Things to see in sapa

The picturesque town of Sapa  features a lot of worth-seeing sights such as the lush vegetation, rice terraces, pictorial mountains, pine forests, Fansipan – the highest peak in Indochina, etc. It is also home to up to 8 different ethnic groups of H’mong, Dao, Tay, Giay, Muong, Hoa, Thai, and Xa Pho people, making it become an ideal place to not only contemplate the beauty of nature but also explore the locals’ daily life.

Anyway, Sapa is always among top choices for those intending to visit Vietnam. And to make your trip to this hot spot much more convenient and comfortable, here are some handy hints about Sapa map that might help you get to know your way around the area as well as have necessary preparations.

How to get there?
From Hanoi, there are 3 ways to reach Sapa: by train, bus, and even motorbike. However, I recommend you choosing either train or bus.

Train journey from  visit Hanoi to Sapa
By trainThe train ride from the capital to Lao Cai often lasts for 9 hours, leaving Hanoi station (Le Duan street – Hanoi) at around 20:00 and arriving at Lao Cai terminal (Minh Khai Street- Lao Cai City) at around 5:00 tomorrow morning.

By busThere are a lot of sleeper buses that run straightly from Hanoi to Lao Cai with the ticket prices ranging between USD13 and USD18. From My Dinh station (Pham Hung Street – Hanoi), there are so many bus journeys to Lao Cai for you to choose that finally stop at one of some following bus terminals:

Lao Cai bus station: Minh Khai Street, Lao Cai City (nearby Lao Cai train station)
Sapa bus station: Sapa, Lao Cai
Bac Ngam bus station: Bac Ha District, Lao Cai
Bac Ha bus station: Bac Ha Town, Bac Ha District, Lao Cai
Quang Truong Gia bus station: No.333 Pho Moi Street, Lao Cai City
As reaching Lao Cai City, you need to get a local minibus from the train station to Sapa that stops at the Church (the central area of the town). Normally, the ride lasts about 75 minutes.

Things to see in Sapa, Vietnam
Church of our Lady of the Rosary or Notre Dame Cathedral: An old Roman Catholic Church built by the French in the early 20 century, located right next to the central square.
Sapa Culture Museum: Best place to learn about Sapa’s history as well as particular costumes, traditions, and customs of the ethnic minority groups living in there. It opens all days of the week, from 7:30 to 11:30 in the morning and 13:30 to 17:00 in the afternoon.
Ham Rong Resort (nearby the central square): The hillside attraction offering great views of the whole townlet, ethnic minority dance performances, top-quality restaurants, etc.
Cat Cat village: An old village of ethnic people located about 3 km away from the center of Sapa Townlet. It was formed at the beginning of 19th century, gathering all important characteristics of the locals’ daily lives that we can find nowhere else in Vietnam now. There are 2 ways to get there, either walking or taking a motorbike ride.

Fansipan: The highest mount in Indochina with the peak of up to 10,312 ft. This site is located in Hoang Lien National Park (an Asian Heritage Park) and considered among the most attractive spots in Sapa, especially for those love climbing and conquering hard challenges.
Sapa Lake (5 minutes of walking from the Church): Best place to enjoy the fresh air as well as admire the lake’s peaceful beauty. Renting a pedal boat to hang around the lake is a very good idea.
sapa map

These are some handy hints about Sapa map I’d like to introduce in the today’s article. Next time, we will continue this topic with its Part 2 to explore more and more useful information about plans and maps of Sapa, Vietnam.