General info
Road- Roads are most of the time bad. A jeep or a motorbike is necessary.
- Especially the way between Tuan Giao and Sapa or between Tuan and Giao Dien Bien Phu gets worse and worse. Landslides or deep mud can delay your trip (I had both).
- Count on a 30 – 40 km/h.
Nature Between Mai Chau and Sapa you run into valleys with green rice paddies, unspoiled deep forests (close to the Laos border), mountains and waterfalls (between Lai Chau and Sapa /Bac Ha), lake (Lai Chau), ……
This is Vietnam at its best.
Hilltribe people. About 50 different ethnic minorities live in the Northwest mountains.
They still wear traditional clothes and have their own traditions which differ from the Vietnamese ones. The easiest way to visit them is at the local markets where they sell their goods. The best known markets are those at Sapa and Bac Ha. To name a few hilltribes which I saw were the Black and White Tai, Green, Black and flower Hmong and Red Zao.
Attitude towards the tribespeople They are not really fond on taking pictures. Some are running away or turn their head away. Especially women are sensitive to it and definitely when you are male.
So always ask for permission.
If people let you in their house or offer you some tea they don’t expect something back. Giving them money for it or sharing some candies/schoolpen with kids is not preferable because they get used to it and will start asking it after some time. For them it’s an honour to invite a tourist in their house.
In Sapa (due to increasing tourism) some children are already asking money, candies or a pen to tourists or people ask money for taking pictures.
Show respect when you are wandering around in a village. How would you feel if tourists are walking in your backyard and have a look in your house.
Advantage of a guide He can ask permission to the people for entering a house, convince people to be photographed , translate or ask for help when you (and he) are surrounded by dogs which show up starting barking and growling when you enter a village.
Lao Cai
This town lies at the border with China. When you will go from Sapa to Hanoi or Sapa to Bac Ha (and vice versa), have a look at the border and the people who cross the bridge with bikes stowed with goods. Taking pictures is officially forbidden, but just ask the policemen. I took a picture as well as some other tourists, no problems.
Travellers can enter China here with the appropriate papers.
The last reason to mention Lao Cai is that the train from Hanoi has its terminus there. From here you can take a local bus to Sapa or Bac Ha.
Bac Ha
Introduction It’s the alternative to Sapa but still more laid-back.
In the vicinity are several hilltribe villages (especially the flower Hmong are very nice).
Getting there If you come from Hanoi with the Saturday night train (and I strongly recommend doing this), it's important to stop in Pho Luu, which is 1 stop before Lao Cai. You will win 1 hour doing this. The train arrives around 6.30 am in Pho Lu, make sure you get off on time. Then go out the train station and you'll walk right into the busstation where a bus to Bac Ha will be waiting. On this bus you'll see some minority people entering , the trop takes 2 hours. It's not necessary to change buses on a bridge halfway anymore. You could also try to join a minibus of tourists doing an organised trip to Bac ha from Hanoi.
Sapa – Bac Ha (93 km, 3 hours): organised tours by minibus, 10 US$.
Places to stay Remark : A hotel far from the towncenter has the advantage of not hearing the megaphones playing the Vietnamese radio which starts at 5.00 am.
Nha Nghi Hotel, on the main street.
Restaurants There are two small restaurants just outside the gates to the market where you can have a nice breakfast or lunch. Quong Phu restaurant, behind the market place. The food is extremely good.
What to do
Market : Is even more impressive than in Sapa, because there are more minorities coming to this village, which makes it colourful. Best time to visit is on Sunday. If you go there with the nighttrain, you'll probably beat the Sapa tourists who start arriving around 10 am. For most people, 2 hours visit will be enough.
Hikes : visit nearby villages.
Hoa Binh
It lies southwest of Hanoi and is a popular stop for package tours who want to take a peek at the start of the mountains and some of the hilltribes in the surrounding area. Not a big deal comparing to the rest which follows.
Getting there
Route 6 : Hanoi – Hoa Binh (74 km, -/+ 2 hours). Good paved road
What to do Song Da Reservoir : A visit to the dam with it’s impressive power station. It’s a must see.
Hilltribes : Muong, Thai and Meo, all of whom can be seen in the town and in the surrounding area.
Mai Chau
Mai Chau is a small rural village inhabited by white Thai people. It’s surrounded by green rice paddies and lies in a valley. If you are coming from Hoa Binh to Moc Chau (route 6) it is impossible to miss. The scenery between Hoa Bin
h and Mai Chau is spectacular as you pass through many different landscapes, including an area that is reminiscent of Halong Bay.
Getting there Route 6 and route 15 : Hoa Binh - Mai Chau (60 km, 2 hours). Good paved road.
Places to stay Only two places which makes it easy to choose.
Mai Chau guesthouse
Ban Lac village : It’s a group of wooden stilt houses inhabited by white Thai people. Some are allowed to accept foreigners. You will stay with your guestfamily in a house with 2 rooms. One place is the kitchen where they prepare the excellent Thai food for you. The other room is functional. During the day it’s the meeting (sipping tea and drinking ricewine) and dinner (sitting on the floor) room. At night it becomes a dormitory (mattress, pillow and mosquito net are available). Outside the houses is a shared concrete restroom with showers and toilets.
What to do
Hike : through the ricepaddies and nearby white Thai villages.
Song Da reservoir : If you have time you can visit this lake by jeep. Coming from Mai Chau turn left on route 6 direction Moc Chau. At the Dong Bang junction leave route 6 and turn right. This small, bad road is descending to the border of the lake. Under way you will pass some small Thai villages. The people here are not used to see foreigners.
Thunderstorm : Maybe strange to announce it but I experienced at night. The thunder reflects a few times against the hills making a lot of noise and the lightning lits up the whole valley.
Son La
Son La is a small city which lies halfway between Hanoi and Dien Bien Phu.
Remarkable are the megaphones on the main street playing all day tunes from the national Vietnamese radio and also everyone here plays badminton and tennis.
Getting there Route 6 : Mai Chau – Son La (190 km, +/- 7 hours)
Places to stay Union Hotel, Duong 26, fax. 855312. State run hotel, rooms (10-12 US$) with TV, phone, fan, bathroom with H/C water, the "restaurant" is a communist dining-hall with a statue of Ho Chi Minh, the national flag and slogans. Not very social. They serve only budgetmeals (10.000VND)
What to do
Market : There is a small market where hilltribe people (black and white Thai) are selling goods.
Lookout point : Close to the Union hotel is a path with steps which brings you after a good climb to the radio & TV transmission tower. From here you have an excellent view on Son La city.
Tuan Giao
When arriving in this town you will have to choose whether you go to Dien Bien Phu or to Lai Chau. If you go directly to Lai Chau then you will have to cross seven mountain passes. This is a very impressive traject. Along the way you will see small villages inhabited by black and white Thai - green, flower and black Hmong minorities. Sometimes (especially during the monsoon season) some parts of the road (very bad) are washed away by landslides so you will have to wait until a bulldozer has prepared the way as good as it gets. This can take a lot of time. I heard stories of groups who had to return their way back to Son La.
I don’t have to say that on this way you will not pass any traffic like buses, cars or trucks. Close to the Laos border you see the deep forest along the hills and some waterfalls.
The way to Tuan Giao – Dien Bien Phu and Dien Bien Phu – Lai Chau is easier, less scenic and adventurous
Dien Bien Phu
The city has a historic importance because it was the scene of the last battle in 1954 against the French army which lead to the end of the war. Since 1993 it became the capital of the province Lai Chau.
Getting there
Plane : The airport lies 5 km out of town, for flightschedules see general info 1.
Road : Dien Bien Phu – Lai Chau (103 km) Tuan Giao – Dien Bien Phu (83 km)
To Do A visit to the army museum, the former French headquarter, the warcemetery and the Muong Thanh bridge.
Lai Chau
Introduction Lai Chau was the former capital from the Lai Chau province. In 1995 almost the whole city, which lies in a valley, was washed away by mudstreams caused by the heavy rainfall, landslides and the flooding of the Da river. Today, Lai Chau is a small village and Dien Bien Phu is the capital of the province. The remaining of the cultural center "Nha van Hoa" is a quiet witness of what happened then.
Getting there
Route 6 : Tuan Giao – Lai Chau (105 km, +/- 4 hours) Bad road most of the time paved, no traffic, landslides or deep mud can happen (depending of the weather), very scenic drive !!!!!
Road : Dien Bien Phu – Lai Chau (103 km)
Places to stay There is one hotel in town,
Lanh Anh hotel. It’s a wooden chalet with small rooms, every room has two beds, a fan and a shower. The quietest rooms are those at the back of the ‘hotel’ because on the front is a terrace where you can eat and a ping-pong table (tick-tack-tock).
Go to Hue For questions on N-Vietnam send an e-mail to
Steven Buvens or
myself, but please read the site first!!.
