If Dalat is considered the soul of the central of Vietnam, Sapa is known as the fog city in the North of Vietnam, which anyone who comes here falls in love at first sight. Visit Sapa on a clear day, you can see the most spectacular views, which will give your eyes to see the beautiful valley or the dense fog rolling over the peaks. Moreover, Sapa is more attractive as soon as appearing in the mist by the variety of Hill Tribe’s colors.
Traveling to Sapa, and too hard to find the attractions, don’t worry, Go Vietnam Tours will provide you with outstanding destinations in Sapa for your trip. Check out the list below, and contact us if you need help.
1. Authentic Hill Tribal Villages
Cat Cat Village
Cat Cat Village is the most visited ethnic minority village from Sapa, the best example of a hill tribe village of the Mong people. What you can enjoy here is the idyllic scenery, impressive backdrop, and peaceful atmosphere of the local community.
Young Mong people are proud to wear their traditional costumes which have been dyed a lot of colors. One thing to look for is that the traditional houses of the Mong people are still preserved in good condition, the house is considered a very important part of the life of the Mong people. On your trekking path, we can not help but mention the beautiful scenery of terraced fields that stretch to the horizon.
Cat Cat Village is definitely an interesting and special point of Sapa.
Location: 2km from the center of Sapa city
Admission: VND 70,000 / adult.
Ta Van village
Located about 8 km from Sapa town, Ta Van village is a great choice for hiking trips to a hill tribe village in Sapa. The village belongs to Ta Van commune, which is home to nearly 150 households with about 1,000 residents, mainly H’mong, Zay, and Red Zao ethnic minorities.
The road leading to Ta Van village is small and narrow, running on both sides of terraced fields. Coming deeper into the village, visitors can surprise you with the harmonious beauty of the natural landscape and idyllic traditional wooden houses.
Zao culture shows the most influence in Ta Van through their striking red outfits to cultural festivals and food. Ta Van should not miss on your bucket list if you are looking for a real adventure.
Sin Chai Village
Sin Chai is another H’ mong village with a population of 1400 people, located about 4 km from the center of town. Sin Chai belongs to Ta Giang Phinh commune, located at the lower part of the Thau stream and the foot of the Ngu Chi Son mountain range.
From the village, you can see the mysterious Ngu Chi Son Mountain, the gentle curves of terraced fields, the hundred-year-old Mong valley, the traditional houses of the Mong people, and more. Sin Chai is definitely the best spot for sightseeing in Sapa.
2. Sapa Love Market
This is a unique experience in Sapa and only happens on Saturday. Sapa Love Market is a place where young ethnic tribespeople will come to meet, love each other and get married. Because the villages in Sapa are very densely populated, people living in remote villages will take the journey days ahead so they can come in time to find someone. You will see the boys and girls flirting together. They hang out, laugh, do traditional dances and play traditional games together. It has a different world than what we are used to. At the end of the day, they broke up but promised to see each other again, perhaps in a week, when the market revived.
3. Muong Hoa Valley
Like everything else on this list, this is a must in Sapa. You can only really appreciate the beauty of Muong Hoa Valley if you take the time to trek it and spend a night or two at a local village homestay. You can book mountaineering tours online or through travel companies, you meet in Hanoi or in Sapa. Sometimes women from regional ethnic tribes may even approach you while in town (bus stations are popular places for this) and offer a walk and accommodation. Don destined to say yes. Usually, these are more authentic than those made through travel agencies. Follow muddy trails through terraced fields, drink water from the stream, sleep on the floor in traditional longtail houses and spend time hanging out with local families and drinking happy water (rice wine) ) in bottles of Aquafina – these are typical tours that will happen. The memories created in the North are unparalleled.
4. Sapa Church
Sapa Church is not far from Ham Rong Mountain, only a short distance away. The church was built in 1895, made entirely of stone, and is considered the oldest vestige of the French.
Today, the Sapa church is the symbol of Sapa town, especially when it is covered with fog or snow. The front of the church is a large square, where a lot of local activities take place, including a number of cultural performances on Saturday. Bring a camera with you to take some truly unique Church photos.
5. Silver Waterfall
Nested in San Sai Ho commune, 15 km away from Sapa towards Lai Chau and Dien Bien province, Silver Falls can be seen from Highway 4D. The stream, like the upstream of Muong Hoa stream, is about 200m high with the silver flowing downstream. The beauty of the waterfall adds to the impressive scenery of the Sapa mountains, with pine forests and rubber gardens spread across the hillsides.
To get closer to the waterfall, visitors will climb stone steps to a height of 30 meters, where the water seems to flow down on you.
Admission: VND 25,000 / adult
6. Fansipan – ‘Roof of Indochina’
Being the roof of Indochina, the Fansipan peak is 3143m above sea level. Fansipan also offers some great options for many trekking levels starting from the easiest path that can be taken within a day for healthy, inexperienced people. The scenery on the way to the top is worth the effort with the dense forests, magnificent scenery of the Hoang Lien Son range, idyllic tribal villages, and the wild Azalea scene near the summit.
The best time for Fansipan’s trip is between November and March because, at this time, the weather in the North falls in winter, drier air, less rain, and low temperatures will make your trip easier. For those who cannot be trekking for hours, you can still reach Fansipan by taking the cable car. Since 2016, Fansipan Legend, the highest, longest, and most modern cable car system in the world, has been opened to all who dream of standing on top of ‘The Indochina Roof’.
Cable car fee
– Cable car: 700,000VND / adult
– Cable car + Bicycling: VND 840,000 / adult
* Note: Cable car will take you to the top of the mountain, not the peak. You have to go up the stairs and then follow the tracks to the top of Fansipan.
7. Sapa Museum
An excellent introduction to the history and ethnography of the Sapa region, including the French colonial period. The dusty exhibition proves the difference between the different ethnic minorities in the area, so this is definitely a quick visit when you’re new to town, even if some of the descriptions are too fuzzy. Located above a handicraft shop behind the Tourist Information Center
8. Tram Ton Pass
The road between Sapa and Lai Chau crosses Tram Ton Pass in the north of Fansipan, 15km from Sapa. At the height of 1900m, this is the highest mountain pass in Vietnam and acts as a dividing line between the two weather fronts. The viewpoints here have great views – and lots of souvenir stalls for you to buy local products.
Suggestion Sapa Itinerary:
Ethnic Identity of Northwest Vietnam – 6 Days
Vietnam East & West Discovery Tour – 11 Days
