Ha Giang Odyssey Hostel, Tours & Motorbikes Rental — Hotel in Hà Giang

I will save you the trouble of looking through countless reviews and reddit articles (like I did) - look no further than Odyssey.

My partner and I booked a private tour of the Ha Giang loop for 2 nights and 3 days, and the experience was exceptional.

Before booking, Odyssey were extremely communicative over Whatsapp and answered all my questions. I had read lots of articles about large, busy groups, and so opted for a private tour. Odyssey's small group tour also looked really good, but I am so happy we chose this option, as the tour was really personalised and we were able to go places that large groups don't go.

Our guide, Quang, spoke excellent English and took great care of us the whole time. He took us to the best viewpoints and to secluded spots away from the busy roads with larger groups. Everytime we stopped, he offered to take pictures, and he also took lots during the tour without being prompted - he sent them all to us at the end, including some videos he took of the ride.

Quang also took us to lots of small local villages to meet the local people. We ate with a local family, we saw how one local village weaves clothes and how another made silver jewelry. For each place, Quang was really informative and told us about the lives of the local people. Quang didn't just guide us on the bikes, he also took us hiking up to a few better placed viewpoints and to waterfalls where we could swim. Quang made our trip so special and he was an phenomenal guide. We spoke to some others at the hostel who did the group tour and they said their guide was also great.

Our guides were also excellent drivers. We felt really safe and comfortable with them the whole time. They didn't take any risks on the bikes and I was completely at ease, having been a bit apprehensive in the run up. Odyssey also provide all the safety gear, and even went a purchased two new helmets for us as they ones they had were too big for our heads!

Breakfast, lunch and dinner was all taken care of during the tour. Each meal our guides brought sharing platters and we ate together. This was a really great experience as we spoke to them about their lives in Ha Giang and they told us lots about the people that lived there. We also got to try lots of local cuisines which was great. They also provide a large bottle of water each day for the loop.

We had a private en-suite room for both nights on the loop, as well as the night before at Odyssey hostel. All the rooms had Aircon and were really well maintained.

The one thing I would suggest, is booking your coach to/from Ha Giang separately from Odyssey. We booked our bus back separately from Odyssey and it was much much nicer than our first bus ride.

Other than that, I really can't speak highly enough of the experience and I would recommend it to anyone!

(P.s....

My wife and I booked a 4 day 3 night tour on the Ha Giang Loop with easy riders. Odyssey was recommended by a group of friends and we could confirm great reviews online on TripAdvisor, so we went with this company.

They offer a range of different tours, we went with a private tour with easy riders. I have to add that we could book the tour on an extremely short notice after contacting them per WhatsApp, they responded really quickly and we're very helpful. The company then booked a sleeping bus for us to get there.

After arriving we got asked if we wouldn't mind going on a group tour with a small group with 7 people instead of a private tour, because of this they offered us private lodgings free of charge, which was a very nice gesture. The Odyssey Hostel itself was nice, we stayed in a private 2-person "Bamboo Room", no complaints there. Bathrooms are shared.

The best part of the experience was, of course, the Loop itself. Odyssey got us probably one of the best if not the best team of easy riders and a guide, Lucky Chiến. The team was very professional and competent on the road, don't let the relative young age of some of the guys deceive you. By the end of the trip everybody really bonded with their rider, saying goodbye was very sentimental. Lucky, the guide, was very positive, communicative, always stayed out with our group in the evenings and was a pleasant and fun company. I won't forget our evenings with karaoke, hotpot and happy water. We could also ask a lot of questions about Vietnam and its culture.

The lodgings on our entire trip were alright, although not as nice as you could possibly get if going on a motorbike independently and booking everything yourself. Still, this didn't detract from the overall experience.

All in all, this is probably one of the best travel experiences one can get. Definitely go for a small group if possible (our group of 7 tourists felt just right). If you're lucky, you might even get Lucky as...

We did the three day, two nights Ha Giang loop tour with Odyssey and stayed in the hostel also.

Hostel:

We booked a private ensuite but when we checked in in the early hours due to a late bus we're put in a dorm with shared bathroom. The room itself was fine - no frills but clean. The shared bathrooms could have been cleaner. They didn't charge us for the room mix up. We stayed here again after the tour and it was fine. The pancakes for breakfast are good but could do with more toppings - unlimited tea and coffee top! 3/5

Ha Giang Tour:

The tour itself was amazing our group lead (Lucky) and drivers (Giang and An) were all incredibly professional, safe and competent drivers. We all felt very safe with them and they did a wonderful job of taking us around Ha Giang and entertaining us in the evenings with karaoke. The bikes were also in good condition. We were a group of 10 which was nice - we saw some really big groups out on the road which looked overwhelming and impersonal. The accommodation for the loop was also very good - comfortable and clean. We were well fed throughout the trip, you get one coffee in the morning and a big bottle of water for the day. 5/5

The negatives:

One of the main reasons we booked with Odyssey was because they told us they had full face helmets (with chin protection) but when we got there they offered us two that were broken and ill fitting. The staff at the hostel got frustrated with us and after initially offering to buy new ones for us to use they refused because of the cost. In the end they took two full face helmets off two drivers to give us. They shouldn't rely on the goodwill of their drivers to provide their guests with safety equipment and they shouldn't make promises they can't keep. Just be honest if you can't provide adequate full face helmets. It is because of this I cannot give them...