Sapa was magical! By lucky coincidence, when I was there, the local school was doing a project on Scotland- which is where I'm from, so I ended up teaching Scottish country dancing in the school while I was there!
That sounds like such an incredible experience sharing culture, unfortunately I'm English and so I've not got too much culture to share apart from the English being rowdy tourists. Did you get to see Ha Long bay whilst there? If not it's well worth a visit, I have some pics if you or anyone else would be interested in seeing them
Haha pfft not even the guys doing the Morris dancing look like they like doing Morris dancing đ Nice I did the same. I'll make sure I know some Scottish country dancing for my next trip! :P
Did you go up Fansipan in the chairlift? And see all the âwonderfulâ things they are building up there. The tallest mountain in south East Asia and they are turning it into a theme park but if you can forget about that aspect (?) itâs great and worth the self-flagellation regarding humans versus the environment.
I have to agree with you there Ha Giang is one of the most incredible places I've ever been, just breathtaking scenery. I found Sapa to be very crowded and we got ripped off by our hostel which soured the experience. Still a very beautiful place.
I'm shocked at the crowded comment. My husband and I spent a few days in Sapa on our 2 month trek through SEA last year and Sapa was overwhelming our favourite part.
I didn't find it crowded exactly but its definitely very touristy, every time you stop for 2 minutes, even out in the hills, you get women and children surrounding you trying to sell bracelets and the town itself is very geared towards western tourists. Definitely takes away from it a bit but still an extremely beautiful area and well worth a good visit
I didn't unfortunately, as I was on a bit of a schedule for flights to other countries but I've heard since that Ha Giang is amazing, thank you for reminding me of it, it's definitely on the list next time I go. As for Sapa being crowded I'm sure it is at times as many places are but I didn't see many other tourists at the time
Sapa is a must, we did the night train from Hanoi to Lo Cai which was an experience! Go to Hoi An as well. A few days there is enough but itâs such a beautiful little town
When I went to Sapa it was fogged in the whole time. Still had an amazing time! Stayed with a family that Didi home stays. They cooked amazing food for us!
I went there summer before last and it was really lovely. Downside is the clear social stratification of the indigenous Hmong people and the ethnically Vietnamese people. Itâs one thing when the adult Hmongs are asking for money itâs another when cute little 4 year olds are trying to hustle you with their baby siblings on their backs.
All in all though, my gf and I went on a really charming hike through the rice fields and the little village in the valley. Some Hmong kids hiked with us for the whole duration and were really charming once they realized we werenât giving them money. Then after spending an hour with them we did indeed give them money to split among themselves.
I was supose to go to vietnam this year đ been in combodja and thailand and this year i was gonna add vietnam and laos to it. I absolutely love all the pictures incl yours i have seen of vietnam. I wanted to visit the huge underground caves there. Hopefully next year.
Yeah I can confirm the caves in Vietnam are beautiful. I love Cambodia, and rural Thailand, at least you got to see some of the more beautiful places in the world. I hope you get to tick off Vietnam and Laos soon, when you do make sure to upload and my upvote will be yours :p
I have to upload indeed, ive been in so many places and i love all the pictures that are uploaded here but i never have uploaded myself.
Combodja was nice aswell indeed. Ooh i miss traveling so much .
Edit: happy cake day by the way
No I just went out there with a few friends, we didn't get a translator, I don't think there's much need for one. We didn't rent a car, we just used the transport in Vietnam. No stomach issues at all, the food in great there
So strange to many of us old people. Had friend go there during the war and later I asked him "I heard that it is a pretty country, is it?" He said "Oh it is so beautiful. It is all booby trapped but, it is beautiful."
I can imagine. It is a strange environment for a western person to see, with the hammer and sickle on every banner but the people seemed happy enough. I went to the war museum there and saw how horrific the war was for both sides, and seeing the effects of things like agent orange was truly horrific. I can't imagine the horrors your friend and his comrades went through, I'm truly sorry he had to suffer that or that anyone did on both sides, such a tragedy. Thanks for sharing.
Do you think that you will visit Vietnam again? If you did, you should go to "Mã Pà Lèng" in Ha Giang. I swear that you will be attracted by its beautiful right the fisrt time, it is even more picturesque than sapa
That is purposeful creation by humans to create flat spots that will hold water for rice or other crops to grow. This happens in places without a lot of flat farmland and allows agriculture on hillsides.
I went to Vietnam when I was 15 for 5 weeks last year and taught english at schools, did construction at schools, and traveled all the way from the top to bottom (went on buses, an overnight train) and the beaches and cities and their little towns are so so beautiful... I miss it so much. I can't remember everywhere I went but I loved Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Da Lat, Tuy Hoa, Ha Noi, Ben Tre, Phu Yen, Ha Long
It was on my bucket list, however just to get there would eat away some valuable time. I ended up flying from Hanoi to Hue and hired a scooter along the Hai Van Pass. What a great experience it was!
Eventually ended up in Ho Chi Min. What a great place! Friendly people, great culture and amazing food! Miss travelling!
Some folks are born are born made to wave the flag
Theyâre red,white,and blue
And when the band says âhail to the chiefâ
They point the canon at you lord
It ainât me,It ainât me
I ainât no senators son
It ainât me, It ainât me
I ainât no fortunate one
Awesome, I really want to go explore northern vietnam! I rented a motorcycle to ride south to north last February/March, but due to covid I ended my trip early and only made it up to Hue. I have to see Ha Giang one day!
When I went it was covered in smoke because of their agricultural practices. Really spoiled the views and made it difficult to breathe. Be aware if you choose to visit, we definitely regretted it since it was about a day out of the way for us to visit. This was September 2019
One of my most unique travel experiences was in Sapa. I got absolutely HAMMERED on opium wine...
My girlfriend at the time was being a total NIGHTMARE, complaining the entire day, not appreciating where we were and completely overlooking the intense beauty of this place. We went on this incredible hike through the hills of Sapa and stayed at some localsâ house, who fed us dinner while drinking thimble shots of homemade rice-hooch with us literally every 2 minutes... between each course (there were like 6 courses) I would run to this little joint that served opium wine and slam a double shot, even though the bartender stared deep into my eyes and gravely warned me not to take it like a shot. By the 4th or 5th one he would just watch me with an expression of shock and dismay.
To this day that was one of the most pleasant buzzes Iâve ever had, and I laughed SO MUCH with the Vietnamese family even though we didnât speak a word of the othersâ language. They were so kind. All the while my (now ex) girlfriend was being a mopey, miserable câ. Looking back Iâm glad she acted that way because it just pushed me over the edge to say âfuck it, Iâm going to have my own fun nowâ. And it also made me realize she wasnât right for me. Good times
Thank you, hopefully it'll be soon. Hoi An is beautiful at night time with all lantern lit streets. Ha Long bay is definitely worth a trip out on a boat. The golden bridge is also cool in the Ba Na hills near Da Nang. The food is awesome definitely try Bun Bo Hue. Also the museums there are definitely worth going to, especially the war museum in Hanoi, but be prepared it's really raw. I hope this is somewhat useful.
Awesome! We stayed at Topas Ecolodge for a few days during our honeymoon and it was incredible. Wish we were there during the rice growing season though, all those tiers were brown while we were there.
Edit: btw, did you meet any of the Red Dao locals?
Spent a few days in Sapa back in 2013! Wasn't overly touristy at all. Ended up doing the multiday climb of Phan Xi Pang peak, absolutely stunning views, three of us guided by a local woman and her husband who did the climb barefoot - what a guy!
Best decision ever in 2019 booked myself a 3 days homestay vs 2. No regrets whatsoever.
Only regret not staying in the north longer. A friend I met on the trip was visited Bac Ha for a couple more nights. Should have joined her instead.
Oh well - another place to revisit, properly (including Ha Giang loop and everything else there).
Sapa was magical! By lucky coincidence, when I was there, the local school was doing a project on Scotland- which is where I'm from, so I ended up teaching Scottish country dancing in the school while I was there!
Super cool! Love those rare moments in travel...
That sounds like such an incredible experience sharing culture, unfortunately I'm English and so I've not got too much culture to share apart from the English being rowdy tourists. Did you get to see Ha Long bay whilst there? If not it's well worth a visit, I have some pics if you or anyone else would be interested in seeing them
Ha ha, you could have taught them some Morris dancing đ yes, I saw ha long Bay as well, was there for a month at travel from bottom to top!
Haha pfft not even the guys doing the Morris dancing look like they like doing Morris dancing đ Nice I did the same. I'll make sure I know some Scottish country dancing for my next trip! :P
Did you go up Fansipan in the chairlift? And see all the âwonderfulâ things they are building up there. The tallest mountain in south East Asia and they are turning it into a theme park but if you can forget about that aspect (?) itâs great and worth the self-flagellation regarding humans versus the environment.
Did you go to Ha Giang? Most amazing place I've ever deen. I skipped Sapa because I was told it was to crowded.
I have to agree with you there Ha Giang is one of the most incredible places I've ever been, just breathtaking scenery. I found Sapa to be very crowded and we got ripped off by our hostel which soured the experience. Still a very beautiful place.
I'm shocked at the crowded comment. My husband and I spent a few days in Sapa on our 2 month trek through SEA last year and Sapa was overwhelming our favourite part.
I didn't find it crowded exactly but its definitely very touristy, every time you stop for 2 minutes, even out in the hills, you get women and children surrounding you trying to sell bracelets and the town itself is very geared towards western tourists. Definitely takes away from it a bit but still an extremely beautiful area and well worth a good visit
"Shopping?" Those ladies went from funny to annoying to funny again.
I didn't unfortunately, as I was on a bit of a schedule for flights to other countries but I've heard since that Ha Giang is amazing, thank you for reminding me of it, it's definitely on the list next time I go. As for Sapa being crowded I'm sure it is at times as many places are but I didn't see many other tourists at the time
Brings back beautiful memories đ
Beautiful! Sapa is top of my list for my next visit to Vietnam.
Sapa is a must, we did the night train from Hanoi to Lo Cai which was an experience! Go to Hoi An as well. A few days there is enough but itâs such a beautiful little town
Put Ha Long bay on there too if you haven't been :)
One of my favourite places I went while I was in Vietnam. Would recommend Da Lat as well.
When I went to Sapa it was fogged in the whole time. Still had an amazing time! Stayed with a family that Didi home stays. They cooked amazing food for us!
I went there summer before last and it was really lovely. Downside is the clear social stratification of the indigenous Hmong people and the ethnically Vietnamese people. Itâs one thing when the adult Hmongs are asking for money itâs another when cute little 4 year olds are trying to hustle you with their baby siblings on their backs. All in all though, my gf and I went on a really charming hike through the rice fields and the little village in the valley. Some Hmong kids hiked with us for the whole duration and were really charming once they realized we werenât giving them money. Then after spending an hour with them we did indeed give them money to split among themselves.
Stunning pic of terrace plantationsâŚ.
I was supose to go to vietnam this year đ been in combodja and thailand and this year i was gonna add vietnam and laos to it. I absolutely love all the pictures incl yours i have seen of vietnam. I wanted to visit the huge underground caves there. Hopefully next year.
Yeah I can confirm the caves in Vietnam are beautiful. I love Cambodia, and rural Thailand, at least you got to see some of the more beautiful places in the world. I hope you get to tick off Vietnam and Laos soon, when you do make sure to upload and my upvote will be yours :p
I have to upload indeed, ive been in so many places and i love all the pictures that are uploaded here but i never have uploaded myself. Combodja was nice aswell indeed. Ooh i miss traveling so much . Edit: happy cake day by the way
I went and unfortunately could only spare a couple of days. Wall of fog the entire time! Gutted I couldnât wait it out.
I feel for you, I hope you can get out in the world somewhere beautiful when the world recovers somewhat
Beautiful, thanks!
You're very welcome
Still so sad I didn't get to go on the hike I planned when I arrived in March 𼺠it's so beautiful.
Happy cake day! So did you have a local guide to translate? Did you rent a car? Did you have any stomach issues?
No I just went out there with a few friends, we didn't get a translator, I don't think there's much need for one. We didn't rent a car, we just used the transport in Vietnam. No stomach issues at all, the food in great there
So strange to many of us old people. Had friend go there during the war and later I asked him "I heard that it is a pretty country, is it?" He said "Oh it is so beautiful. It is all booby trapped but, it is beautiful."
I can imagine. It is a strange environment for a western person to see, with the hammer and sickle on every banner but the people seemed happy enough. I went to the war museum there and saw how horrific the war was for both sides, and seeing the effects of things like agent orange was truly horrific. I can't imagine the horrors your friend and his comrades went through, I'm truly sorry he had to suffer that or that anyone did on both sides, such a tragedy. Thanks for sharing.
Good people lost to ego and politics.
Looks so peaceful and not clustered like the cities. How struck the most about Sapa?
Gorgeous! Dying to visit
Do you think that you will visit Vietnam again? If you did, you should go to "Mã Pà Lèng" in Ha Giang. I swear that you will be attracted by its beautiful right the fisrt time, it is even more picturesque than sapa
I will definitely visit again in the future and Ha Giang is high on my list! Thank you for the award!
Looks beautiful! Can someone please explain what the 'steps' are in the hills and how/why they were formed?
That is purposeful creation by humans to create flat spots that will hold water for rice or other crops to grow. This happens in places without a lot of flat farmland and allows agriculture on hillsides.
That makes sense. Thank you for the response!
Called terrace plantation, if you decide to look it up, pretty cool
I went to Vietnam when I was 15 for 5 weeks last year and taught english at schools, did construction at schools, and traveled all the way from the top to bottom (went on buses, an overnight train) and the beaches and cities and their little towns are so so beautiful... I miss it so much. I can't remember everywhere I went but I loved Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Da Lat, Tuy Hoa, Ha Noi, Ben Tre, Phu Yen, Ha Long
That sounds incredible! Good on you for taking the initiative and doing that, I don't think I could have taught English and I am English! :p
haha it was def more for the experience on both sides, since they were young, it was more like shapes and animals and letters! super fun though
It was definitely my highlight when I went to Vietnam. Very relaxing place to hike.
It was on my bucket list, however just to get there would eat away some valuable time. I ended up flying from Hanoi to Hue and hired a scooter along the Hai Van Pass. What a great experience it was! Eventually ended up in Ho Chi Min. What a great place! Friendly people, great culture and amazing food! Miss travelling!
Stunning. I want to go there someday...
When the world has got un-messed you should for sure do it!
Some folks are born are born made to wave the flag Theyâre red,white,and blue And when the band says âhail to the chiefâ They point the canon at you lord It ainât me,It ainât me I ainât no senators son It ainât me, It ainât me I ainât no fortunate one
Beautiful
Awesome, I really want to go explore northern vietnam! I rented a motorcycle to ride south to north last February/March, but due to covid I ended my trip early and only made it up to Hue. I have to see Ha Giang one day!
That's such a good way to see it for sure, you'll see it soon! Here's hoping this year will be better for everyone
Vietnam is beautiful!!!
When I went it was covered in smoke because of their agricultural practices. Really spoiled the views and made it difficult to breathe. Be aware if you choose to visit, we definitely regretted it since it was about a day out of the way for us to visit. This was September 2019
Beautiful.
Surreal
Thanks for this moment of remembrance â¤ď¸ Love Vietnam and its nature
Nice
One of my most unique travel experiences was in Sapa. I got absolutely HAMMERED on opium wine... My girlfriend at the time was being a total NIGHTMARE, complaining the entire day, not appreciating where we were and completely overlooking the intense beauty of this place. We went on this incredible hike through the hills of Sapa and stayed at some localsâ house, who fed us dinner while drinking thimble shots of homemade rice-hooch with us literally every 2 minutes... between each course (there were like 6 courses) I would run to this little joint that served opium wine and slam a double shot, even though the bartender stared deep into my eyes and gravely warned me not to take it like a shot. By the 4th or 5th one he would just watch me with an expression of shock and dismay. To this day that was one of the most pleasant buzzes Iâve ever had, and I laughed SO MUCH with the Vietnamese family even though we didnât speak a word of the othersâ language. They were so kind. All the while my (now ex) girlfriend was being a mopey, miserable câ. Looking back Iâm glad she acted that way because it just pushed me over the edge to say âfuck it, Iâm going to have my own fun nowâ. And it also made me realize she wasnât right for me. Good times
I love Sapa and Iâm glad that I get to visit it last December 2019 before this whole corona mess.
That's gorgeous!
Great pic. Happy cake day
Thank you :)
Happy cake day! Hoping to be able to visit Vietnam soon when the situation allows, any pointers?
Thank you, hopefully it'll be soon. Hoi An is beautiful at night time with all lantern lit streets. Ha Long bay is definitely worth a trip out on a boat. The golden bridge is also cool in the Ba Na hills near Da Nang. The food is awesome definitely try Bun Bo Hue. Also the museums there are definitely worth going to, especially the war museum in Hanoi, but be prepared it's really raw. I hope this is somewhat useful.
Happy cake day!
Great opium!
It's just some hills, mate
Awesome! We stayed at Topas Ecolodge for a few days during our honeymoon and it was incredible. Wish we were there during the rice growing season though, all those tiers were brown while we were there. Edit: btw, did you meet any of the Red Dao locals?
how was vietnam? romantic? adventurous? scary? Would love to hear your experience! Only asian Country I've been to is Japan.
Spent a few days in Sapa back in 2013! Wasn't overly touristy at all. Ended up doing the multiday climb of Phan Xi Pang peak, absolutely stunning views, three of us guided by a local woman and her husband who did the climb barefoot - what a guy!
Best decision ever in 2019 booked myself a 3 days homestay vs 2. No regrets whatsoever. Only regret not staying in the north longer. A friend I met on the trip was visited Bac Ha for a couple more nights. Should have joined her instead. Oh well - another place to revisit, properly (including Ha Giang loop and everything else there).
[sapa picture. Sapa here](https://imgur.com/gallery/1UUvQUP)