A Unforgettable Journey Through the Ha Giang Loop

Week nine was easily one of the biggest highlights of my entire study abroad experience so far. This week was our recess week at NTU, which ran from March 2nd to March 6th, and I decided to use the break to travel back to Vietnam and do something I had been really excited about: the Ha Giang Loop.

The Ha Giang Loop is located in northern Vietnam, near the Chinese border, and it’s known as one of the most beautiful motorcycle routes in the world. I booked the trip through Bong Hostel, which is a pretty popular company that organizes the loop. The way it works is you join a tour group and ride around the region for several days on the back of a motorcycle with a driver, who they call an “easy rider.” Your driver takes you through the mountains and stops at different viewpoints, villages, and scenic areas along the route.

One of the first things I noticed about the trip was how international the group was. I met people from all over the world, Croatia, France, Estonia, and more. It was really cool getting to meet people from so many different countries while traveling together.

During the day, we would spend hours riding through the mountains. The views were breathtaking. We were riding through massive mountain ranges thousands of feet high, with huge valleys stretching out below us. At some of the viewpoints, you could look over the edge and see just how high up you were, which was incredible.

One thing that made the experience even better was my driver. He was only 22, and it was his first time driving the Ha Giang Loop, which honestly shocked me because he drove like he had been doing it for years. His driving skills were incredible. There were times when we were zooming down these steep mountain roads, and he handled it perfectly. I trusted him completely the whole time.

The funny part is that he barely spoke any English, so most of our conversations happened through Google Translate. Even though we didn’t share a common language, we still ended up bonding a lot over the few days. We would laugh, translate things back and forth, and just enjoy the ride together. By the end of the trip, I honestly felt like we had built a real connection. I ended up giving him a big tip at the end because he made the experience so great.

Another person who really made the trip amazing was our group leader. He had so much energy and really made sure everyone was having a good time. Every night, he led chants, organized games, and kept the group together. I talked to a few people from other tour groups during the trip, and some of them said their groups weren’t nearly as fun because their leaders weren’t as energetic.

In fact, three people from other groups ended up hanging out with our group instead because of our group’s good vibe. It made me realize that while the views and riding are incredible, a lot of the social experience really depends on the group you get. Luckily, I got really lucky with mine. Everyone was super friendly and easy to talk to.

During the day, we would ride from around 10 a.m. until about 5 p.m., stopping at viewpoints, villages, and scenic spots along the way. The landscapes constantly changed. Sometimes we were riding through rocky mountain terrain, and other times we’d enter these lush green valleys surrounded by steep cliffs. At certain points, we rode along narrow mountain roads with massive drop-offs on the side. It felt surreal.

We also visited a few local villages, where we saw people making things like handmade rings and woven hemp textiles. It was interesting seeing how communities live in these remote mountain areas. Some of the villages are built on really steep hillsides, and it honestly makes you wonder how people manage to live there.

The evenings were just as memorable as the riding. Once we got to the hostel for the night, everyone would eat dinner together and then hang out. There was a local drink called “Happy Water,” which is basically a very strong homemade alcohol that everyone drinks together.

There were also these local chants everyone would do before drinking. The one everyone kept shouting was  “Một, hai, ba… Zô. Hai, ba… Zô! Hai, ba… Uống!” and everyone would yell it together before taking a shot. It sounds random, but those moments turned out to be some of the best bonding moments of the trip.

After dinner, the nights usually turned into karaoke, dancing, card games, and just hanging out. We ended up doing karaoke almost every night, and it was hilarious hearing people from all over the world singing everything from American songs to random international hits.

By the end of the trip, I had met so many great people—people I’ll definitely stay in touch with and others I’ll just always remember as part of this experience. It’s the kind of trip where you spend a few days together and end up forming friendships really quickly.

The Ha Giang Loop itself was honestly one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. The mountains, valleys, and landscapes were unlike anything I’ve seen before. Riding through those roads with the wind hitting you and seeing the views around every corner was something I’ll probably remember for the rest of my life.

If anyone ever travels to Southeast Asia, I would absolutely recommend doing the Ha Giang Loop. It was easily one of the best decisions I made during my time abroad.

After finishing the loop, I spent one extra day in Hanoi before heading back to Singapore. Hanoi felt a little calmer compared to Ho Chi Minh City. It had less of that huge city feel and was more laid-back. I mostly just walked around, explored a bit, and took in the atmosphere before flying back.

Overall, week nine was one of the most memorable weeks of my entire study abroad experience. Between the incredible scenery, the people I met, bonding with my driver and group leader, and the overall adventure of riding through northern Vietnam, the Ha Giang Loop was something I’ll never forget.

Mason Pratt

Mechanical Engineering

Nayang Technological Univeristy, Singapore

Week 7&8: Slowing Down and Taking It All In

After a few weeks of almost back-to-back travel, weeks seven and eight were definitely a lot calmer. It was honestly nice to slow things down a little bit and just take some time to relax, catch up on schoolwork, and think about what I want to do with the rest of my time here.

I spent Chinese New Year’s Eve in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, before heading back to Singapore. That night, there were many people out on the streets, walking and celebrating. It felt like the whole city was outside. There were big crowds everywhere, and while there weren’t huge events happening where I was specifically, you could definitely feel that something important was being celebrated. I mostly just walked around the city and watched everything going on. It was cool to see how another country celebrates a holiday like that.

The next day, I flew back to Singapore on Chinese New Year’s Day. Later that night, I went out with some friends and watched a fireworks show. The fireworks were honestly just okay, nothing too crazy, but it was still nice to walk around the city and see how lively everything was during the holiday.

Other than that, week seven was pretty relaxed. I spent a lot of time planning my next big trip, which will be the Ha Giang Loop in northern Vietnam during our upcoming recess week. I’ve heard that the Ha Giang Loop is one of the most beautiful motorcycle routes in the world, so I’m really excited about that.

One thing that really hit me this week was how fast the semester is going. When I first arrived in Singapore, it felt like the semester would last forever. But suddenly, it’s already mid-February, moving quickly toward late February. It’s crazy realizing that we’re already getting close to being halfway through the semester.

That realization made me think about how important it is to make the most of your time while studying abroad. Four months might sound like a long time, but once you’re actually here, it flies by. If there’s something you want to do, somewhere you want to travel, or something you want to experience, you really have to just go for it. Otherwise, you’ll look back and realize you ran out of time. I’ve started planning some potential solo trips later in the semester, too, just to make sure I’m making the most of being here.

Week eight had a similar vibe. I didn’t travel anywhere and honestly just spent most of the week relaxing, hanging out with friends, and focusing on classes. After all the traveling earlier in the semester, it was good to take a break and just enjoy being in Singapore.

One thing I’ve noticed while being here is that I actually have a lot more free time than I usually do back at Michigan. Because of that, I’ve started spending time working on some personal projects and passions that I normally wouldn’t have time for. It’s been really nice to explore things I’ve always wanted to learn or try but never had the time for before.

I think that’s another big takeaway from studying abroad: this might be one of the freest periods of time you’ll ever have. Depending on how you plan your schedule, you can have much more flexibility than in a typical semester. Because of that, I think it’s important to use that time to explore things you’re curious about, whether that’s traveling, learning new skills, meeting new people, or just trying things you’ve never done before.

Even though weeks seven and eight weren’t the most eventful weeks in terms of travel or big experiences, they were still important. It gave me a chance to slow down, reflect, and reset before the next set of adventures. And with the Ha Giang Loop trip coming up soon, I’m definitely looking forward to what’s next.

Mason Pratt

Mechanical Engineering

Nayang Technological Univeristy, Singapore

A Trip to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Week six turned into another travel week for me. After going to Thailand the week before, the same group of friends convinced me to join them on another trip—this time to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. I had already been thinking about going at some point, but after hearing their plans, I decided to just go for it. It also worked out well timing-wise because the following week was Chinese New Year, and we had a couple of days off from school, which meant we could extend the trip a little.

Before the trip even started, though, I ran into a pretty stressful situation at the airport. I changed my flight to an earlier departure than originally planned, but I forgot to update the visa date. When I checked in at the airport, the clerk told me my visa entry date didn’t match my new flight date. At that point, I had about an hour before boarding, and they told me I couldn’t board unless I fixed the visa. So I had to quickly call the Vietnam immigration service and get an expedited visa, which ended up costing around $300 USD. It was extremely stressful because everything came down to the last minute. They basically waited until the final possible moment before letting me check in. Thankfully, it worked out, and I made the flight, but it was definitely a lesson learned: if you change your flight, make sure your visa dates match.

I arrived in Ho Chi Minh City earlier than my friends, so I checked into our Airbnb and spent some time walking around the area. I found a nearby mall and explored a bit, but mostly just relaxed until everyone else arrived later that night.

The next day, we started really exploring the city. One of the first places we went to was a café called Little Hanoi, which is known for Vietnamese egg coffee. Vietnam is famous for its coffee, especially egg coffee and coconut coffee. I usually don’t drink coffee much, but the egg coffee there was honestly one of the best coffees I’ve ever had. It was creamy, sweet, and completely different from regular coffee. The breakfast there was also amazing and definitely one of my favorite cafés from the trip.

After breakfast, we spent most of the day shopping, which is something Ho Chi Minh City is really known for. The city has a lot of really cool streetwear and fashion stores, and the prices are extremely affordable compared to the U.S. Because the exchange rate works in our favor, you can get high-quality clothes for really cheap. We spent hours just going from shop to shop, and I ended up picking up a bunch of cool pieces, pants, shirts, and a few other things.

Getting around the city was also an experience in itself. Just like in Thailand, you can order motorcycle rides through Grab, but the driving in Vietnam is even crazier. Motorcycles are constantly weaving in and out of traffic, and there are so many of them everywhere. One of the wildest things is that jaywalking is basically the normal way to cross the street. You literally just walk into traffic, and the motorcycles and cars will slow down or go around you. At first, it feels insane, but after a while, you get used to it.

For dinner that night, we went to Pizza 4P’s, which is actually pretty famous in Vietnam. It sounds random to get pizza in Vietnam, but the flavors were really unique. We tried things like salmon miso pizza and beef pizza, and it was honestly really good. After dinner, we went out to check out the nightlife. One thing we noticed about clubs in Vietnam is that they tend to have a lot of table-service culture, where people reserve tables rather than just dancing. It was still fun, but definitely a little different from what I expected.

The next day, we visited the famous Café Apartments, which is a nine-story building filled with different cafés stacked on top of each other. It’s one of the most unique spots in the city. While we were there, I tried coconut coffee, and I’m not exaggerating when I say it might be the best coffee I’ve ever had in my life. If you ever go to Vietnam, you have to try coconut coffee—it completely changed how I think about coffee.

After that, we did even more shopping and exploring around the city. The food in Vietnam was also incredible. We tried a lot of traditional Vietnamese food, especially banh mi and pho, which the country is famous for. One thing I learned quickly is that you shouldn’t be afraid to try food from street vendors. Even though it might look a little sketchy at first, the food is usually amazing. Some of the best banh mi sandwiches I had were from small street stands.

One night, we also went to a really cool hidden bar/club that you had to enter through a small shop. From the outside, it just looked like a regular convenience store, but they opened a door in the back that led to a bar. That was one of the coolest nightlife spots we found, and we ended up meeting a few other students studying abroad in Singapore as well.

Later in the trip, we did a Mekong Delta tour that included visiting a Buddhist temple, sampling local fruit and snacks, and taking a boat ride through the river channels. The tour was interesting, and we even made Vietnamese pancakes ourselves during lunch. While it was a cool cultural experience, I probably could have skipped it and still been satisfied with the trip.

We also visited a famous banh mi shop that one of my friends found, and it turned out to be one of the best sandwiches I’ve ever had. Throughout the trip, we kept discovering new food spots, night markets, and small local restaurants. The night market we visited wasn’t quite as good as the ones in Thailand, but it was still fun to walk around and try different things.

One of the things I liked most about Ho Chi Minh City was its layout. Unlike Singapore, which has many tall skyscrapers and modern buildings, Ho Chi Minh City feels more local and compact. Many shops and restaurants are built right into apartment buildings or tucked into small side streets. There are tons of hole-in-the-wall food spots and local businesses, which give the city a really cool atmosphere.

Toward the end of the trip, we also saw some pre–Chinese New Year celebrations happening around the city, which made the atmosphere even more lively.

Eventually, my friends continued their trip to Da Nang, while I stayed one extra day in Ho Chi Minh before heading back to Singapore.

Overall, Ho Chi Minh City was an awesome place to visit. The shopping, food, and energy of the city were definitely the highlights for me. If you like fashion, Vietnamese food, and exploring busy city environments, it’s definitely a place worth visiting. It was another great experience during my time studying abroad and a cool opportunity to see a completely different culture and city.

Mason Pratt

Mechanical Engineering

Nayang Technological Univeristy, Singapore