Are you looking forward to the Sapa trip? Are you nervous about what to know about this region? Here are some useful experiences for you to carefully plan and get prepared for fun Sapa Vietnam tours.

Best time to visit Sapa Vietnam

Due to high altitude, Sapa is ideal for summer holidays with sparse population and rejuvenating air. In this season, you can easily deal four seasons during one day in Sa Pa: Spring is bright with pear, peach, apricot and plum flowers; Summer comes blooming with pansies, dahlias, sunflowers and numerous temperate fruits; Autumn is the time for perfume mushrooms, wood ears and plenty of spacious medicinal plants… And in winter, fog filled the space, making the landscapes look more mystery and attractive.

From May to September, Sapa witnesses a noticeable wet season, with the heaviest rainfall occurring in July and August. The weather is notorious for changing frequently and quickly. In the morning and afternoon, it is cool like the weather of spring and autumn. At noon, it is as sunny and cloudless as the weather of summer. And it is cold in the evening.

For the most pleasant weather, the best time to have Sapa Vietnam tours is March and May or mid-September to early December.

In April and May, the ethnic people grow rice on terraced fields. When being seen from afar, the terraced rice fields look like a picture of nature with heart- catching beauty keeping tourists to stay for admiration for a while. This picture, however, has its color changed seasonally, shows it most charming beauty when the new crop begins and when the field is lush with ripening rice.

In September and October when autumn ends, tourists can feel prosperity all over the area as rice in all terraced fields is ripe, giving the gold color. During the time, the terraced rice fields look like golden silk scarves flying over in the wind above green mountain slopes, making the mountainous landscape amazingly beautiful.

From late December to February, Sapa has a harsh winter with temperature sometimes drops to below zero degree and tree branches and grass is covered with ice. Sa Pa on icy days always attracts many tourists and photographers and strangely all the most beautiful pictures about Sapa are taken in wintertime. Some recent years, snow falls at the end of December which is a great time for a Christmas holiday and New Year vacation. Taking Sapa tours in Sapa Vietnam tours during this time, visitors may contemplate beauty-spot as breath-taking as in picture described in the Snow Queen fairy tale of Andersen.

Favored sites for shopping

For those interested in unique shopping experiences in an area of picturesque hilly nature and rich ethnic cultures, Sapa is an ideal destination for Vietnam adventure holidays. Strolling around Sapa town’s placid streets, you will soon find some souvenir shops here and there. They all could make good presents for you to bring home.

Indigo Cat

Indigo Cat is a lovely, authentic H’Mong handicrafts shop at 46 Phan Xi Pang Street in Sapa Town just below the Cat Cat View Hotel. It is owned by an H’Mong woman named Pang. She said that her shop was the only H’Mong owned boutique in Sapa. All items are made by herself and her family members. Many of these handmade items cannot be found in other places. Indigo Cat shop offers a wonderful selection of interesting local crafts including bags, clothing, pillows and belts. She even offers embroidery classes so that you can try your hand at learning the local craft. You might gain a deeper appreciation for the amount of work that goes into the garments the women are wearing, and in the next adventure Vietnam you buy something from free people, know the difference. Highly recommend that if you visit Sapa, take a visit to Indigo Cat.

 

Ethnic minority fair markets

What is more interesting is trekking in Sapa Vietnam down the hills and discover traditional markets of local ethnic minorities like Sapa market, Bac Ha market, Coc Ly market. Here you will have a chance to buy souvenirs from the local hill tribes themselves. They trek surprisingly long distances to gather here and sell you their hand – made nice items, most impressive of which are colorful clothes made of local fabrics.

 

Local street vendors

From Sapa Town, about a 5-minute walk to the Main Square, you will find many the hill tribe vendors with crafts ranging from bags, wallets and pillow covers.

Sapa town is also famous for the night market which offers different delicious dishes, most of which are grilled or roasted ones. Taking Sapa tours without trying a dish of baked or grilled meat, beef, fish, and vegetables is a great pity. There are many other delicious dishes to be explored in Sapa. If you have a chance, do make a cuisine trip along Sapa night market and enjoy the moments.

Must-try local foods

 

Thang Co

Thang Co is the traditional food of H’Mong people and it has been cooked for hundreds of years. Thang Co is a type of soup which is made of horsemeat, horse’s viscera and horse’s bone. You might feel a little bit panic-stricken when hearing about the ingredients but that feeling will be blown away once you taste it. Cooking this dish not only requires time but also the skill of cooks. The seasonings comprise of 12 spices from cardamom, ginger, citronella, anise to cinnamon twig.

The locals stew horsemeat with these 12 spices in a big pot within a couple of hours. To elevate the flavor of Thang Co soup, they serve it with fresh vegetable and a special red hot pepper name Muong Khuong.

Where to eat:

•  Thang Co A Quynh: 15 Thach Son Street, Sapa Town

 

Sapa Cap Nach Pork

Cap Nach pork is a specialty that you must try during Vietnam adventure activities in this mountainous region. The ways to make this dish is diverse. The locals usually roast a whole pig directly on charcoal so that the skin covering the pork is very brittle while the pork inside is very delicious and fleshy. Others stir-fry thie pork with little or no water and herbs. No matter how do you cook it, make sure the pork is soft with a hint of spicy.

Where to eat:

•  Anh Dung Restaurant: 69 Xuan Vien Street, Sapa Town
•  Hoang Minh Restaurant: 23-24 Sapa food court (the corner of Xuan Vien Street and Fansipan Street)

 

Salmon Sour Hotpot

Sapa has an extremely cool weather all year round and the water here is pretty cold that is suitable for salmon to exist. It’s explained why salmon sour hot pot is a familiar food to local people. The food has a timeless quality. No matter when you enjoy this hot pot, your eyes will glittery light up talking about the dish.

The real star of the hot bot is its broth. It’s a combination of several vegetable types and freshly caught salmon. Unlike other fish, salmon brings to diners an elegant and delicate flavor. Nestle up to a restaurant on Sapa hill road and make an order of salmon sour hot pot, your heartbeat is just a little bit faster.

Where to eat:

•  Hoa Dao Restaurant: 48 Le Van Tam Street, Sapa Town
•  Lotus Sapa: 34 Cau May Street, Sapa Town
  

  Grilled skewers (Sapa BBQ)

  This is the most famous delicacy of Sapa since tourists all come to enjoy the hot and tasty barbecue with many different local ingredients in the middle of the typical cool weather of Sapa. There is a countless number of grilled dishes here that you could not have enough room for the stomach to try them all. From the very simple food like potatoes, cassava, eggs, chicken wings… to other more complicated dishes with the typical Northwest flavors like the Rolled beef with Meo spinach, stream fish, or bamboo pipe rice… With special local marinated spices & ingredients, Sapa BBQ has a unique taste that differs from any other BBQ. Barbecue stalls in Sapa are located everywhere in the street, in front of the old stone church, in the alleys, markets or even at the famous Silver waterfall… Set up with some of the grilling equipment and few tables & chairs for the customer, these stalls are considered mini roadside BBQ restaurants.

  

  Let’s join Sapa Vietnam tours with safe, honest and reliable local services.

Imagine that you have planned your own itinerary, ready to conquer the gorgeous Sapa slopes during Vietnam tours. Suddenly, a question crosses your mind: “Where should I stay in Sapa, homestays or hotels?”

Don’ worry! Many tourists have met up the same situation like you, wondering whether homestays or hotels. Here is how there experiencing the two types of accommodation for you to consider!

Hospitality

 

When it comes to the degree of hospitality, homestays surely win over hotels. Welcome greetings, hot tea on arrival, travel advice and tour services are all hotels offer you, such the usual hospitality that we most expect from Sapa tours. However, homestays will give you their genuine touch. Living with the locals means you are welcomed by a unique way which sounds like “welcoming you home.” There are many pretty little kids wanting to make friends with you, and the most heartwarming thing is probably home-cooked local food!

Accessibility

 

Again, homestay wins in terms of easy access. Some homestays are sprinkled all over the mountains, some are along trekking routes and others on off the beaten paths. That means a homestay allows you to wake up in the heart of nature, at the meeting points of many trek routes – an interesting experience for your Sapa Vietnam tours. On the contrary, most hotels are located closer to town centers which mean longer walks for getting out of town to reach starting points.

Authenticity

 

 

As mentioned above, Sapa homestay tours may make tourists interested in “home-cooked food”. The genuine warmth of the locals and a privilege to be welcomed into the locals’ home is a true experience that you cannot forget during your lifetime. You have to get a real deal in which there won’t be that hairdryer or huge mirror but the locals always keep their home clean and as comfortable as possible to welcome guests. That is life. We accept sacrificing in search of new experiences to write our own stories. In that way, authenticity is priceless.

Peace of mind

 

To get the most of the peace of mind in Sapa, hotels are a better choice instead of homestays to enjoy your Vietnam tours. After many advantages, the disadvantages of homestay lie in uncertainty. From the start, you hardly know how your homestay really looks, its cleanliness level and living conditions. The biggest concern would be we might have to share the space with locals who have good laughs in the day and sleep early to wake up for a break of dawn trekking.

Now that you might get an overall view of homestays vs hotels in Sapa, you had better find out what is the final destination.

3 Best homestays in Sapa

 

Phori’s House

Phori’s House is a small pretty house, located in Ta Van village, far from Sa Pa town about 10km. You can find a small stream in front of the house where you can lean on a rock and read a book. Walking around, taking a rest on some fields and contemplating the scene of terraced fields in the afternoon sounds really appealing. This is a really ideal site to join Vietnam outdoor activities. Also, if you love cooking, then you will feel happy to come to the kitchen in Phori’s House. Market and vegetable right in the garden are accessible. This homestay also has wine, tea clean coffee, not mention the bathroom with hot tub, and Germany warm blanket for winter…

 

Eco Palm House

Eco Palm House is located in Lao Chai village with Hoang Lien and Muong Hoa valley view. This homestay has 5 bungalows, each of which was designed like ethnic minorities’ houses like H’mong, Dao Do, Tay, Giay and Xa Pho with natural materials like wood, bamboo… This makes them cool in summer and warm in winter.

 

Nam Cang Riverside Lodge

This homestay is located in Nam Cang village, the residence of Dao Do people. You can easily reach Nam Cang Riverside Lodge after a Sapa trekking tour through a hanging bridge. The resting zone includes 7 double rooms and 2 family rooms with full facilities. The special thing of this homestay is river view. It seems that there is nothing more interesting than sitting by the river, sipping a cup of tea or coffee and enjoy the majestic scene of Sa Pa. Also, you can walk into the village to understand more the daily life of the locals.

 

3 Best hotels in Sapa

 

Sapa Rooms Boutique Hotel

As a community focused hotel, Sapa Rooms Boutique Hotel is opened to assist the local ethnic minority residents of Sapa and to make customers’ holiday an authentically unforgettable experience. It is always kept warm as the weather in Sapa is cool or cold all over the year and the rooms are well set out, comfortable with the great view of streets. You can find the hotel management wonderful with bus, pick-up and late check-out services. What is more, delicious Western and Vietnamese food are both served, which makes the hotel’s restaurant the best in Sapa?

 

Sapa Eden Hotel

Sapa Eden Hote, located in a quiet street leading to Cat Cat Village, will you’re your breath away with the spectacular view of a valley and Fansipan mount. Despite having only 15 rooms, this hotel meets international standards and commit to provide the most convenient and friendly services. It takes you only five minutes to walk from here to Sapa Market and Sapa Church. The hotel even offers jeeps car to take you to Ham Rong Mountain and nearby villages.

 

Victoria Sapa Resort and Spa

This is the only four-star hotel in North-Western region of Vietnam. Its luxurious traditional mountain chalet blends harmoniously with the surrounding scenery, allowing you to enjoy something truly distinctive. There is much satisfaction with the superior quality in here: Hanoi- Sapa express train service, a massage and a wonderful relaxing time.

Sapa is famous for its picturesque landscape. That is why you should think carefully about where to stay during your Sapa Vietnam tours so that you can make the most of the time spent in here.