Posted by Karbo
We'd initially decided not to go to Sapa as I'd read that it gets really cold in January. However, after talking to a few locals and fellow travelers we decided it was something we had to go see.
We took the overnight train from Hanoi to Sapa and rode in the Livitran car. Livitran is a company that runs a few cars on some of the train routes in Vietnam. The carriages are catered towards tourists and are supposed to be more comfortable than the regular sleeper carriages. We rode in regular sleepers during our time in Vietnam and I'd have to agree that Livitran was the cleanest carriage we had.
*Note: We didn't book any of our train tickets online or in person. We paid a small commission to have our hotels book our trains for us, which we felt was worth it for the extra convenience.
*Note: We didn't book any of our train tickets online or in person. We paid a small commission to have our hotels book our trains for us, which we felt was worth it for the extra convenience.
We arrived in the town of Lao Cai when it was still pitch dark outside. As soon as we exited the station we were swarmed with taxi drivers. We had already booked a 1-day trek with Sapa O'Chau so our ride to Sapa was pre-arranged.
It was very cold in Sapa! Since we had a few hours before our trek was to start, we had breakfast at the Sapa O'Chau cafe and bought some earmuffs and gloves at a nearby store.
It was very cold in Sapa! Since we had a few hours before our trek was to start, we had breakfast at the Sapa O'Chau cafe and bought some earmuffs and gloves at a nearby store.
Our guide was Pang, who was from one of the local H'mong villages that we were going to visit on our trek. Prior to our trek, she warned us that a few of the local H'mong ladies would join our trek and eventually try to sell us their local wares.
Sure enough, as soon as we got onto the main street of Sapa, 3 Black H'mong ladies joined our group. They were extremely friendly and had a decent grasp of English. We chatted during the trek and they also helped us on the very muddy and tricky parts of the hike.
During the 4 hours we spent with the H'mong ladies, they never mentioned that they had merchandise for sale. However, as soon as we entered their village they pulled out their goods and the bargaining began. I have to acknowledge they're pretty clever since it's much harder to bargain down someone after you've spent a friendly 4 hours together.
Sure enough, as soon as we got onto the main street of Sapa, 3 Black H'mong ladies joined our group. They were extremely friendly and had a decent grasp of English. We chatted during the trek and they also helped us on the very muddy and tricky parts of the hike.
During the 4 hours we spent with the H'mong ladies, they never mentioned that they had merchandise for sale. However, as soon as we entered their village they pulled out their goods and the bargaining began. I have to acknowledge they're pretty clever since it's much harder to bargain down someone after you've spent a friendly 4 hours together.
We ended up with 2 scarves that we're very happy with. We'd seen how they make the scarves by hand and they serve as a nice memento of our time in Sapa. Originally, we'd only planned to buy 1 scarf but they must have sensed that I'm a softie since they kept asking me to buy 1 more while ignoring Jason, who had already adamantly told them we didn't want anything else.
In total we spent about 6 hours hiking around the local villages and rice terraces of Sapa. Overnight treks that include a homestay with a local family are very popular but since we were short on time, we stuck with the single-day trek. After we returned to town, we checked into the Paradise View Hotel. We'd read really good reviews of the hotel and we have to agree that their service is impeccable! David and Kim were always helpful and pleasant and we also received a free upgrade to a suite. On top of the upgrade, they also had welcome drinks, cakes, and fruit waiting for us!
We spent our last day in Sapa wandering around the town and exploring the local market. The town is very small and is very much catered towards the many tourists that arrive to explore the rice terraces.
We left Sapa on the night of the 15th on the overnight train back to Hanoi. The hotel arranged for our ride to Lao Cai, packed us sandwiches for our overnight ride, and David and Kim saw us off with smiles and waves. We left with a great memories of Sapa.
To all of you going to Vietnam, make sure you take some time to visit Sapa and go on a few treks!
To all of you going to Vietnam, make sure you take some time to visit Sapa and go on a few treks!