These terms apply to every Ha Giang Loop tour and every related service you book with Freedom Ha Giang Loop ("Freedom", "we", "us"): Easy Rider, self-riding and seat-behind-a-friend tours, pick-up buses, extra nights, bike upgrades and any other add-on listed on this website. The moment you pay a deposit or the full price, you accept these terms. In this document "you" or "the Customer" means the person who makes the booking and every person the booking is made for.
We have tried to write this in plain English. If anything is unclear, message us on WhatsApp at +84 973 910 970 before you pay.
Prices
All prices on this website are in Vietnamese dong (VND) and are per person unless a page says otherwise. The Easy Rider, ride-by-yourself and seat-behind-a-friend options of each Loop are priced separately; the current figures are on our Tour Information page.
The price on your booking confirmation is the price you pay. Prices shown on the website can change before a booking is confirmed, for example when fuel, homestay, entry-fee or government charges change, and every price depends on availability. If the cost of a confirmed booking rises because of something outside our control (a new tax, a change in official fees, a change in exchange rates for services we buy in), we will tell you in writing; you can then pay the difference or cancel under the cancellation terms below. We are not liable for such increases.
Deposit
A deposit secures your place in a group, your motorbike and your homestay beds. We tell you the deposit amount when we confirm your booking on WhatsApp or by email, and it is deducted from the total price.
By choosing to pay a deposit you agree that the deposit is strictly non-refundable, in every situation. If the deposit is not paid within the time we give you, the booking may be released to other guests.
Full payment
The remaining balance is paid when you check in with us in Ha Giang city, before the Loop starts, in cash (VND or USD) or by bank transfer. If you would rather settle everything before you arrive, tell us on WhatsApp and we will send you transfer details. For bookings made at very short notice, or for large private groups, we may ask for the full amount in advance; we will say so when we confirm.
Confirmation by us
Once your deposit (or full payment) has arrived we send a booking confirmation to the email address you gave us, normally within 24 hours, and we also confirm on WhatsApp. Closer to your start date we send the practical details: your pick-up point, the bus timing and where to meet us in Ha Giang. In peak months these details can arrive later than usual; if you are worried, ask us on WhatsApp at any time.
Your booking is complete when the confirmation has been sent. If you do not receive it within 2 days of paying, please tell us in writing (email or WhatsApp). If we hear nothing within those 2 days, we treat the confirmation as delivered and the booking as complete.
We are not responsible for delays or losses caused by a wrong email address or WhatsApp number, by your not telling us that a confirmation did not arrive, or by your deciding not to use a service you booked.
Refund of unused services
Everything in the tour price is offered as a package. If you skip or miss part of it, meals, a homestay night, the pick-up bus, a sightseeing stop, the gear or anything else that is included, we cannot refund or exchange that part. If you leave the Loop early, the remaining days are not refunded. If you do not show up, the full price is charged.
We do not refund for a change of mind or for reasons we cannot verify.
Acceptance of your booking
We may decline a booking without giving a reason if we believe a person could be a danger to themselves, to the group or to public safety in Vietnam. We may also refuse to let you ride by yourself if, at the safety briefing, you cannot show a valid national licence together with an International Driving Permit that covers motorbikes (1968 convention, category A or A1). In that case we will offer you the Easy Rider option and the difference in price applies.
We may change an itinerary, swap a homestay, change the order of days, reassign a guide or cancel a tour before departure without notice when weather, road conditions, landslides, police or government action, traffic, group dynamics or similar circumstances require it. We are not responsible for any loss that follows from such changes.
Cancellation and no-show
If you cancel during the tour or do not turn up, nothing is refunded, whatever the reason.
Cancelling before the tour. Every cancellation must reach us in writing, by email or WhatsApp message, and must quote your booking code or the name on the booking. The day we receive the message is the day that counts.
- 15 days or more before the start date (which covers the 30-to-15-day window and anything earlier): if you have paid in full, we refund 80% of the total price. If you have only paid the deposit, the deposit is forfeited and nothing further is owed by either side.
- Fewer than 15 days before the start date: no refund. We will instead help you move your booking to a new date, subject to availability.
- Within 7 days of the start date: no refund of any kind; a change of date is the only option, again subject to availability.
- No-show, or cancellation once the tour has started: the full price is charged.
Services included in the price but not used (ground arrangements, sightseeing, meals, homestay nights) are never refunded.
Cancellation terms for large private groups are agreed separately, in writing, when the group books.
Deposit policy
Because we commit to drivers, motorbikes and homestay families as soon as you book, the deposit is non-refundable regardless of when or why you cancel. Under the date-change rules above your deposit moves with your booking to the new date; it cannot be exchanged for cash.
Flights and visas
Flights are governed by the airline's own fare rules, not by us. Most fares are non-refundable and non-transferable and the airline may charge fees for changes. If a delayed or cancelled flight means you miss your tour, our normal cancellation terms apply; we will do what we can within them.
Getting a visa, e-visa or visa exemption for Vietnam is entirely your responsibility. Check the entry rules for your nationality before you book. We give no refund or credit when a Customer cannot travel because of a visa problem of any kind, including processing delays or a refusal, or because of a flight cancellation.
Special conditions
Some services carry cancellation terms that differ from the windows above, for example private-room upgrades, drop-off bus seats booked with a bus company, or bookings that fall on Vietnamese public holidays such as Tet. Where that is the case we state the terms in writing when you book, and those terms take precedence for that service.
Cancellation by us
In the unlikely event that we have to cancel your tour before departure for a reason within our control, we contact you immediately and you choose between a new date, an alternative tour of equivalent quality, or a full refund of everything you have paid us. No further compensation is paid beyond the amount we received from you; costs you incurred elsewhere (flights, hotels, onward travel) are not covered.
We may cancel a booking if the deposit or the balance is not paid when it is due.
Force majeure
"Force majeure" means events beyond our reasonable control, including natural disasters, landslides, floods, typhoons and other extreme weather, fire, road closures, the destruction of or damage to a vehicle, boat or accommodation we intended to use, epidemics, orders of a government, municipal, police or military authority, strikes and industrial action, riots, civil unrest or war, requisition of equipment, mechanical breakdown, fuel shortages, the insolvency or default of a bus company or other supplier connected with the tour, and fraud committed against us.
If force majeure obliges us to shorten, change, extend or cancel a tour, you cannot claim compensation from us for any loss that results. We will always try to offer a new date or a credit where we reasonably can. Extra costs that arise on the road because of force majeure, such as additional nights or transport, are borne by the Customer.
Travel documentation
Every Customer must hold a valid passport and, where required, a valid visa or permit at the start of the tour. Bring your passport (or a clear photo of it) on the Loop: homestays must register their guests with the local police every night. If you ride by yourself, carry your national driving licence and your International Driving Permit (1968 convention, category A/A1) at all times; the police on the Loop check both. A border permit, where needed, is not included in the tour price and is arranged locally.
All of these documents are your responsibility. We accept no liability if a Customer cannot start or complete a tour, is fined, or is not allowed to ride because the right documents are missing.
Liability
To the extent permitted by Vietnamese law we are not responsible for any loss, injury or damage suffered by a Customer during or in connection with a tour. Extra expenses caused by delays, accidents, natural disasters, road closures, political events or civil unrest are borne by the Customer.
Risk acknowledgement and liability waiver
By taking part in a tour you acknowledge that travelling by motorbike, whether you drive, sit behind one of our drivers or sit behind a friend, carries inherent risks. These include, without limitation, accidents, collisions, road hazards, landslides and rockfall, sudden changes of weather, mechanical failure, and personal injury or death. Mountain roads in Ha Giang are steep and winding, medical facilities on the Loop are basic, and help can take time to reach you.
You confirm that you are physically and mentally fit to take part, that you have told us in advance of any medical condition, pregnancy or injury that could affect your safety, and that you accept full responsibility for the risks of your participation. You agree that Freedom, its employees, drivers, guides, agents and partners are not liable for any injury, loss, damage or death arising from the tour, whatever the cause, including negligence, except where the law does not allow such liability to be excluded.
You agree to follow the safety instructions of your guide and drivers, to wear the helmet we provide at all times on the bike, to obey Vietnamese traffic law and to ride sober. Riding under the influence of alcohol or drugs, refusing safety instructions or riding in a way that endangers others ends your participation immediately, without refund. If you ride yourself, you are responsible for the motorbike while it is in your care and for the repair cost of any damage you cause.
By confirming your booking you declare that you have read, understood and accepted this Risk Acknowledgement and Liability Waiver.
Responsibility and disclaimer
We always do our best to deliver the tour as described and to your satisfaction. Some parts of a tour are provided by third parties: bus companies for pick-ups and drop-offs, homestay families, restaurants, the boatmen who pole the bamboo rafts, and other local businesses. For those services we act as your agent and we do not accept liability for any injury, damage, death, loss, accident or delay caused by the actions or omissions of such a carrier, homestay, restaurant, business or person. We also reserve the right to decline to accept, or to stop carrying, any person on a tour.
Claims
If something is not right on the road, tell your guide straight away; most problems can be fixed on the spot. Any claim you wish to make afterwards must be sent to us in writing, to hello@freedomhagiangloop.com, within 30 days of the end of the tour.
Every dispute, claim or complaint about our services is first settled by discussion and mutual understanding. If that fails, the matter is finally resolved by the Vietnam International Arbitration Centre (VIAC) at the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, under Vietnamese law.
Contact
Freedom Ha Giang Loop
297 Ly Thuong Kiet Street, Ha Giang City, Tuyen Quang Province, Vietnam
WhatsApp / phone: +84 973 910 970 (7am - 10pm, Vietnam time, GMT+7)
Email: hello@freedomhagiangloop.com
A Boong Waterfall
Thuan Hoa Road
Duong Thuong Valley
Lung Ho Valley
Thu's Homestay, Du Gia (Tay family)
