Note on the ticket

• All type of the train can be booked and handled to your hotel in Hanoi
• The train schedule is subject to change
• Child fare: under 5 years old: free of charge if sharing berth with parent; from 5 up: adult rate.

Laocai - Sapa transfer
Hanoi - Lao cai train stop at valley Lao cai, just 40 km from Sapa, so to reach Sapa you need to travel more 1 hour and a half by a public bus or private car. The bus stops at Sa Pa's main post office leaving you with a couple of minutes walk into town. From Sapa town it is about 5' or 15' walk to your hotel pending on which hotel you will stay. Ticket prices for a bus connecting to Sapa is $4 per person one way.
Private transfer: US$25 one way by car.

Sapa
Sapa is the most popular place to go in the Far Northwest amongst budget travelers and packages tourists alike. By using Sapa as a base you can hike off to more remote ‘traditional’ hill tribe villages and sometimes you will be offered a bed in a village for the night. Sapa was originally built as a hill station in the early part of this century and, in winter, gets bitterly cold. If you are going to be visiting Sapa in winter do not forget the winter woollies.
Sapa is preparing itself for the continuing tourist boom considerably well. Behind Sapa, towards Phong Tho is a high pass forming part of the Hoang Lien Mountains that were known to the French as the Tonkinese Alps. This range includes Fansipan, the highest mountain in Vietnam at 3,143m, which view at dawn could be spectacular.
There is a weekend market in Sapa during which the town fills up with hilltribe people selling their wares. If you want to see these tribes as they "traditionally" live (as opposed to flogging jackets to tourists), either go for a hike or head over to Dien Bien Phu from Sapa. This stretch has the most traditional people you will see in the whole of Vietnam. It seems that most tourist groups pile into Sapa during the weekend for the market. However, travelers have reported that during the week is a much better time to catch a glimpse of the real Sapa avoiding from a big hassle of tourists.
You can hike in the surrounding area and visit a number of fairly traditional predominantly Mong hilltribe villages. Further afield is the colourful Red Zao, Dzay, Tay and Xa Pho people. A home stay in the Tay village would be unforgettable experience.