Sapa: Rice terraces and the roof of Indochina

Sapa sits high in the northwest, where whole hillsides have been cut into rice terraces by the Hmong and Dao communities who farm them. The town itself has been built up hard and fast — hotels, karaoke and construction — and divides opinion sharply. Walk an hour out into the Muong Hoa valley and you understand immediately why people still come.

Getting There

• Sleeper buses from Hanoi take 5-6 hours on a good expressway
• The night train runs to Lao Cai, then it's an hour by road up to Sapa — slower, but you sleep properly
• The town is walkable; the valley needs a scooter, a taxi or your feet
• It's often 10°C colder than Hanoi and can be shrouded in cloud for days, so bring layers

Trekking

The reason to come. Routes run down through Y Linh Ho, Lao Chai and Ta Van, mostly on farm paths between terraces, and can be done as a day walk or with a homestay night in a village. Book with the Hmong and Dao women who guide independently rather than a hotel desk: the money stays local, and they know the paths and the families. Expect mud after rain and take shoes with grip.

Fansipan

• At 3,143m, the highest mountain in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia — 'the roof of Indochina'
• The cable car climbs from the valley to near the summit in about 15 minutes; the last stretch is steps or a funicular
• A complex of temples, a giant bronze Buddha and viewpoints sits on the top, which is either impressive or overdeveloped depending on your view
• Go early: the summit is regularly above a sea of cloud in the morning and buried in it by afternoon
• Trekking up over two days is still possible with a guide, and much harder than the cable car suggests

The Town

• Sun Plaza dominates the centre — a huge French-styled building at the cable car station
• Cat Cat village is the easiest walk from town and the most commercialised; the valley beyond is better
• Hotpot and grilled skewers are the local cold-weather food, with plenty of places open late
• Sellers approach visitors persistently in town; a polite, firm no is normal and expected
• Stay in Ta Van or the valley rather than the centre if you want quiet and a view

September, just before the harvest, is when the terraces are gold and at their best. Miss that and April to May, when the fields are flooded and reflect the sky, is the next best thing.