Sapa travel experience: Fully explore the "foggy" mountain town

Sapa - a wild and majestic land that any tourist has ever dreamed of setting foot on to admire the natural scenery. The following article will share useful Sapa travel experiences to help visitors experience a complete and meaningful journey.

• Ideal time to travel to Sapa
• 6 attractive tourist destinations in Sapa that visitors cannot miss
  • Sapa Heaven Gate
  • O Quy Ho Pass
  • Ham Rong Mountain
  • Muong Hoa Valley
  • Ta Van Bamboo Bridge
  • Cat Cat Village
• Enjoy attractive specialties when traveling to Sapa
  • Effervescent Tablets
  • Grilled stream fish
  • Black chicken meat
  • Thang Co
  • Grilled pork
• What specialties to buy when coming to Sapa?
  • Wild mushrooms
  • Candied plum
  • Buffalo jerky
  • Salt and pepper
• Suggested means of transportation to Sapa
  • Plane
  • Coach
  • Train
  • Personal vehicle
• Traveling to Sapa, you need to pay attention to the following experiences
  • Transportation in Sapa
  • Choose the right outfit
  • Buy plane tickets early

Ideal time to travel to Sapa

• Spring from February to May: Spring in Sapa is full of blooming flowers, giving visitors a great opportunity to admire the magical beauty of nature here.
• Summer from June to August: Sapa summer is full of vitality and the fragrance of flowers and sweet fruits in harvest season. Summer temperatures here only fluctuate from 25 - 28 degrees Celsius and are considered by many tourists as a "heat-escape paradise".
• Autumn from September to November: In the gentle cool weather, visitors can admire the golden rice fields stretching across the valley.
• Winter from December - January: From late November to early December, Sapa's landscape is covered in a mysterious mist.

6 attractive tourist destinations in Sapa that visitors cannot miss

Discover now 7 famous landmarks that have become the soul symbols of Sapa land below:

Sapa Heaven Gate

Located at an altitude of more than 2035m above sea level, Sapa Heaven's Gate is one of the highest destinations in the Northwest. To reach this destination, visitors must cross the 50km long O Quy Ho Pass. Standing on the Heaven's Gate - where heaven and earth meet, visitors can admire the dreamy, majestic beauty of Sapa with their own eyes.

• Location: O Quy Ho Peak, Son Binh Commune, Tam Duong District, Lai Chau Province
• Distance to center: About 15km

O Quy Ho Pass

The King of the Northwest Pass is the place that most tourists when coming to Sapa want to conquer. The winding, dangerous roads contain unpredictable charm, however, tourists need to move carefully when using motorbikes.

• Location: Son Binh Commune, Tam Duong District, Lai Chau Province
• Distance to center: About 15km

Ham Rong Mountain

To visit Ham Rong Mountain, visitors need to buy an entrance ticket, the price ranges from 20,000 - 70,000 VND. Surrounding the mountain are the views of many equally unique locations such as Orchid Garden, Peach Garden, Sapa Telecommunication Station, Heaven Gate, Cloud Yard.

• Location: Close to Sapa town, behind Sapa Stone Church, in Hoang Lien Son range
• Distance to center: About 3km

Muong Hoa Valley

The valley makes a strong impression with the ancient stone complex, 4km long and about 2km wide. On the stone slabs, visitors can observe many strange drawings or symbols such as the sun, human figures, and ancient writings. In addition, this is also the place where the Black H'Mong, Giay, and Red Dao ethnic groups live and reside.

• Location: Lao Chai, Sa Pa, Lao Cai
• Distance to center: About 10km

Ta Van Bamboo Bridge

The bridge is made entirely of skillfully and firmly woven rattan. When walking on the bridge in the early morning, the layers of mist covering it make visitors feel like they are walking in floating clouds.

• Location: Ta Van Giay Village, Ta Van Town, Sa Pa, Lao Cai
• Distance to center: About 17km

Cat Cat Village

Cat Cat Village is one of the ancient villages imbued with the traditional cultural beauty of the Northwest mountainous region. Visitors can experience life as the locals here by renting ethnic costumes and participating in many interesting activities.

• Location: At the foot of Hoang Lien Son mountain, Hoang Lien Son commune, Sapa, Lao Cai
• Distance to center: About 3km

Enjoy attractive specialties when traveling to Sapa

With great natural advantages, Sapa cuisine is made up of rustic, natural dishes that are no less unique, novel and attractive.

Effervescent Tablets

The dish has many similarities with Hanoi pho in the way it is prepared. However, the broth is thicker and the main ingredients include: seaweed, crispy sweet potatoes, pork, shredded beef, boiled eggs, pepper, peanuts, etc.

• Price: About 30,000 - 45,000 VND/bowl
• Suggested restaurant: Mr. Ha's Alcohol Restaurant

Grilled stream fish

The local people's favorite grilled fish is usually only about the size of a knife handle, living in schools in rivers and streams. The fish meat is quite firm, has a natural sweetness, and when grilled gives off an attractive aroma.

• Price: About 120,000 VND/disc
• Suggested restaurants: A Phu Restaurant, Thai Bac Restaurant

Black chicken meat

Black chicken, also known as black chicken, is a breed of chicken raised by the H'Mong people in their gardens. Chicken meat contains many nutrients and is a folk medicine used to nourish the elderly or people who have just recovered from illness.

• Price: About 100,000 - 275,000 VND/portion
• Recommended restaurants: Gerbera Restaurant, Sapa Smile

Thang Co

A traditional dish of the H'Mong people for over a hundred years that visitors can find in the markets. Thang Co is actually a soup made from horse meat, organs and horse bones. The dish will surprise some visitors when they see it for the first time, but it is also an interesting dish worth enjoying.

• Price: About 100,000 - 330,000 VND/portion
• Suggested restaurants: Thang Co Sapa A Phu restaurant, Cau May Sapa restaurant

Grilled pork

The name of the dish comes from the image of local people carrying pigs under their arms to sell at market meetings. The dish is only made from free-range pigs, small in size, about 5 - 6kg/pig. The outer skin of the pork is golden brown and crispy, while the meat inside is sweet and fragrant without being greasy.

• Price: About 100,000 - 120,000 VND/kg
• Recommended restaurants: Red Dzao House, Do Quyen restaurant

What specialties to buy when coming to Sapa?

To preserve beautiful memories of your visit to Sapa, visitors can buy some of the specialties below as gifts for friends and relatives.

Wild mushrooms

The air and weather of Sapa have nurtured a large reserve of clean, fragrant wild mushrooms. Wild mushrooms contain large amounts of minerals such as potassium, so they are used as the main ingredient in many anti-aging remedies, helping to prolong life.

Candied plum

An attractive snack made from Chinese jujube fruit has the ability to cool down and effectively reduce fat. After being cleaned, Chinese jujube fruit is marinated with spices and then dried to create an attractive sweet and sour taste. Chinese jujube fruit is long and black, neatly arranged in boxes of about 400gr.

• Price: About 75,000 VND/400gr

Buffalo jerky

The dish was created by the Black Thai people to preserve it for a long time. The meat used to make the dish is carefully selected, mainly from fresh buffalo tenderloin and thigh. It is then marinated with sweet and tangy spices and hung over the kitchen to smoke for 8 months to 1 year.

• Price: About 700,000 VND/kg

Salt and pepper

The dipping sauce is a combination of salt and 10 different spices, including some typical spices of Hoang Lien Forest (mac khen, cardamom, garlic, dung,...). The dipping salt enhances the deliciousness when dipped with seafood, chicken, pork, and even fruit.

• Price: About 60,000 VND/500gr

Suggested means of transportation to Sapa

Three popular means of transportation that visitors can choose to travel to Sapa include:

Plane

Traveling by plane is suitable for visitors from far away. Sapa currently does not have an airport. Visitors take a flight from their residence to Noi Bai airport, then travel by bus to the city. Airfare to Hanoi fluctuates around 968,000 VND/way for economy class.

Coach

Travel time by bus to Sapa is about 5 hours. Therefore, to create a comfortable feeling, visitors should choose single sleeper buses, double sleeper buses. Ticket prices range from 180,000 - 500,000 VND.

Train

Tourists take the train from Hanoi station to Lao Cai station, then travel by motorbike taxi or taxi to Sapa town. Travel time is about 8 hours with a frequency of 2 trains/day. Depending on the train company and seat compartment, ticket prices can range from 250,000 - 1,800,000 VND.

Personal vehicle

Tourists travel independently by personal vehicle when living near the Sapa neighborhood.

Traveling to Sapa, you need to pay attention to the following experiences

Transportation in Sapa

Renting a vehicle allows visitors to freely explore the beauty of Sapa according to their personal needs. Visitors can easily rent these vehicles at homestays, hotels or rental points.

• Motorbike rental : Suitable for individual travelers, small groups or those who love to travel.
• Car rental : Suitable for tourists traveling in groups, prioritizing safety.

Choose the right outfit

Tourists can flexibly choose appropriate costumes and accessories based on the weather and the cultural lifestyle of the local people. Sapa is home to the H'Mong, Red Dao and Tay ethnic groups. Tourists can rent or buy some traditional ethnic costumes when visiting the villages.

Buy plane tickets early

For tourists who want to travel by plane, flying to Hanoi and taking a bus to Sapa can save money with the following 4 ticket buying tips:

• Early Bird Offer: 5% discount on tickets for flights purchased 30 days before departure date.
• Follow Fanpage, register to receive E-news, download Mobile App: Follow now to become the first passengers to update and apply Vietnam Airlines' preferential programs.
• Sign up for Golden Lotus membership: Opportunity to get up to 5% discount on ticket price, bonus miles on birthday, additional free baggage allowance and many other attractive privileges.
• Buy tickets online: Receive benefits such as free ticket issuance, discount codes when paying online with e-wallet, bank account and periodic promotions on the Promotions page.