Sapa is a small town located in
the heart of northwestern Vietnam.
Located above a deep valley flanked by cascading rice terraces and
surrounded by high mountains, Sapa is a sight to be seen. Though heavy mists often roll through the
mountains, the vibrant colors of its rice fields, temples, and people shine through
in a vibrant display.
Sapa is the most visited
location along the northern loop of Vietnam, with many people making this their
only stop in the northern reaches of Vietnam.
The city itself can feel pretty touristy, but you can easily get out of
the tourist grind by simply traveling a few kilometers out of town.
What to Do
Outside of Town
The
largest attraction, and my personal favorite, is to venture to the top of
Fansipan mountain. To get to the
starting point you can rent a taxi or moto to take you there or just walk. The walk is not that far, 2.5 km, and is not
that strenuous. Once to the starting
point you have two choices, you can either make the two-day hike or take the
gondola to the top. The gondola costs
700,000 VND/31.84 USD round trip, so is a little expensive, but it’s well worth
the trip. In the gondola you will cross
high above the valley, being able to see all of the rice terraces below you,
then make your way up the steep forest covered mountain ridges and see a few
waterfalls as they crash down the mountainside.
Like
the rest of Northern Vietnam, this region is well known for its hiking
opportunities and many tourists use Sapa as their base for hiking out into the
mountains or visiting the villages of minority tribes that dot the
countryside. It is easy to do day hikes around
the Sapa area on your own and you can get a map of the area from the Tourist
Information Center. It is advisable to
hire a guide though if you are wanting to do multiday hikes or want a more enriching
hike. Many hotels and tour companies in
the Sapa have guided tours that you can select from.
In Town
Sapa
is also well known for its bar-b-q.
Vietnamese bar-b-q is simply skewers of meat or vegetables that are
cooked over a grill. It’s not quite the
same thing you would think of if you come from the southern states of America,
but its still worth a try. Every
evening, restaurants throughout town fire up the grill and lay out an array of
kabobs for travelers to feast upon.
Sapa
is also home of the Hmong tribe, a small ethnic group that only resides in this
area of Vietnam. While walking through the
streets you will often see people in traditional clothing selling souvenirs on
the street side, but you can also go to the Love Market, a local street market
located near the amphitheater, to take in all of Sapa’s souvenirs in one
place.
Being a major tourist location,
you can also find many moderately priced massage parlors that offer a selection
of different types of massages.
How to Get There
Unless
you have a motorcycle, the easiest way of getting to Sapa is from Hanoi. So, if you happen to be doing the northern loop
without a motorcycle, it is best to take the shuttle bus from Ba Be to Hanoi
and then travel from there to Sapa. From
Hanoi there are two transportation options to Sapa, the train and sleeper bus.
Bus
Travelling
by bus is by far the easiest way to get to Sapa. All of the buses are sleeper buses so you can
lean back and relax during the trip. From
Hanoi there are several bus companies that you can take that leave from
different locations around town and travel directly to Sapa (with a few
restroom stops along the way). The trip
takes about 6 hours and cost anywhere from 200,000 VND/8.62 USD to 500,000
VND/22 USD (depending on the company). If
you reserve a ticket through your hotel in the Old Quarter then there is a good
chance they will pick you up from there.
Otherwise you can book a ticket online at 12GO.com or buy
the tickets from the bus station itself.
My Dinh (located in the western part of town) is the main bus station in
Hanoi servicing the north of Vietnam, but there are others near the Old Quarter
as well.
Travelling
back to Hanoi from Sapa is just as easy.
Just like travelling to Sapa, you can reserve a ticket through your
hotel, online at 12GO.com,
or by going to the bus station located east of the lake.
Train
The train
is another good way to get to and from Sapa, but it is not direct. The train travels from Hanoi to Lao Cai, 25 km
from Sapa, and from there you will need to take a van or taxi the rest of the way. The train leaves Hanoi from the Tran Quy Cap
train station at 9:30 pm and arrives 8 hours later in Lao Cai at 5:30 am. There are several train companies that make
the trip daily, but it is wise to buy your tickets early as they sell out
quickly, especially if you are wanting a specific style of seat. These tickets can be bought at the train
station itself or online at 12GO.com. The seats consist of hard seats (wooden
bench), soft seats (similar to airplane seats), hard sleeper (6 beds), and soft
sleeper (4 beds). The prices of these
seats range dramatically depending on whether you are riding Vietnamese
Railways or one of the private train companies, but you can find tickets as low
as 120,000 VND/5.45 USD. For your return
trip to Hanoi, if you have not already purchased your return ticket, it is best
to buy it when you arrive at the station or online at 12GO.com. These trains leave the Lao Cai train station
at 8:55 pm daily.
Once
you arrive in Lao Cai you will need to take a van or bus the rest of the way to
Sapa, which takes about an hour. These
are easily available outside the train station and cost 50,000 VND/2.27 USD. If you are looking for a cheaper option, then
you can catch the public bus for 30,000 VND/1.36 USD at the bus stop located
just across the parking lot.
Where to Stay
Sapa
offers a variety of choices when it comes to a place to lay your head. Within town you can easily find a number of budget
to high end hotels to fit your needs.
If it is a more authentic experience you are looking for, you can find
that too. In the valley below town are
many homestays that will allow you to get a feel of the rural Vietnamese way of
life. Check out the map function at Agoda
to find some of the homestays outside of town.
Where to Eat
Sapa’s
streets are lined with restaurants offering many different types of food to
hungry travelers to fill up on. Sapa is
most known for its bar-b-q, skewers of meat or vegetables that are cooked over
a grill, and it is well worth the try.
These bar-b-q joints are easy to find, just look for the big charcoal
grills outside of a restaurant with a table of kabobs sitting beside it. My four personal favorites were the
mushrooms, string mushrooms wrapped in pork, chicken, and the horse
kabobs.
What was your experience in Sapa?
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