Sa Pa town is located 38km from Lao Cai city and 376km from Hanoi. When traveling to Sapa, you can choose one of four means of transportation: train, bus, rent a car or travel by motorbike. If traveling by train, the cheapest two-way travel cost is about 600,000 – 700,000 VND (including bus rental from Lao Cai station to Sapa town). If traveling by bus, the travel cost is about 500,000 – 600,000 VND. If you go backpacking, travel costs will certainly be much cheaper.
You can refer to the article: What means of transportation should you use when traveling to Sapa?
Travel and sightseeing expenses in Sapa
If you go sightseeing in Sapa if you are not in a tour group or do not rent a car, you can rent a motorbike. The rental price is about 120,000 VND/car, any time from 6 am to 6 pm you will have to pay that much. Note that this rental price does not include gasoline, car repair costs may arise and you must return the car before 6 pm. Some places can rent until later, around 8 pm. Actually, with about 50,000 VND for gas, you can visit many places. In fact, this price is not expensive.
Accommodation costs
Many people think that the price of a tourist room must be expensive, but in truth, it is not expensive at all.
If you want to rent a cheap room, you can stay at affordable motels for only 200,000 – 300,000 VND. So if you go for two days and 1 night, your accommodation fee will only be 100,000 – 150,000 VND.
If you have more conditions, rent a 3-star hotel for about 500,000 – 700,000 VND in the Cau May – Muong Hoa area. There are also some high-end hotels such as Victoria, Topas Ecolodge, Chau Long with prices over 1 million. However, the room price depends on the time you choose to arrive. If it is during the tourist season or holiday season, the room price will probably be much more expensive.
You also have another option for accommodation which is the homestay service, the cost of this service depends on the family but certainly not more than 100,000 VND/person. The price is cheap and you can explore and experience the culture of the ethnic groups here.
Meal expenses
Food costs are endless, depending on how much you eat and whether you are frugal or not. Maybe your food cost for 2 days and 1 night is only about 150,000 VND but it can also be doubled or tripled. Sa Pa’s most famous products are typical temperate zone vegetables such as cauliflower, broccoli, red radish, chayote, especially gong (there are many types of gong here, garlic gong, gong cabbage, kohlrabi, chayote…).
In addition to vegetables, Sa Pa is also famous for its meat dish “armpit pig”. Sip “armpit pig” meat with apple wine and drink it all night without getting bored. In addition, each market has its own unique dish.
Sightseeing costs
Below are the tour costs of some tourist attractions in Sapa you can refer to:
+ Ham Rong Mountain: 70,000 VND
+ Cat Cat village: 35,000 VND
+ Sin Chai village: 20,000 VND
+ Lao Chai village – Ta Van – Ho village: 40,000 VND
+ Ma Tra – Ta Phin village: 30,000 VND
+ Silver Waterfall: 10,000 VND
+ Love Waterfall: 35,000 VND
+ Fansipan: (excluding insurance and fees) 150,000 VND
Which season is best to go to Sapa?
Every season in Sapa has its own beauty. If in spring, this place is filled with forests of peach blossoms, plum blossoms and other blooming flowers, then in winter, when you come to Sapa, you can see snow with your own eyes. The snow will whiten the village, creatures, and plants.
If you go in the spring you should go and from February to April or the first week of May is the most beautiful. If you go in the winter, go around December – January, just aim for the media to update the snow in Sapa. In addition, in Sapa there are also many terraced fields so you can visit this place during the rice season. In Sapa there is only one crop every 6 months, sow rice around the beginning of May. If you want to see tall green rice fields, you should go around July-September, and if the rice is ripe, then around October. -12. If you want to go on vacation combined with rice viewing, you should come around July-September. If you come around October-December, the weather may have turned chilly, cold and foggy.
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