Hà Giang specialities to try on the Loop

Cháo ấu tẩu

Hà Giang's most famous dish. Ấu tẩu is a toxic root that must be soaked and simmered for many hours before it can be eaten. The porridge is cooked with sticky rice, plain rice and pork trotters; it is slightly bitter, nutty and tinglingly spicy, and eaten hot on a cold evening it warms you right through.

Note: only eat it at long-established specialist eateries, and never buy the root to prepare yourself.

Thắng cố

A traditional Hmong dish of meat and offal (usually horse, beef or buffalo) cooked with black cardamom, star anise and cinnamon in a large pan. Thắng cố goes hand in hand with the highland markets in Đồng Văn and Mèo Vạc, where locals gather around the pan and drink corn wine. The flavour is quite strong and may be unusual for first-timers — just try a small bowl.

Mèn mén

The Hmong staple, made from finely ground cornmeal steamed twice. Mèn mén is usually eaten with mustard-green soup, meat, or dipped in chilli salt. Sharing a mèn mén meal at a homestay is a way to understand life on the Rocky Plateau.

Smoked meat and sausages

Buffalo and pork are marinated and hung above the kitchen fire for days, taking on a smoky aroma. A popular snack with drinks and a favourite gift to take home. Buy it from places with clear packaging.

Corn wine

A spirit distilled from corn, the most famous being corn wine fermented with leaf yeast. It is strong and fragrant, and is often offered at homestay meals or at markets.

Important: never drink while you still have mountain roads to ride, and don't drink before flying. Save the wine for the evening, once you've stopped for the day.

Mint-flower honey

Wild mint flowers bloom across the Rocky Plateau around late autumn and early winter, producing a lightly fragrant, delicately sweet honey. Many visitors take it home as a gift. Buy from reputable sellers with a clear origin.

What to eat at each stage of the Loop

• Hà Giang City (Km0): egg bánh cuốn in the morning, cháo ấu tẩu in the evening.
• Quản Bạ (Km45): lunch after your flight, try buckwheat cake, buy honey. See also the Quản Bạ stage guide.
• Yên Minh (Km100): a simple lunch on the road.
• Đồng Văn (Km150): the old quarter by night, bánh cuốn, cháo ấu tẩu, thắng cố at the market.
• Mèo Vạc (Km185): market day, thắng cố, mèn mén.
• Du Già (Km265): a home-cooked meal with a local family, free-range hill chicken, wild greens.

What to eat before paragliding?

Many guests ask whether they should eat before flying. The Mebayluon flight team's advice:

1. Have a light breakfast about 1 hour before your flight: bánh cuốn, sticky rice, bánh mì. Don't fly on an empty stomach.
2. Avoid greasy or very spicy food, or eating too much right before flying.
3. No alcohol on the day you fly.
4. Bring water. The team also provides free drinking water at the site.

If you get travel sick easily, read our tips on preparing for your first flight. Then book a flight in the morning — fly, then head off for lunch.

Tips for eating safely on the Loop

• Eat where locals eat, choose cooked dishes served hot.
• Drink bottled water, especially at stops far from town.
• Ask the price first for dishes sold by weight, such as smoked meat and thắng cố.
• Carry light snacks like biscuits and dried fruit for the long stretches between towns.

Frequently asked questions

Is cháo ấu tẩu safe?

It is safe when properly prepared at a specialist eatery. The ấu tẩu root must be soaked and simmered for a very long time to remove its toxicity, so don't prepare it yourself.

What gifts should I buy in Hà Giang?

Mint-flower honey, smoked meat, shan tuyết tea and buckwheat cakes are popular choices. Buy from places with a clear origin.

Should I drink corn wine before paragliding?

No. Alcohol slows your reflexes and affects your balance, making dizziness more likely in the air. Fly clear-headed and save the corn wine for dinner.

Cover photo: VnExpress

Photos: iVIVU, VnExpress, MIA.vn

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