Photos of Sapa, Vietnam. Sapa or Sa Pa is a popular destination in northwest Vietnam for trekking. This area is very mountainous and is home to dozens of ethnic minorities living traditional farming lives. Their lives are basic, but not lacking of all things modern. Most homes have TVs, every village has a school, and many families own a motorbike. Sapa is reached via an overnight train from Hanoi to Lao Cai, then a one hour winding drive up the mountain. From there you can hike on day trips to surrounding villages and return to a four star hotel in Sapa at night. For more adventure, drive 30 minutes outside of town then trek for several days among more remote villages. Stay in homestays with basic accomodations, eat local food, and drink the rice wine most families make. Be prepared for lots of exercise as the trails are steep (up and down) and the clay soil is slippery. We hiked about 12 km a day on our 3 day trek.

Click pictures for a larger version, then pictures will automatically advance every 15 seconds.