Walking village to village in Ha Giang | Vietnam - Lonely Planet Forum

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Fri, 20 Apr 2018 23:58:54 +0000

OK I haven't done any research yet, so pardon me if my questions aren't particularly well-thought out...

Is it feasible to visit Ha Giang, and spend 3-5 days just walking from village to village? Is there an obvious route that others have taken?

To be clear, I'm not referring to hiking in the mountains with a guide. I'm a talking about spending 4-8 hours/day wandering around, village to village.

I'm looking to spend 3-5 days (or up to a week) walking in Vietnam. I don't mind if some of it is in a remote area, but for the most part I'm imagining walking along dirt roads/paths along side rice paddies, and stopping in villages along the way for food/drink/sleep.

Just wondering if there's an established route that others have taken.

It doesn't even have to be Ha Giang. I picked this area because I'm not looking for the typical Sapa trekking. I'm not looking for typical trekking period. I want to be able to (easily) do it without a guide.

The reason I don't want a guide is I want to be able to spend the time walking alone with my thoughts. It's meant to be somewhat of a pilgrimage of sorts... A few days spent in quiet contemplation. I find long distance walking to be almost like meditating, and I'm looking into options for taking a long walk in Vietnam.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be welcome.

The boy with the filthy laugh

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Sat, 21 Apr 2018 06:53:12 +0000

Great idea.

I often wander alone when I'm in Ha Giang and elsewhere, even when I have had a guide.

Early morning is best for seeing the world at its best. I'm an early riser on holiday, so would often head out by 05:30 and back for breakfast about 9. Or longer, whole day > 20k wanders. Been known to skinny dip in waterfalls in the early morning. (My children are always shocked when I recount this.)

If you stray to near the border, you run the risk of being turned back by Vietnamese border guards who will come looking for you. They're pleasant enough about it, but it's more than their job's worth to let you carry on if they've been told to point you in a different direction.

The locals are always all friendly enough, but sometimes a little wary of a stranger wandering about since it's a little unusual.

The blot on the horizon is dogs. My least favourite sound as I come upon habitations is the sound of a barking dog. But, I follow Roosevelt's advice: "speak softly, carry a big stick and be up to date on your rabies shots".

Just follow a path....not all who wander are lost (and you can always ask for directions)...

https://weallwanttobehappy.blogspot.com/

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Mon, 22 Apr 2019 01:00:23 +0000

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