trip to sapa not taking a tour
 

we are in our 60s and adverse to tours. we are traveling in early november. ideally i would like to go to sapa stay in a small inn and then find a guide who would drive us for a day or 2. can that be done?

also it seems the best way to get there is an over night train

Absolutely. Here's some suggestions that might help.
1. Pre-book train tickets as soon as possible (you may need to have Tonkin travel or your hotel do this in advance) - try to get an individual sleeping compartment if possible, but in the very least - get a sleeping compartment - you may have to share with another couple.
2. Try to arrive on a Sunday morning, or alternatively, leave Sunday night. This way you can go directly from the train station to the bac ha market which is in the opposite direction from the town of sapa. Your train arrives approx 5:30 am which is advantageous as you can get to the market first thing in the morning. (You may have to arrange for a drive to the market and then onto sapa - there are likely buses that do this, but i am uncertain as to the logistics. Otherwise try to leave on a Sunday and arrange for transportation back to the train station after your day at the market. I think getting there on a Sunday would be best.
3. There is a tourist office in sapa where we arranged for drivers and day trips - very easy to do on your own once you get there.

Sapa was fabulous. You will have a great time.

1. There are many inns in Sapa less than $15, you may contact and book. You may consult some motels where i stayed in my trips:
- Mua Xuan (Spring) hotel, Close to the market and 5 minutes by walk to Stone church. Room is good, clean and able to watch Hoang Lien Son majestic mountains. The prices are $12 for normal day, $16 for weekends and holidays. Tel:+ 84203 871 380
- Co Vuong (Mrs. Vuong) motel is located at 10 - Son Thach street. Prices are around $15 - $18, depending on days. Tel: +841677 604 658
- Quoc Thai motel, lies on Fansipan street, tel: +84203.871384 The price is about $10 for normal days.

2. About driver, you may ask the motel to rent a car and driver.

3. Yes, the best way to get to Sapa is overnight on a train. It takes about 10 hours. There are many types of train ticket, i see the foreign tourists usually choose bed ticket, fare about $25 to $30. However, you may choose seat ticket with price $15.

Another info that maybe you care. The highway Hanoi - Lao Cai was completed, you just take about 7 hours to get Sapa by bus. You may consult some bus firms:
Hai Van (Tel: +84203.872.606), Ha Son (Tel: +844 66.62.62.62), Hung Thanh (Tel: +84989.294.294), VietBus (Tel: +8443-627.27.27), ...
Have fun!

Dat_Hoang - excellent blog with some really useful information. I have bookmarked to have a longer look later in preparation for our trip to Vietnam in December. Thanks for sharing.

FYI - IMO it would be better to arrive on a Sunday so you can get to the market in the early hours to see the animal trading which is mostly complete if you go late morning. Also, that way you can avoid a long wait at the train station following a visit to the market for your return trip to Hanoi.

Thanks for your encouragement, Crellston!

We actually did it differently because we did not arrive on a Sunday. We did the Bac Ha market on the day we left and rented a hotel room near the train for a few hours at the end of the day. Our guide arranged it and it was nice to have a shower before boarding the overnight train. We had a nice relaxed dinner at the hotel and it all worked out fine. The train, unfortunately is the best and only way to go. If you use a local agent (we also used Tonkin), you should be able to get a private compartment on the train. We stayed about 45 minutes outside of Sapa (Topas Ecolodge) and had guides for walking/hiking arranged through the hotel - don't know if that is your thing, but the area is best seen on foot. You can wander around Sapa on your own - you don't need a guide.

Craig - great idea getting a hotel.

night train is one of the best vehicle to go to Lao Cai, its about ~ 12$ for a seat, about ~25$ for a lie seat. when you arrive Lao Cai railway-station on the early morning, you can catch a bus to go to the Sapa, it about ~3$. have a nice trip!

There is a new high way connecting Hanoi to Lao Cai (Sapa). It is easy to catch a bus from Hanoi for about 3.5 hours only.
Taking a bus is cheap and save more time than by train.

That's fantastic news, I'd much rather spend 3.5 hrs on a bus than 9 hrs on the overnight train.

I guess this will make the area even more accessible, and wonder what the effects will be.

Tony14, sounds like you've recently been to Vietnam. I'd be interested to read more about your trip.

Thanks !

There is nooooo way I would drive very dangerous driving there. Not safe at all!Take the train.