Poking into Vietnam’s most northerly point, where the sweeping landscapes of limestone karst cliffs and deep valleys dressed in green give way to the wildernesses of China’s Yunnan, Ha Giang is a fine pit stop before heading across the border at the Tianbaozhen pass. The town itself is a sleepy, laid-back affair, its concrete homes and ramshackle builds butting up to the winding channels of the Lô River and one lively little strip bursting with the aromas of pho soups and chilli-packed plates of street-stall noodles. However, as any Ha Giang tour guide is quick to note, this town’s real charm lies in the backcountry that surrounds it. Peppered with the bamboo and timber hamlets of the Cao Lan, Lo Lo and Tay peoples, this region of misty mountaintops and the occasional valley-bottom rice paddy conceals the likes of the Ma Pi Leng Pass (which has some wonderful panoramas) and the Karst-pierced Dong Van Plateau. There’s also a smattering of ethnic markets in the area which are worth a visit, complete with folk trinkets and interesting arts and crafts.