This page answers specific questions about safety. How we organise safety, the levels of our guides and the training programme are set out on Safety first.
The roads
Are the roads in Ha Giang dangerous?
There is real risk, and we will not play it down. Pass follows pass, with a drop on one side and long stretches without barriers. The surface is mostly good now, but wet limestone is as slick as soap, and fog can come down in ten minutes and cut visibility to a few metres.
What makes that risk manageable is riding slowly, riding routes that have been surveyed, and having someone with you who knows where to stop.
How do you handle fog and rain?
We stop and wait. We do not push on through thick fog on a pass. Our itineraries always carry slack for this, and if we have to drop a stop in order to reach the night’s accommodation before dark, we drop it.
What about landslides?
The July–August rains bring frequent landslides, which is why we run almost no plateau tours in those two months. Outside the wet season, our operations team checks road conditions before each departure and keeps watching while the group is out.
Out on the road
How does the group ride?
There is always a lead rider and a sweep. Nobody is left behind and nobody rides ahead of the leader. Hand signals and regrouping points are agreed before each leg.
What if someone is injured?
Guides and drivers are trained in first aid and carry a medical kit. Our operations team contacts the nearest medical facility and the insurer. On remote routes we know in advance which health post and which district hospital lie along the way.
What happens when there is no phone signal?
The guide carries separate means of communication and knows where the coverage is on each route. Operations follow the group 24/7 with fixed reporting times — if a report is missed, we start looking rather than waiting.
Your health
Why must I declare a medical condition?
Because on a mountain pass the danger is not the condition — it is our not knowing about it. A hypoglycaemic episode, or a missed blood-pressure tablet, 80 km from a hospital is a different matter from the same thing in a city. Declare it honestly so we can prepare; in most cases you will still travel.
And if I do not declare it accurately?
We may refuse your participation if we find that inaccurate information affects safety. That is then handled as a cancellation by you on that date.
Is there an age limit?
No hard limit. What matters is fitness and control of the machine, not year of birth. We discuss each case individually.
Insurance
What does your insurance cover?
We insure our guests for the duration of the programme, at the highest level available for the type of tour, under Article 37 of the Law on Tourism 2017.
Do I need my own as well?
Yes, and we say so plainly. Many ordinary travel policies exclude motorcycle accidents, or cover them only below a certain engine capacity and only where the rider holds a valid licence. Read the exclusions carefully before you buy, and look for a policy that covers motorcycling and off-road riding, with emergency evacuation included.
Our rules
- No alcohol on a riding day. Vietnam applies a zero blood-alcohol limit.
- Helmet and the protective gear issued to you, at all times.
- Never ride ahead of the group leader.
- Never leave the group on your own without telling anyone.
- The guide’s decision to stop, reroute or shorten a leg is final.
These rules sound hard, but they are the reason a trip ends with good photographs rather than with a phone call to somebody’s family.