Hanoi - Sapa Valley

Date of Exploration : 20 - 22 May 2011

Nestled in the far north-western mountain ranges of Vietnam, Sapa Valley remains as one of the last regions where the indigenous way of life continues to flourish within the country. While the doors to international tourists was officially opened here in 1993, tourism seem to have taint very little of the way people lived at this highland destination in the last 18 years.

Infrastructure and attempts at urbanisation remain unpolised and many of the native population still don their traditional costumes, which has a certain blast-to-the-past charm for a seasoned city-dweller like me.

I am a snail, snug and comfy in my urban shell; till I pop out my head and taste the refreshing embrace of nature's lush green quell! Really enjoyed waking up to misty mornings and not greeted by blocks of flats. Slow, deep breathing highly recommended here!

A former French military debarkation center in the late 1880s for the colonists to escape the heat of the lowlands, Sapa Valley is an important town of the Sa Pa District in Lao Cai Province. Its inhabitants are dominated by descendents of the Black Hmong tribe with the Kinh (the majority ethnic group in Vietnam) and a few other smaller ethnic minorities making up the local demographics. It is a quiet little town linked by a few dirt roads to the surrounding farmlands.

Due to its cool weather and winding country terrains cutting across photogenic rice terraces and rustic villages, Sapa Valley is fast becoming a hotspot for trekkers. I signed up for this trip with SGtrekker following the lead of my photography kakis without knowing what I'm in for. I thought it was just Hanoi and when I saw Sapa Valley in the itinerary closer to departure, I wasn't prepared that we had to take an overnight train to get there.

I can't remember when was the last time I took a train, let alone an overnighter. So, how was the experience? Can one actually sleep on the metallic speed worm? Was it any fun?

Getting to Sapa Valley from Hanoi

To get to Sapa Valley from Hanoi, we took a train at Đường sắt Việt Nam Railway Station (Ga Ha Noi) to Lao Cai followed by a minibus bus ride to the highland destination. Lao Cai is the gateway to the Sa Pa region and also Bac Ha Market.

Hanoi ---> Lao Cai (9 hours train ride) ---> Sapa Valley (1.5 hours minibus ride)

SGTrekker organised the whole trip so I do not have actual unit price info. All the costs I listed here are what I managed to piece together from online searches.

Several train companies offer sleeper rides from Hanoi to Lao Cai. We took the Livitrans Express Train with 4 berths / beds and our train departed from Hanoi at 8:35 pm and arrived in Lao Cai at 5:00 am. The trains depart on time so be sure not to be late.

If there are less than 4 of you travelling and you find empty beds in your cabin, don't start extending your sleeping territory as yet. There are several stops along the way and the train could pick up more passengers that could be your cabin mate/s.

Finding your train can be a little confusing as after you pass the ticketing check, there aren't many clear directional signages. To find your ride, look out for signs with the train number stipulated on the ticket (ours was SP7).

It is best to book your sleeper tickets online through ticketing agents as they are almost always sold out. A one-way ticket should cost US$35 so a return ticket will be around US$70. I found this site pretty helpful when looking for Hanoi-Sapa (Lao Cai) train schedules and fares - Train to Sapa.


The 4-berth cabin is comfortable enough but if you're an insomniac like me, the constantly rocking will make falling asleep rather difficult. And pray your cabin mates don't form a nocturnal cacophony. I couldn't sleep the whole ride from Hanoi to Lao Cai despite me staying up the previous night too before coming on the trip. So by the time I reached Lao Cai, I had not slept for 2 days.

It's a bad thing Sapa is at the border of China. I was worried they mistake me for an escaped panda. However, I slept like a baby on the train going back to Hanoi. I was really tired out. Onboard the train, there is a toilet at each end of a carriage unit and a shared vanity top for washing up.


Once we exited the Lao Cai train station, there were a bevy of minibuses waiting to take tourists to Sapa Valley. Our transport was arranged but I read that you can get a ride for 25,000 - 30,000 dong (S$1.50 - 1.80) per person. That's the tourist price. Locals pay 20,000 dong (S$1.20).

Sapa Global Hotel

By the time I arrived at our hotel in Sapa Valley, I was at the brink of delirium from the lack of sleep and long rides. Thankfully, the temperature was cool but we're not getting any rest yet. Once we deposited our lugguages at the hotel, we were off on our trek to Lao Cai Village (see post following this one).

For 2 nights, we stayed at the Sapa Global Hotel which costs between US$20 - 45 a night (includes breakfast). The breakfast consists of a very simple spread and it's the same everyday - bread with butter and jam, fried noodles, fried rice, omelette, chicken pho and fruits. On the second morning, there was the addition of banana fritters and they were yummy!

As 5 of us came on this trip, I was the odd one out and shared a room with one of the tour mates, Rictor. Let me tell you a secret about Rictor... he's an angel. In fact, all the people in the group were God-send. Everyone was friendly, willing to share and we bonded easily... like honey and maple syrup.

Rictor and I were lucky to get the topmost unit which offered a vantage view of the surrounding area, but it meant climbing the stairs to get to the top as there are no lifts. The hotel's set-up was very simple and I felt like I was staying at a friend's 4-storey bungalow.

The room is clean and comfortable but not sound-proof as I could hear the conversations next door while Rictor probably wished he had the rooster that woke him up every morning for dinner. Bottled water, regardless of sizes, is chargeable.

The room doesn't come with air-conditioning so we left our windows to let in the fresh air and occasional flying 6-legged friends. It felt really great waking up to the mountain view.

Sights at Sapa Valley

Sapa Valley’s town centre is a small development with a few blocks of low-rise shophouses that lead to the town square and old church. There’s also a town hall, local wet market and several other posh hotels all within walking distance of each other.

The best time to visit Sapa Valley is between March to May and August to December when it is warmer (15 - 20 degrees) and less rainy.

Several restaurants, cafes and bars run alongside the main road that links Sapa Valley to the foot of the mountain. After all the trekking, it's nice to sit down by a cafe to enjoy the cool weather over a hot cuppa. There are also quite a number of shops offering foot and body massages here.

An hour's full body massage costs around 170,000 dong (S$10.20) some may charge 120,000 dong but the duration is only 45 minutes so you have to check. The massage parlours aren't big on ambience and 2 out of 3 don't have very clean beds.

Colourful backdrop of lighted Chinese motifs at Ham Rong Hotel's reception. A massage menu with rates is available here.

Rictor and I settled on the third which had the nicest atmosphere. It is called Ham Rong Massage and it's located on level 2 of Ham Rong Hotel. We paid a premium of 300,000 dong (S$18) for a 1.5 hours massage. I chose the Ham Rong massage which was supposed to be a combination therapy of traditional Viet massage technique and reflexology.

Although the rooms at Ham Rong Massage mimicked the relaxing ambience of mid-range spas with some success, leftover body parts of insects can still be seen on the pillow and bed. The towels and beddings also felt a little damp possibly due to the cold highland fog.

The therapists were properly uniformed so they looked professional and you can choose between male and female. I chose a male therapist because I wanted a strong massage but he turned out to be just a scratcher. I hardly felt anything and I refuse to believe it's because I have thick skin.

A check with my other travel mates who tried massages at different parlours also turned up the same verdict. So don't expect too much of the spa skills here. We didn't tip our masseurs at Ham Rong but do ask about tipping policies at other parlours. The tip can be hefty so be prepared to negotiate.

The most iconic and prominent building in Sapa Valley is the old Catholic church. It was built during the French's pressence around the 1880s with a decidedly carpenter-Gothic style characterised by the pointed arches, steep gables and a tower.

Churches are not very many in Vietnam as most of its people are Buddhists or practise a combination of Mahayana Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism and ancestor worship.

We are the PowHar Rangers (we are on this trip all thanks to Siow Har's initiation)! Here's us giving a star to the Sapa town square for being the most happening place in Sapa Valley. The red building on the left is the Town Hall while the old church sits on the right.

The square is like an outdoor living room for the locals. I have no idea what sounvenir the woman is looking for, but I don't think I want any!



Souvenirs are not exactly very cheap. In my opinion, the best buy at Sapa Valley are imitation The North Face jackets. I didn't bring any warm wear for the trip so I bought one. The asking price was 700,000 dong (S$42) but after some hard bargaining and walking away, I finally got it at 400,000 dong (S$28).

Our visit on a Saturday coincided with an entertainment night at the square. Here are some kids (I think from the Zai ethnic group from their costumes) rehearsing for their performance, a folk song-and-dance number. The lyrics of the song sounded like a melodic repeat of 'lou shee fun' (老鼠粉) and 'chee cheong fun' (猪肠粉)!

Other than the town square, the other hub of activity would be the wet market. It's petite in size but it is not short on surprises with an eclectic mix of meats, vegetables and other produce both familiar and peculiar on sale. I saw very small live crabs on sale possibly used as condiments crushed into papaya or mango salads much like the spicy Thai som tam.

The chickens were all displayed with their feet up. I found them really comical, kinda like they were doing ballet in a reverse Swan Lake sort of way.

On both days of our photo trek in Sapa Valley, we passed by the market before taking different roads to the villages. It serves as a meeting place for the different villagers so quite a large gathering of the tribal folks can be found here. But mostly, you'll just see the unmistakable Black Hmong tribe who is so named because of the generally black colour of their costume adorned by colourful brocade and silver jewellery.

The market was the starting point of our treks. There are quite a number of off-shoot small lanes and alleys in the area so it may be useful to hire a local guide. Now that we've seen Sapa Valley and some of its highlights, let's step onto the rural country road and explore Lao Cai Village and Cat Cat Village...

Hanoi - Cat Cat Village

Date of Exploration : 21 May 2011

Life has a very funny way of creating coincidences. Last year on 21 May, I was trekking through the dense, untouched forestry of Bako National Park in Kuching, Sarawak (see post here). This year, on the same date, I'm trekking through Cat Cat Village, which is located at the bottom of Muong Hoa Valley in Sapa, Hanoi.

Kuching in Malay means "cat". So last year I was taking a long trek in cat city, this year I'm exploring Cat Cat Valley and village. Is this an uncanny coincidence or what?! Does it mean I'll have 9 lives?

21 May is kind of special for me. It's my birthday. Both trips weren't planned as celebration holidays. More of the case where a friend had an idea to go some place (in both cases suggested by my regular photo kaki Siow Har) and we planned. My birthday wasn't a consideration. I've stopped making a big deal out of my birthday for many years now. It's just another day. Maybe subconsciously, I wanted to do the long treks so that age cannot catch up with me! I'm 3 years to being 21 by the way. That's what I say every year after I passed 30. Ha!

Enough of self-absorption. Let's pussy-foot down the other big attraction of Sa Pa Valley.

Like our previous day visit to Lao Cai, Cat Cat Village was smothered by fog as well. The weather wasn't consistent. One second it could be dull and grey due to the mist, the next it could rain, and yet a minute later, the sun shines through.

You can see the varying effects of the lighting conditions in the photos here, where most of the shots look muted in colours while some have strong shadows and contrast when kissed by sunlight. The colours look rich in the pics because I've enhanced them using Photoshop.

For a great panoramic view of Cat Cat Valley, head up to the viewing pavilion shown in the top left photo. It's a very prominent building so it's hard to miss.

Navigating your way to Cat Cat Village from Sa Pa : It is pretty easy to get to Cat Cat Village as a road from the Sa Pa Market leads directly to it. An entrance fee of 20,000 dong (S$1.20) is payable at the entrance to Cat Cat (Muong Hoa) Valley. It is possible to go there yourself without a guide as it's basically just one main road that runs from the market, down a winding hillside path, and leading to the entrance to the village.

From the village entrance, just follow the relatively well-paved main path that leads further downhill until you come to the steps that descend to Cat Cat waterfall. To get back out to the entrance of Cat Cat Village, either back track (not recommended) or take the path to the right of the bridge (on the left is the waterfall) and follow it. The trek is a looped path so as long as you walk where the road is well-trodden, you won't get lost.


A gorgeous aerial view of Cat Cat Village as we were coming down from the higher plain where Sa Pa Valley is. Sa Pa Valley is the nerve centre of the surrounding valleys and villages with hotels, restaurants, a wet market, town square and other urban amenities.



Enroute to Cat Cat Village, we passed by a local cafe called Gem Vallery Art Gallery, a short distance from the entrance steps down to the village. There's a couple of living quarters opposite it that's available for homestay.

The gallery has 2 levels of exhibition space filled with colourful abstract paintings of village life and culture. A balcony patio allows you to sip a cuppa while enjoying the magnificent geographics of the valley, both man-tamed and natural. A cup of tea costs US$1.00.

Another toilet advice, use it here before going on your way as you won't find another decent lavatory during the long descent to the valley. We spent a lot of time here because the hut offered a level of comfort in observing nature that was rare in our journey so far.

We were also delightfully enthralled by the very pretty daughter of the owner. She has such expressive, big doeful eyes that spoke to many of our apertures.

Amongst the paintings (I think they are ink on canvas because oil pigments would be too expensive and watercolour would smudge if left too long in such a wet atmosphere), what struck me was the portrait of what looked like a hippie E.T. attaining nirvana! He looks stoned.

When we finally managed to pluck ourselves from Gem Vallery Art Gallery, we arrived at the bustling mouth of the stairway to Cat Cat Village (where the coloured flags are in the photo above). The ticket we bought at the main entrance to the valley was asked for here.

As I was coming down the steps, I met these 2 boys whom I assume to be brothers. I tailed them for quite a while and it's interesting to observe how the elder really cared for the younger. The smaller boy was eating some tidbits and grudgingly shared with his bro when asked. But when he dropped one of the small biscuits on the ground, he picked it up and offered to his big bro without being asked. Crafty little bugger!

Another unforgettable kid I met was this girl. When I first saw her, she was digging and picking dirt off her toes and toenails. I think her habit is so disgusting, even her dog didn't want to look. Then without warning, she pulled to toes into her mouth and started chewing! Dirt, smelly grime and all! Even when offered tidbits, she ignored and continued savouring her filthy digits, mixed with the yellow-green mucus from her nose. I almost showed her my dinner from the previous night.

Kids roam free in the village neighbourhood. A parent or adult kin was seldom close by possibly because everybody knows everyone and it's one big family where they all looked out for each other.

No money, no posing for photos! This ah ma repeatedly asked for money when we took her photos and when we continued to tak bodoh (act blur) and shoot, she covered her face. But I think this photo is even more interesting because it showed her fingernails. Most villagers have nails like those.

While many of the adults will ask for money when you take their photos, a small portion won't. It was a moral hassle for me to have to deal with ignoring their requests while taking their photos so I didn't shoot many adults. But the children, they've yet to learn to ask for payment.

We were advised by the trip coordinator not to give money so as not to help them become beggars. The villagers' demand for a fee evolved because of photographers who took their pictures, sold the prints, made a lot of moolah but they got nothing. So why should they pose for you?

I don't give money, but I brought along some Kit Kats and gummies to give them as a treat to show my appreciation and share a different taste.

Compared to Lao Cai Village, I think Cat Cat is better developed with more stone houses and paved walkways. But unlike Lao Cai, the farming note in Cat Cat is more of an echo rather than a full-volumed aria. But it still has its many charms nonetheless.

Ah, finally saw carpets of sapplings coating the terraces green. Had been seeing nothing but grey fields the previous day in Lao Cai Village. I thought it was interesting that soil in Cat Cat is tinted red by iron oxide while Lao Cai's soil is mud the colour of exhaust. The two rice plantations don't seem so far from each other but their ground colour looked so different.

Rice is the main agricultural crop in Vietnam as it is the world's second largest exporter with up to 80% of the country's population involved in its labour-intensive cultivation. Rice is known as 'white gold' in Vietnam with around 42 varieties farmed in the country. That's a lot of strains! I wonder how many varieties I've eaten as I'm a 100% rice-loving bucket!

Passing the neon green paddies, we descended a steep flight of steps to Tien Sa Waterfall. There are no railings and the stone surfaces are coated with the fall's mist so be very careful to not let your butt bounce the ground.

In my opinion, the Cat Cat Valley trek is not suitable for people with leg ailments as there are a lot of stairs to climb and the slippery conditions. For the adventurous, this trek offers quite a variety of changing sceneries.

To get a shot like this of the waterfall with a silky aquaeous curtain, you'll need a tripod for long exposure. I didn't bring mine and borrowed a friend's. But be prepared to wipe your lens often due to the fall mist. During this shoot, I learnt about polarising filters that help to make the colours richer by cutting out reflected glare from the wet surfaces.

Tien Sa Waterfall is rather smallish and uninteresting for me because I can't go in for a dip! The falls area is cordoned off because the pool is too rocky for water play. But upstream, the calmer riverine looks enticing to splash around in. However, I don't see any locals doing it. So better do not as the locals do not. I think the water would be too cold anyway.

With the waterfall behind us, we took a long and winding road back up the valley. Along the way, I had some time alone with my thoughts. I thought about the significance of such a tough journey on my birthday (I've really walked through some very deep valleys), about getting older (how much further can I go?) and where I'm heading to (what's next Darren?). And you know what? That little self-reflection exercise turned up nothing. It's either I'm right where I need to be, or I still don't have a clue about my life. Do we ever really know?

We spent a long time at Tien Sa Waterfall giving everyone ample time to experiment with settings and filters to best capture the falls. My photography volcabulary was widened but I can't help feeling if I'm still weak in my technical knowledge and practical know-how, I'm not optimising the potential of this photography trip.

Most of the time I was wondering why my photos were always dark until someone pointed out that my screen setting was negative brightness. I don't recall altering my settings! Then while on location, I was so intimidated by the 2 or 3 camera bodies and tons of lens the others brought that I lost my fire to shoot. Most knew what they were doing. I only wish I knew too. I can't make heads or tails of my photos.

Get your Kenmera ready! Our entourage's resident hunk-cum-model showed us his version of Mary Poppins. He's such a fun doll to have at any photoshoot. No wonder his name is Ken!

We didn't complete the intended itinerary for our trek as we spent too much time at the gallery and waterfall. That's the good thing about a purely photography trip. Everyone is of the same mind and ample time is given to explore our shots. But that's a compromise with possibly seeing other sights.

If this post read like a banal spiral into melancholy fraught with inconsequential introspection, please pardon me. I guess getting much older scares us at some point. Or maybe I'm just mental. Just like this song that kept ringing in my head throughout my exploration of the countryside over the 2 days. It's called 不会说话的爱情 by 周云蓬.

There's a certain stoic resonance about it, an everyday mundane feel of simplicity yet the imageries conjured by the lyrics rang deep. For me. So I've put together some photos and videos I took during the trip of Sa Pa, Lao Cai Village and Cat Cat Valley to create a clip. I won't call it a "MTV" so as not to insult the song, but I tried as much as possible to match the visuals to my interpretation of what's being sung-spoken. Hope you'll enjoy it.

Explore the melancholic side! :o)