Welcome to Sapa
Hillside gateway to the Tribal northwest
Sapa, 300 km west of Hanoi, is the gateway to tribal excursions and treks.
Here, visitors have the opportunity to travel by foot, motorbike, or jeep to local and remote hillside villages, to enjoy firsthand the hospitality of the tribal people of the hills.
Sapa is a hill station built in 1922, and is slowly developing into a haven for tourists.
Here, the scenery is spectacular, and the air cooler than in the plains.
Magnificent waterfalls dot this area of mountain passes, river-fed valleys, and terraces lined with rice farms.
Colorful tribal dress is everywhere, and can be purchased from the families themselves, which also presents a wonderful opportunity to meet the people.
Commonly, friendly children will accompany you as you trek through their village, speaking English and French, and will non-forcefully ask if you'd like to see clothing made by their mothers and other villagers.
They will display clothing in a riot of colors, patterns, and textures. If you buy, you'll acquire a lovely item or two, have an interesting story about the purchase, and be contributing directly to the welfare of the village.
To us, it was the most satisfactory buying experience in Vietnam.
Highlights include treks to villages, and a ride through the misty and scenic Tram Ton Pass, where you'll see the spectacular Thac Bac waterfall, and maybe get a glimpse of Fansipan, Vietnam's highest mountain.
A terrific ethnic music and dance program takes place in the basement of the Royal Hotel, every night, hosted by talented local tribespeople.
It costs nothing for admission, but do buy drinks to support the artists.
There is another show around the corner at the Bamboo Hotel, less satisfying due to the disco music played on the PA between each segment of the performance.
Shopping
In addition to the note above suggesting buying tribal goods directly from villagers during treks, there are a number of small local boutiques in Sapa town selling tribal goods and clothes, as well as their own designs.
Four of the best are to be found on the southern road leading out of Sapa, just across the street, and south of, the Bamboo Hotel.
All within a few meters of each other, they are:
- Nhan Long
- Ngoc Han
- Indigo Store
- Wild Orchid
Note on natural dyes: when buying tribal clothes, be advised that dyes are not color-fast.
You're advised to wrap them in plastic bags when you pack (they'll run onto your other clothes).
When you reach home, try soaking them in cold water with salt added, which will stabilize them somewhat.
Even after the soaking, expect the colors to continue running each time you hand-wash them.
Shopping warning: Sapa does have a well-known Saturday market, but we've found the constant pestering and strong-arm tactics by many of the stall vendors and street vendors to be a drain.
In particular, the older tribal women will plant themselves in front of you, not allow you to pass, grab your arm, and generally be a nuisance.
In contrast to buying goods in the villages themselves, which we found to be a wonderful experience, we found the shopping experience in Sapa's weekend market area to be the worst in Vietnam.
Weather
The Sapa area is the coolest in Vietnam.
If you go in January or February, you'll want to bring warm clothes and raingear.
March to August has the best weather, and September through December is beautiful.
It rains all year 'round, but typically occurs in the morning during the Spring and Summer months.
On treks, your shoes will get muddy, but there are friendly kids who will offer to clean your shoes while you wait for $1 USD upon your return to Sapa.
Getting to Sapa
This is best done by aircon sleeper train from Hanoi, which leaves daily at night, and arrives at Lao Cai, near the Chinese border, at dawn (sheets and blankets are clean, but toilets are Spartan).
From here, you'll board a minibus for the 1.5 hour ride to Sapa.
When you book your ticket at your hotel in Hanoi, be sure that it includes the minibus to Sapa.
Additional minibuses always have seats available for $2 USD.
Victoria Sapa Hotel also organizes a luxury sleeping-dining car which is added to the Lao Cai train, www.victoriahotels-asia.com/txt/hotels/sapa.php
