Lung Khuy Cave Quan Ba: How to Visit and What to Expect
05/10/2026
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Thúy Kiều is a travel blogger and content contributor for Loop Trails Tours Ha Giang. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Sustainable Tourism from Vietnam National University, Hanoi, and has a strong passion for exploring and promoting responsible travel experiences in Vietnam’s northern highlands.
Two tour pages. Both say all inclusive. One costs noticeably more than the other. Somewhere between those two claims sits the thing you’re actually trying to work out: what will I end up paying by the time I’m back in Hanoi?
“All inclusive” is not a regulated term in Vietnamese tourism. It means whatever the operator decides it means, and on the Ha Giang Loop the boundaries move constantly. Some tours include the boat trip. Some don’t. Some include the bus from Hanoi. Almost none do. Nobody includes your beer.
We run Loop tours, so this is a view from inside the industry, not a neutral audit. What we can do is be specific about the line items so you can read any tour page, ours included, and know exactly what you’re buying.
Learn more: Ha Giang Loop Tours
On most Ha Giang Loop tours, all inclusive means: accommodation for the nights of the tour, the meals listed in the itinerary, fuel for the route, your driver or guide, and the stops written into the day plan.
It almost never means: transport to and from Ha Giang, alcohol, tips, travel insurance, private room upgrades, or anything you buy along the way.
The grey zone, and this is where people get caught, is entrance tickets, the Nho Que River boat trip, luggage storage and safety gear. Those change from operator to operator and from itinerary to itinerary.
Learn more: Ha Giang Loop 2 Days 1 Night
Loop tours weren’t designed by a committee. They grew out of hostels and local families running trips for backpackers, and the pricing conventions grew with them. Nobody standardised the package.
That means two honest operators can describe two genuinely different products with the same two words, and neither is lying. What separates a good tour page from a bad one isn’t the phrase. It’s whether there’s a list underneath it.
If a page says all inclusive and then itemises what’s in and what’s out, that’s a good sign at any price. If it says all inclusive and stops there, you have questions to ask.
Learn more: Ha Giang Loop 3 Days 2 Nights
Here’s the anatomy of a Loop package, item by item, with what to expect as standard.
Almost always included, but “accommodation” covers a wide range on the Loop. The default on group tours is a dorm bed in a homestay: a mattress in a shared room, mosquito net, shared bathrooms.
Some homestays have small dorms, some have long rooms with twenty or more beds. Private rooms usually exist but are an upgrade you pay for on top. If sleeping in a big shared room matters to you either way, ask what the default is and what an upgrade costs before you book, not on arrival.
Our own tour prices include dorm accommodation. Private room upgrades are extra, and we’d rather tell you that in advance than surprise you on night one.
Usually included as listed in the itinerary, which is the important qualifier. A 3 day tour typically covers breakfast, lunch and dinner on the full days, with the last day often finishing after lunch because you’re back in Ha Giang by afternoon.
Homestay dinners are family style, shared around a table, and they’re one of the genuinely good parts of the Loop. Drinking water on the road is normally covered. Coffee stops, snacks and anything you buy at a viewpoint are on you.
Dietary requirements are worth flagging at booking. Homestays shop in the morning for that evening, so late notice means fewer options.
Included on guided tours, whether you’re on the back of an Easy Rider bike or riding your own bike on a self drive tour with a guide.
Rental without a tour is different. If you rent a bike and ride independently, fuel is yours to pay, every time.
Included, obviously, but the detail that matters is the ratio. One driver per guest on an Easy Rider tour is the norm, because you’re on the back of their bike. On self drive tours, one guide leads a group of riders, and how many riders that guide is responsible for varies enormously between operators.
Ask for the number. It tells you more about your day than almost anything else on the page.
This is grey zone number one. Several stops along the Loop charge entry, and tours differ on whether those are inside the price or collected from you on the day.
Neither approach is dishonest. What matters is knowing which one applies, because a handful of small tickets across three days adds up to a real number when you’re travelling on a budget.
Learn more: Ha Giang Loop 4 Days 3 Nights
Grey zone number two, and the single most common source of confusion on the Loop.
The boat trip through Tu San Canyon is a separate product operated on the river, and many tours treat the ticket as an optional extra. Others build it into the itinerary and the price. It’s also a question of time: the boat fits comfortably into a 4 day route but squeezes a 3 day one.
On our tours it’s part of the 4 day Ha Giang Loop and the Ha Giang and Cao Bang route, written into the day plan. If you want the boat, check that it’s written into the itinerary of whatever you book, not just mentioned on the page as a highlight of the region.
Usually free, usually not mentioned anywhere. Most operators are based at a hostel or office in Ha Giang City and will hold your big bag while you ride with a daypack. Confirm it exists and ask whether the room is locked.
Helmets are standard and included. Beyond that it varies: some operators provide rain ponchos and knee protection, some sell them, some assume you brought your own.
If you’re riding in the wet season, ask specifically about rain gear. A cheap poncho from a shop in Ha Giang City is a small purchase that changes an entire day.
Comparing two tours right now? Open our Ha Giang Loop tour pages beside whatever else you’re looking at and check the inclusion lists line by line. If a detail is unclear on either page, message us on WhatsApp and ask. We’ll answer about ours honestly, including the parts that are extra.
Learn more: Ha Giang Cao Bang 5 Days 4 Nights
This surprises people more than anything else. Tour prices generally start in Ha Giang City and end there, so the night bus from Hanoi and the trip back are separate.
Most operators will book them for you, which is easier than sorting it yourself. Options typically range from VIP sleeper buses through cabin sleepers and limousine vans up to private cars. We book these from Hanoi, Ha Long, Cat Ba, Ninh Binh and Sapa, and onward from Ha Giang or Cao Bang at the end of your trip, but they’re priced separately from the tour itself.
When you compare two quotes, make sure the buses are either in both or out of both.
A dorm bed is the default, a private room is the upgrade. Availability depends on the homestay, and in peak season the private rooms go first. Ask early if you want one.
Dinner at a homestay often comes with rice wine, poured generously and known to every Loop rider as happy water. Whether the first round is on the house varies. Beer and spirits are almost always extra.
Two practical notes: you don’t have to drink, and a polite no is fine. And if you’re riding yourself the next morning, treat the evening accordingly.
Not compulsory, not included, and completely normal in this industry. If your driver has spent three days looking after you, many travelers tip at the end. The amount is yours to decide.
Never included in the tour price, and worth sorting before you arrive. Read the motorbike clauses in your policy carefully, because many insurers exclude riding without the correct licence, and some exclude motorbikes above a certain engine size altogether. That’s a policy question, not a tour question, and it applies whether you ride or sit on the back.
Learn more: Ha Giang Loop Easy Rider
You ride on the back with a local driver. The package is the fullest of the three: accommodation, meals, fuel, driver, helmet, itinerary stops.
There’s no licence requirement for you as a passenger, and no bike deposit, because you’re not responsible for the vehicle.
You ride your own bike following a guide. Accommodation, meals, fuel, guide and helmet work the same way. What changes is responsibility: you’re riding, so damage to the bike, traffic fines and your own documents are on you.
You need your passport, your home motorcycle licence and an International Driving Permit under the 1968 convention. IDPs issued under the 1949 convention are not valid in Vietnam. Riding without the right documents can mean fines, reported in the range of 2,000,000 to 6,000,000 VND, and can invalidate your insurance. Riders from some ASEAN countries, including Singapore and Malaysia, have their national licences recognised under a regional agreement. Rules change, so check your own situation before you travel. We don’t run self drive on the 2 day Loop.
You travel in a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon with a driver. Inclusions mirror the motorbike tours: accommodation, meals, the itinerary stops and your driver, with fuel and vehicle costs inside the price.
The difference is how the price is quoted. Jeep tours are priced per vehicle rather than per person, so the more people in the car, the better it works out each. There’s no licence issue and no weather problem, which is why families, older travelers and rainy season visitors gravitate here.
Renting a bike without a tour is the least inclusive option by definition. You get a bike, a helmet and usually a basic toolkit. Everything else, fuel, food, beds, route, repairs, is yours.
That independence is the appeal for experienced riders. Just price it honestly against a guided tour before assuming it’s cheaper.
Learn more: Ha Giang Motorbike Rental
Here’s a distinction worth internalising, because it catches people out on every self drive trip in Vietnam.
“Included” means the operator provides it. “Insured” means someone covers the cost when it goes wrong. They are not the same thing, and on a rental bike the gap between them is your deposit.
Before you take a rental bike:
None of this is paranoia. It’s the same check you’d do renting anything, and it takes five minutes
A good inclusion list is specific. Look for these signals:
| Good sign | Warning sign |
|---|---|
| Separate “included” and “not included” lists | Only the word “all inclusive” |
| Named stops for each day | Regions named instead of places |
| A stated group size or ratio | “Small groups” with no number |
| Accommodation type spelled out | “Homestay” with no detail |
| Clear statement on the boat trip | Boat mentioned only in the highlights |
| Written cancellation policy | No policy shown anywhere |
The pattern is simple. Specificity is the product of an operator who has thought about the details. Vagueness usually means someone hasn’t, or would rather you didn’t ask.
Learn more: Ha Giang Cao Bang 6 Days 5 Nights
Send these to any operator before you pay:
Five messages. Ten minutes. It’s the cheapest insurance you’ll buy on this trip.
Learn more: Ha Giang Loop Photography Guide
Don’t compare tour prices. Compare trip totals. Lay it out like this, with the same rows for every operator you’re considering:
| Line item | In the quote? | Your cost if not |
|---|---|---|
| Tour price | Yes | |
| Bus Hanoi to Ha Giang | Usually no | |
| Bus back to Hanoi or onward | Usually no | |
| Nho Que boat trip | Sometimes | |
| Entrance tickets | Sometimes | |
| Private room upgrade | No | |
| Drinks | No | |
| Tips | No | |
| Travel insurance | No | |
| Spending money and souvenirs | No |
Fill the right hand column with real numbers you’ve checked, not guesses, and add it up. Two tours that looked far apart often finish much closer together. Sometimes the cheaper one stays cheaper, which is equally useful to know before you book rather than after.
If you want more on where the gaps between cheap and mid priced tours actually come from, we wrote a separate post on what gets cut at the bottom of the market.
Learn more: Ha Giang Packing list
Since this whole article is about being specific, here’s ours in plain terms.
Included in our tour prices:
Not included:
That’s the whole list. If something isn’t in the first group, assume it’s in the second and ask us.
Learn more: Ha Giang Loop by Wrangler Rubicon Jeep
If you want the simplest version: Easy Rider if you’re travelling solo or as a couple and don’t want to ride, self drive if you’re an experienced rider with the correct licence and IDP, jeep if you’re with family, with someone who doesn’t ride, or travelling in the rainy season.
For the length: 2 days for a taste, 3 days for the classic Loop, 4 days if you want the boat trip, Lung Cu and the quieter villages, and 5 or 6 days if you want to continue into Cao Bang and Ban Gioc.
Jeep prices are the total for your group in one vehicle. Motorbike prices are per person. All tours include dorm accommodation and everything in the itinerary. Private room upgrades and bus tickets to and from the start or end point are extra.
| Tour | Jeep, 1 guest | Jeep, 2 guests | Jeep, 3 guests | Jeep, 4 guests | Easy Rider (per person) | Self Drive (per person) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ha Giang Loop 2D1N | 12,990,000 VND | 15,990,000 VND | 19,990,000 VND | 22,990,000 VND | 3,490,000 VND | not available |
| Ha Giang Loop 3D2N | 15,990,000 VND | 19,990,000 VND | 23,990,000 VND | 25,990,000 VND | 4,490,000 VND | 3,790,000 VND |
| Ha Giang Loop 4D3N | 19,990,000 VND | 25,990,000 VND | 30,990,000 VND | 34,990,000 VND | 5,890,000 VND | 4,990,000 VND |
| Ha Giang and Cao Bang 5D4N | 27,990,000 VND | 36,990,000 VND | 41,990,000 VND | 46,990,000 VND | 10,990,000 VND | 10,590,000 VND |
| Ha Giang and Cao Bang 6D5N | 36,990,000 VND | 44,990,000 VND | 49,990,000 VND | 54,990,000 VND | 13,990,000 VND | 13,490,000 VND |
| Cao Bang Loop 3D2N | 14,990,000 VND | 19,990,000 VND | 24,990,000 VND | 31,990,000 VND | 6,490,000 VND | 5,990,000 VND |
Prices are in Vietnamese dong, so convert at the rate on the day rather than trusting a figure in a blog post. Jeep tours use a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, except the Cao Bang Loop, which runs in an army style jeep.
Ready to book, or still comparing? Pick the length and style that fits on our Ha Giang Loop tours page, or go straight to the jeep tours if you’re travelling as a family. Riding independently instead? See motorbike rental in Ha Giang. And if you just want a straight answer about what a specific trip will cost you all in, send us your dates on WhatsApp.
Learn more: Ha Giang Loop Self-Drive
Ask for the cancellation policy in writing, and ask what happens if weather stops the tour partway. Mountain weather in the north can close roads, and how an operator handles that says a lot about them. Policies vary, so get yours confirmed by message rather than assuming.
Bring your passport. If you’re riding, bring your home motorcycle licence and your IDP 1968 as well. Police checks happen, and having the right paperwork is the difference between a short conversation and an expensive one. Requirements change, so verify before you fly.
On self drive tours and rentals, understand the damage policy before you sign. What’s the excess, who assesses damage, and what happens in a genuine accident rather than a scratch? Get the answer in writing, in the booking conversation, where you can find it again.
Learn more: Cao Bang Loop 3 Days best kept secret
All inclusive on the Ha Giang Loop is a useful shorthand, not a guarantee. The operators worth booking with will happily turn that shorthand into a list, item by item, before you’ve paid anything.
Ask the five questions. Build the real total. Then book the trip you actually want, at a price you already understand.
Typically accommodation, the meals listed in the itinerary, fuel, your driver or guide, and the stops in the day plan. Buses to Ha Giang, alcohol, tips and insurance are almost always separate.
Usually not. Tours normally start and end in Ha Giang City. Most operators, including us, can book the bus for you as a separate item.
It depends on the operator and the itinerary. On our tours it’s included in the 4 day Ha Giang Loop and the Ha Giang and Cao Bang routes. Always check that it’s written into the day plan.
No. Dorm accommodation is the standard on group tours, with private rooms available as a paid upgrade subject to availability.
This varies by operator. Some build site fees into the price, others collect them on the day. Ask before booking so there are no surprises.
Beer and spirits are extra. Rice wine at dinner, known as happy water, is sometimes offered by the host, but don’t assume it’s part of the package, and don’t feel obliged to drink.
It isn’t required or included, but it’s common and appreciated after a good trip. The amount is entirely up to you.
No, and you should arrange it before arriving. Check the motorbike clauses in your policy, since many insurers exclude riding without the correct licence.
Generally the bike, a helmet and a basic toolkit. Fuel, accommodation, food, route planning and repairs are your responsibility.
On our guided self drive tours, yes. On a rental without a tour, no. Always check which arrangement applies to what you’re booking.
Policies vary by operator, so ask for yours in writing before you book. Mountain roads can be affected by heavy rain, and a good operator will explain how they handle it.
List the same items for both, including buses, the boat trip, entrance tickets and upgrades, then add up the real totals. Compare those numbers rather than the headline prices.
Contact information for Loop Trails
Website: Loop Trails Official Website
Email: looptrailshostel@gmail.com
Hotline & WhatSapp:
+84862379288
+84938988593
Social Media:
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Office Address: 54A Tran Phu, Ha Giang 2, Tuyen Quang
Address: 54A Tran Phu, Ha Giang 2, Tuyen Quang
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