Motorcycle journey on Vietnam’s ‘Happiness Road’ impresses foreign tourists
VOV.VN - The roughly 230-mile Vietnam’s ‘Happiness Road’ Ha Giang Loop, six hours north of Hanoi, thrills riders with breathtaking views, cultural wonders, and plenty of twists and turns, US traveler Derek Norman shared on New York Times.
Derek Norman spent four days on riding motorbike Honda XR on the Ha Giang Loop, a roughly 230-mile circular network of roads in the highlands of northern Vietnam that was one of The New York Times 52 Places to Go in 2023.
This route, nicknamed Happiness Road for its desired effect on the region, has been attracting adventure seekers for about a decade.
His four-day trip in late March took him veering through switchbacks squeezed between rugged rock formations, soaring along cliff-side paths and coasting through verdant valleys.
Derek and his friends rode about 60 miles per day, stopping frequently to stretch our legs at places like open-air cafes, textile workshops and French colonial ruins, before settling into local hostels known as homestays each evening, in villages inhabited by ethnic groups like the Hmong, Tay and Dao.
The Ha Giang Loop is not for the faint of heart. The slim roads dip, climb and curve through the mountainous landscape, often along pulse-quickening drop-offs and through villages teeming with rural life, Derek wrote.
“Coming down from the mountains felt strange,” recalled Derek's friend Juliette Tiefenauer, 30, a physiotherapist from Montpellier, France, after completing a tour with an easy rider. “Like waking up from a dream.”
Australian newspaper suggests top tips for driving Ha Giang Loop in Vietnam
VOV.VN - Australia newspaper Herald Sun recently published an article by Cathy Finch highlighting her thrilling travel experience when exploring the numerous winding roads throughout the northern mountainous province of Ha Giang by motorcycle.
