How to get to Sapa, transportation

How and how to get to Sapa

The most optimal starting point for a trip to Sapa is Hanoi (read here - how to get to Hanoi). It is in Hanoi that one of the most important international airports in Vietnam is located, where you can fly directly or with transfers from Russia and other CIS countries, and therefore from Hanoi it is most convenient to visit Sapa for a few days at the beginning or at the end of the trip. Unfortunately, you can only get directly from the airport to Sapa by taxi, otherwise you first need to come to Hanoi, and from there go by bus or train. In most cases, you will have to spend the night in the capital.

You can also get to Sapa and from some other cities in Vietnam directly, but most often a transfer to Hanoi is the only option.

Minimum prices for tickets from Moscow to Hanoi:

Minimum prices for flights from Russia to Hanoi:

The easiest way to get to Sapa after arriving in Hanoi is to purchase a package tour from local travel agencies. In this case, you will be spared most of the problems with Transport, transfer to the hotel and accommodation, everything is included in the price and organized. You can purchase such tours in advance via the Internet here:

Tour programs are very different from each other and can include not only staying in the city, but also trekking excursions, climbing Mount Fansipan and so on. In some cases, the tours are even without a stop in Sapa: the tour begins with a meeting at the railway station of Laok, transfer to Sapa, where you leave your luggage and take a shower at the hotel, and immediately set off to the mountains or valley; spend the night in a camp, guesthouse or in the homes of local residents; at the end But carefully approach the choice of the program tours, study the attractions and attractions included in the route. The fact is that some tours, such as a one-day ascent to Fansipan, are beyond the power of unprepared tourists.

Well, now, more on how to get to Sapa from Hanoi and other cities on your own:

By train from Hanoi

This is one of the most popular tourist ways to get to Sapa from Hanoi, although there are no trains directly to the town. But the good thing is that most trains on this route are night.

So, from Hanoi, you will first need to take the train to the city of Lao Cai, where you can change to a bus. Despite the apparent complexity, it is very easy to make this path, however, you need to know some subtleties in order not to be deceived.

• Hanoi to Laocai

  Vietnam train

  Travel time from Hanoi to Laocai by train is 9-11 hours. There are at least 8 trains daily, all overnight. When purchasing train tickets, keep in mind that it includes branded cars of various companies, and, accordingly, the price and service will vary (see about traveling around Vietnam by train). But do not flatter yourself that if you pay more for a ticket, you will definitely get better service, there is almost no difference. In addition, some travel agencies in the city of Hanoi sell more expensive tickets in cars that are no better than standard ones, and their only difference is a smaller number of locals and more tourists. In any case, standard cars are no worse than the cars of many trains plying our vast homeland for weeks, and here the journey is only 9 hours.

  Trains from Hanoi to Laocai depart from Hanoi's main railway station (Ga Ha Noi), which is located in the city center at 120 Le Duan. You should buy train tickets in advance and preferably directly at the ticket offices of the station or via the Internet. Travel agencies and ticket sales offices add Commission to the cost of tickets, besides they do not sell tickets for simple inexpensive trains.

  E-tickets can be purchased via the internet, but on the official website of the Railways of Vietnam https://dsvn.vn/ only plastic cards of Vietnamese banks are accepted for payment. But you can purchase tickets through a trusted site 12go.asia. This site has a Russian-language interface, the purchase is carried out with a small commission.

  Hanoi-Sapa transport schedule:

  Ханой Аэропорт Ной Бай - Сапа Дополнительная информация / Билеты

  Автобус Ханой Аэропорт Ной Бай - Сапа ₽ 822–2,772 5 ч. – 6 ч.

  →  ВИП 22 00:00, 05:50, 06:25, 06:30, 06:55, 07:30, 07:40, 07:45, 08:15, 08:30, 08:55, 09:30, 09:40, 10:15, 10:30, 10:40, 11:15, 11:30, 11:40, 12:15, 12:30, 12:50, 13:30, 13:45, 13:50, 14:30, 14:50, 15:15, 15:30, 15:50, 16:05, 16:30, 17:30, 17:50, 18:45, 20:00, 21:20, 21:50, 22:30, 22:50, 23:00, 23:05, 23:20, 23:30, 23:35, 23:45 →  Sleeper 44 07:45, 13:45, 22:30 →  ВИП 20 06:30, 07:00, 07:45, 09:00, 09:45, 10:45, 11:45, 13:00, 14:00, 15:00, 16:00, 18:00, 21:30, 22:00, 23:00, 23:30 →  VIP 9 Экспресс 07:20, 07:30, 07:40, 15:20 →  ВИП 14 07:40, 15:30

  Такси Ханой Аэропорт Ной Бай - Сапа ₽ 15,579–31,359 3 ч. 55 м. – 5 ч.

  →  Эконом на 3-х человек →  Микроавтобус 12 чел. →  Minivan 5pax →  Комфорт на 3-х человек →  Микроавтобус 9 мест →  Внедорожник 4 места →  ВИП Микроавтобус 9 мест →  Микроавтобус 6 чел. →  Внедорожник 3 чел. →  Микроавтобус 11 чел. →  Микроавтобус 15

  Микроавтобус Ханой Аэропорт Ной Бай - Сапа ₽ 1,487–2,009 5 ч. 10 м. – 5 ч. 50 м.

  →  Средние места 07:30, 15:30 →  Van + VIP Bus 06:15, 07:15, 08:15, 09:15, 10:15, 11:15, 12:15, 13:15, 14:15, 15:15, 16:15, 17:15, 20:15, 21:15, 22:15

  Ханой - Сапа Дополнительная информация / Билеты

  Автобус Ханой - Сапа ₽ 769–2,061 5 ч. – 6 ч.

  →  Спальный 23:00 →  Double cabin 23:00 →  Single Cabin 23:00 →  VIP Luxury 22 00:00, 01:00, 07:00, 08:00, 09:00, 10:00, 11:00, 12:00, 13:00, 14:00, 15:00, 16:00, 17:00, 18:00, 19:00, 20:00, 21:00, 22:00, 23:00 →  ВИП 22 07:00, 08:00, 09:00, 10:00, 11:00, 12:00, 13:00, 14:00, 15:00, 16:00, 17:00, 18:00, 19:30, 22:00, 23:00, 23:50

  Ханой - Лао Сай Дополнительная информация / Билеты

  Автобус Ханой - Лао Сай ₽ 743–1,627 6 ч.

  →  VIP 9 Экспресс 06:30, 06:45 →  Спальное место 40 06:10, 06:30, 06:45, 21:10, 21:30, 21:45 →  ВИП 22 05:50, 06:00, 06:15, 06:30, 06:45, 07:10, 07:15, 07:20, 07:30, 08:15, 08:30, 09:15, 09:30, 10:15, 10:30, 12:15, 13:15, 13:30, 16:45, 17:15, 17:30, 20:15, 20:30, 21:00, 21:15, 21:30, 21:40, 21:45, 21:55, 22:15, 22:30 →  Sleeper 41 Express 06:00, 06:15, 06:30

  Такси Ханой - Лао Сай ₽ 13,861–16,071 5 ч. 30 м.

  →  ВИП Микроавтобус 9 мест →  Микроавтобус 12 чел.

  Микроавтобус Ханой - Лао Сай ₽ 1,345–1,728 5 ч. 30 м. – 6 ч.

  →  Средние места 06:00, 06:15, 06:30, 06:45, 13:45, 14:15, 14:30 →  Передние и задние сиденья 06:00, 06:15, 06:30, 06:45, 13:45, 14:15, 14:30 →  Микроавтобус 11 чел. 06:30, 06:35, 06:45, 06:55, 07:00, 07:15

  Ханой Аэропорт Ной Бай - Лао Сай Дополнительная информация / Билеты

  Автобус Ханой Аэропорт Ной Бай - Лао Сай ₽ 1,607 5 ч. 30 м.

  →  ВИП 22 00:00, 06:30, 07:30, 08:30, 09:30, 10:15, 10:30, 11:15, 11:30, 12:30, 12:45, 13:00, 13:30, 14:30, 15:30, 16:30, 17:30, 18:45, 20:00, 22:30, 23:30

  Микроавтобус Ханой Аэропорт Ной Бай - Лао Сай ₽ 16,071 5 ч. 30 м.

  →  Микроавтобус 11 чел. 00:00

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  And another useful tip: trains in Vietnam are mercilessly air-conditioned, and it's really cold to sleep in them even under a blanket. Therefore, either dress warmly, or bring tape (not the one to drink, but with which to glue) and paper to seal the vents on the ceiling.

• Laokai to Sapa

  Minivan Laokai-Sapa

  Upon arrival at the railway station in Lao Cai Valley, Sapa will need to be reached directly to Sapa, which is easy to do by minivan, local bus or taxi. Distance-40 kilometers; travel time-a little more than an hour.

  A huge number of private minwen to Sapa is always waiting for tourists arriving by train in the parking lot in front of the railway station, and with offers to take you to Sapa you will be met immediately when leaving the train and even in the cars. But do not rush to agree to such proposals, because there is a so-called "taxi mafia": young people catch sleepy arriving tourists, put them in a minivan, collect money for travel and disappear. As a result, you either sit for an hour or two and wait for the driver, who says he knows nothing and again asks you for money for the fare, or simply do not wait for the shipment, because it seems that some minibuses never even go anywhere. The trick is designed for the fact that tourists just get tired of waiting for the shipment, and they themselves will go to look for another bus. Therefore, look for a minivan that is already filled with tourists, and give money only directly to the driver. And next to the building there is a corporate office where you can go and just buy a ticket for the nearest departing bus.

  You can also take the local state bus No. 1 and No. 2. They depart every 30-60 minutes from 06:00 to 18:00, cost 30,000 VND. Their stop is located just behind the parking lot in front of the railway station, although according to unverified information, it was moved a little further, since the local "mafia" simply did not allow tourists to approach these buses. In any case, it will not be difficult to find it, everything is nearby.

  In Sapa, buses and vans arrive in the center of Sapa at the main square for a stop next to Sapa church. From here to any hotel in the city can be easily reached on foot with light luggage, or take a taxi. If you agree in advance with the driver of the minivan, he can deliver you to the door of the hotel.

By bus from Hanoi to Sapa

Slipping bass in Sapa

There is a direct bus service between Hanoi and Sapa. On the new high-speed route, buses reach Sapa directly in just 6-7 hours, while they cost almost twice as much as trains.

Buses of various companies run Daily several times a day and at night. You can buy a ticket both directly to Sapa and to Laokai. Night sleeping buses (Sleeper Bus) are quite convenient for moving, you can sleep in them. But it's not bad to go on the morning buses: they appear at 5-6 O'clock in the morning, and by noon you will be in the town.

You can buy tickets at local travel agencies, at the reception of hotels in Hanoi, on the website 12go.asia, it is better to do this in advance, at least a week before the trip. Ticket price - from 250 00 VND (9.61 USD, see all about Vietnam's money and exchange rate).

From Hanoi, these buses depart from offices in the tourist area of the city, which is very good, since you do not have to get to the bus stations on the outskirts of the city.

Since there is no longer a bus station in Sapa (the old station was demolished), these buses arrive directly in the city center. If you wish, they can drop you off at the new bus station (platform) next to the Sapa covered market.

You can view the schedule and book a bus to Sapa using the search form:

From other cities in Vietnam to Sapa

Bus station near the market

As we have already mentioned, almost all routes to Sapa from the resorts of Vietnam lead with a transfer to Hanoi. If you connect the trip well, you can do the route without spending the night in the capital, for which it is better to book all tickets in advance.

The only direct route known to us is around. Cat Ba-Sapa. The Cat Ba Express bus departs from Sapa to Cat Ba and back, the cost starts from 550 000 VND, the journey takes 10 hours. Tickets here.

In addition, Sapa is connected by regular bus service to nearby cities in northern Vietnam, which are not particularly interesting to tourists except for the city Dien Bien Phu, through which you can get to Laos. All of these buses depart and arrive at the bus station next to the Cho Sapa Indoor Market (market on the map). In fact, this station is just a parking lot, on which there is a small ticket car. Local buses to Laocai depart from the center from Sapa church.

Laos to Sapa

Laos border crossing

Routes from Sapa to Laos to / from Luang Prabang and the city Muang Khua (Muang Khou) quite popular with tourists. International bus service is carried out through the border crossing near the city of Dien Bien Phu, where you can get a visa on arrival (for citizens of the Russian Federation is not required). These moves are very long, but, fortunately, are carried out at night on sleeping buses. Sometimes there are bus changes in Dien Bien Phu or at the border. Buses from Sapa depart in 18-19 hours, on the way to Luang Prabang almost a day, to Muang Khua about 16 hours. The cost is from $ 25 to Luang Prabang, and from $ 17 to Mueang Khua.

You can buy tickets on these routes in hotels or travel agencies in Sapa, as well as through the sites 12go.asia and https://www.baolau.com. If you do not find tickets through these sites, this does not mean that there are no buses, just sometimes for some reason the routes disappear from the search, although in fact they are carried out. In this case, just buy tickets on the spot in hotels and travel agencies.

Even if you can not buy a ticket on the spot, you can easily plan an independent trip with a change of bus to Dien Bien Phu. To do this, buy a Sapa-Dien Bien Phu ticket yourself (usually a passing night flight from Laos) for 250,000 dongov, departure from Sapa at 18:00. In Dien Bien Phu, connecting buses is easy: the night bus from Sapa arrives at 5 am, and buses to Laos depart a little later from the same bus station. Here is the cost and schedule:

• Muang Khoa at 05:30 , 115,000 VND.
• Udomxay at 06:00, 230,000 VND.
• Luang Nam Tha at 06:30 and 07:30 , 350,000 VND.
• Bokeo (Bo Keo) at 06:15, 560,000 VND.
• Phong Sa Ly at 07:15, 345,000 VND.
• Luang Prabang at 06:00 and 07:00, 402,000 and 495,000 VND.

In extreme cases, you can spend the day and spend the night Dien Bien Phu, because it is quite an interesting city with many historical attractions.

See more, how to get from Sapa to Laos here...

By rented transport

Motorcycle trip to Sapa

If you travel by rented or purchased transport (see how to buy a motorcycle in Vietnam), then you can come to Sapa by three routes:

• From Hanoi via Laocai. This is the most standard and shortest route
• From Hanoi via Myung Hoa Valley. This is the most picturesque way to Sapa. Before reaching Laokai 20 kilometers you will need to turn left, and go along the river on a good asphalt road. Already in the Myung Hoa Valley itself, when the villages Ban Ho, Ta Wang and others begin, the road becomes much worse, but you can pass without problems.
• From Dien Bien Phu via tram ton pass. This way you can come to / from Laos.

Also note that the new expressway from Hanoi to Laocai cannot be traveled by motorcycle, but there are many parallel routes.

And do not forget about the possibility of transporting motorcycles by train from Hanoi, so as not to overcome this path on its own.

Transport Sapa, what to move around the city and surrounding areas

Taxi in Sapa

There is no public transport in Sapa. You can move on foot, by taxi, motorcycle taxi or rented transport. Car and minivan rentals with driver are also available.

The city itself is small, and you can get around it all on foot. For trips to the surrounding area, attractions or villages, the ideal option is to rent a vehicle – a motorcycle or bicycle. The cost of renting a motorcycle in Sapa from 80 000 VND for a semi-automatic (3.08 rub) and 100,000 VND (3.85 USD) for the automatic box. Some hotels generally offer bicycles for free. There is a rental in almost every hotel and on the street, if you are offered a price much higher than indicated, look for another place or bargain. Learn more about renting vehicles in Vietnam here.

Bus and train schedules to Sapa