Sapa Vietnam: A guide on how to get there, where to stay, and how to have an authentic experience
22/10/2018
Sapa, located in Northern Vietnam,is absolutely beautiful, and a highlight on most Vietnam travel itineraries. Famous for the rice fields, it has become quite the tourist hot spot, as you’ll notice when you arrive there are hotels everywhere.
After doing some research, we decided to try out a homestay in a village outside of Sapa, and I’m so glad we did. It was inexpensive, the family who runs it were lovely, and the scenery around was amazing. We aren’t big city fans, so it was great stay somewhere peaceful and quiet.
How to get to Sapa:
First things first, how do you get to Sapa? Most likely you’ll be starting from Hanoi, which is about 315km away. You have 4 options on how to get there:
Option 1: Book a tour from Hanoi
I don’t recommend this option, because you can do it a lot cheaper on your own, and it’s easy. Hanoi has endless tour agencies to choose from if you want to go this way, and prices start around $130USD per person for a 2 night, 3 day tour.
Option 2: Travel by bus
By bus, it will take about 5-6 hours to drive there. The buses are all sleeper buses, so you can semi-lay down. You probably won’t get a great sleep though, as the bus drivers are a bit crazy and Vietnamese are constantly using their horns.
Buses will leave from Hanoi’s Old Quarter, and will drop you off in downtown Sapa. If you decide to stay in Sapa town, most hotels will be within walking distance, or there are always taxis waiting when the bus drops you off.
Tickets cost around $10-15USD per person and there are multiple bus times to choose from.
We used https://12go.asia/en to book our tickets online, but you can also book at any of the tour agencies in Hanoi. We used 12go because it’s convenient, and it gives you all the bus options and times to choose from.
Here is an example of bus times, and you can check for tickets here:
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Depart 6:30am, arrive 12:00pm
Depart 7:00am, arrive 1:00pm
Depart 1:15pm, arrive 7:45pm
Depart 2:00pm, arrive 8:30pm
Depart 9:00pm, arrive 3:30am
Depart 9:45pm, arrive 4:30am
Personally, I wouldn’t want to take the overnight bus, because you probably aren’t going to get a great sleep, and you probably won’t be able to check in to your hotel when you arrive at that time.
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Option 3: Overnight Train
The overnight train to Sapa takes around 8 hours, leaves about 10:00pm, and arrives into Lao Cai at about 6:00am.
Lao Cai is still 37km from Sapa. There is a public bus that runs from 5:00am-8:00pm everyday, departing every 30 minutes during peak hours and every 60 minutes during low hours. The cost is 28,000VND per person (about $1.50USD).
If you want to do an overnight journey to Sapa, the train is a more comfortable option, but costs a little more, takes longer and doesn’t get you straight to Sapa.
The cheapest train tickets start around $20USD per person.
You can check the train options here:
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Option 4: Buying/Renting a Motorbike
Many people choose to either purchase or rent a motorbike and self drive in Vietnam. You’ll see many places around Hanoi offering both options.
If you decide to go this way, keep in mind that traffic can be pretty crazy in Vietnam, especially in Hanoi. If you’ve never driven a bike before, I suggest trying it out at home first before doing it in Vietnam. The rules of the roads are totally different here, AKA there aren’t really any rules of the road.
Also, if you plan to drive your bike around Northern Vietnam, be aware that it does actually get cold up there. Shorts and T-Shirts aren’t going to cut it, make sure you bring warm clothes, or you are going to be cold and miserable on your drive.
Accidents happen, make sure you are covered for all your adventures!
Where to stay in Sapa:
We decided instead of staying in Sapa town, to journey a little further and stay in Hau Thao Village, about 10km outside of town.
After reading rave reviews, we booked a few nights at Stunning Homestay.Â
The accommodation was basic, but it was inexpensive and the experience was well worth it. Set among mountains and rice fields, with a waterfall within walking distance!
It cost us only $6USD per night for a private room (shared bathroom) with breakfast included! Can’t get any better than that. They also offer dorm rooms for $3USD per night. (This was in 2018, prices will vary.)
TIP: When booking, request room 201 for a window with the view of the mountains.
The homestay has a restaurant available, with pretty good food at reasonable prices. Of course there is a bar available, with beer, wine, rice wine and spirits.
There are also a few shops across the road with snacks and drinks available.
Yes, they also have WiFi.
How to get there:
If you’ve taken the bus or train to get here and don’t have a bike, you’ll need to get a taxi out here. I will warn you now, the road to get here is pretty rough… once you turn out of Sapa town, the road is pretty shit the whole way. It’s only 10km but it took us almost an hour to get out there.
Since the road is pretty bad, taxi drivers will charge 200,00VND (about $8USD) to get out there. You can either pick one up in town, or if you have a sim card, you can call the homestay when you arrive into Sapa and they will arrange a taxi for you.
The Cau May Waterfall is only 15 minute walk away, and you’ll be walking through a cute little village.
You can hike up to the top of the waterfall for a great view. You’ll see on the right hand side some rocks with white arrows spray painted on them. Head up that way and it’ll take you to the top.
There is also a restaurant at the bottom of the waterfall. The food is quite good, they pretty much serve rice or noodles, for around 40.000VND. They also serve some nice drip coffee, which you can enjoy with a lovely view.
Trekking the Rice Fields in Sapa
Trekking through rice fields, the reason we all come to Sapa!
Stunning Homestay organized a private trekking guide for us for 345.00VND per person, which is roughly $15USD!
We checked out prices in Sapa town, and it was 345.00VND per person for a group of up to 15 people, or 690.000VND for a private guide. So we paid half the price for a private guide, and barely saw any other tourists during our trek.
Our guide Su was fantastic, and I would totally recommend him. Such a great personality, we had so much fun during our trek, and he was totally patient while we took all our photos/videos/drone footage!
He even invited us to his wedding! Unfortunately it was 3 weeks away, and we couldn’t stick around Sapa for that long, but it was very tempting.
If your interested in booking a trek with him directly, check out his Facebook Page Su Homestays Trekking.
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Check out dates for your own Authentic Homestay & Sapa Trekking Experience!
Overall, we loved our time here in Sapa. Northern Vietnam is so beautiful, and it’s definitely worth the journey to check it out.
Wow, the homestay looks awesome. I love that you gave what room to request. I have used 12Go when booking transport in South East Asia and highly recommend them as well. I have yet to make it to Vietnam, but it is on the list!
Yea 12go has been so helpful in booking. Vietnam has definitely jumped to the top of my favorite countries list, I already know I’ll be back again!
It looks fantastic, I have never been in Vietnam and now the Northern parts are high on my list!
Yes we loved the North of Vietnam, it is definitely worth a visit!
This trek looks fantastic. I love hiking but hadn’t thought of Vietnam as a potential destination. I will keep it in mind though it looks beautiful. I like the idea of a homestay too, it seems like such an authentic experience.
Yes Vietnam has phenomenal hiking, it has some of the most stunning scenery I’ve ever seen! The people in the homestay are so friendly and welcoming, it’s a great experience!
This is definitely somewhere I’d love to go! Your tips on how to get there are super useful and I reckon staying a bit further out of town sounds like a great option! What a shame to miss out on the wedding though, I’m sure that would’ve been something!!!
Yea it’s great to get out of the city and just be around nature. It’s wonderful waking up and the rice fields are right outside! I only wish we could have stayed for the wedding, would have been such an incredible experience!
Oh my gosh, I was GUTTED I missed out in Sapa during my trip to Vietnam. You have given me all the inspo to make it back there and GO! Looks like you had a fantastic time.
Yes it’s amazing! And it’s always good to have a reason to come back somewhere, especially Vietnam!
Vietnamese coffee is the best! I found some in NYC and it reminded me of the coffee my parents drank (they’re from Vietnam). Loved the photos of your homestay visits. Such useful information, I’ll definitely be following for ideas in my next travels
Yea we have been loving the coffee in Vietnam, even better when it is with an amazing view! The homestays were a great experience, definitely recommend when you visit this area!