Sapa - The Foggy City which I highly recommend visiting in NorthEast Vietnam.

Last year, my girlfriend and I went to sapa. the trip was not very long but left a lot of memories. It was also my first long trip with her.

Sapa is a highland district of Lao Cai Province, a land of humidity, quiet but hidden in the wonders of nature. The natural landscape of Sapa is combined with the creativity of the people along with the terrain of the hills, the green of the forest, as a picture arranged in a harmonious and romantic scenarios.

From City centre you can enjoy the view of the peaks

As far as we know, Sapa (Xapa) is the Chinese term for white sand hills, as Sapa and Lao Cai Province border China. Formerly in this area the Kinh (or Vietnamese) are not the majority, and Chinese ethnic minorities have settled in this area, built cities, their homes and organized their business and markets.

I have been to Sapa, Da Lat City, Tam Dao Town: they are all beautiful places, the climate is cool, fresh, very suitable for travel, as you know, weather in Vietnam is generally quite hot.

Now i will share with you guys some detailed tips for travelling in Sapa, Lao Cai Province in Vietnam.

The town is also called the foggy city.

First, I will introduce some interesting and useful information about Sapa town.

1. The place

Climate

Sapa has invaluable resources that are cool, cool and diverse.

It is situated at an average elevation 1, 500m-1, 800m, in Spring and Autumn Sapa’s climate is more or less temperate, temperature is between 15 and 18° c. In Summer, it’s very Rainy and in Winter, it’s very cold and temperature could drop below 0° and sometimes it snows.

The best time to travel to Sapa

I’ve visited Sapa twice and by my experience, I would say that, probably, you will visit it on Summer or Winter: they are all good, each season you will see Sapa in the different way.

the best times to visit Sapa are from September to November or from March to May. In these months, weather is stable, sunny, but cold during the night.

from April to May, ethnic minorities transplant rice on terraced fields, it is also the bloom season of many beautiful flowers. The scene of rice is very beautiful.

from September to October rice become ripen, then all corners of Sapa look golden. Around this time, Sapa's hills seem to wear new yellow clothes. But you should go in the middle or late September, because in October many places have been harvested.

From December to February it is very cold, with occasional ice and snowfall. This is also the season of peach blossom.

2. How to get there

Moving from Hanoi

Travel by bus

Vietnam bus: ticket price is 230, 000 VND

Contacts

• Lao Cai: 339 Lao Cai Railway Station. Phone number: (0203) 828. 626
• Sapa: no. 1 Ngu Chi Son. Phone number : (0203) 887. 733
• Hanoi: 284 Giai Phong, Thanh Xuan. Phone number : (043) 627. 2727

Sao Viet Passenger Car: ticket price is 210, 000 vnd

contacts

Lao Cai City: 333b pho moi ward, Lao Cai City, Lao Cai Province. Phone numbers : (020) 3689. 689. Hotline: 0983. 63. 38. 38.

Hanoi

• South Hanoi: 789 Giai Phong Street - Hoang Mai – Hanoi. Phone numbers: (04) 37. 638. 638 - (04) 36. 686. 358/(04) 36. 686. 358
• North Hanoi: 7 Pham Van Dong (Xuan Thuy Bridge). phone numbers: (04) 37. 687. 687/(04) 37. 921. 266
• My Dinh Bus Station. Phone numbers: (04) 39. 958. 627/(04) 39. 958. 127
• Giap Bat Bbus Station. Phone number: (04) 85. 867. 815

Ha Son Passenger Car: ticket price is 250, 000 vnd

contacts

• Hanoi: N2A Building - Tran Binh - Tu liem - Hanoi (My Dinh Bus Station entrance). Phone numbers: (0984) 62. 62. 62/(04) 66. 62. 62. 62.
• Lao Cai: Lao Cai Bus Station – group 19, Binh Minh Ward - Lao Cai City. Phone numbers: (0203) 833. 567 - (0203) 65. 65. 65.

bus timetables:

Hanoi - Sapa route

• Yen Nghia Bus Station - Sapa Bus Station. Departure time: 14h00
• Underground Water Station - Sapa Bus Station. Departure time: 6h00

Sapa - Hanoi route

• Sapa Bus Station - Yen Nghia Bus Station. Departure time: 6h00
• Sapa Bus Station - Underground Car Station departure time: 13h30

Travel by train

Trains have different classes of wagons: from luxury to very economic ones. Train leaves at 9 or 10 pm and will arrive the day after in early morning.

Note:

• Sapa is a tourist attraction, ticket agents and travel companies "hug" most of the best seats, especially on weekends and high season. Tourists which get tickets at box-office in the station, can get only economic class. If you would travel on comfortably seat you can book through the agency (train ticket agent and travel company), and the commission is from 8 to 10% of ticket price.

  Last time, all of my tickets were booked by my friend at a very good price, but i just want to remind you that now Sapa is attracting more and more tourists than ever before, so be carefully with tickets, otherwise you will have to pay more.

• It’s easy to get tickets from Hanoi to Lao Cai, but difficult to get them from Lao Cai to Hanoi, so get them in time.

Moreover, I suggest Victoria Express: Hanoi - Lao Cai

Victoria Express runs six times a week, from Hanoi Station to Lao Cai Station and journey takes about 8. 5 hours.

The train can carry 52 passengers. It is equipped with sleeping cars and each of them includes 6 superior class cabins with 4 beds, 1 luxury cabin (2 beds), air conditioning, wooden floors, reading lamps, luggage storage and large windows to admire the view.

Train timetables:

The train leaves from Hanoi Railway Station at 10pm and arrives at Lao Cai Station at 6, 30am the day after.

The return is scheduled from Lao Cai Station at 9, 50 pm and arrives at Hanoi at 5, 30 am the day after.

Trains run every day except on saturday.

By the way, there are two ways to travel to Sapa: by bus or by train. Personally, my girlfriend and I chose to travel by train as the bus would have traveled mountain roads, and we really do not like the feeling that get by winding roads

However, as we traveled by train, we took a taxi to Sapa town, which is at 30 kms far from Lao Cai. We were four people and it wasn’t very expensive.

3. Moving in Sapa

Sapa is the city, but the tourist places, the ethnic villages, the mountains, the springs are distributed in the area and the distances from the City are between 5 and 10 km.

That time, my group and i decided to rent a motorbike. If you don’t have much time, I would suggest you 2 optimum travel options in Sapa; otherwise, trekking hike is the best way to discover the beauty of Sapa.

• Option 1: The cost of renting motorcycles is around 120, 000-180, 000 VND/bike (7 euros), petrol is not included. Note: in Sapa, a rental-day is calculated from 6h00 to 18h00, so rental bike just for the afternoon will have a different price. Guests pay at 6:00, late can be 8:00 pm.
• Option 2: you make a deal with a Motorbike Taxi Driver to get you to some famous tourist spots, and price is usually between 100, 000 and 150, 000 (6 euros). Copies for 4 to 5 places close together.

By the way, there are several motorbike rentals, just check the quality of the one you chose and fill up the petrol tank.

4. Places to visit

Sapa town area

Source: https://dulichbui24.com/kinh-nghiem/du-lich-mien-bac/du-lich-sapa/du-lich-sapa-kinh-nghiem-di-du-lich-bui-tour-sapa-gia-re.html

Ticket price of tourist spots in Sapa

• Ham Rong Mountain: 70, 000 VND
• Cat Cat Village: 40, 000 VND
• Sin Sin Chai: 20, 000 VNDvnd
• Lao Chai Villages:
• Ta Van, Ban Ho: 40, 000 VND
• Ma Mat Tra, Ta Phin: 30, 000 VND
• Silver Waterfall: 20, 000 VND
• Love Falls: 70, 000 VND
• Fansipan Cable: 600. 000 VND/person

Ham Rong Mountain

Standing on the top of Ham Rong mountain, you can enjoy panoramic views of Sapa, Muong Hoa Valley and Ta Phin hiding in the mist. Visitors like the Garden, where clouds clouded human body and there are lots of brilliant flowers on the ground.

My family and I visited this place 10 years ago, generally nice but now the price is a bit expensive; this time, my girlfriend and I decided to visit some new places.

Sapa Central Town

Sapa's Cathedral

This is an important place, highly recommended when visiting Sapa.

Sapa’s Cathedral was built in 1895, it is considered to be one of the oldest surviving French architectural landmarks. The Cathedral has been embellished and preserved, and became an indispensable image of misty Sapa town.

In general, this is French architecture built in Sapa in the centre of the town.

To tell the truth, the French also built many resort villas here, but today almost all of them have been destroyed.

Sapa's Surroundings

Cat Cat Village

It’s an old Hmong Village at 2 km from Sapa Central town, and many traditional handcrafts such as cotton and linen weaving are also preserved. The site has now been built into Cat Cat touristic area.

We did not visit the Cat Cat Village because I was there once, actually, the Village is quite touristic and commercial and has lost much of its traditional features.

Hmong ethic minority people are selling their peaches and apple.

Hmong apple is used to make wine which is very strong. Believe me!

Ta Phin Village

It is at 9 km from Sapa Central Town and this place has beautiful natural scenery, cultural features of national identity of the red dao. In Ta Phin Village, you can visit the nearby Ta Phin Cave: there are many interesting stalactites that form fairy sitting, fairy field, forest sparkling.

A nice place to visit in Sapa

Tan Van Village

Ta Van Giay Village is located at about 8 km from Sapa town, along the 4d highway. Roads to Ta Van Giay Village are small, narrow and dirty. The sides of the road are fertile terraced fields adorned with the blue corn and young rice.

Here, visitors will have the opportunity to learn more about the style and lifestyle of Giay people.

The golden rice fields are very popular in Vietnam, but when the rice is grown in the mountains, you will see the beauty of human creativity.

I visited this village in summer 2016, and i remember delicious banana bread for only 2, 000 VND each. (10 cents)

Sin Chai Village

Sin Chai Village is at more of 4kms from the centre of Sapa town. It is not really touristic yet and it should still retain the original wilderness. Here lives a Black Mongolian population of about 1400 people. Apart from upland rice cultivation and hybrid maize, Sin Chai people also choose to gentle mountain ridges to grow cardamom, a significant source of income between the ancient valley.

Sapa Valley - Sapa Ancient Stone Field

The special thing in this valley is the Ancient Rock Field with many different engraved images, intermingled with grasses and terraced fields. Hundreds of sandstone carved figures, strange characters so far have not identified the source and meaning.

It is generally agreed that if you come to Vietnam, you will know that now use Latin notation, but in the past the Vietnamese used Chinese scripts to record, and now the question is whether the Vietnamese has the script or not still. Argued.

In general, nationalism in many Vietnamese intellectuals is quite high, they seek to link everything to explain that, in the past, Vietnamese created their own alphabet.

However, it is nice that no one knows the strange shapes in hundreds of ancient rocks. Their date is old, about a thousand years.

Today, this ancient carved site has been ranked a National Monument, a unique Heritage of the Ancient Vietnamese.

Moung Hoa Valley

Hau Thao Commune is at 8 km South-East of Sapa town. From Sapa, crossing a mountain pass, you will arrive at Muong Hoa valley.

In Muong Hoa Valley, there are beautiful streams stretching for about 15 km, through Lao Chai, Ta Van, Hao Thao Villages and ending in Ban Ho.

Fansipan – the roof top of Indocina

It is located at 9 km South-West of Sapa town.

Fansipan is the highest mountain of the Indochinese Peninsula (3, 143 m), located in the heart of Hoang Lien Son Range.

I didn’t have time to climb this peak, and unfortunately there’s a cableway now. However if you wish to climb the mountain, according to the experience of some friends, I suggest you to choose between an organized tour, or self-organized one with the guidance of local Muong people Dao.

On the way to the top of the mountain, you will be able to feel the wild, and majesty of the mountains of vietnam.

There are many Hoang Lien trees, precious medical herbs, precious woods, birds as well as bear, monkey, chamois, birds...

Fansipan cable car runs since early 2016 and thanks to it, visitors can admire, discover, conquer the highest roof of Indochina.

This is also certified as Guinness World Record as the longest cable car in the world.

In general, I do not like this cable car, because many trees have been cut down to let the construction of it.

5. hotels

In sapa, budget hotels are mostly concentrated in

Cau may and Fansipang and prices ranging from 200-300k VND per night for two people. During high season prices can be from 250 to 350k/night (10 to 14 euros) depending on the hotel. Some reasonably priced hotels i've been to, are:

• Quoc Thai Guest House on Fansipang road, 200k per night, with car parking (only 2 cars for 7 places only), room with 2 double beds, 4 people (price will be high for fewer people) (8 euros)
• Hoang Phuong near the Union Hotel, about 200m from the Cathedral, 700m far from the Bus Station, near the market and Ham Rong Mountain, quiet, reasonable price, about 250k/day night (during the festival is about 300k)(12 euros)
• Mimosa Hotel at the end of the market, acceptable room rates: 250k/night (2 single beds with bathroom) (10 euros)
• Spring Hotel. Daily room rate is 250k, 300k during weekend. The room has a double bed and a single bed. Rooms overlooking the Hoang Lien Son Range and it’s near Sapa's market and just 5 minutes walking from the Cathedral
• Co Vuong Hostel at 10 Thach Son Street. Price is about 300-350k. (12 euros)
• Little Sapa Hotel and Restaurant II. Address: 38 Cau May Street - Hotel owner: Uncle Dung. This hotel is located on Cau May Street, in the heart of the old town of Sapa. From here, you can walk around the town. Walk to the Cathedral or Ham Rong takes no more than 10 minutes.

  if you were 3 people, you may negotiate for a common bedroom.

6. restaurants

Below i just list down some addresses of good restaurants in sapa, generally they still cook these foods in traditional ways so just enjoy.

• Anh Dung Restaurant. Address: 69 Xuan Vien Street, Sapa town - phone: (020) 3871024
• Bien May Restaurant. Address: 031 Xuan Vien Street, Sapa town - phone: 0203 872 606
• A Quynh Restaurant. Address: 015, Thach Son Street, Sapa town - phone: 0203 871 555
• Xuan Vien Restaurant. Address: 08 Xuan Vien, Sapa town - phone: 0203 875 888
• Quynh Anh Restaurant. Address: Xuan Vien Street, Sapa town - phone: 020 3872630
• Hoa Sua Restaurant. Address: Group 10 Thac Bac Street, Sapa town - phone: 0203 871766
• Hill Station Restaurant. Address: 7 Muong Hoa Street - sapa town
• Delta Restaurant. Address: Hai Yen, no. 99, Hop Thanh Street, Pho Moi Ward, Lao Cai city - phone: 0203 835288
• Pho Tung Restaurant. Address: Sapa Trade Center – it is located opposite the VinhN Nghiem Buddhist Temple or huy hoang tape recorder cross look at the road.
• Nature Restaurant. Address: 24 Cau May, Sapa town - phone: 0203 871 438

6. Food and Drinks

• BBQ. In case you want to save money, just going out to buy stuff and cook for yourself
• Armpit pig

  

  This is a very special dish that i recommend to everyone.

  It is a local breed of piglets that are grown naturally and sold to the market when the armpit weighs around 4-5kg. Before being cooked, the pig is cleaned, marinated all night and then roasted. The top of the meat is crunchy while the inner part is soft, at taste it is sweet and it is no more than 2 cm thick. It is accompanied by apple wine. It is a truly delicious dish.

  Armpit pig: very delicious.

• Thang Co, Hmong People Soup (buffalo, cow or pig soup)

Http://dulichhagiang. vn/73/28/am-thuc-dia-phuong/thang-co-mon-ngon-cho-phien-dong-van-. html

Thang Co (or Hmong people soup made with buffalo, cow and pig with vegetables from the jungle) is must-try food in sapa.

Ethnic people often cook the same meat of buffalo, cows, pigs... With delicious 27 different types of spices such as cinnamon, anise, cardamom, fragrant leaves and local vegetables.

Honestly speaking, due to the cold weather in northern vietnam, the ethnic people use the pot to cook all that.

It is difficult to describe the special taste: it is just sweet, fat, fragrant. There’s nothing better than sitting on the side of the pan trying to boast, eating and sipping a cup of corn wine, feeling warm in the cold air of mountain breeze.

Mad Le Restaurant is famous for its horse soup

7. Important informations to know

• Avoid going on high tourist season: if you go during that period in Sapa, it would be difficult to rent a room and sometimes price could increase from 150 to 250, 000 VND/day up to 5-700, 000 VND/ day. During the days as 30/4 - 1/5, 2/9, new year sometimes increase 4, 5 times more. You should familiarize yourself with this issue to avoid exasperation and frustration. It is better if you book in advance by Agoda or Booking.com and you could get good price.
• Everything needs to be negotiated thoroughly before using any service.
• No money for children and people in the Village.
• Do not buy ginseng, mushrooms, lychee here because as most of the chinese goods, the quality is poor. If you want to buy souvenirs, you can find a lot of goods in the town.
• If you wish to buy trekking staff, in Sapa there are many shops selling rock climbing shoes, clothing of “The Northface” mark at reasonable price. But generally they are more expensive than usual.

  In Hanoi, you can contact “The Northface for you to travel the dust and trekking” at hotline number 0906284413 and ask about staff you need.

• Sapa tour & Fansipan tour: if you want to take a tour in sapa there are many options. The prices of Sapa tour, fansipan climbing can be from 1, 250, 000 to 4, 500, 0000 but prices are equal to the value of services you receive (food, room, services), so it’s up to you. Remind it before your choose of services in Sapa, although i found most of them very good.
• Ride a motorbike: notice the right lane is the section from Lao Cai to Sapa, and police control if you drive on the wrong lane. Avoid driving during the night: it is dangerous!

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