The journey to Ha Giang was a long one. After getting back to Hanoi from Cat Ba, we had to traverse the city in an expensive taxi to the northern-most bus station, Gia Lam, to get a bus to Tuyen Quang. This was the point at which we had to change to another bus, to Ha Giang, where we could stop for the night. The total journey time that day would end up being 17 hours.

After getting the early bus from Cat Ba to Hanoi, we ended up in the same station that we (Sebastian and I) had departed from. We had met two French travellers in Cat Ba, who were doing the same journey and we shared a taxi from there to the city centre. After getting back to the Old Quarter in Hanoi, I picked up my passport, which had been getting my visa extension and we got in a taxi to Gia Lam. There, it transpired, we had to get a bus to Tuyen Quang and then get another bus, which had not been obvious in the guide book. The bus was very slow and the bus conductor tried very hard to rip us both off.

Once in Tuyen Quang, Sebastian and I swapped buses for Ha Giang. Hoai, a student at the local college joined the bus and helped pass the time by asking lots of questions in English. Once in Ha Giang, we tried hard to find a hotel, which we eventually did by splitting up and going separate ways. After going back to one Sebastian had thought was free, we found out they had got rid of their last room about 10 minutes before and ended up staying a few doors down the road. The meal we had that night was a kind of porridgey soup, which had looked good, as it was in one of the only places still open. The family were very friendly and offered us clams and rice wine, which we accepted and the youngest child ended up entertaining us until our meals were finished.

The next days we got up early and got our permits for Dong Van. This is so far north, known as a frontier town, that you need a permit so that you don’t cross the border into China. Once on the bus, it was another 6 hours through the mountainous scenery to Dong Van.

The time spent in Dong Van made all of the journey time worth it. The next day the market was on and all the minority groups from the surrounding areas came down and were all in one place. It was such a huge explosion of colour that it was hard to take in at some points. Sebastian and I followed some of the villagers back to their villages and we went on one of the most magical walks through the hills that I think I can remember. Parts of it were like being in a dream.

The next day, Sebastian went on to Ninh Binh and I stayed in Ha Giang province and went to the capital, Meo Vac. This I did on the back of a motorbike, which I negotiated down from 200 000 VND to 150 000 VND and it was also an amazing experience. The scenery was stunning, with huge karst mountains rising up from the valley bottom and a winding road cut into the hillside.

Once in Meo Vac, I found a hotel and climbed up to the nearest pagoda. Staying there for a while, I took a convoluted way back and decided that I would move on to Ninh Binh the next day. This I did the next morning and was in Ninh Binh a day or so later.