SAPA

One of the things I absolutely LOVE about Vietnam, and was actually pretty shocked by, is its variety of so many landscapes. It’s got beaches, caves, waterfalls, major cities, islands, bays, and one of the most unique mountain ranges with stunning rice fields you wouldn’t want to miss. Sapa is located about 6 hours west of Hanoi, and consists of a small town with miles and miles of rice fields carved into the hillside. Not only is the landscape impressive and so unique to see but it’s the people who live in the villages that really make your experience here something even better.

How to get here

The best way to get to Sapa is via train or bus from Hanoi. We booked a bus ticket at one of the travel agencies next to our hostel in Hanoi. The ride was actually pretty comfortable and took a total of 6 hours dropping you off in the center of town. From there everything is pretty much walking distance and easy to get to.

One thing to take note of is that you will find many of the villagers waiting for you to get off the bus and offering you homestay experiences with them in their village. Homestays are very common in Sapa and will give you a much different experience to see how and where the villagers live, but just be aware that many of them will be offering you deals to stay with them. We really wanted to experience a homestay but I didn’t quite trust the villagers on the street at first so I felt a lot more comfortable booking through the hostel we stayed at. Depending on what you are looking for regardless you will find a homestay that you will enjoy.

Accommodation: Go Sapa Hostel

To be honest I wasn’t quite sure how to plan our trip to Sapa because I really wanted to do a homestay for at least 1 night as well, but was advised to book it once you arrived in town so I panned for 4 days, 3 nights to give some time for the homestay. Our primary spot was Go Sapa Hostel which was located not too far from the main square but located on a very big hill so be prepared for a good butt workout. The benefit of it being on a hill were the stunning mountain views, however majority of the time we were a midst the clouds which was actually pretty awesome.

The hostel was very basic, with a very relaxed and serene vibe but had everything you needed. Since we were in the clouds it did get very chilly at night and it’s not very well lit at night so be prepared for a flashlight walking back at night. To be honest we didn’t spend too much time here because we ended up booking one of the homestay excursions through the hostel for 2 days, 1 night anyways. I would advise to book one of the homestays through a hostel so you can ask questions and figure out if its the right one for you.

  • Total cost per night: $5

Sapa Homestay

I absolutely loved the cute town of Sapa, but the homestay was by far the highlight. The homestay was a short excursion, just 2 days and 1 night but we crammed in a ton of walking and exploring and being able to experience how the villagers live. We started the excursion early in the morning from the center of town and was greeted by one of the villagers who spoke incredible English. And how do they learn English? From all the tourists who have done the homestay with them over the years, unreal!

We end up meeting up with a bunch of other villagers and tourists who are on the same homestay and started the journey through the rice fields. You spend majority of the day walking through the rice paddies and learning about how they build them and their growing techniques, seasons, etc. You also learn about how they make their own clothes and food, everything handmade. It’s very humbling and amazing to experience how these people live.

Mid way through the journey to the villages we stop for sugar cane snacks and a prepared lunch consisting of local food they make in their villages. Once we arrived at their village they have a large two story hut where they have several beds for the tourists and a big dinner table where we would hang out and chat. No cell service, no entertainment. Just a bunch of travelers mingling with the villagers and learning about how they live.

Before dinner we had time to kill so a group of us wanted to explore a bit more of the rice fields and village and ended up meeting a bunch of cute kids from the village playing hide and seek with them. It was such a cool feeling to connect with these kids who know no English and enjoy a fun game together. Little did we know on our way back to our hut they kept following us asking us for money, sneaky kids! That evening we had another great dinner cooked by one of the locals and also had some of their home brewed liquor made of who knows what but it made for an interesting and fun evening for sure!

The following day we started a very early morning hike through more of the rice paddies and bamboo forests exploring other villages and seeing more incredible landscapes of the rice paddies that keep going for miles and miles. It literally feels like something out of a movie here. Unfortunately most of the time the views were very foggy and gloomy because of the time of year we went, however, there were moments of sunshine that made for an incredible scenery. After the long walk we ended at a small restaurant for lunch before heading back, which thankfully we had transportation getting back instead of having to walk back the entire way! Overall, I found the experience to be incredible and really opened my eyes to how people live in other parts of world so different to ours. Absolutely LOVED it and will cherish that experience forever for sure.

Cat Cat Village

We got back from our Sapa Homestay midday and heard about a local village that was very close walking distance from the center of town so decided to spend our afternoon exploring another village. There is a small entrance fee to get in but I think it’s worth it. The walk through the village is a loop so the hike around is pretty easy. We lucked out in the afternoon with some sunshine so it was perfect time to see the gorgeous mountain ranges and the beautiful waterfalls and streams that ran through this cute village.

Silver Waterfall & Thac Tinh Yeu Waterfall

Before our afternoon bus back to Hanoi, we decided to rent a scooter to explore some waterfalls nearby. We lucked out because the day was gorgeously sunny and warm so it was perfect to do some hiking and see the sites. We spent majority of our morning getting lost and making many stops to take photos and also sometimes figure out where the heck we are.

Silver Waterfall is located right off the road so you can’t miss it. There is a small fee to do the hike up to the bridge for a closer look, but everything is so damn cheap there it’s really not too much to help out the locals. Thac Waterfall requires more hiking than being right off the road but it’s easily paved and is a lush, green walk to get to the waterfall. Just be sure to bring a map and get as much information beforehand to avoid getting lost. There is only one major road once you get out of Sapa so it’s not very difficult to get to, however locations and exact distance to the waterfalls can be hard to gauge since the maps they give are not the most accurate and there’s no wifi/internet.