Sapa Valley travel guide

Ban Ho is a charming Tay village which is picking up on the trekking tourism. This means there are now several homestays and eating places, but also more cement and bricks which doesn't go very well with the otherwise beautiful wooden Tay stilt houses. There road coming down to Ban Ho is spoiled with nice views of rice paddy fields. There is also a waterfall a small walk from the village.

For those not interested in trekking and doing homestay in Sapa valley, it is still possible to get a taste of village life, but it will not be of the finest. Right below Sapa town at the end of a fairly steep road lies the Black H'mong village Cat Cat. You can either walk down there or take a motorcycle taxi (xe om). The drivers are making a killing of driving tired travellers back up. So yes, Cat Cat is as touristic as Sapa, but if you venture a bit off into the rice paddy fields you will soon poke your nose into real village life.

Lao Chai is a Black H'mong village a bit out in the valley. You can either trek there along trails at the bottom of the valley, or follow the main valley road that clings to hill side. Lao Chai is favoured by visitors who haven't got enough time to go further out in the valley. To say the least, it is fairly touristy and visitors are often guarded by the ever so friendly H'mong ladies asking them the, by now, well-known questions "what is your name?" and "you buy from me?". The good thing is that tourist facilities are ready at hand and it can be done without a guide.

The highest mountain in Indochina (Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam) might seem as a easy trekking peak due to the not so impressive height of only 3,143 m, but don't be fooled. The are several routes to the top, but every track is difficult and involves a overnight stay unless you do commando raid (record is around 10 hours up and down from Heavens Gate at 1,949 m). A lot of scrambling on slippery rocks and zigzagging through dense bamboo forest is the norm, and expect bitterly cold and wet nights. To get the full experience, it's highly recommended to descend on the southeast side into the Sapa valley over multiples days. Coming down from the top covered in dense forest and trekking into the farmed valley with rice terraces and villages is a rewarding finish.
Since the beginning of 2016 you can just take the almost 6.3 km long cable car straight from Sapa.

Sapa town is beautiful nested at around 1500 m at the top of a valley. Not only does it boast of magnificent views of Mt Fansipan, 3143 m, (well, when the weather is clear) but Sapa Valley is also one of the most ethnological diverse places. On a day's trek through the valley you can meet up to six different minorities (Black H'mong, Blue H'mong, Red Dao, Giay, Tay and Xa Pho), and then we haven't even counted the visiting minorities that come in for Sapa's weekend market. The colourful minority ladies are keen on selling their souvenirs and they don't take no for an answer. Many visitors might find Sapa too touristy, but keep in mind that Sapa was original build as holiday retreat for the colonial French more than a hundred years ago. So tourists are not a new thing for Sapa. Though Sapa town can have its moments on market days, the real reason to come here is the valley and beyond; rice terraces covering whole mountain sides, primitive minorities villages with homestays and off-the-beaten-track trekking along Hoang Lien Son mountain range.

Sapa town planning when down the drain a long time ago. The charming old French colonial buildings are heavily outnumbered by slim concrete monsters, and more are coming. Every time someone managed to put up another hotel with a bit of view, some entrepreneurial soul had score the lot in front and will at first destroy the peace with construction hammering for then finally obstruct the view for good. So walking around Sapa can at times feel like trespassing a never ending work site - but it does create some wicked architecture.

Sin Chai village is actually two villages, an upper (Sin Chai A) and a lower (Sin Chai B). Both are inhabited by the Red Dao minorities, which is one of the most colourful ones due to the women fine headdress, called a hung. Unless it is a special occasion, most of the men wear normal Vietnamese clothes these days, but the women are still wearing their traditional clothes which are made of embroidered smaller pieces. The ladies and girls sit all day long during the winter months and stitching away, making a pair glasses - or sometimes two on top of each other - handy when ones eyesight is failing. There are several road and trails to Sin Chai and a guide is necessary.

Thanh Phu is a small Tay village beautiful nested at a bend in the road that goes through the Sapa valley. It act as a trading town for the surrounding villages, which include several Red Dao ones and one for the Xa Pho people. Due to the sheltered location the climate is hotter here than the rest of the hill sides, making it possible for the Tays to have a longer rice season. There is a bit of a buzz in town (as buzzy as it gets in this region) and it can at times feel like the wild east.

Trekking in Muong Hoa valley (also known as Sapa valley) can be an amazing experience. An extended network of trails made by the hill tribes makes it possible to trek throughout the valley from Sapa town, to the top of Fansipan, through the jungle on the side of Hoang Lien Son mountain range, zigzag through rice paddy fields, cross rivers and finally end up in some far flung hill tribe village. Well, while this is possible, reality is that most travellers ending up doing a more touristy version, visiting villages along the valley road (like Lao Chai, Ta Van and Ban Ho) and missing out the best places the valley can offer. But this tourist-trail, which is easiest done with a local H'mong girl guide, doesn't necessarily has to be less amazing.
Exploring the corners of Sapa valley without going through a trekking company either on foot, mountain bike or motorbike is difficult, but not impossible. Some areas need permits, while other are totally off-limits - and the rules change like the wind. So seek information (from people who know and are willing to share) before venturing too far off the beaten track.