Stamp-hunting in Vietnam's Ha Giang: The latest travel craze among young tourists
Friday, February 28, 2025, 10:06 GMT+7
The ‘Ha Giang Passport,’ a travel initiative allowing visitors to collect stamps at landmarks across Ha Giang Province in northern Vietnam, starting from the Km0 milestone in Ha Giang City, has gained popularity among young travelers.
The trend of collecting stamps in the ‘Ha Giang Passport’ emerged on social media in late January.
Videos shared on TikTok of travelers hunting for such stamps have generated excitement, with many praising the innovative marketing idea.
Travel blogger Thai Hung, known as the creator of the Ha Giang Passport, said his frequent travels inspired the concept.
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| A tourist shows the ‘Ha Giang Passport’ at the Km0 milestone in Ha Giang City, Ha Giang Province, northern Vietnam. Photo: Hung Vi |
Hung, who has visited many places around the world, often recalls his trips through passport entry and exit stamps.
This sparked the idea of creating a Ha Giang Passport to help others capture memories of their visits to the northern Vietnamese province.
The Passport, which consists of 18 pages of hard paper, features beautiful images of Ha Giang’s landmarks such as the Lung Cu flagpole, Nho Que River, and Suoi Thau grassland.
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| A tourist shows the ‘Ha Giang Passport.’ Photo: Supplied |
It also serves as a travel guide for first-time visitors, listing 30 must-do activities, including taking photos at the Km0 milestone, tasting the iconic Km0 ice cream, visiting Quan Ba Heaven Gate, and drawing traditional patterns on white cloth with beeswax in Lung Tam weaving village.
Visitors can purchase the passport for VND30,000 (US$1.17) at the Km0 ice cream counter and receive a separate sheet with locations of stamping points.
This allows them to hunt for stamps at various spots across Ha Giang.
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| A tourist shows the ‘Ha Giang Passport’ in Lung Tam weaving village in Quan Ba District, Ha Giang Province, northern Vietnam. Photo: Supplied |
Hung Vi, from Lang Son Province, took a spring trip with his family and eagerly joined the trend.
“For first-time visitors, the list of places to visit in the book is interesting enough,” said Vi, who collected three stamps at the Km0 milestone.
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| Tourists show the ‘Ha Giang Passports’ at the Km0 milestone in Ha Giang City, Ha Giang Province, northern Vietnam. Photo: Hung Vi |
While the separate sheet lists the stamp locations, some visitors have found it difficult to locate free stamping points.
They have called for more detailed information, such as listings of homestays and coffee shops, to make it easier for tourists to collect the stamps.
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| A tourist shows the ‘Ha Giang Passport’ at Hmong King Palace in Dong Van District, Ha Giang Province, northern Vietnam. Photo: Supplied |
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