First published January 2025 | Words and photos by Joshua Zukas
Joshua is a contributing writer for Vietnam Coracle. A freelancer whose body of work focuses primarily on travel & architecture, Joshua covers Vietnam regularly for Lonely Planet, Michelin Guide, Insider, Ink Global & many of Asia’s top inflight magazines. He also writes intermittently for publications such as The Economist, Wallpaper & Interior Design Magazine. He holds an MSc in sustainable tourism….read more about Joshua
Hà Giang is one of Vietnam’s most extraordinary places to visit, but large-scale tourism in the province only started to develop in the last decade or so. One reason for this is that, compared with other destinations in northern Vietnam, getting to Hà Giang from Hanoi is fairly tedious. Unlike other famous tourist hubs in the north, such as Sapa, Ninh Bình, Hạ Long and Lạng Sơn, there’s no expressway and no railway connecting Hanoi and Hà Giang. And, unlike Điện Biên Phủ, there’s no airport serving Hà Giang. That leaves only one way to get to there: bus. This guide covers travelling with Bằng Phấn (www.xebangphan.vn), a reasonably reputable bus company with more transfers between Hanoi and Hà Giang than any other. Bằng Phấn are far from perfect, but for now they probably offer the best service for transfers between Hanoi and Hà Giang for passengers and motorbikes.
In recent years, improvements in road infrastructure have gone some way to making the journey between Hanoi and Hà Giang shorter and more comfortable. A decade ago, the journey took around 9 hours; today it takes 6-7 hours. Bằng Phấn operates more than a dozen transfers per day in both directions, from early in the morning to late in the evening. The company has a fleet of comfortable buses, but the road is windy and you shouldn’t bank on getting much uninterrupted sleep. But whatever discomfort you experience in getting to Hà Giang, travelling around the province is more than worth the trouble. [You can book bus tickets between Hanoi & Hà Giang directly from this page using the links & search boxes for Baolau.com]
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HANOI TO HA GIANG SLEEPER BUS
How to Take the Bus from the Capital to the Far North
Below is a full guide to taking the bus between Hanoi and Hà Giang with Bằng Phấn, a recommended bus company that connects the two cities. This guide is for independent travellers who may or may not be travelling with their motorbikes. Note that I did not take my motorbike on the bus, so all information concerning transporting one was gathered from telephone conversations with representatives from Bằng Phấn, which I then tried to back up by chatting with the bus driver and steward. If you’ve had direct experience transporting your motorbike on the bus with this company, let us know in the comments section. Click at item from the contents below for details. (For more Hà Giang guides, see Related Posts.)
ROUTE MAP:
Hanoi→Hà Giang Sleeper Bus
Booking Tickets:
*You can book tickets for the Bằng Phấn sleeper bus between Hanoi and Hà Giang online or in person. Use the Baolau.com links or search box below to book your tickets directly from this page.
Online: Booking tickets online for Bằng Phấn buses is very easy to do with Baolau.com: they accept international credit and debit cards and allow you to make changes to your booking if necessary. As with anything else, it’s a good idea to book as far in advance as you can. However, Bằng Phấn offers so many departure times that you’re very likely to get on the bus of your choice even if you book last minute (outside of the holidays). Note that it is not currently possible to book a space for your motorbike online. If you’ve booked your ticket with Baolau.com and you want to bring your motorbike with you, you’ll need to call (0917 898 898) or email (bangphanhg123@gmail.com). You can also try your luck with Facebook Messenger (facebook.com/bangphanhagiang). Note that if you email, then there’s a good chance that they won’t reply quickly. The telephone operators don’t speak English, so if you’re in Vietnam and you don’t speak the language, your best bet is to ask a Vietnamese speaker (e.g. your hotel receptionist) to call ahead and book the motorbike place for you.
In Person: Alternatively, it is sometimes possible to book in person at the ticket office in Hanoi at 156 Trần Quang Khải (near the Old Quarter) or in Hà Giang at 100 Trần Phú (near the city centre). This method might also allow you to select your seat; I recommend a window seat towards the front of the bus. This also might be the easier option if travelling with your motorbike, as you can drive to the office, show them your bike and they will charge you accordingly.
Search & Book Tickets:
Times & Prices:
Times: I won’t list all the departure times here as these are bound to change, but you’ll see these clearly stated on Baolau.com. There are more than a dozen departure times daily from early in the morning to late in the evening in both directions from each of the bus stations on the route (Hanoi: Old Quarter, Mỹ Đình Bus Station, Nội Bài International Airport; Hà Giang: 100 Trần Phú). If opting for an overnight journey, I recommend booking the bus for as late as possible so you don’t arrive at your destination too early the next morning. The journey will take between 6-7 hours, depending mostly on the traffic in and around Hanoi. Bear in mind that you are expected to arrive at your pick-up point 60 minutes before departure. This is especially important if travelling with a motorbike.
Ticket Prices: Tickets range from 320,000vnđ ($13) to 470,000vnđ ($19) depending on the type of bus. This includes as much luggage as you can carry – within reason. To bring your motorbike with you, it costs 300,000vnđ ($12) for a semi-automatic, 400,000vnđ ($16) for an automatic, and 500,000vnđ-600,000vnđ ($20-$24) for a manual depending on the size. You should always book a place for your motorbike in advance so the company knows the expect it.
Search & Book Tickets:
Departure & Arrival Stations:
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Hanoi: There are three pick-up and drop-off options in Hanoi: the Old Quarter, Mỹ Đình Bus Station, and Nội Bài International Airport. You can select your pick-up and drop-off location, which are clearly labelled on Baolau.com. The Old Quarter location, 156 Trần Quang Khải, is the same location as the ticket office and from here it’s easy to flag down a taxi, book a Grab or even walk to your accommodation. Mỹ Đình Bus Station is convenient if you’re catching a connecting bus to another destination. And the Nội Bài International Airport option means that you can, in theory, meet the bus to Hà Giang straight after arriving from your flight (without needing to travel into central Hanoi), or connect to your departing flight direct from Hà Giang.
Hà Giang: Hà Giang is a little more complicated, but in some ways more convenient. Bằng Phấn does not use the city bus station, which is quite far from the centre of town, and instead uses the office at 100 Trần Phú for pick-up and drop-off. However, they will also drop passengers off and pick them up at their accommodation, and there’s a good chance that if doing the Hanoi→Hà Giang leg, the steward will ask you where you want to get off. This is a mixed blessing, as although you get to exactly where you want to be (if you’re staying in the city), the bus will crawl around Hà Giang city letting everyone off and elongating the journey. Likewise, for the Hà Giang→Hanoi leg, you might get a phone call from Bằng Phấn asking you (in Vietnamese) where you want to be picked up. If this leads to confusion, just turn up at the office as planned. In any case, after leaving the ticket office, the bus will still crawl around Hà Giang picking people up – which can take up to an hour – before leaving the city. Groan.
The Buses:
Bằng Phấn has three types of buses. These are, in ascending order of price:
- Bus Sleeper (xe giường nằm): three rows of narrow beds on two levels in a big bus
- Limousine Bus Seat (xe limousine): two rows of ‘luxury’ reclinable seats in a smaller bus
- Bus Cabin Sleeper (xe khách sạn di động or xe cabin cung điện): two rows of private cabin beds on two levels in a big bus
The Bus Sleeper is the cheapest but least comfortable option; the Limousine Bus Seat is comfortable and best for daytime journeys because you can sit upright and see the landscape out the window; the Bus Cabin Sleeper is the most expensive, comfortable and private option, best for sleeping on night journeys. You will see the bus type when clicking the bus schedule options on Baolau.com.
The Journey:
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The section of the journey between Hanoi and Tuyên Quang is mostly urban sprawl, but you will catch flashes of farmland and forest the further you are from the capital. The roads connecting these two cities are the relatively new CT05 and CT02 expressways, passing Vĩnh Yên and Phú Thọ. (If you have the time and want to break up the journey, you might consider exploring the largely untouristed province of Tuyên Quang via the Magic ‘8’ Loop for a few days.) Between Tuyên Quang and Hà Giang, the road is more attractive, but also more serpentine. The road connecting these two cities is the QL2, which snakes through hilly farmland and alongside rivers. The prettier stretch of road is the section in Hà Giang Province where the road hugs the Lô River, the same river that flows through Hà Giang City. If you suffer from motion sickness, consider taking tablets. (See Related Guides below for lots more about Hà Giang.)
*Disclosure: Vietnam Coracle content is always free and independent. Joshua has written this guide because he wants to: he likes this bus route and he wants readers to know about it. For more details, see the Disclosure & Disclaimer statements and my About Page
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