Enjoy the whole scenery of Sa Pa from the mountain train

Officially put into operation in March 2018, the Muong Hoa mountain railway connecting Sapa town of Lao Cai province, with Fansipan cable car station and the section from the cable car station stop to Fansipan peak, has contributed to completing and diversifying unique tourism services for visitors to the Northwest highlands. This is considered the longest and most modern mountain railway in Vietnam.

The most modern Muong Hoa mountain railway in Vietnam connects Sa Pa town with the Fansipan Cable Car Station, invested and built bySun Group Corporation, with a total length of approximately 2 km. This is the longest mountain railway in Vietnam to date. Starting from the MGallery Hotel in Sa Pa town and ending at the Fansipan Cable Car Station, passing through 2 tunnels and 4 overpasses with a maximum speed of 10m/s, a capacity of 2,000 passengers/hour, the Muong Hoa mountain railway shortens the travel time of tourists to 6 minutes, instead of having to spend 15-20 minutes by car on the rugged mountain road. In addition, the mountain railway operation also ensures absolute safety for tourists participating in the experience.

Mr. Nguyen Hong Phuc, the train operator, shared: The train is designed entirely with European technology, so you can rest assured about its safety. The train is designed with extremely large cables and a solid technical system, so there is absolutely no risk. During operation, there have been no incidents. If there is a power outage, the train will stop in the middle of the journey and when the power is restored, it will operate again. When that happens, we are notified and instructed to wait for only 1-3 minutes for the new electrical system to be replaced to ensure the safety of your journey.

The mountain train has 2 carriages, designed and manufactured by Garaventa (Switzerland). Each carriage is 20 meters long, 3 meters wide, weighs up to 25 tons, and can accommodate 200 passengers. The interior of the Muong Hoa mountain train evokes the image of classic, elegant European train carriages with lighting systems, antique ceiling fans, luxurious gold-plated metal trims and details. The body of the train is arranged with transparent glass doors, allowing visitors to take in the picturesque scenery of the Northwest mountains and forests.

The train will stop for about 2 minutes in the middle of the route for visitors to enjoy the scenery and take souvenir photos. Photo: Internet.

The journey to explore the Northwest highlands by Muong Hoa mountain train helps visitors admire from above the beauty of the Northwest mountainous region of Sapa as well as works such as the ancient, elegant French architecture of Sa Pa Departure Station designed by world- famous architect Bill Bensley, with domes, high ceilings and decorative details simulating the image of railway tracks, steering wheels, railway industry badges..., Or the moment the train passes through mysterious tunnels, crosses over overpasses looking down, before the eyes of visitors is majestic nature with undulating mountains and forests, Muong Hoa valley and peaceful ethnic villages, quiet in the morning mist, in the afternoon glow.

From the train, cross the Hoang Lien Son range to see the mountains and forests of the Northwest from mid-air. Photo: Internet.

Sitting on the train, crossing the Hoang Lien Son range, watching the Northwest mountains and forests from the middle of the sky, conquering the legendary Roof of Indochina and worshiping the majestic spiritual cultural complex on the Fansipan peak area, with many works such as the largest Amitabha Buddha statue in Vietnam, Kim Son Bao Thang Tu with many elaborately crafted Buddha statues, La Han road with 18 2.5m high bronze La Han statues, Bich Van Thien Tu, Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara statue... Mr. Nguyen Tuan Hung, a tourist participating in the experience of the high-speed funicular shared: I see that the funicular operated at Fansipan tourist destination is not only faster, but also saves time better. In addition, when traveling by train, tourists can also observe and experience the whole sky of Sapa. Enjoy the view of the entire Muong Hoa valley and the entire Cat Cat village. When the sky is clear, you can see the top of Fansipan appearing in the distance and see the most modern cable car in Southeast Asia running back and forth, taking visitors to the top of Fansipan.

Previously, in December 2016, the Fansipan mountain train was put into operation, bringing the first tourists to conquer Fansipan peak. Departing from Do Quyen station (near the foot of Ha pagoda), the Sunworld Fansipan Legend mountain train takes tourists to Truc May station (nearly 50 stone steps from Fansipan peak) in 2 minutes. The Sunworld Fansipan Legend train has only one cabin, 4m high, 10m long and weighing 10 tons, running both ways with a capacity of 60 tourists. The distance is only 228m but with a difference in height of more than 100m, along with winding roads and "crawl" through an underground tunnel right at the foot of the great Buddha statue, the journey to conquer Fansipan peak will bring interesting surprises to tourists.

Muong Hoa Station is the end point of the journey. From here, visitors can buy tickets to continue taking the cable car to the top of Fansipan or visit the surrounding places with unlimited time and then return to Sa Pa by train. Photo: Internet.

The Muong Hoa mountain train route contributes to perfecting and diversifying services and unique travel experiences for visitors to the Northwest highlands, exploring the misty city of Sa Pa.

With the operation of the Muong Hoa mountain train, Lao Cai tourism has an additional international-class product, contributing to creating more jobs, improving the lives of ethnic people, and increasing both the quantity and quality as well as spending of tourists to the highlands./.

Thu Hang