Welcome to Sapa - Vietnam’s The Queen of the Mountains

Located in Vietnam’s remote north west mountains, Sapa is famous for both its fine, rugged scenery and also its rich cultural diversity. Its lush, deep river valleys, in the shadows of Vietnam’s tallest peak Mount Fansipan, are home to Blue H’mong and Red Dao communities, who continue to maintain their strong traditions and warmly welcome visitors to their homes.

Sapa is also famous for its street market, which attracts villagers from the surrounding hills and is particularly busy on Saturdays. The unique embroidery, jewellery and clothes of the H’mong and Dao are good buys here, and the sight of dozens of minority women in their traditional clothing is a memorable part of any stay in Sapa.

The Queen of the Mountains, Sapa sits regally overlooking a beautiful valley, lofty mountains towering over the town on all sides. Welcome to the destination in northwest Vietnam, gateway to another world of mysterious minority cultures and luscious landscapes. The spectacular scenery that surrounds Sapa includes cascading rice terraces that spill down the mountains like a patchwork quilt. The mountains are often shrouded in mist that rolls back and forth along the peaks, offering tantalising glimpses of what lies in wait on a clear day. The valleys and villages around Sapa are home to a host of hill-tribe people who wander in to town to buy, sell and trade.

Tours in Sapa

Victoria Sapa Packages

Sapa Classic Tours

Trekking and Homestay Tours

Sapa Cycling Tours

Travel arrangements are subject to availability and price changes until your booking is confirmed.
Prices include all current taxes and charges.

Sapa Overview

Sapa town is set on a roughly north-south orientation, and you'll be heading north as you head up the hill away from Mt Fansipan into town and on towards the road to Lao Cai. The chief landmark is the old church sitting just above the pentagon-shaped town 'square'. It's actually a stadium built into the hillside, though we've never seen it used as such. The road along the south side of the church, crowded with market stalls, is Phan Xuan Huan -- following the road to the end leads to some cheaper accommodation with lesser views. There are two sets of steps that lead down to Cau May, which may provide a good short-cut between the church and your hotel.

Cau May (Cloud Bridge) is the main thoroughfare for foreign tourists, and is crowded with restaurants serving western food. This street starts at the south side of the town square and terminates in a steep set of stairs lined with cheap rooms, let out by the Vietnamese who have come here to work. At the top of the stairs, you'll find one of the town's two ATMs that takes foreign cards.

To the right and up a bit is Dong Loi, the alley where you'll find Tau Bar and Chau Long Hotel. To the left, the road takes an extreme turn and technically becomes Muong Hoa, but places along both streets may refer to either name. Here you'll find places like the Lotus Hotel, the Pinocchio and the Royal View. There's little to see past the Pink Candle restaurant 500m down the road, but 25km further on is Ban Ho village.

The other road of interest is Thac Bac (silver waterfall) which ascends north from the town square up into the hills. Here you'll find Baguette and Chocolate, and further up, the Summit Hotel -- and much further still, Lai Chau.

It's more than likely you'll get free internet at your hotel, but for a full range of services, one stand-out place is the Cybercafe on Fansipan Road, for CD-burning, printing, and whatever gadgets and thingamabobs you need to make this talk to that.

The road that crosses Cau May features a banner announcing it as the way to Cat Cat Village. Cat Cat is literally 'cascade', the French word for waterfall, subjected to the Vietnamese rules of pronunciation. The road is called Fansipan, after the mountain, via a variety of curious phonetic spellings involving the letter 'X'. This road leads to places like the Cat Cat View, Pink Floyd, and then on to the local waterfall.

There's very little to lure you further north than the post office on Thach Son, along the fish-shaped park above the town square. Not even the bus station, since all the buses to Lao Cai and Lai Chau depart from in front of the church. Across from the bus station is the BIDV bank along with the town's other ATM. North of the bus station is the artificial Sapa Lake, which takes about an hour to walk around.

Tours and treks can be booked in advance in Hanoi, or on the spot in Sapa. You'll pay a bit more for the former, but to make sure you get the tour you want when you want, booking ahead in Hanoi provides more ease and security. Tours are offered absolutely everywhere in Sapa, and trying to pin down the best agency with the best tours for the best price is like trying to catch a wave on the sand. The bottom line is, don't pay more than you can afford, and Sapa is so beautiful, and the surrounds so intriguing, you'll walk away feeling you've got your money's worth, even if you paid a bit more than someone else for the same thing.

If you really want to re-distribute your western dollars directly to those who need it most, forget about the tour agencies and head to the bottom of Cay Mau outside the Royal Sapa Hotel where you'll find many independent guides looking for clients. Many Hmong girls make a living this way, and their English is often excellent. As for the Vietnamese, some are drug addicts, and some are working hard to support their family in a remote village to the south. It's pretty easy to tell the difference. It's best to work out a plan on your own first, and just tell your guide where you want to go. This is the same 'talent pool' the agencies often use when they have extra work, so you'll just be cutting out the middle man.