Du Gia is an unknown quiet village in Ha Giang. This place is visited almost exclusively by travelers who do the Ha Giang loop tour in 3 days or more. The best thing about this place is the peaceful and unspoiled beauty with its majestic natural landscape of mountains and rice paddies around it. In addition, the local people here are exceptionally hospitable and friendly.
The village is surrounded by vast rice fields, unseen in urban areas. Apart from exploring the local culture, a fascinating aspect of the village is the traditional stilt houses of the Du Gia villagers.
The local markets are also worth a visit. Travelers can find nearly all the specialties of the Tay, Mong and Dao ethnic people in these markets.
How do you get there?
Du Gia is a municipality in Yen Minh District in Ha Giang Province. It is located between the cities of Ha Giang and Meo Vac, both approximately 70 kilometers away. There is also a second route from Ha Giang which is 110 kilometers.
There are no bus connections with the town, so you can only get there by motorcycle or car with a driver. The roads are of poor quality, but you will be rewarded with beautiful landscapes and local villages of ethnic hill tribes. The road from Meo Vac in particular is spectacular.
- From Meo Vac to Du Gia via Mau Due- DT176 – 70km
- From Ha Giang to Du Gia (option 1) – QL4C + DT181 – 70km
- From Ha Giang to Du Gia (option 2) – QL34 + DT176 – 110km
Du Gia National Park
Traveling Du Gia National Park Ha Giang will be an exciting journey for you, completely different from the trips Meo Vac or Dong Van you have experienced. Many people come here still call Du Gia a “fairy village” because of the scenery and all that it brings! If Dong Van or Meo Vac are challenging roads for travellers, come to Du Gia and where you will enjoy of profound experiences.
Established on the basis of the merger of Du Gia Nature Reserve and the langur monkey Snub-nosed habitat in Ha Giang. Du Gia National Park was officially established. It is the 31st national park to be established in Vietnam to conserve and preserve the eco-systems of forests and rare animals.
What to do in Du Gia
Visit waterfall
5 kilometres from town there’s a small waterfall with nice pools to swim. The road is dirty but worth it: the scenery along the short walk to the pools is stunning.
Check the local football court
Just some meters outside town you’ll find a football court. The views are beautiful. If you’re lucky, you’ll find a lot of locals playing. So if you do like playing football, don’t be shy and join them!
Walk around Du Gia village
You can walk through the village and see the locals working on the rice fields who greet you with a smile and you see the traditional houses built on stilts. Every Saturday morning, this small town hosts a market where the region’s colorful inhabitants gather.
Accommodations in Du Gia
Don’t expect hotels, resorts or luxury accommodations in Du Gia. There are a number of homestays such as QT Homestay, Du Gia Backpacker Hostel & Trekking, Muong Tra Garden Homestay and Du Gia Homestay. The latter is the most popular, especially for foreign tourists. Du Gia Homestay has dorms from 4 dollars, private rooms from 12 dollar and bungalows from 15 dollar. There is wifi and every evening there is a family dinner with dishes from the area and from the homestay you have views of the mountains and rice fields.
Du Gia – Mau Due
The most spectacular stretch to drive is between Mau Due and Du Gia. It is not the safest road with many holes and bends. The mountain passes are impressive, perhaps even more so than around Dong Van. In some areas you can see many rice terraces that turn golden yellow during the right season. Along the way you will find a ruin of a French watchtower from the colonial era. Expect to give a lot of high fives to the kids along the way who greet you kindly.
