Flanked by emerald mountains and enveloped by a layer of mist, Sapa beckons nature lovers and hikers from all corners of the world. The culture of this Vietnamese town draws inspiration from the varied hill tribes residing in small villages along the countryside.
The unfiltered beauty of Sapa’s landscape is best witnessed from the summit of the Fansipan mountain, nestled in Hoàng Liên Son mountain range. You can admire the cascading rice terraces and lush valleys over the course of a three-day trek or while riding an aerial gondola up to the peak from the Fansipan Legend Cable Car Station.
There are plenty of things to do in Sapa beyond traversing its forest trails and rice paddy fields. You can acquaint yourself with the local life of the H’mong people as you stroll along their traditional wooden houses and handicraft stalls in the rustic Cat Cat Village. A quiet walk by the Sa Pa Lake during sunset is a good way to unwind in the company of mountain views. You can also pick up a souvenir or two from the colourful Bac Ha Market held every Sunday.
Being tucked away in the mountainous region of northwest Vietnam, this town can only be accessed by rail or road. To reach Sapa, board a train from Hanoi to Lao Cai, followed by an hour-long bus or taxi ride. You can also take a direct bus or hire a car from Hanoi to Sapa, passing through a scenic route.
Tonight
From £3 per night
This weekend
From £5 per night
Next weekend
From £11 per night
Most popular time to visit | October–December |
Cheapest time to visit | January–March |
Local currency | US$10 = £7.92 |
Language | Vietnamese |
Average weekend price | £32 per night |
Average weekday price | £32 per night |
Typical stay | 1 night |
Lovely and cute town, nice weather.
25 June 2024
Lovely and cute town, nice weather. Didn't rain much when we were around Sa Pa. Easy to get around with lot of transport options. Nice people and good vibe of the town. We would definitely avoid the day journey transfers from Hanoi to Sa Pa and vice versa. Overnight journeys would be productive I feel.
Cool retreat from heat of Hanoi, unique for minority tribe...
21 June 2024
Cool retreat from heat of Hanoi, unique for minority tribe presence which gives a unique vibe to this small town making itself totally unique. Highlights for Sapa: trekking surrounding nature and minority tribes villages, relax and slow down in small town, cable car to Fansipan and traditional black Hmong culturak show in CatCat village
In my opinion, Sapa is now an extremely bad place to stay...
3 June 2024
In my opinion, Sapa is now an extremely bad place to stay for more than a day or two. Crowded with people and traffic, a very noisy city full of smog and garbage. On the other hand, it is an ideal base for short scooter trips to the surrounding areas. But if you can, look elsewhere for cheaper accommodation. We found good food only with great difficulty and very far from the center, basically unreachable without a motorbike. Today, Sapa is a classic tourist attraction with all the classic ills of the tourism industry.
The city of Sapa has turned into a super touristic city,...
24 May 2024
The city of Sapa has turned into a super touristic city, with crowding, bustle and traffic jams on the streets. Everything is very expensive with very low value for money. Unfortunately we encountered many children in local costumes dancing or taking photos with tourists for a few baht. Local organizations advise tourists not to give money or candy to children so as not to encourage them to drop out of school. However, the surrounding villages are very beautiful to enjoy the nature, the wonderful view, peace and quiet, The transportation from Sapa to the villages is relatively cheap for citizens who trade with Euro or Dollar. In the surrounding villages there are many good options for accommodation and food with wonderful nature, good services and reasonable prices. There are many hiking trails and all hoteliers can arrange to have a guide at a low price. You can thus meet people from some local tribes and discuss their way of life. Prefer the surrounding villages, anyway no attractions are inside Sapa. Currency exchange is not very easy. ATMs only spoke Vietnamese, the bank only opened in the morning, and the currency exchange shop gave a much lower rate. For credit or debit card transactions they charged an additional 5%. Many attractions only accepted cash for the ticket. In summary I recommend staying outside of Sapa and carrying enough cash.
Sapa is a well known tourist destination.
20 May 2024
Sapa is a well known tourist destination. The Cable Car to Fansipan was really awesome. The Cable Cars are a bit expensive for Vietnam standards, but it's completely understandable considering the engineering used to build it. They are still much cheaper than ones I've been on other places in the world(Hong Kong, Gatlinburg USA, others). The Glass Elevator/Bridge about 30 minutes drive from the city was an amazing experience and highly recommended. Around the Sapa station area, we tried to sit and relax from walking around all day. Some street sellers dressed in ethnic outfits stood right next to us even after we said no several times. Even after we bought something, 2 more of them showed up and wanted us to buy more. After 10 minutes we had to leave, because we couldn't relax due to their aggressive selling.
Most local people can't speak English, need to use a...
27 April 2024
Most local people can't speak English, need to use a google translator. From Hanoi to Sa Pa is quite a distance away, travel by train around 7 to 8 hours, travel by bus also around 5 to 6 hours.
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