Mèo Vạc Travel Guide A-Z: Transportation, Activities, Sightseeing, Local Cuisine

🗺️ Mèo Vạc Travel Guide A-Z: Transportation, Activities, Sightseeing, Local Cuisine

Mèo Vạc District borders Dong Van District and Yen Minh Town (Ha Giang), Bao Lam District (Cao Bang) and China. Along with Dong Van, Mèo Vạc is one of the places with many tourist attractions and beautiful scenery in Ha Giang. The Happiness Road (National Route 4C) with a length of 200 km also runs through Mèo Vạc District. You can visit Mèo Vạc at any time of the year as every season is beautiful.

🚗 Transportation

Transportation Options

You can use several transportation methods to reach Mèo Vạc:

• 🏍️ Motorbike/Car: Flexible but requires mountain driving experience, travel time approximately 4-5 hours from Ha Giang
• 🚌 Bus: From Ha Giang bus station, ticket price approximately 150,000 - 250,000 VND/person
• 🚐 Tourist vehicle: Premium service, price approximately 200,000 - 350,000 VND/person

Travel Directions

From Ha Giang city:

1. 🚗 Main route: Drive along National Route 4C through Quan Ba, Yen Minh then to Mèo Vạc
2. 🔄 Alternative routes:
   • Via National Route 34 then National Route 4C
   • Via National Route 4C then Provincial Road 176 (smaller road, travel may take longer)

Important Notes:

• 🛣️ Terrain: Rocky plateau difficult to navigate, treacherous, many mountain passes
• ⛽ Gas stations: Stations along the route but should fill up before going up the passes
• 📱 Mobile signal: Decreases at higher altitudes, should download offline maps beforehand
• 🌦️ Weather: Roads become slippery during rain, should travel early morning or late afternoon

Transportation in Mèo Vạc

• 🚴 Motorbike rental: Price approximately 150,000 - 250,000 VND/day
• 🚖 Local taxi service: Price approximately 100,000 - 200,000 VND/trip
• 🚌 Local bus service: Affordable, fixed routes to tourist spots

🏨 Accommodation

Accommodation Types

🏠 Homestay (250,000 - 800,000 VND/night)

• 🏡 Experience: Live with local people, learn about H’Mông and Dao ethnic culture
• 💰 Price: Suitable for small groups and couples
• 🎯 Notable homestays:
  • Meovac H’mong Ecolodge
  • Auberge de Meovac (Chung Pua)
  • Meo Vac Clay House
  • Lo Lo Homestay & Cafe Meo Vac
  • Ma Pi Leng Ecolodge

🏩 Hotel (500,000 - 1,500,000 VND/night)

• 🛏️ Facilities: Private rooms, en-suite bathrooms, hot water
• 🍽️ Service: Most offer breakfast service
• 🎯 Notable hotels:
  • Standard 1-3 star hotels - Concentrated in the center of Meo Vac town

🏕️ Camping Service (300,000 - 500,000 VND/night)

• 🌟 Location: By the white cliff beside Ma Pi Leng Pass with view of Nho Que River
• 🏘️ Features:
  • Unique adventure experience
  • Need to contact local guides for safety
  • Route to camping site: drive along Ma Pi Leng Pass, then take Ma Pi Leng B road for about 3 km and trek another 2 km

Auberge de Meovac Homestay (Chung Pua). Photo: Khanh Tran

🎯 Things to Do

🌊 Nho Que River

Nho Que River originates from Ngiem Son Mountain (Yunnan, China) flowing in a northwest-southeast direction, through Dong Van and Mèo Vạc districts of Ha Giang province then joins the Gam River at Ly Bon Commune, Bao Lam District, Cao Bang Province. The river is 192 km long, with 46 km in Vietnam, winding through stone formations creating strong currents. The Tu San Gorge and Ma Pi Leng Pass section in Mèo Vạc flows gently, winding around rocky mountains with crystal clear water.

In 2009, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism classified this area as a Vietnamese scenic heritage site. The Nho Que River valley was honored as one of Vietnam’s unique geological valleys.

Visitors to Nho Que River can try boat rides, kayaking, and SUP experiences. It takes about an hour to travel down the pass to the boat dock and back through winding roads.

Boat dock on Nho Que River. Photo: Ngoc Thanh

Service prices:

• Motorboat: 120,000 VND per adult and 60,000 VND per child
• Kayak and SUP: 100,000 VND per person

🏔️ Ma Pi Leng Pass

Ma Pi Leng is one of the “Four Great Mountain Passes” in northern Vietnam, along with Ô Quy Hồ (Lao Cai - Lai Chau), Pha Din (Dien Bien) and Khau Pha (Yen Bai). The pass is called the king of mountain passes in Northwest Vietnam, a treacherous route belonging to Pa Vi and Pai Lung communes, Mèo Vạc District and Ta Lung commune, Dong Van District.

Ma Pi Leng Pass is located at an altitude of 1,200m, 20km long on the Happiness Road connecting Ha Giang city with Dong Van and Mèo Vạc districts. From the top of Ma Pi Leng, visitors can admire the panoramic view of the rocky plateau. The magnificent mountain scenery features steep cliff faces on one side and the deep valley of Nho Que River on the other.

Ma Pi Leng Pass. Photo: TCDL

🌄 Tu San Gorge

Tu San Gorge is located below Ma Pi Leng Pass, on Nho Que River. The close distance between two mountain ridges combined with the green color of the river creates magnificent and poetic scenery. To reach Tu San Gorge, visitors must take a boat or speedboat for about 20 minutes upstream from the dock.

Many years ago, before the hydroelectric dam was built on Nho Que River, very few people could approach the foot of this treacherous vertical cliff, only able to admire the magnificent scenery when stopping at the curves on Ma Pi Leng Pass. After the hydroelectric dam blocked the flow, Nho Que River became calmer, and locals began offering boat services to take visitors to the foot of the cliff.

Tu San Gorge. Photo: Ngoc Thanh

🛍️ Khau Vai Love Market

Khau Vai Love Market, also called “romantic market,” is held on the 27th day of the 3rd lunar month every year. The market is over 100 years old, located in Khau Vai Village, Khau Vai Commune, 180km from Ha Giang city. The market is a place for people to reunite after one or many years apart. According to tradition, many married couples come together to the market, with wives looking for their wife’s friends and husbands looking for their husband’s friends, without jealousy or resentment, respecting each other.

However, Khau Vai Love Market is becoming commercialized, gradually losing its rustic charm and original meaning. The market now sells many types of goods like other markets.

🍜 Food & Dining

Local Specialties

Mèo Vạc, like many other places in Ha Giang, has typical provincial dishes such as:

🥢 Rice Rolls

Rice rolls are a traditional dish of Ha Giang people, with meat filling seasoned with characteristic spices.

🍲 Au Tau Porridge

Au Tau porridge is one of the specialties that cannot be missed when visiting Mèo Vạc, with distinctive flavor and nutrition.

🍲 Thang Co

Thang co is a unique traditional dish with various meats stewed with characteristic spices of the mountain region.

🍚 Men Men

Men men is a traditional dish made from pure corn flour, with a crispy and delicious taste characteristic of the region.

🍰 Buckwheat Cake

Buckwheat cake is a specialty made from ingredients from local buckwheat plants, with a special delicious taste.

🍲 Thang Den

Thang den is a traditional dish with wild amaranth and stewed meat, nutritious and delicious.

🍚 Gù Chung Cake

Gù chung cake is a variant of traditional chung cake with special shape and diverse fillings.

🍚 Five-Color Sticky Rice

Five-color sticky rice is made from glutinous rice and natural leaves for coloring, representing the 5 elements Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth in Eastern philosophy.

Au Tau porridge. Photo: Khanh Tran

Thang co. Photo: Khanh Tran

Men men. Photo: Khanh Tran

Recommended Restaurants

Some restaurants recommended by Tripadvisor travel website:

• Thanh Phuong restaurant
• May Co Quan
• Hoang Dung Quan
• Ngoc Lan Quan
• Quyet Hang restaurant
• Mr. Hung Italian Restaurant & Bar Wine Mèo Vạc (Western food)

📷 Mèo Vạc Photo Album

Below is a collection of beautiful images of Mèo Vạc for your reference:

🌄 Beautiful Scenery of Mèo Vạc

🌊 Nho Que River

🏞️ Villages and Local Culture

🛍️ Khau Vai Love Market

🍽️ Local Cuisine Specialties of Mèo Vạc

⚠️ Travel Tips

Weather Conditions

• 🌤️ Buckwheat flower season: October-December, spectacular scenery with hills of blooming buckwheat flowers
• 📅 Winter season: December-February, possible cold and frost
• 🌅 Photography angle: Determine sunrise direction for the best photo angles

Safety and Transportation

• 🚫 Limitations: Avoid Ma Pi Leng Pass at night or during heavy rain
• 👥 Group travel: Avoid traveling in large groups on narrow roads
• 💰 Pricing: Always inquire and negotiate when using taxi services

Costs and Accommodation Booking

• 💵 Cost: Approximately 1.5 - 3 million VND/person for 2 days 1 night
• 📅 Booking: Book accommodation in advance during holidays and festivals as rooms often sell out
• 🚶 Capacity: Mèo Vạc can serve hundreds of tourists simultaneously but should avoid peak times

Prepare thoroughly and plan carefully to have a complete trip to this “rocky plateau paradise.”

📍 Important Note: Bring warm clothes, raincoat, and appropriate sports shoes as mountain weather changes quickly and terrain can be challenging.

Author: Tam Anh