diet of corn, which is about the only crop able to grow in the poor rocky soil. Even through this hardship, the local people are very friendly and simple, yet develop strong attachments to other people. They are the soul of this remote area.

Before sunset we ride up to Khau Vai, where the mountain hill tribes are looking for their intimate friends not seen since their last appointment one year ago. Warm your way through the crowd of thousands of colourfully dressed locals. You will need to find your own emotions and words to describe this experience!

We spend all night "to do nothing, see nothing but…great!" go to bed whenever you feel tired, poor noisy accommodation because the local people don't sleep tonight!

Day 3 (Sunday, May 13^th ): Khau Vai - Meo Vac
We spend more time in the market to discover more mysteries about this culture and event, then return to Meo Vac town for lunch. Take a siesta, then continue to explore the border area, considered one of the wildest regions in the Northern part of Vietnam. It is a beautiful landscape of limestone karsts populated with these colorful ethnic minority people.

Follow the Nho Que river close to the Chinese border. On the way, we will stop at many corners where local people are gathered and sharing sentiments over a bowl of corn wine, and listen to their stories.

Day 4 (Monday, May 14^th): Meo Vac - Lung Phin - Bac Me
We are lucky enough to visit Lung Phin market which is held according to the Chinese calendar, the 12 animal designations such as Rat, Ox, Tiger, Hare/Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep/Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. This market is held on Monkey and Tiger days, instead of the weekend. Today is "mau than" - day of the monkey.

This is a far more interesting market then Dong Van, Meo Vac or Yen Minh market. It is right on the hill-side, most of the locals walk here from faraway villages. Some wealthier families come by horse. There are just a few motorbikes belonging to people from the lowlands coming to exchange goods.

The next 70 km of road is a bad road, probably one of the worst in North Vietnam but it is the best road for thrilling motorbiking. It seems as if this road was made motorbiking! So try your best, muster all your energy and have as much fun as you can!

Day 5 (Tuesday, May 15^th ): Bac Me - Ba Be
Yesterday you had an opportunity to develop your riding skills, and again today it's time to muster up all your skill, technique and experience for 80 km of forest road. Only with the help of our experienced guides will you not get lost in one of the 16 branching roads. Along the way, we traverse many tall passes and deep river valleys. This road trip will take only 3-4 hours during the dry season, but at least 7-8 hours during the rainy season. However, the impression of 'conquering nature' makes the hardship all worthwhile. Upon arrival, we will cross 3 rivers between 20-30 m wide but only 70 cm deep, all managed with the instructions of our experienced guide. The remaining 3 km of the journey is an easy pleasant ride and time to relax. You will ride along an open hillside road surrounding the Nang River. Catch your breath while you can! We complete our journey with the next destination being the Dau Dang waterfall. It is a lunch stop to break our long journey and stretch our legs, take the tiredness away and share the day's adventure with the owner of the Nang river restaurant - Mr. Pirate.

Then we canoe our hearts out through the tranquil lakes of Ba Be - renowned for their majesty, with an option to swim or trek to visit Tay ethnic minorities and talk with the local people.

Day 6 (Wednesday, May 16^th ): Ba Be - Hanoi
The last day, an easy ride 220kms through Thai Nguyen, Bac Kan, and Vinh Yen provinces on a small road with little traffic.

We ride through Tan Trao - the security zone during French colonization - with beautiful natural forest; this was a centre of Viet Minh activity.

We continue with a wonderful ride from here to Vinh Yen passing many rice paddies and palms on the rock cliff before heading in to the crazy traffic of the National Highway 2 back to Hanoi.
 

ITINERARY 2 (GTTKV002): 9 days / 9 nights (from May 9^th to 17^th )
 

Day 1 (Wednesday, May 9^th ): Lao Cai - Bac Ha - Xin Man
The train arrives in Lao Cai at 6.30 am, we will get our bikes and then prepare for the adventure; after breakfast in a local restaurant in Lao Cai town, we will fill up with gasoline and roll out along road no. 70, then turn left to follow a small dirt trail to Coc Ly, H'Mong village. After tea with our friends we continue along the hilly dirt trail to Bac Ha and have many opportunities to visit villages of the Dao ethnic minority. After lunch in Bac Ha we will take a short walk to visit some Flower H'Mong villages.

In the afternoon we continue along the small trail to Xin Man, rough and rocky but enjoyable riding.

Day 2 (Thursday, May 10^th): Xin Man - Ha Giang
This special day begins by heading south on a rough muddy dirt road. We then ride down hill past a beautiful landscape of rice paddies on the mountainsides on the back way to Xin Man. We will stop in many villages to chat with local people and learn about their culture.

Then on a better road ride past maize and rice fields growing on the hillside.

In the afternoon we follow National Highway 2 along Lo river. Before arriving in Ha Giang we will cross a long wooden suspension bridge to the other side of the river to visit some of our friends who own many farms and spend all their lives on the farm. They have never traveled more than 20 miles in their life - how lovely and simple.

Day 3 (Friday, May 11^th ): Ha Giang - Bac Me - Yen Minh
The morning begins with an hour on good road then we go off-road along a road that doesn't appear on any map since it is an ancient pathway. There is no traffic but there are many lovely smiles of local people who will welcome you to their family for a cup of local herbal or green tea to clear the tiredness away and give you a kick of energy to conquer nature.

We have a feeling of our families being somewhere in these villages and the local people also have a feeling that we are very close to them by riding a "Iron Buffalo" the Minsk motorbike. Your guide will help bridge the cultural gap to understand these different cultures.

Day 4 (Saturday, May 12^th ): Bac Me - Dong Van - Meo Vac - Khau Vai
Rise and shine for a few hours trek to many of the Heaven Gates such as Quan Ba, Yen Binh, Dong Van. They are so called because one gets the feeling of touching the sky - the heaven's gates. This is the best time and place to appreciate the wonderful vast limestone mountain range and perpendicular rock walls, which brings one a feeling of adventure while being lost in a magical land.

Here we are surrounded by many rocks of all shapes and sizes. After lunch at Yen Minh town, this scenic route climbs over a pass before arriving in Pho Bang, also called Pho Bang Street, which was built many centuries ago and features multi-storey houses made of clay bricks and tiled roofs. Visit some of our friends, who are Hoa - Chinese minority. Then we continue our trip to visit the infamous Vuong Palace, a H'Mong family of high rank during French colonial rule, Vuong Chi Sinh, who was purported to be the H'Mong King in Vietnam. This palace attracts keen interest from architecturally minded visitors due to its mixed style of European and Chinese architecture.

After bidding farewell, we climb over the Ma Pi Leng Pass from which we can see and enjoy a beautiful sunset overlooking the Nho Que river.

Visiting these remote areas, we will see how hard the local people struggle with their environment for their survival and development. Because the living conditions are extremely hard - there is barely any arable land within the rocky mountains - the people who live there survive on a diet of corn, which is about the only crop able to grow in the poor rocky soil. Even through this hardship, the local people are very friendly and simple, yet develop strong attachments to other people. They are the soul of this remote area.

Before sunset we ride up to Khau Vai, where the mountain hill tribes are looking for their intimate friends not seen since their last appointment one year ago. Warm your way through the crowd of thousands of colourfully dressed locals. You will need to find your own emotions and words to describe this experience!

We spend all night "to do nothing, see nothing but…great!" go to bed whenever you feel tired, poor noisy accommodation because the local people don't sleep tonight!

Day 5 (Sunday, May 13^th ): Khau Vai - Coc Pang - Bao Lac
We spend more time in the market to discover more of the mysteries of this local culture and after lunch, we leave the market and continue down hill to the Nho Que river on a small dirt trail. Keep following the river until we meet RC 4 C, cross the river on bamboo raft to Cao Bang province, where you will meet many Lo Loi, Bo Y, Dao, Giay people and visit their villages.

We spend the night in the beautiful, quiet and peaceful town of Bao Lac.

Day 6 (Monday, May 14^th ): Bao Lac - Cao Bang - Pac Bo
Good road on RC 4 with picturesque Pac Lung before stopping in Nguyen Binh valley, green with the maize and rice.

Keep rolling up wild mountain pass in to Cao Bang town for lunch and a short walk to discover some of the history of the town during the French colonization.

In the afternoon, we ride up to Pac Bo passing by Nuoc Hai and Ha Quang town.

Visit Pac Bo cave, the point at the Chinese border where, after 30 years of travelling around the world looking for a way for Vietnam to achieve independence, Uncle Ho arrived back in Vietnam to lead the Viet Minh Revolution.

We stay with a local family, sharing stories with the older generation about their beloved Uncle Ho who lived close to them and enjoyed a very simple life.

Day 7 (Tuesday, May 15^th ): Pac Bo - Tra Linh - Ban Gioc - Ha Lang
Continue along the Chinese border and pass through innumerable vast steep limestone karsts, also visit many villages which are home to Nung and Tay ethnic people. The Tay and Nung minority in Cao Bang province migrated from the neighbouring area on other side of the border. They have the same local dialect and culture.

Arrive at Ban Gioc, one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Vietnam, which forms a natural border between Vietnam and China. The echo of the falls can be heard kilometres away. In the rainy season, the waterfall makes the scenery even more magnificent. While here we will take a bamboo raft trip and have a picnic lunch.

More beautiful riding along the Quay Son river, the border with China. Then go south to Ha Lang on 15 km of rocky road.

Day 8 (Wednesday, May 16^th ): Ha Lang - Phuc Hoa - That Khe
In the morning, we make a short hike to visit some villages, the wildest area in Vietnam's border region. Local families who live in traditional stilt-houses and have a rich culture will welcome you. Visit more villages around Quang Uyen where in the 1950's the Viet Minh won the battle in Dong Khe and French ran to Lang Son but they fell into an ambush of Viet Minh. More than 5,000 French were arrested in Coc Xa. However the Viet Minh had no prison to hold them and the the French prisoners-of-war lived with many local families, working alongside them in the rice fields.

Ride through magical landscapes with many lovely smiling faces and waving hands as you ride through villages. At the junction of the Bac Vong and Bang Giang rivers, the border gate was call "Thuy Khau" - river-mouth border gate - on the China Shuikojie.

Lunch in Ta Lung border town and visit the border gate then cross Bang Giang river down to the other side of the Dong Khe valley. This whole area was a battleground up until the famous Dien Bien Phu victory in 1954. To break down the French Defending RC 4 along the Chinese border, the relationship with International Communism was kept active.

Riding again on the RC 4 to That Khe and visit more battle fields on this Highway 4.

Day 9 (Friday, May 17^th ): That Khe - Lang Son - Hanoi
More riding on RC 4, Highway 4 to Lang Son, visit Friendship Border Gate "Huu Nghi Quan" and Dong Dang town where you will see Chinese products flooding the town. Don't mention the crazy Minsk running at top speed and carrying dozens of Chinese goods to dodge the taxman!

Back to the National Highway 1, ride this smooth wild road to Chi Lang, the famous site of historical battlefields and beautiful limestone karsts. You will see how smart they were to despatch the Chinese army here.

After lunch in a local restaurant with special food from Lang Son we head back to Hanoi.

PRICE

Green  Trail Tours organizes only full package tours which are all inclusive. The only exception is at the request of the travellers when they want to upgrade their accommodation for something more luxurious.

* Including:
- Motorbike Minsk, all fuel;
- Tour guide / Translator;
- Motorbiking protective pants, jacket, gloves, helmet, rain gear, and other safety equipments;
- Sleeping bags, mosquito nets, sheets, pillows and accommodations;
- Third party motorbike insurance;
- All food;
- All entrance fees, permits, tickets, boat trips, ferries, bamboo rafts, etc...
- Green  Trail Tours assistance throughout your trip;
- We also love to celebrate our guests' birthday...Well anything for a celebration on the open road.

* Personal expense (such as souvenirs), personal insurance, drinks, food and accommodation in Hanoi, and tips are not included in our fee.