Mae Hong Son Loop vs Ha Giang Loop: which should you ride?

The Mae Hong Son Loop in northern Thailand and the Ha Giang Loop in northern Vietnam are the two best-known multi-day rides in Southeast Asia. Both take about four days, both climb into mountains along a border, and both are ridden by thousands of travellers a year. They are very different trips, though, and the right one depends on your licence, your riding and when you can travel.

The two loops at a glance

Both loops are free to ride from our route pages, with a GPX for the whole loop and each day: the Mae Hong Son Loop and the Ha Giang Loop.

The roads

Mae Hong Son is a rider's road. Route 1095 to Pai and Route 108 back through Mae Sariang are well surfaced and wind through forest for hours, with steep climbs and descents. The difficulty is the sheer number of corners and the long days: our route rides 130 to 190 km a day. It suits riders who enjoy corners and want a bigger bike; fuel stations are frequent.

Ha Giang is about the landscape. Days are shorter, often under 100 km, because the roads are slow: narrow lanes cut into limestone, broken patches, livestock, and trucks on the main highway. The Ma Pi Leng Pass above the Nho Que River is the high point of the trip. Most riders use small semi-automatics or manuals of 110 to 150 cc.

Licence and paperwork

This is often the deciding factor. Thailand accepts International Driving Permits under both the 1949 and 1968 conventions, so riders from the US, Canada and Australia can ride there legally with a home licence that covers motorcycles plus their usual IDP. Vietnam accepts only 1968 permits, so riders from those countries cannot legally ride in Vietnam on their home licence and IDP. Check yours with our licence checkers for Thailand and Vietnam.

On the Ha Giang Loop, riders without the right paperwork can go with an easy rider, a local driver who rides while you sit behind. Our guide to easy rider, self-drive or guided tour compares the options. In northern Thailand the pillion-with-a-driver option is much less common; tours there are mostly ridden by the guests themselves.

When to go

The seasons don't line up neatly. Northern Thailand is at its best from November to January. From February to April the burning season brings smoke and haze, and from May to October it is the rainy season. Ha Giang is best in autumn, around October and November, and in spring, around March; winter there is cold and foggy, and summer is wet. November is good for both, which suits a trip that combines the two. The calendars below show the averages month by month.

Cost

Ha Giang is much cheaper. The 3 to 4 day Ha Giang tours we list start at about $140 to $260, including bike, guide or easy rider, homestays and most meals. The Mae Hong Son tours we list start at about 26,000 baht (around $780) for three days and 38,000 baht (around $1,140) for four, typically on larger bikes with hotels. Our tour price index compares the average price per day in Thailand and Vietnam.

Which one suits you

• Choose Mae Hong Son if you like corners, want a bigger bike and good roads, or hold a 1949 IDP (US, Canada, Australia).
• Choose Ha Giang if the landscape matters more than the riding, you are on a tighter budget, or you'd rather go on the back with a local driver.
• Do both in November if you have three weeks; you can fly between Chiang Mai and Hanoi, directly or via Bangkok.

For more detail on each, see our Mae Hong Son Loop guide and Ha Giang Loop guide.