Located in the northern Vietnam, Sa Pa is well-known in Vietnam with its iconic scenery and climate. The climate in Sa Pa is cool and cold every season of the year. Like us – Hanoi residents – we know Sa Pa is a popular spot to visit. I also saw a lot of foreigners travelling to Sa Pa. I wonder if they are going themselves or need an agent?
To go to Sa Pa, you must go to Lao Cai city first, then you must take a bus to climb up to Sa Pa. I am not sure recently there is more convenient method of transport, but I have been to Sa Pa 3 times, and each time I must go to Lao Cai city first.
In Lao Cai City, this time the program to celebrate International Women’s Day host by my office. We stayed at Star Hotel (Khach san Ngoi sao). This is a three-star hotel located in Lao Cai city. We went to Thuong Temple (Den Thuong), Mother Temple (Den Mau), to pray for a successful journey.
When we checked in at Star Hotel, I thought this hotel was fairly good, as well as the breakfast. I remember I tried a unique cuisine there, that was ‘Banh gio’ because the method of making Banh gio was different from the same type I have eaten in Bac Giang and Hanoi. But what I liked the most is ‘Canh rau den trung bac thao’, it was wonderful.
When we climbed up (by coach, of course), I was a bit drizzling because of the height. We were staying at a four-star resort called Lady Hill. It was beautiful, and quiet, and I liked that.
The room was clean because the resort has been built recently, and it has been 6 months since the first operation. The staff was nice, friendly, and polite. Even though I do not like the food at restaurant here, I felt like it was much like wedding party food.
The restaurants we visited in Sa Pa were Hoa Dong Tien and Hotpot Restaurant. I did not like Hoa Dong Tien because they used a lot of oil to fry food such as fish, pork (I am a vegetarian), so I liked Hot Pot restaurant more because they served us with fresh salmon and fish hot pot, which was very suitable for a cold evening in Sa Pa.
The road from Sa Pa station to Lady Hill was full of fog. At a distance far more than 3 meters, you hardly saw anything, it was raining the day I visited. However, I liked the morning when I woke up and I could see clouds flying around me, in the air, like this picture.
I am not paid to draft this article. I have not mentioned this to the hotel or resort, but I believe it could be helpful for you to prepare for your journey to Sa Pa.
I did not go to Fansipan – the highest mountain in Vietnam because I visited it once a few years ago. But if you want to experience Fan Si Pang, you can pay 810,000 dongs for a return ticket to Fansipan through cable cab. I think you should have a look at Fansipan if you have not had that chance.
I bought some ‘banh hat de’ and ‘banh hat de oc cho’ (made of chestnuts, green beans, sugar, flour, and walnuts) as gifts for my family and my colleague. I like them because they are tasty and a little bit sweet, you can reheat them a little in a microwave before eating.
Above is my experience to Sa Pa from 1 March to 3 March 2024. I hope this can help you in some way.
Thank you!
See you in my next article.
Best regards,
Cam Anh
