If you’re planning to do visit Vietnam and do the Ha Giang Loop (which I would strongly recommend it has been the highlight of my life so far), you’re probably wondering what travel insurance will cover you whilst you do it. It is a tricky query as there are a lot of uncertainties and nuances. True Traveller is a travel insurance company which is well reviewed and recommended (I took a policy out with them for my own backpacking trip), question is do they actually cover the Ha Giang Loop in their long list of activities that are included?

If you want to learn more about why I recommend True Traveller you can read more about it here, but when it comes to the Ha Giang Loop specifically, things aren’t quite as straightforward as they seem.

However, in this case, the answer is very simple. It’s just not explicitly stated on their website.

If you’re riding the Ha Giang Loop on a motorbike or scooter, you’re not covered by True Traveller.

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I contacted True Traveller to be sure

This was something I wanted a completely clear answer on.

When I first asked myself does True Traveller cover the Ha Giang Loop back in 2024, it was explicitly listed on their website as not being included. Since then it’s definitely not as clear. So I reached out to them directly again to double check.

This was their response:

Unfortunately we no longer cover the Ha Giang Loop. This is due to the high volume of claims we previously received at a detriment to this particular activity. As well as this, the ‘loop’ is located in a very remote region of Vietnam meaning the journey to hospitals are not only extremely long, but also tend to worsen the injuries causing infections and so on. We can cover this route if you partake in a Jeep Tour, or something of similarity, just not on motorcycles/scooters.

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This isn’t something that’s recently changed

Back in 2024, when I took out my policy, the Ha Giang Loop was specifically excluded — and looking at it now, that wasn’t me overthinking it. The stance has essentially stayed the same.

It might not always be spelled out as directly on the website, but the outcome hasn’t shifted.

If you’re on a motorbike, it’s not covered.

And given that this has been the case for a few years now, I wouldn’t expect that to suddenly change.

When I took the policy out it was the only real negative. However, I discuss how we got around this here.

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The only way it is covered

There is of course the one exception that they told me about. If you’re doing the Ha Giang Loop as part of a jeep tour, or something similar where you’re not the one driving, then it can fall within their cover.

Which, in a way, makes things even clearer.

It’s not really about the route itself. It’s about how you’re doing it.

Motorbike → not covered
Organised vehicle → potentially covered

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What this actually means (before you go)

This is where I think a lot of people get caught out. There’s this general assumption that once you’ve sorted travel insurance, you’re covered for the big experiences on your trip — and the Ha Giang Loop is usually right at the top of that list.

But this is one of those situations where that assumption doesn’t hold up.

If you’re planning to do it whether you’re riding yourself or on the back of an easy rider, you need to be aware that with True Traveller, you’re doing it without that safety net.

If you’re still weighing things up, I go into more detail about how insurance works for the loop (and what to look out for) here:
👉 Travel insurance for the Ha Giang Loop: what you need to know before you ride

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My honest take

The Ha Giang Loop is easily one of the highlights of travelling Vietnam — but it’s also one of the most dangerous. The roads are unpredictable, it’s extremely remote and the traffic is sometimes hellish which makes things even worse.

Doing the Ha Giang Loop without travel insurance would be an incredibly risky decision to make and one which I don’t think I would have done.

On the other hand it is also the best experience I have ever done so if you can find a work around like I did definitely don’t miss out on the experience.

Enjoy your Travels!

Em x

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