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Sapa Express Bus The bus journey is a four and a half hour trip from Hanoi to Sapa via the brand new Hanoi – Lao Cai highway giving you the unique opportunity to immerse yourself in the beautiful landscape of the mountainous area of Northwest Vietnam. The bus accommodates up to 29 passengers with its luxury service including air-conditioning, Wi-Fi, bus attendant, complimentary bottle of water, comfortable blanket and pillow and free tea, coffee and candy at the pickup point. Detailed information: Bus brand name: Universe Limousine 29 seats Bus departs from Hanoi at 7:00 am and arrives in Sapa at 12:00 pm Bus departs from Sapa at 4:00 pm and arrives in Hanoi at 9:00 pm Ticket price: 378,000 VND Meals onboard are not included in the ticket. Pick up/ Drop off in Hanoi at: 12 Ly Thai To Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi. Pick up/ Drop off in Sapa at: 003 Fanxipan Street, Sapa Town, Lao Cai BOOKING: please send the request to Sapa Travel at...
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Sapa Travel recommend the following luxury restaurants in the town: 1. the Bellevue Restaurant U Sapa has the reputation for serving some of the best food in Sapa and uses the freshest herbs, vegetables, and organic greens from the resort’s own gardens. The award-winning Dining on the Bellevue Restaurant is located at the tip of the headland and presents 270 degree views, whilst Dining offers regional and international cuisine. A large selection of wines from many of the world’s most respected regions is featured in The Cellar. An all day dining restaurant located on the ground floor of the main building with an outdoor terrace, serving buffet breakfast and a la carte for lunch and dinner. The cuisine focuses on using the freshness of ingredients and local produce. 2. Ta Van Restaurant Ta Van Restaurant in Victoria Sapa Resort & Spa offers the finest dining available in the region. Our Chef’s fine cuisine blends local ingredients to create exciting international dishes with a French and Vietnamese flair. Our restaurant has a large central fireplace and a cozy atmosphere. In the summer months, dine on the terrace and enjoy spectacular views over Mount Fansipan. Minority Dance Performance Enjoy traditional dances performed by H’mong and Thai Minority people every Saturday night at Ta Van Restaurant from 8.00 PM until 9.00 PM. Seating capacity: 110 pax indoors Opening hours: 6:30 AM to 10:00...
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The most popular and convenient way to get to Sapa from Hanoi is by sleeper train. If you choose to an experience with us we can also book the overnight trains and transfers for you. We try to make this very easy for our guests by arranging train tickets for more than 95% of our guests. Once you read these hints and tips you will understand why it is better to leave it to us the professionals to take the guess work out and leave you to have a smooth stress free journey to Sapa. The trains to Lao Cai depart Hanoi everynight of the week at 21:50. We choose to book our guests on the Livitrans or King Express or Fanxipang train carriages as we believe these to be the best. These carriages are VIP with 4 beds in each room. There is a toilet at the end of the carriage. We strongly advise our guests to book a private 4 berth cabin even if there are only one of two guests travelling, this ensures privacy, security and a better night sleep. The train line was build in 1906 and you can feel every piece of history in the track as you take the journey 320kms to Sapa. It certainly is a wonderful way to travel and makes coming to Sapa all that more exciting. Bus transfer from Lao Cai to Sapa: After 9 fairly sleepless hours on the night train you want to make sure your bus transfer from Lao Cai train station to Sapa has been organised by your hotel in Sapa, because at 5:00am when your train pulls into Lao Cai the last thing you want to do is to be left standing around having to negotiate for a seat to Sapa. I have heard crazy stories where travellers paid more then US$30 for a single ticket from Lao Cai to Sapa in a mini van. Please don’t let this happen to you. Here are some tips: If you want a taxi this will cost you up to 580.00 VND The journey is 37km from Lao Cai to Sapa The journey will take up to 1 hour depending on the weather When you arrive it will be too early to check into most hotels. Find a good cafe or restaurant for breakfast – Our Indigo Summer House is open from 7.30am and is a great place to shower and get some breakfast. If you negotiate a bus ride yourself, do not pay until you arrive in Sapa Make it easy for yourself, the train station is not the place for an adventure!!! Terms & Conditions By making a train booking with Sapa Travel, you acknowledge reading and accepting these Terms and Conditions and agree not to violate our policies. ACCEPTANCE OF TERMS In these Terms and Conditions “we, our, us, company” refers to Sapa...
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Sapa is famous for both its fine, rugged scenery and also its rich cultural diversity. If trekking is your thing, why not opt for a two or three day experience incorporating homestays in the villages of your choice. What better way to expose yourself to the cultures and colour of Vietnam’s ethnic minorities on a trek through terraced rice paddies, bamboo groves and traditional villages all in the shadow of Mount Fansipan. Sapa Travel work in association with a number of host families throughout the Hoang Lien Son Mountain range and each village has something different to offer. Our homestay partnerships grew out of Sapa Travel’s mission to promote and support responsible travel. From the popular Lao Chai and Ta Van homestays to the quiet and remote village of Lao Chai San, each homestay has a different feel, but all offer the traveller a rare glimpse into the way of life that has all but vanished from the rest of Asia. Here you will find no welcome mats or rehearsed “cultural” parades, just real people living real lives who greet visitors with genuine warmth and real smiles. There are two types of homestay. The choice is either a well established mini guest house style homestay with other travellers or staying in an a traditional Hmong home as exclusive guests. In both, expect to experience village life in all its glory. On the plus side, you will get some quality time with the wonderful Black Hmong community. Hmong homes are set within the famed rice paddies and have incredible views if the weather permits. On the downside, expect to be awoken early by roosters or the families livestock. You can choose towards the end of your trek which type of homestay you want to stay. Village Guesthouse Your choice of trek often influences the homestay we can use. The guesthouse style homestays are quite large and built from wood or brick. There are no separate bedrooms or en suit bathrooms and only some homestays have wifi. The guesthouses do have electricity. Typically, there is one big open space upstairs, which is then divided into zones with mosquito nets. The photos below show the sort of setup you might expect. These homestays normally have a couple of western style toilets and warm showers. The number of guests varies per day, but typically, two to three groups will share a particular homestay on any given night. There are facilities to buy soft drinks, beers or water at an additional cost. What are the bathrooms like? The bathrooms are clean and do offer privacy. There are hot showers and flushing toilets! Whilst walking around the house, it is best to take off your boots and slide into a pair of the plastic sandals. For more tips of acceptable behaviour, please see our comprehensive code of conduct. Traditional Homestays If you are...
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Most of the buffalo here are male, huge and strong with quite threatening looks. Can Cau Cattle Market in the northern highlands province of Lao Cai is the largest of its kind in Vietnam’s northwestern region with hundreds of buffalo and cows put up for sale. It is organized every Saturday along the Can Chu Su Hill in Can Cau Commune, about 115 kilometers from Sa Pa It is not unusual for some of the aggressive-looking animals to suddenly start a fight. The market attracts many tourists, foreign and Vietnamese. Many people come to the market to sell and buy cattle, while some are just watchers. Some onlookers gather for chit-chats. Buffalo traders are recognizable with backpacks or shoulder bags, often made from traditional brocade. It is said that a trader can carry up to hundreds of millions of dong with them to the market Although buffalo are often considered an important asset of farmers, they do not have fixed prices. Instead, both sellers and buyers decide on the animals’ value and then negotiate with each other. This buffalo for instance is offered at VND40 million (US$1,800). Among the buffalo put for sale, many are sold specifically for breeding, while others for farming or meat. Can Cau Market often ends soon after noon. When traders have bought enough buffalo and left with them on trucks, many sellers stay at the market to buy necessities before leaving as well Sapa Travel is a team of experienced guides in Sapa Town and its villages. Sapa Travel is not a big company, and we do not pretend to be. Our work is to combine a personal touch with a high level of reliability, while maintaining excellent value for our inbound destination management services to Sapa and the North of Vietnam. We compete with a flexible and creative attitude towards travel, and by doing what we say when we say we will do it. While many large companies promise to have their ‘best’ team on the ground, we ARE the team on the ground, providing you unparalleled communication and attention you...
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On 21st January 2015 we have the announcement from Vietnam Trails Cooperation 10/CĐ VTHN that the SP 7 and SP 8 train will stop their services from Hanoi to Lao Cai and return. So, the previous train timetable will be only on the SP 3 and SP3 trains. Hanoi- Lao Cai: on SP 3, departing Hanoi at 21:50 and arriving Lao Cai at 6:25 Lao Cai- Hanoi: on SP 4, departing Lao Cai at 20:20 and arriving Hanoi at 5:20 So, if any of the passengers who have the vouchers for SP3 and SP4 will get the new departure and arrival as this notice. The services and seating will keep...
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