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Here are a few tips for you to relax in the cool, sub-temperate atmosphere and explore the highland ethnic villages.
Prepare
Because the weather in Sapa is quite cold in the early morning and at night, you need to prepare a warm jacket. In addition, a pair of comfortable hiking shoes and boots in case of rain are very useful. Besides a camera and phone for taking pictures, you can buy a Sapa map beforehand to understand the route, avoid getting lost, and allocate your time wisely.
You should prepare some snacks and bottled water to regain your energy during the journey. Sometimes, the packets of candy you bring can even be given as gifts to ethnic minority children. And it's always a good idea to double-check all the necessary documents before you leave, such as your driver's license and ID card, as you'll need them when renting a car or booking a hotel room.
Travel
Train: Round-trip tickets are sold at Hanoi station, costing approximately 135,000 - 600,000 VND per person per trip, depending on the type of seat, whether it's a hard or soft sleeper, air-conditioned or not, and whether it's a 4- or 6-berth carriage. The Hanoi - Sapa route also has some luxury carriages (sleeper or seated) with wood paneling, air conditioning, and spacious interiors, priced from 770,000 to 3.8 million VND per person per trip.
Passenger trains usually depart in the evening, at 7:40 PM, 8:35 PM, 9:10 PM, and 9:50 PM, taking approximately 8 hours to reach Lao Cai station. From there, you can take a bus for about an hour to Sapa town, with a ticket price of 50,000 VND per trip.
If you want to bring your motorbike, you can also send it by train, but only leave enough fuel to reach the station because it will be drained during transit. The fee for sending a motorbike is 228,000 VND per vehicle.
By car: From My Dinh, Gia Lam, Giap Bat, and Luong Yen bus stations, there are sleeper buses that take 8-9 hours to Lao Cai, with day and night departures. The price is approximately 200,000 – 280,000 VND per ticket per way. If you don't want to take another bus from Lao Cai to Sapa, you can buy a direct ticket from Hanoi to Sapa from some bus companies such as Sao Viet, Hung Thanh, Hai Van... the price is around 320,000 VND per person. You should book your tickets in advance to get the best seats.
Motorcycle: If you choose to travel by motorcycle, you can choose one of the following two options:
- Route 1 via Lao Cai: Hanoi – Vinh Phuc – Viet Tri – Phong Chau – Doan Hung – Yen Bai – Lao Cai – Sapa (Total distance approximately 360 km)
- Route 2 via Lai Chau: Hanoi – Hoa Lac – Son Tay – Thanh Son – Along National Highway 32 – Sapa (Total distance over 420 km)
Compared to route 2, route 1 is closer and easier to travel, but if you pass through Lai Chau, you will have the opportunity to conquer two of the legendary "four great mountain passes" of Northwest Vietnam: Khau Pha and O Quy Ho.
Getting around Sapa: Besides the tourist attractions in the town center that can be reached on foot, you should rent a motorbike for easier exploration. Rental prices range from 150,000 to 200,000 VND per day (fuel not included).
Accommodation
Sapa offers many accommodation options. The most popular are 2-3 star hotels priced at 200,000-300,000 VND per room per night along the Fansipan, Silver Waterfall, and Cloud Bridge routes. For a more relaxing stay, you can choose 4-star hotels located on Xuan Vien, Dong Loi, and Muong Hoa roads, costing 2-4 million VND per room per night. Homestays in the communes of Ta Van, Ban Ho, Ta Phin, and Lao Chai cost only 70,000-100,000 VND per person per night.
Regardless of which option you choose, you should book well in advance, especially during holidays and festivals.
Playground
The ethnic minority villages of Cat Cat, Ta Van, Ban Ho, and Ta Phin (located 8 to 20 km from the town center) are places where tourists can visit and explore the daily life and work of the people in the Sapa highlands. With their pristine and charming mountain scenery, you will enjoy the fresh, cool air of this place.
The waterfalls: Silver Waterfall and Love Waterfall (12-15 km from the town) are located quite close to the national highway, making them very convenient for tourists. From afar, you can hear the roaring sound of the waterfalls and see the water cascading down like a silver stream. In addition, the jumping fish waterfall in the middle of Ban Ho eco-tourism village is also very attractive during the south wind season, when schools of fish flock here to lay eggs, crowding and leaping up the waterfall.
Cloud Bridge: Located about 17 km southeast of Sapa town, this bridge spanning the Muong Hoa River, constructed from rattan ropes, is a very popular destination for many tourists. Besides its pristine beauty blending with the mountain scenery, the bridge also offers a floating, cloud-like sensation on foggy days.
Sapa Ancient Stone Field: This is a historical site located in the Muong Hoa Valley, spanning three communes: Hau Thao, Su Pan, and Ta Van in Sapa district. The field covers an area of 8 square kilometers and contains nearly 200 rocks with strange patterns. This serves as evidence of the presence of prehistoric people in Sapa.
Heaven's Gate: Located about 18 km north of Sapa town, this is the highest accessible road pass in Vietnam for admiring Fansipan peak. Not only is it a beautiful viewpoint, the road to Heaven's Gate is also impressive, winding along the mountainside amidst towering peaks, with sunlight casting long, shimmering shadows.
Fansipan: At 3,143 meters high, known as the "Roof of Indochina," Fansipan is a destination for many young adventure seekers. You can climb to the summit of Fansipan via two routes: the Suoi Vang - Love Waterfall tourist route and the mountain climbing route from Tram Ton to the summit of Fansipan. Currently, other tourist routes within Hoang Lien National Park are temporarily closed for permits and ticket sales.
In the town: Sapa Lake, Ham Rong Mountain, the stone church, the night market,... are must-see tourist attractions when visiting Sapa town.
Eat, relax
Grilled dishes: Besides specialties like grilled suckling pig, beef rolls with cabbage, and grilled corn and potatoes, Sapa also offers many other delicious and unique grilled dishes such as grilled eggs, grilled offal, grilled stomach, grilled chicken, grilled purple sweet potatoes, grilled chicken eggs, and grilled fertilized duck eggs...
You can enjoy these grilled dishes on Ham Rong Street along the stone church, in the Sapa lake area, or in any small corner of the town, even at tourist spots like Love Waterfall and Muong Hoa Valley.
Other dishes: Sapa is also famous for dishes made from salmon, sturgeon, black chicken, and various vegetables such as cauliflower, broccoli, red radish, chayote, mustard greens... All of these can be combined into a unique Sapa-style hot pot that you won't find anywhere else. Don't miss sticky rice cooked in bamboo tubes, thang co (a traditional stew), apple wine, and Ban Pho corn wine when you visit.
Sapa's food market, restaurants on Xuan Vien Street, Cau May Street, Thac Bac Street... are places you can visit to choose local specialties for lunch and dinner.
Coffee: Coffee shops are quite popular in Sapa, and one of the places with the most beautiful views is Cau May Street with its romantic European style. Enjoying a hot cup of coffee in the cool, misty air, you will feel the unique and interesting atmosphere of life in the highlands.
Bars: If you prefer a more lively atmosphere, you can visit some bars such as Tau Bar, Delta Bar, Royal Bar, Valley View Bar in Cau May, Bamboo Bar, Mountain Bar & Pub, H'mong Sister Bar in Muong Hoa, Gecko Sapa Bar in Ham Rong...
Dao ethnic group's herbal bath: The cost of this service is approximately 200,000 VND per session. Besides the Dao ethnic group's herbal bath facilities in Sapa town, many tourists also seek out the Red Dao Cooperative in Ta Phin commune (12 km from the town) for this service.
Shopping
"Basket-packed" peaches: A famous specialty gift, Sapa peaches have a refreshing, tangy, and sweet taste. Besides Sapa market, you can buy "basket-packed" peaches from carts, sidewalks along the roads inside the town, or on the way from Sapa to Lao Cai. You should buy a basket to hold the peaches instead of a plastic bag to take home as a gift, as plastic bags can cause the peaches to get bruised.
Brocade: This could include decorative brocade fabrics or items with brocade patterns such as scarves, bags, backpacks, pillowcases, skirts, shirts, blankets, etc. Some brocade shops on Cau May Street include: Ms. Nguyen Lang Van's shop, Hue Silk shop, Sapa Mountain Brocade shop, Sapa Forest Brocade shop... In a small corner on the second floor of Sapa market, many types of brocade fabrics with various patterns and designs of the Hmong people are also sold.
Traditional Vietnamese medicine: Besides some herbs like licorice, atractylodes, Acanthopanax, lotus seeds, lotus heart, Panax notoginseng, Angelica sinensis, Ligusticum chuanxiong, Saussurea costus, Eucommia ulmoides, etc., you can also buy: camellia, forest honey, reishi mushrooms, etc., at markets or traditional medicine pharmacies in Sapa.
Souvenirs: You can buy some gold and silver jewelry, handicrafts as gifts at shops on Cau May, Muong Hoa, and Fansipan streets such as Viet Silver, Muong Hoa shop, stone art shop, Sapa Silver, Woodcarving shop...
Activities at Sapa Tourism and Culture Week 2014:
- Opening ceremony: 8 PM on April 30th at the Sapa District Square.
- Festival in the Clouds: 9:30 AM on May 2nd at Ham Rong Tourist Area.
- Cat Cat Hmong Village Cultural Festival: 9:00 AM on May 1st at Cat Cat village, San Sa Ho commune.
- The "A Day as a Sa Pa Farmer" program: 9:00 AM on May 3rd in Ta Phin commune.
- The coming-of-age ceremony of the Red Dao people: 9:00 AM on May 3rd at the town square of Sapa.
- Art photography exhibition “Colors of Sapa”: 9:00 AM on April 30th at Xuan Vien Park, Sapa District.
In addition, there are other activities such as: performances of folk songs and dances along with folk games at Ham Rong Mountain Eco-tourism Area; Highland food fair at the Information and Tourism Market; Exhibition of flowers, ornamental plants and characteristic products of 6 ethnic groups at the central park of Sa Pa town; Love Market Night on Thac Bac, Cau May, Ham Rong and Xuan Vien streets; 7th Fansipan Open Tennis Cup at the Sapa District Tennis Court.
