Located at the foot of the majestic Hoang Lien Son mountain range and only 5-6 hours from Hanoi by highway, Sa Pa is an ideal destination all year round. In addition to the terraced fields in the ripe rice season, Sa Pa also attracts visitors thanks to the beauty of many other destinations.
When is Sa Pa beautiful?
Sa Pa has a cool climate, so it is suitable for year-round travel. You just need to avoid the rainy season from June to early August, because extreme weather can cause flash floods, landslides, etc.
From February to May, Sa Pa is brilliant in spring with hundreds of flowers blooming such as cherry blossoms, peaches, plums, etc. Summer from June to August is the time when tourists come to Sa Pa to escape the heat and admire the cool green terraced fields.
Autumn lasts from September to November, Sa Pa is charming in the golden color of ripe rice and the weather gradually turns cold. Winter comes from December to February of the following year, if you are lucky you can “hunt” for snow and ice on the mountain tops.
Transportation
You can book a limousine from Hanoi to Sa Pa or a bus from My Dinh station for 230,000 – 350,000 VND per person, depending on the seat class. Travel time is about 5 – 6 hours.
If you take the train, choose the Hanoi – Lao Cai route, after about 7 – 9 hours of travel, you must take a bus or taxi to Sa Pa center. Train tickets cost from 160,000 to 800,000 VND depending on the seat class and train type.
If you drive yourself, take the Noi Bai – Lao Cai highway, then turn onto Highway 4D to Sa Pa. The road is easy to travel, but you need to pay attention to the signs and drive at the right speed. On cold, rainy, foggy and slippery days, you should carefully check the tires, brake system, lights, etc. before departing. Travel time is about 5 – 6 hours. Depart from Hanoi at the latest around 12:30, so that when you reach the pass to Sa Pa, it is not too dark.
Hotels, homestays
Sa Pa has all kinds of accommodation for you to choose from motels, homestays in villages, hostels, cheap hotels, to 4-5 star hotels, luxury resorts located separately. Notable resorts in Sa Pa are Topas Ecolodge, Sapa Jade Hill, Hôtel de la Coupole – MGallery, Silk Path Grand…
If you choose homestays, hostels, go to villages like Cat Cat, Lao Chai, Ta Van to enjoy the peaceful space of the Northwest mountains and forests. Dorm room prices start from 100,000 VND per person, double bungalow room prices start from 500,000 VND.
Some popular homestays are Eco Palms House, Heaven Sapa, Viettrekking, Phơri’s House, Sapa Heavenly, Rock Garden, Coong, Vuon May, Mong…
Where to go
You can spend about 3 days and 2 nights to explore the famous destinations in Sa Pa.
Ham Rong Mountain
With its magical and mysterious scenery, Ham Rong Mountain is crowded with tourists. The lowest point of the mountain is 1,450m, and the highest peak is over 1,800m. From the top of the mountain, you can see most of the famous tourist attractions of Sa Pa town such as Muong Hoa valley, Ta Van village, Cat Cat village…
Ham Rong Mountain is suitable for organizing a mountain climbing picnic, combining eating and shopping, sightseeing because on the way up the mountain there are countless shops and beautiful flower gardens. The entrance fee to Ham Rong Mountain tourist area is 70,000 VND for adults and 30,000 VND for children.
Sa Pa Stone Church
After going to Ham Rong Mountain, you return to the town center not far away to visit Sa Pa Stone Church. This is a symbolic work of the mountain town, started in 1895. The church was built in the shape of a cross in the Gothic style, expressed in the roof, bell tower, arches… all in the shape of a pyramid, creating a graceful and airy look for the work.
Cat Cat Village
Cat Cat Village is located 2 km from the center of Sa Pa, so you can choose to trek or ride a motorbike. This is a peaceful Mong village, which still preserves many customs and traditional crafts such as weaving, silver carving, jewelry making, etc.
The road to the village is quite beautiful, you will pass through winding hairpin bends, on both sides are terraced fields with ethnic roofs peeking out. Crossing Si Bridge is the center of Cat Cat Village, where three streams converge: Tien Sa Stream, Vang Stream and Bac Stream. Visiting the village, in addition to learning about the Mong people’s life, you also have the opportunity to buy handicrafts as gifts and enjoy local products. The entrance fee to Cat Cat Village is 50,000 VND per person.
Lao Chai – Ta Van
From town, you follow the 10 km long road to Ta Van by motorbike, taxi or trekking. The road to Lao Chai – Ta Van is narrow, with both sides covered in a cool green color of terraced rice and corn fields. Although no longer wild and remote, Lao Chai – Ta Van is still a peaceful village with many ethnic groups living there such as Mong, Dao, Giay…
The most impressive thing here, besides the local ethnic life, is the terraced fields spread across the hillsides. Late summer is the time when ripe rice turns the whole mountainous area golden. So if you have a lot of time, spend a day here to experience the indigenous lifestyle. Entrance fee to the village is 70,000 VND per person.
Fansipan Peak
To get to Fansipan Peak without spending too much energy, take the cable car and the funicular. In the morning, you line up to buy tickets at the funicular train station opposite Sa Pa town square. The cable car ticket costs 715,000 VND per adult, 525,000 VND per child, and the funicular train ticket costs 99,000 VND per person.
To get to Fansipan Peak, you take the funicular train route, then the cable car, then another train ride or walk up 600 steps. Each train ride lasts about 6-7 minutes, each cable car ride is about 30 minutes. Those who like to walk can leisurely climb the stairs, visit the spiritual complex on Fansipan with Kim Son Bao Thang Tu, 11-storey tower, bronze statue of Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, the largest bronze statue of Amitabha Buddha in Vietnam…
In addition, at the cable car and mountain train stops, there are souvenir shops, restaurants… to serve the shopping and dining needs of tourists. Note: you should wear low-heeled shoes, bring a jacket, raincoat, or umbrella in case the weather on the mountain top suddenly turns cold and is foggy.
Swing Sa Pa
This check-in complex is located at 87 Nguyen Chi Thanh, near the town center, about 2 km from the Stone Church towards the cable car.
With many structures such as the statue of a man and a woman, a giant stone hand, a Buddha statue, a “stairway to heaven”, a swing… this place has become a place with countless shooting angles to create unique photos.
Note, before going, you should prepare your photo-taking outfit, or you have to rent it on the spot for 50,000 VND per set, and fully charge your camera and phone batteries. If you travel in a group, you can organize a camping or small picnic right here. The entrance fee is 80,000 VND per person.
Séo Mý Tý Lake
To get to Seo Mý Tý Lake, in Ta Van commune, you have to cross a 20 km long road with many large and small rocks, so it is quite challenging for weak drivers. The lake was created by the dam to build the Seo My Ty hydroelectric plant and is also the highest artificial lake in Vietnam. Seen from above, the lake looks like a silk strip on the Hoang Lien Son mountain range. Coming here, you can ask permission from fishermen to sit on the boat or raft to admire the lake and learn about the salmon farming of the local people.
