After finishing the Ha Giang Loop and having the best time with fellow strangers from all over the world, I was hungry for more motorbike riding—this time I wanted to do it solo.
I had heard from plenty of travellers who had already done Cao Bang that the roads were a lot smoother and wider than Ha Giang. Considering I had been driving extensively around Vietnam for the previous five weeks, I felt confident enough to brave it alone.
Why I chose Cao Bang after Ha Giang
Ha Giang had been one of the most social experiences of my entire trip. I rode with a group of backpackers and spent the loop surrounded by people I had only just met.
I loved it, but afterwards I wanted the opposite. I wanted to rent a bike, choose my own pace and find out whether the confidence I had built over five weeks of riding in Vietnam would survive without a group around me.
Cao Bang kept coming up in hostel conversations. People described smoother roads, fewer backpacker groups and scenery that still looked ridiculous. That sounded like exactly what I wanted.
Getting to Cao Bang
Getting to Cao Bang from Hanoi or Ha Giang is pretty simple, as it is almost everywhere in Vietnam. Ask your hostel to book a bus or coach and they should be able to set you up.
Alternatively, I’d recommend checking 12Go once the correct pickup point has been confirmed. Just make sure you know exactly where the bus is due to collect you before you book. “Somewhere in Hanoi” is not a pickup plan, however confidently you tell yourself it is.
The journey into Cao Bang
The bus ride was not the most luxurious experience I’ve had, to say the least. It was bumpy, the roads were mountainous and the infrastructure was not always brilliant.
The views made up for it. Northern Vietnam gives you an absurd landscape to stare at for almost the whole journey.
My bus took roughly eight hours. That is my experience rather than a promise of the timetable, so leave some breathing room in your plans.
First impressions of Cao Bang City—and the food
When I finally arrived, Cao Bang City was a lot more charming than I had expected. I had treated it mainly as the place where I would collect a motorbike and start the loop, but it was worth slowing down for.
The food was unreal. Duck is particularly popular in the region, so make sure you try some of the local duck dishes if they work for you. Vịt phở—duck pho—and a duck-and-rice dumpling were particular favourites of mine.
Where I stayed in Cao Bang
I stayed at Eco CaoBang Homestay / Eco CaoBang Hostel. It was affordable, the rooms were nice and arranging a motorbike through them was easy.
That is a recommendation based on my stay.
Renting my motorbike and riding solo
I rented a 120cc bike for three days for what I thought was an extremely good price. I have not included the exact amount because I did not record it clearly enough to publish it as fact.
Taking on the Cao Bang Loop ended up being my favourite experience in Vietnam. The roads were smooth like butter and the views were breathtaking, to say the least.
Riding alone completely changed the atmosphere. I could stop whenever I wanted, move at my own pace and spend longer in places that caught my attention. It felt quieter, more independent and much further from the usual backpacker route.
The locals were some of the friendliest people I met in Vietnam. It felt as though I was greeted with a hundred hellos wherever I went.
The stops I remember most
Angel Eye Mountain
The mountain with the enormous hole through it is commonly called Angel Eye Mountain in English. You will also see the Vietnamese names Núi Thủng and Núi Mắt Thần, while some maps and English guides call it God’s Eye Mountain.
Whatever name appears on your map, it is a genuinely strange bit of landscape and one of the places that stayed with me most.
Ban Gioc Waterfall
Ban Gioc Waterfall was another obvious highlight. The scale of it and the border setting made it feel completely different from the other stops on the loop.
At points I was close enough to China to literally wave across. That is not a sentence I expected to say when I rented the bike.
The valley whose name escaped me
There was also one beautiful valley whose name has completely escaped me. I remember the place clearly; I just cannot identify it confidently enough to publish a name.
Explore activities in northern Vietnam
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Phone signal near the Chinese border
As I got nearer to China, my phone signal sometimes weakened or behaved strangely, so I would not rely entirely on Google Maps here.
I personally did not have a major issue. I was using an Airalo eSIM and it worked perfectly well for around 95% of the route. Even local SIMs can apparently struggle in areas this remote and close to the border, although that last point came from what I heard locally rather than a technical test.
Cao Bang Loop vs Ha Giang Loop: which did I prefer?
Ha Giang was one of the most social experiences of my trip. Cao Bang was the opposite—and that is exactly why I loved it.
| What I noticed | Ha Giang | Cao Bang |
|---|---|---|
| Atmosphere | Social, lively and established among backpackers. | Quieter and more independent. |
| Roads | Dramatic riding, but the roads felt narrower and rougher to me. | They felt wider and smooth like butter. |
| Company | I travelled with fellow backpackers and strangers. | I rode solo and chose my own pace. |
| Tourism | More established on the backpacker route. | It felt far less touristy during my visit. |
| What suited me | The group experience was a huge part of why I loved it. | The independence made it feel more adventurous. |
Ha Giang delivered the dramatic group adventure I wanted at that point in the trip. Cao Bang gave me the chance to prove I could do it alone. The quieter roads, friendly locals and feeling of independence pushed Cao Bang ahead for me personally.
I would never claim that makes it objectively better—or safer. It was simply the loop that matched what I wanted by then, and it became my favourite experience in Vietnam.
What I would do differently and practical lessons
- Confirm the exact bus pickup point before booking.
- Keep a route backup rather than depending entirely on live phone signal.
- Do not assume an estimated bus time will be exact.
- Choose a bike you are genuinely comfortable handling.
- Leave room to stop. Riding at my own pace was the entire point.
If you are deciding between the two loops, read what happened to me on the Ha Giang Loop as well. The frozen insulin was not the loop’s fault, but it certainly added an unexpected subplot.
Final thoughts
The pure local experience made me appreciate Cao Bang even more than Ha Giang. It genuinely felt as though I had ventured off the usual backpacker route and into a far less visited part of Vietnam.
Not untouched. Not some secret place nobody else knows about. Just quieter, less polished for tourists and exactly the kind of ride I had been looking for.