Sapa Questions
 

I will be in Vietnam for 10 days starting in mid November.

I was thinking about spending a total of 5 nights in Hanoi and the other 5 between Sapa and Mai Chau.

I will not go to Halong Bay on this trip because I would rather do that with my boyfriend when we go together within the next couple of years.

Does it make sense to spend the first 3 nights in Hanoi gathering info from other traveller and locals recommendations and also my last 2 nights?

I will most likely take a night train to Sapa and spend 2 nights there and then go to Mai Chao for a couple of nights. Would it be better to spend the entire time between just Hanoi and Sapa? I do enjoy exploring the surrounding areas as well and hope to hire a motor bike and guide for at least one full day in Sapa.

The closest thing I am taking to a closed toed shoe is my Keens. I also plan on taking a light but warm hooded fleece, hat and light gloves. I know it is impossible to predict the weather but would that be enough warm clothing for typical weather in mid November?

I checked out weatherbase.com but didn't see Sapa listed. I also did a search on this site but came up with mostly Dec. and Jan. weather questions.

Thanks!

ttt

Is stayed just 4 days three nights in Sapa, it was a bit touristy for my liking but a rewarding experience nonetheless. I didn't get to Mai Chau that might be less hectic. I think three days in Hanoi to begin with is a good idea. I don't think you really need to spend much time there when you get back.

http://www.travelsinasia.com/Vietnam/Sapa.htm

Tamara, we ended up not going to Sapa when we went to Hanoi in November a couple of years ago. I talked with several people who live in VN (one who worked in Sapa) and his description of the Sapa weather was that it would be about like Seattle in November (but not as much rain) cool and cloudy, misty, and that there is snow on occasion (though not usually in November).

Not sure what Keens are, or how much hiking you plan to do. But I can tell you that we all wore light weight hiking boots when we were there in Dec and they came in very handy when tromping across muddy rice paddies to visit some tribal villages not accessible by road. Not only were they waterproof, but gave us better ankle support on the slippery bits and climbing in and out of the valleys.

We had gloves but did not need them in Sapa. We did put them on in Lao Cai when we got off the train at 6am, it was pretty chilly.

In addition to your fleece, it would probably be a good idea to have one of those waterproof shells that you can roll up into a corner of your daypack, as it can be damp that time of year.

One of the big highlights of our visit to that area was the market at Bac Ha. What a spectacle! The photos are some of the best we have ever taken. Because of where it is, the best way to see it is to go directly there after you get off the train in Lao Cai. Saves a whole bunch of driving vs if you go from Sapa.

Lindsey, you mean the Sunday market at Bac Ha? How long was the trip from Lao Cai to Bac Ha?

The night train to sapa is a good idea lots of options and different fares to suit all pockets.
Mai Chau is 1/2 a days travel from Hanoi but at least 2 days drive from Sapa so you would need to stop somewhwere on the way ( Lai Chau/DBP/Son La).
sapa is very touristy if you stay in thae town but you could arrnge a trek into the surrounding countryside staying at some of the villages which would be fantastic.
We were tehr e in Dec/Jan and the weather in Sapa was 705f and sunny one day and 5f and foggy the next. Further south towars Mai Chau it was it was quite warm and sunny all of the time. I lived in my Keens no problem. Th eclothing choice souns fine to me. Take an unbrella just in case.

Mrwunrfl, yes the Sunday market in Bac Ha is the one I meant. Various tribespeople walk miles from all over the area to barter, trade,sell, socialize and eat. It's absolute chaos, but extremely colorful and interesting.

We timed our arrival at Lao Cai for a Sun morning so we could go there first before heading to Sapa, which is 1.5 hrs in the opposite direction. If memory serves correctly, it was well over an hour from Lao Cai to Bac Ha. Then the trip back past Lao Cai, to Sapa is close to 3 hrs. Our guide broke it up by stopping in some villages. In one of them we visited the local moonshiner at home and were offered tastes of his special hooch.

Lindsay, sounds like you had a car and driver?

I will be travelling via train so would there be a luggage storage area where I could leave my bag in Lau Cai so I could take a bus to Bac Ha for the Sunday market? Although I am only travelling with a carry on which converts to a backpack I don't want to lug it through hoards of people!

Thanks!

I also have a question. I have also read elsewhere, just as Weilong states, that Sapa is really quite touristy. Bac Ha and its surroundings perhaps sound more interesting. Anyone who has done both care to comment? We would also like to do some trekking in addition to just visiting the Sunday market. We would like a true taste of rural northen Vietnam. Thanks.

Yeah, julies, good question. I want to stay in Sa Pa for a couple of days because the Cat Cat Guesthouse looks so cool! Touristy or not, I like the looks of Sa Pa that I have seen in photos and it seems like it would be a great base for exploring some hill tribes.

I also want a place that has a few good restaurants and bars. I am travelling solo so some socializing would be nice.

Cheers!

Have you looked into taking a northwest loop tour? Mai Chau, Son La, Dien Bien Phu, Lai Chau, Sapa. Definitely check out the options available from Topas Vietnam, Handspan, and Buffalo Tours. Topas seemed to have several interesting tours from Sapa. Lots of trekking options for both of you.

eurotraveller, I think you would be able to figure out a tour when you get to Hanoi. Weatherwise, November is said to be the beginning of the dry season. But the information seems to be conflicting as I read that it gets drier (in Sapa I mean) as the dry season goes to February. But then read about people saying how it is misty and cold in Sapa in January. \

For the nortwest loop tours, one guidebook recommended finding out about travel conditions when you are in Hanoi. You might do the same, e.g. go to Mai Chau and back to Hanoi and then up to Sapa, or vice versa, depending on weather forecast. Looks like best weather history is for Hanoi and Mai Chau and Halong in November. But that whole northern region looks irrestible.

by northern region I mean Sapa to DBP to Son La.

Hi Eurotraveller & all:
I'll be in SaPa for 4 days in December. Based on recommendations from guide who knows the area well, this is our plan (comments welcomed), maybe it can assist you:
Thursday 6 am: transfer from Lan Cao station to Victoria Hotel; drive 50 K to Binh Lu, touring villages & market there; balance of afternoon SaPa
Friday: jeep tour and hikes to hill tribe villages
Saturday: drive to Can Cao for market visit and surrounding villages & scenery, overnt in Lao Cai
Sunday: visit Muong Hum market (less touristy than Bac Ha we are told); take night train to Hanoi

Eurotraveller, not sure about luggage storage at Lao Cai. We stumbled off the train there at 6am, half asleep and focused only on finding our guide. It did strike me as a pretty rustic (ie lacking in services) type of place. You are literally on the Chinese border there.

We arrived on the Victoria train and were booked to stay at the Victoria in Sapa. Since we were arriving so early and wanted to hit the ground running, we had pre-booked the car and driver through the hotel. It was expensive that way, but a good time saver, since I had no idea what we might find at that time of the morning in Lao Cai. It turned out that our guide that day was not working for the hotel the following couple of days, so we made a direct and MUCH cheaper arrangement for him to take us on several treks. there are a number of mapped standard treks you can do on your own. This guide took us off the path and into some area where we saw no other tourists the whole day. Not sure of the names, but we visited several villages, schools, etc. We were never bothered by the aggressive touts that some people on this board have encountered.
I suppose I can see why some people find Sapa touristy. It did not bother me. We tend to love our creature comforts when we travel and the Victoria was a great place to come back to, after a day of damp and muddy trekking. Nice fireplace in the lounge where we put our feet up, played backgammon, sipped hot spiced wine and chatted with other travelers. The kids shot pool with other kids they met there. Later that night our muddy boots and clothes were returned to our rooms looking brand new.
We spent very little time in the town of Sapa itself. I walked down from the hotel one morning to check out the shops for an hour or two and that was about it. But the Victoria made a comfortable base for exploring the area.