Tu San canyon
The plateau's deepest gorge.
Hoach Le Dinh — CC0 · minhphuc_99kdd — CC0 · Khánh Hmoong — CC BY 2.0 · NKSTTSSHNVN — CC BY-SA 4.0 · NKSTTSSHNVN — CC BY-SA 4.0
Ma Pi Leng Pass is a mountain road in the far north of Vietnam, between the towns of Dong Van and Meo Vac, about 250 km north of Hanoi and 63 km northeast of Ha Giang city in a straight line. The area belonged to Ha Giang province until 2025, when it was merged into Tuyen Quang province, but travellers still call the whole region Ha Giang. The road climbs to about 1,500 metres and runs for roughly 20 km along steep slopes high above the Nho Que River. It was cut in the 1960s as part of the «Happiness Road» linking Ha Giang with the plateau villages, and in 2009 the Ma Pi Leng landscape was listed as a national monument. The name is usually explained as «the horse's nose bridge». From lookouts near the crest the view drops into the Tu San canyon, where the jade-green river twists through a narrow gorge between near-vertical limestone walls. Grey karst ridges fold away in every direction, often wrapped in low cloud in the morning. Ma Pi Leng is the best-known stop on the Ha Giang Loop, a motorbike circuit of several days around the plateau. Most travellers pause at the viewpoints for photos, and boat trips run on the river far below the pass.
The plateau's deepest gorge.
Jade-green water.
Its best-known stop.
Road between Dong Van and Meo Vac, far northern Vietnam
On the road between Dong Van and Meo Vac, part of the Ha Giang Loop.
September to November, when the weather is clearest.