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One of the best experiences you can have is to by-pass all the hotel and travel agency organised treks and go straight to the source – the local hills-tribe women. By doing this, you will not only be able to choose your own itinery, have a small group (just you and your friends) and be able to set your own time-table, you will also be assured that all the money you are spending will go directly to the people who need it most – your guide and her family. Many of the trekking companies pay their guides a flat fee of around $12 USD irrespective of the size of the group – often charging each tourist over $25 USD. It is pretty easy to meet a local guide if you are in Sapa and willing to be mobbed by very persistent handicraft peddlers – just sit in the square, and it won’t be long before you are approached by a hills-tribe woman offering to take you to her village for a day trek. The guide may be able to offer multi-day treks and home-stays as well. Most guides will speak a bit of self-taught English. If you meet (or find) the right guide, she will also suggest lesser known villages without any tourist shops at all or indeed any other tourists. You will have to negotiate with your guide for the right price. Remember that most of the hills-tribe people are very poor by developed world standards and your money will be given directly to her family and extended community. Many of the older hills-tribe women are not literate but they will have a phone number. Younger hills-tribe guides are likely to have an email address as well. There’s even one in Sapa with a website and tripadvisor listing! However for the majority of hill-tribe guides, its pretty difficult to get to them outside of Sapa. You are likely to meet tourists who will give you the number of their guide – your guide will ask you to recommend her to your friends and other tourists. But that’s about the only way outside of Sapa. Sept 2014 For a wonderful 1/2 day Meme will guide tourists on the trek for 1/2 the price the agents charge and even arrange a taxi back to Sapa. Meme speaks great English (self-taught) and is full of information. She has2 daughters studying at the village school and can explain and demonstrate every aspect of how the women make their clothes from raw hemp to the finished product. She can even find some fresh local herbs which cured an upset stomach. Ask the Hmong women for Meme from Lai Chau village. One of the many guides in Sapa is Chu, she speaks English and French and her phone number is 01657256913. Feel free to add your recommended guides on this page! If you wish...
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As per the announcement of Vietnam Railway, the tickets will be sold online at the following websites: – www.vetau.com.vn – www.dsvn.vn – www.vietnamrailway.vn https://www.facebook.com/muavetau Hotline 19006469 Video how to buy train tickets online From 21st November 2014, Vietnam Railways will start to sell train tickets online via website www.dsvn.vn and you can buy train tickets like you do with the flight tickets. The method of selling train tickets on the website www.dsvn.vn of Vietnam Railway Coporation is applicable for individuals only. After holding tickets, you can choose the methods of payment: in cash or bank cards. The system is developped by FPT IS. Mr. Pham Minh Tuan, GM of FPT IS said that the system will be in used from 21st November...
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The elegant Victoria Express Train is known as one of the most deluxe trains on Hanoi-Lao Cai route, offering every visitor a wonderful travelling experience. The management constantly improves the service in order to offer the best outcome to customers; therefore, several added-services have been launched recently on the effort of improving passengers’ convenience during the trip. Passengers now can enjoy the freedom to read your email, surf and listen to online music thanks to the new Wi-Fi access on board throughout the whole trip. Moreover, a tasty crunchy French croissant as pre-breakfast treat is also offered for every passenger. Last but not least, passenger can sip on a cup of espresso while relaxing in the brand new mini library for their own leisure. With these latest offers, the journey with Victoria Express Train promises to be an unforgettable experience with exotic landscapes of North Vietnam and world-renowned services. For further information and booking please contact us at Sapa Travel Website: http://www.travelsapa.com Add: 18 lane 32 Chua Ha street,...
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We booked the Livitrans Carriages for our trip to Lao Cai (Sapa) and were quite impressed with them. We paid for 4 tickets so we wouldn’t have to share our cabin with strangers- I’d imagine it would be quite cramped with 4 people + luggage (as I’m sure would be the case for any of the private carriages). The toilets were always quite clean and well maintained. The beds were, well, hard, but we both managed to get some decent sleep during the trip. One thing- on the way to Sapa, the carriages are at the back of the train, so the trip was relatively smooth. But on the return journey, you’re at the front of the train, and at times, you felt as though you were in the spin cycle of a washing machine! We arrived in Lao Cai via train around 5am and had our pre-arranged guide waiting for us who took us via car to Sapa. We had breakfast at our hotel (Sapa Boutique- review written), a quick early morning exploration around the town (where we had our 1st taste of the determination of the local minorities to sell you something!), before we left on our trek to the village of Ta Van where we were having a home stay. We were able to leave the majority of our luggage at the hotel, and only had a small backpack for our 1 night at the homestay. Although we weren’t looking for it, the Sapa market was the only time in Vietnam that we saw dog meat being butchered/ for sale. So, at around 10am in the mist and fog, we set out on our trek which initially followed a main road out of Sapa. We had 4 women from the Black Hmong minority following us at one point until finally it dropped down to one. I suggested to my wife that we give her some money, get a photo and then tell her to go – so gave her 20,000 dong, took a photo…. and then discovered she was going to her village (Lao Chai) – which is where we were also going! We’re still laughing about this! Just before we turn off the road and started trekking through the hills and rice terrace we were again ‘picked up’ by four women and girls in traditional Black Hmong dress who walked with us to Lao Chai. They were most helpful in getting us through some of the ‘trickier’ spots although we probably didn’t really need their help- but they were also good company. The trek went through some beautiful landscape and we were the only ones out there walking at that point. By this stage, the weather had also started to clear, and we found ourselves in the most beautiful scenery, walking with these amazingly dressed minorities- just a fantastic experience! When we finally got to...
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Vietnam’s longest Noi Bai-Lao Cai highway is finalizing the final stages before officially opening to the public on September 21st. The highway is expected to help shorten travel time from Hanoi to Lao Cai from the current 7 hours to only 3.5 hours. Vietnam Expressway Corporation (VEC) Vice Director General Nguyen Van Nhi said his corporation is urging contractors to finish their final punch lists and supporting work on the roadside. Some images on the highway before opening to public Hanoi- Sapa by bus in the new highway Advantages of travelling from Hanoi to Sapa by bus – Faster than the train (taking 3,5 hours to go by bus in comparison 9 hours by train) – No waiting in the early morning for Sapa hotel check in (if going by train, arrival is 6:00 and customers need wait until noon to check in) – Keep confortable as per on the train – Save your budget (US$ 19/person while having to pay US$ 40 for a train tickets) – Sightseeing on the way if going by bus as it is day time See our ticketing services at http://www.travelsapa.com/guide/express-bus/ Route: Ha Noi- Vinh Phuc- Phu Tho- Yen Bai- Lao Cai Type: Highway A Hanoi- Yen Bai with 4 lanes, maximum speed 100km/h Yen Bai- Lao Cai with 2 lanes, maximum speed 80km/h Distance: 245 km Hanoi – Lao Cai Highway start from the first intersection Thang Long – Noi Bai which belongs to Hanoi. The driver can choose ways by the entrance to the intersection of roundabouts in the road and then turn right after passing over charging station at North Thang Long – Noi Bai, then turn left over the Thuy Huong 2 overpass and enter the highway. Book hotels at our First Choice travel agency, address at 18 lane 32 Chua Ha street, Cau Giay district, Hanoi, Vietnam Lao Cai Hanoi highway 21 Sep 2014 about to open finalize the work Lao Cai Hanoi highway first drivers Lao Cai Hanoi HW Motor Bike on the new road some trucks in new highway Hanoi Lao Cai the Hanoi Lao Cai Highway work Lao Cai Hanoi...
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Ethos (on their site and forum) states themselves as an ethical travel group strives to offer tours while supporting local minority tribes. Their guides are committed to have “vast knowledge and skills to support you (the travelers). But what are behind the screen? Ethros have lots & lots of excellent reviews on Tripadvisor Tripadvisor reviews: can we trust them? On Telegraph, Charles Starmer Smith has pointed out that “Tripadvisor’s online reviews now shape the way we plan our holidays but, as Charles Starmer-Smith discovers, they are not always what they seem See the reviews for Ethos “Highlight of our Vietnam Trip”- from CaffreyFamily- Briagolong, Australia. CaffreyFamily has only one review on Tripadvisor so far. Is this the first time CaffreyFamily travelled and reviewed? Or is this a fake review on tripadvisor for Ethros? Another title from the review “Fantastic experience!” from the user Spencer_Knight on tripadvisor with only one review in the tripadvisor history. TripAdvisor is not the only site to have built a business around user-generated reviews – Holiday Watchdog and Holidays Uncovered are among its rivals – but it is by far the most influential. Holidaymakers are increasingly aware of the power they have at their fingertips. Privately, hoteliers admit that guests and corporate groups have tried to use the threat of a bad TripAdvisor review or the promise of a series of good reviews to secure discounted room rates or upgrades. Hotel and b & b owners also complain that it is difficult to have a review changed or removed even when they present proof that it is untrue. They claim that TripAdvisor adopts a “guilty until proven innocent” policy with hotel management. McCready said: “The process involved in posting a management response is arduous, and I have found it almost impossible to have a response posted without censorship.” I want to ask Phil Hoolihan if the Ethos is a real group of ethnic travel...
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