SA PA, VIETNAM
Sa Pa sits in Northwestern Vietnam nestled in the Hoang Lien Son Mountains. The tiny town overlooks the terraced rice fields of the Muong Hoa Valley. There isn’t much to do in this town other than trek but if you like to trek, this will be your paradise! Walking through rice fields in the Vietnamese countryside is unforgettable!
Attractions:
Trek: Get lost in the rice fields! Upon arriving at your homestay, you’ll get a map and recommendations for hikes. There’s no one specific route to take or place to see. Get lost and enjoy yourself! There’s so much beauty! Below are some tips:
Stay at a homestay: Do not stay in a hostel in town, you’ll compromise the entire experience. I recommend staying at a homestay instead to soak in the culture of rural Vietnam! Homestays are wonderful experiences and are totally safe.
Trek; don’t taxi: All of the homestays are out in the middle of nowhere essentially. When the bus drops you off in Sa Pa, you will be in the very small town’s “city center”. There’s nothing here for you other than souvenirs and tours. In order to get to your homestay, you can either hire a $20 USD cab (likely about 30 minutes) or you can trek the 10km (2-3 hours). Considering that the only reason you’re in Sa Pa is to trek, I encourage you to immerse yourself in nature and do the hike! You pass through many small towns/communities along the way.
Do not book tours beforehand: They’re total rip-offs. There will be tours in town that will cost more than $100 USD. Don’t do them! The trek on the tour’s first day is the same trek that you would be doing if you hiked to your homestay. In other words, you can do the same exact trek for free that everyone else pays $100 for! The road isn’t hard to follow and if you just ping your final destination on your smartphone, it’s very hard to get lost (I didn’t purchase data when I was in Vietnam but when I had Wi-Fi, I mapped out my route and as long as I didn’t close the Google Maps app, it tracked me along the route. That being said, data is relatively inexpensive out there so it may not be the worst idea to buy some if you plan to explore on your own like I did).
Mount Fansipan: This is the tallest mountain in Vietnam. Hiking to the top is relatively strenuous (via the Tram Ton Trail) but isn’t much more than 10km. There is also a tram that you can take up and down. A round-trip tram ticket costs 600,000 VND.
Other spots to check out include: Sa Pa Market, Ham Rong Mountain, and Notre Dame Cathedral.
Accommodation:
My Tra Homestay: If you make the trip to Sa Pa, I highly recommend a homestay (you stay in a family’s home) as there aren’t any hostels deep in the countryside. My Tra is $25 USD per night and that comes with three home-cooked meals every day and very comfortable cots. Andrew is very helpful when planning hikes, his wife makes amazing food, and their daughter is lovely to interact with! This homestay has more of a hostel’s vibe because they have room for 8 travelers. I found this homestay by asking random people for Sa Pa recommendations and three separate groups recommended My Tra. I’m very glad I stayed here!
Transportation:
Hanoi is 6 hours by bus from Sa Pa and costs 345,000 VND.
Hai Phong is 11 hours by bus from Sa Pa and costs 530,000. You can also take a sleeper bus from Sa Pa to Ha Long City but I advise against this.
