3 Days Summarized Itinerary to Sapa , Fansipan - Roof of Indochina via Overnight Sleeper Train (from Hanoi)

Ever since my last trip to Hanoi in 2023, I had been thinking of returning with my family, and it eventually materialized in December 2024. This time, however, the intention was to cover the new mountainous region of Sapa! 

Those looking for itinerary to the capital city of Vietnam can refer to my post here since this post focused just on the the Sapa leg, which started from taking the overnight sleeper train in Hanoi and concluded with the private transport back from Sapa.

As always, this would be a summarized itinerary with links that would slowly be updated as time passes. Do excuse me for the expected slowness as I still have a lot of backlog from my trips to Da Nang, Bangkok. Kuala Lumpur, Batam and Penang... 

Day 0

> Overnight Sleeper Train from Hanoi to Sapa

Day 1

> ALIANA Boutique Sapa Hotel & Spa

> Cho Ban Pho Restaurant

> Cat Cat Village

> Cirrus Restaurant - Asian Food in Sapa

> Local Food Souvenirs Shop

> Massage

Day 2

> Sun World Fansipan Legend

>> Muong Hoa Funicular Train

>> Longest Cable Ride

>> Funicular to the Fansipan

>> Rooftop of Indochina

>> Cafe Du Soleil

>> Spiritual Attractions

>> Sapa Rose Valley

>> May Village

> A Beo Restaurant

> Minh Châu Food

> Shuttle back to Hotel

> Viettrekking Coffee & Restaurant

Day 3

- Sapa Lake

- Sapa Church

- Private Transport from Sapa to Hanoi

Other Postings for Hanoi

> Review of Hanoi Tirant Hotel

> MẸT Vietnamese Restaurant & Vegetarian Met 4

> Train Street at Night

> Prawn Crackers @ Quán Gốc Đa

> Bun Cha Ta

> Gold Coin Cake

> Banh Mi Pho

> Mr Bảy Miền Tây - Bánh Xèo

> Loc Tai House

Day 0 (11 December 2024)

Let's start the journey to Sapa with a cab ride to Hanoi Railway Station; built in 1902, the center section was the new baby completed in 1976 after it was destroyed during the Vietnam War. 

Departing at 10.00 pm, we shall be undertaking our very first sleeper train! We had actually booked for Chapa Express but there was something wrong with the cabin; hence the switch to Vic Sapa Train! Despite the word "train", it was more a carriage that was part of a snaking long train! 

A novel experience indeed; I was surprised I managed to catch a few winks despite the constant rail squeals and the intermittent braking and acceleration; the ear plugs I got  from shopee.sg were helpful. 

Day 1 (12 December 2024)

Arrival at Lao Cai train station in the early morning before 6.00 am and we kept a lookout for the driver sent by our hotel in Sapa to pick us up, at a fee of US$25 for a 16-seater. Yes, Lao Cai is not Sapa; the latter would be about an hour away by car. 

Hotel for the next two nights; ALIANA Boutique Sapa Hotel & Spa! It's always a pain choosing a hotel, especially when you need to cater for so many people! Aside from the great review score of 4.7 on Google Maps, my younger sister selected this because it had a gym; a necessity for her.

Two of three rooms were not ready and we decided to venture out to Sapa Town for breakfast after leaving all our luggage in the readied room. Cho Ban Pho Restaurant; verdict, hm.... the food didn't appeal to us, sadly. 

Since the rooms would only be ready past noon, we walked over to our first tourist attraction in Sapa; the famous Cat Cat Village; home to the H'mong ethnic group and lined with traditional houses and natural waterfalls. 

The amount of instagrammable spots in the village was impressive! Those who love to take photographs, like my dad, would stop again, and again. Oh well, this trip was for my dad and he shall be granted all the time he needed. 

In terms of shopping, you could secure traditional handicrafts and food souvenirs like cashew nuts from the many shops sprinkled along the way but they were generally selling the same thing. It was more the cool weather, the beauty of history around us, and the sound of nature, that I enjoyed and soaked in.

Therapeutic walk we had; to the extent we stayed for more than three hours! Some online reviews complained that Cat Cat Village was too touristy, which I admit although being touristy has its benefits, and conveniences. 

Checking in to our room at ALIANA Boutique Sapa Hotel & Spa! It was a comfortable stay for us even though the room assigned to my sister and I faced the hill. p.s. Breakfast for the next two mornings was delicious! 

After a jog in the hotel's gym, we congregated again to have dinner at Sapa Town; Cirrus Restaurant - Asian Food in Sapa, where we had the flaming pineapple beef, among others! Food was delicious and coincidentally, the chef (and boss), Mr Adrian Chua, is a Singaporean! 

Chanced upon this snack shop, where we were fed so much samples; we purchased quite a lot despite the language barrier! When communication is not an option, the only helpful tool would be the calculator!  And of course, plenty of body language. 

Bright lights of Sapa Town! As you can probably deduce from the photograph, it was misty and remained so for the few days we were in Sapa. I was all prepared for the low visibility as clear weather in Sapa is known to be a rarity. 

Most iconic building in Sapa had to be the above. It housed one of Sapa's most beautiful hotel (Hotel de la Coupole Sapa) and doubled up as a train station bringing visitors up to the Fansipan, tallest mountain of Indochina.

Had a one-hour head shoulder foot massage at a massage parlour that cost us just 180,000 dong (S$10)! The mood in the parlour was noisy but in a friendly, boisterous and fun loving way that had so much laughter!  

Ending the cold night at Sapa with a plate of freshly fried French fries, and a mug of beer from the resident restaurant of ALIANA Boutique Sapa Hotel & Spa. A pleasant conclusion to my first night in Sapa. 

Day 2 (13 December 2024)

Another misty morning and after a heavy buffet breakfast at the hotel, we walked out to our next tourist destination. While I did like ALIANA Boutique Sapa Hotel & Spa, it's about 600 meters away from the main town and going back to the hotel was a torture given a steep slope.

Back at Hotel de la Coupole Sapa, which I would consider to be Sapa town's most visible landmark. Today's itinerary only had one item and it required us to step into the european style building. We shall be conquering Fansipan, Rooftop of Indochina!

We did the easier way via Sun World Fansipan Legend, which required a few modes of transportation. First of all would be taking the Muong Hoa Funicular Train; it should allow us a wholesome view of the Muong Hoa valley but it didn't materialize given the mist.

Arrival at the Hoang Lien Cable Car Station that shall connect us with the to Fansipan Cable Car Station. The queue wasn't too much of a wait and we managed to take a cable car within 12 minutes. 

Rare excitement when the clouds opened up and we immersed ourselves in the spectacular scenery filled with valleys and mountains surrounding us! In case you are unaware, this cable car system is one of the longest in the world, spanning 6,292.50 meters! 

Now's the torturing start of Sun World Fansipan Legend, at this spot known as the The Enlightenment Path of Thanh Van. At a height of about 2,900 meters with temperature hovering around zero degrees celcius and waves and waves of strong wind hitting us; it was god damn chilly! 

Looking at the long flight of steps going up the roof of indochina (said to be about one kilometer long), I was so glad to make the decision to top up our tickets with a convenient, one-way ride via another funicular train. 

From Do Quyen Funicular Station To Truc May Funicular Station; you can purchase two-way tickets if your intention was just to strikeout the peak of Fansipan. Not for us since we already paid quite a bit for Sun World Fansipan Legend and might as well get more bang for our buck.

Just a few minutes walk to the Roof of Indochina, Fansipan peak at 3,143 meters! Fansipan is the "highest mountain on the Indochina Peninsula (comprising Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia)". 

25-meter high fansipan flagstaff which appeared to be closed for maintenance. Inaugurated in January 2017, it was said to have a "sacred flag-raising ceremony at 11 am on weekends". You can check out a video of it here. 

With the cold eating into my bones, it's time to warm our bodies at Cafe Du Soleil! You know what I crave when I am cold? A mug of hot chocolate, and some pastries to relieve the mouth itch. 

After resting for more than 30 minutes, it was decided that we had been sufficiently warmed and would need to face the torturing cold again! Coming from hot and humid Singapore, I do like colder countries but not those below 10 degrees celcius! 

A great portion of Sun World Fansipan Legend would actually be their spiritual attractions including monasteries, religious statues and structures. They might appeal to those not accustomed to religions like Buddhism and Taoism but for Singaporeans, specifically Alex; they were nothing to scream about. 

Towering 11-floor stupa that had its golden tip shrouded in clouds.

The 12-meter tall, 18-ton heavy bronze Guanyin statue that captivated devotees with her benevolent expression. Although I am not that religious, the walk thus far had been very therapeutic for the souls and I guess for some, maybe even spiritual. 

Only two problems; the cold, and the wind! 

I checked the onsite temperature, like minus 2 degree celcius! 

The problem lied with me as the rest of my family seemed to take the cold, and wind in their stride. My dad, especially, was so fascinated with Fansipan and Sapa in general that happiness was written all over his face. 

Humongous, hazy statue behind the tracks of the Fansipan Funicular! I guess I would have seen the statue on my way up but my eyes were focused in front. It didn't help that visibility was quite low with the clouds. 

Here's my family (without my mother who was enjoying the peace and quiet in Singapore) in front of the Great Buddha statue which was 21.5-meter tall, comprising of three floors that included the 8-meter tall lotus pedestal.

Right in front of the Great Buddha statue would be the 9-storey Waterfall with a long, steep staircase that's about 30-meters high! Safety shall be of paramount importance, given my fear of height and well-known clumsiness.

Final picture taken at the The Enlightenment Path of Thanh Van before making our way down to cable station bringing us back to Hoang Lien Cable Car Station.

A lot of visitors would like go straight back to Sapa Town but do you know that there were more attractions next to Hoang Lien Cable Car Station?! You just need to step out of the station, to be greeted by the mythical Sapa Rose Valley! There was hardly anyone. 

There's even a patch of field where larger than life wooden statues formed scary, hazy shadows from afar. Imagine if the above was a scene in silent hill!

May Village, an cultural arena that played host to 11 houses from different villages comprising of 5 ethnic minorities in Sapa, where traditional activities like weaving played out to foreigners. For me, I was happy to feel the warmth from the fire.

My brother in law being cheeky! Surprisingly, he was fun to travel with and his bargaining skill was amazing! I can only say he was trained well by my sister. 

Queuing to take the funicular train back to Sapa town! 

If you have noticed, we didn't have lunch! Hence, the first thing we wanted to do after arriving in Sapa Town was finding a restaurant for a warm meal! Casting our lot for A Beo Restaurant, a local eatery that served salmon hotpot, a surprising specialty in highland Sapa! 

We spent six hours at Sun World Fansipan Legend and the meal at A Beo Restaurant didn't quite fill up our tummies. Hence, another meal at Minh Châu Food, where we had our first banh mi for the trip.

Remember I mentioned about the long walk back to ALIANA Boutique Sapa Hotel & Spa? I was too lazy this time and took the cute shuttle that would bring us back to the hotel in less than three minutes! Cost: 50,000 dong for three persons. Well worth the money.

Right opposite our hotel was a super nice cafe called Viettrekking Coffee & Restaurant, and I was honestly quite puzzled that I didn't manage to see this place on Google Maps when I was researching Sapa. Funny thing was that I knew Viettrekking was a tour company and I had checked out their YouTube channel.

Day 3 (14 December 2024)

All rise and shine for our last day in Sapa! After breakfast, it's our last minute exploration of Sapa Town before departing for Hanoi at 11am.

The scenic Sapa Lake which was purposely built by the locals for tourism purposes. It was said that on clear weather days, it was a picturesque sight with mountain surrounding the lake. 

Roasted Chinese chestnuts would have been nice for the weather but most were cold to the touch and although I managed to sample a few, they were as good as the ones in Chinatown at Bangkok! 

Sapa Church, which was completed in 1935, with its 20-meter high bell tower. We didn't step in as it didn't appear to be open. Together with the building housing Hotel de la Coupole Sapa, this church could also be considered as another Sapa icon.

One of the things I read online about Sapa was that young kids in traditional attire would follow tourists and accoust them to buy the souvenirs. They can be very insistent but we must resolve not to give in as buying from them gave them the motivation to skip school! 

Time to take our private limousine back to Hanoi, about 400 kilometers away. We decided to splurge for better time management and managed to get back to the capital in about 5 hours, including a 15-minute toilet break at a rest station. 

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Afterthoughts

Honestly, I had a great time in Sapa and thought a five-day in Sapa would have been a better decision, with extra time for us to explore the rest of the attractions like O Quy Ho, Rong May Glass Bridge, Sapa Night Market etc. 

Taking the sleeper train was a novel experience but given the time required and the convenience, I would opt for a shuttle from Hanoi Airport to Sapa immediately after landing for my next visit.

Pricing

Sleeper Train (4-Person) - S$59.20 per person

ALIANA Boutique Sapa Hotel & Spa - S$87.30 a night

Cat Cat Village - 150,000 dong per person

Sun World Fansipan Legend - S$51.80 per person

Private Limo Back to Hanoi - S$321.00