Sapa is a beautiful mountainous region in northern Vietnam that travelers typically only visit for their trekking experience. The town itself is very small (like 1-2 streets of shops) so unless you have a trek booked, I’m not sure what else there is to do there. Pro tip: Don’t go in rainy season. Try to go specifically when the rice paddies are in season (we did not get that memo).
My friend Erin and I booked a 2 day/1 night tour through Buffalo hostel in Hanoi. We would be trekking all day and spending the night in the highlands at a local homestay. The tour costs roughly $80? and included bus transportation to Sapa (~6 hour ride). It was a night bus so we arrived super early in the morning and were dropped off in an empty parking lot. The bus then left and we were all standing around exhaustedly trying to figure out where to go. Taxi drivers started to swarm us but we were positive our tour package said it included direct transportation to a hotel where we would eat and meet our trekking guides. After a longggg while a mini bus finally arrived and dropped us off at the correct location.
We had a pretty mediocre breakfast with no coffee, so Erin and I ventured out for a latte. We found a super fancy hotel next door that had a cafe and got an overpriced coffee from there. At 9am, we started our trek! Our group was all women because #thefutureisfemale. There was a main tour guide who spoke English and then 4 Hmong women helpers who held our hands to ensure we didn’t fall down a slippery cliff. The Hmong are an ethnic minority group who reside in Sapa, along with 8 other groups. Each group has their own traditions, clothing, and beliefs. We passed through several different ethnic villages on our trek and learned a little bit about each one. Our tour guide was a wealth of knowledge and answered all the questions we had about their unique culture and rituals. The trekking staff also made us these cute hearts out of leaves while we were walking (see pic below)!
Our guide was also the cutest woman who couldn’t have been more than 5’3. She lived such a different life from our own; she had never even left the small town of Sapa where she grew up. She had several children at the age of 14 by home birth and now, at 27, she just moved out of her family home with her husband. She goes on these arduous treks every day and kept a smile on her face the entire time.
After trekking through gorgeous landscapes, rice fields, and bamboo forests we took a break for lunch. We were brought to a local Hmong eatery that seemed like the place all the other tour groups stopped for lunch as well. This was the only part of the tour I really disliked because all of the local women and children swarmed the tables to sell us their homemade crafts. When I say swarm…I mean SWARM. I’m talking about 10 people stood around you, shoving different products in your face and begging for you to buy something. Even after saying no 20 times, they would not leave. Finally, I conceded and bought a few bracelets so they would go to someone else. They did…for about 10 minutes until a different group of people swarmed me. I had to show them my new bracelets in order for them to leave me alone. Some left but others kept at me saying “one more, one more”. It was pretty disheartening since I know they really need the money, but to be completely surrounded while I was trying to eat made it seem like an obnoxious ploy they play on all the tourists.
After lunch we continued to trek and saw some beautiful wildlife on our way. My favorite was this gorgeous water buffalo who seemed so tranquil while enjoying the view. We eventually reached our homestay and set up our sleeping bags and mosquito nets in the communal space. The homestays are actual homes owned by locals who agree to host the tour groups for the night. They live in a different area of the home and cook us dinner and breakfast. We got there a bit before sunset and were really hungry so we headed into the little village and found a place to grab a small bite. We copped some beers, played cards, and enjoyed the view. Our sleep was…eh. The sleeping bags were questionable in terms of cleanliness and I was constantly afraid of spiders crawling into my mouth as we were so close to the floor.
In the morning we had a delicious traditional Vietnamese breakfast and started our trek once again. The weather was a bit misty so some of the views were obstructed by fog; but we still hiked through rivers, rice paddies, and a waterfall. The Hmong women were so helpful and made sure we didn’t slip in the mud…although there were a few close calls. Cough cough Erin cough.
After lunch at another restaurant closer to town, we were dropped off back at the hotel. We were absolutely exhausted (and smelly) from our long trek days and all Erin and I wanted was a clean comfy bed. We remembered about the fancy hotel where we got our coffees days before and made an impromptu decision to book a room. It was 80 bucks, so 40 each, for a room with two queen beds. It must have been a new hotel because absolutely nobody was there. We didn’t see a single guest our entire stay. The room was everything we could have asked for; bathrobes, hot shower, TV, and plush white comforters. We spent the whole day putting on face masks and just relaxing in luxury.
Erin had just met up with me in Hanoi before we left for Sapa and she (for some unknown reason) packed in a giant suitcase. The streets of SE Asia are rocky, uneven, and filled with gravel…so it makes no sense to roll a suitcase. Also there are typically tons of stairs which rolly suitcase are not helpful for. Once Erin realized this she bought a fake North Face backpack from the hotel gift shop. She tried to repack everything into her new backpack but it wouldn’t fit because she overpacked more than I had ever seen anyone overpack in my life. She brought duplicate (and sometimes triple) shampoos, sunscreens, bars of soap, razors….the list goes on. It’s like she thought Asia didn’t have a convenience store! I forced her to part with the extras so she could fit everything in her new bag. We went to dinner that night and packed all her unnecessary items into a bag and gave it to the restaurant staff.
The next morning after our delicious and amazing hotel breakfast buffet (where we had 5 plates each) we headed to the bus station. We were going to Ha Giang to start our 4 day motorbike loop which you can read about here. As we were walking to the station, Erin’s fake North Face backpack breaks. The strap snapped and she had to carry it by hand. It was honestly f*cking hilarious to see her struggle. Poor girl. But we eventually got to the bus (which stalled for an hour due to some complications) and left Sapa to start on another adventure!
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