Vietnam Mountains: Why Everyone Gets Sapa & Ha Giang Wrong

I just spent three weeks bouncing around Vietnam's northern mountains and honestly? I'm still processing it. Like, photos don't even come close to capturing what it's actually like up there. Everyone talks about Sapa this, Ha Giang that, but does anybody really tell you the stuff that matters? Ummmmm No they do not. atleast for me…

First things first, forget everything you think you know about backpacking in Vietnam. The mountains are a completely different beast from the southern beach trail. I met a German backpacker in Hanoi who was like oh yeah, did Sapa in two days, checked it off the list. She had no clue what she missed. Sometimes ignorance is not a bliss I guess!

Getting There (Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Vietnamese Buses)

Look, everyone's gonna tell you to take the overnight train to Lao Cai for Sapa. And yeah, it's not terrible as I actually slept pretty decent in the soft sleeper. But here's what nobody mentions: the train station at 5am is absolutely chaotic. Like, imagine every backpacker in Southeast Asia crammed into one building, half of them hungover, all trying to figure out which bus goes to Sapa town. I am under exaggerating…

The bus ride up the mountain though? That's where it gets good. This Vietnamese woman (the term is ‘babushka’ for my Russian friends) sitting next to me kept offering me these little wrapped candies and pointing out landmarks I couldn't pronounce. It turned out she was going to visit her daughter who married into a Hmong family. We couldn't really communicate beyond gestures, but somehow she made sure I got off at the right stop. That's Vietnam for you.

For Ha Giang, I took the direct bus from Hanoi which was about six hours of increasingly spectacular scenery. 

my pro tip: sit on the right side for better views. Also bring snacks because the rest stops are... interesting. I'm talking mystery meat on sticks and coffee strong enough to wake up the dead. Actually, the coffee's pretty good once you get used to it, basically being syrup. I loved it!

Ricefields of Sapa in Northern Vietnam During Early Morning

The Real Deal About Sapa

Okay, so Sapa gets a lot of hate for being touristy, and yeah, parts of it totally are. That main market area? Pure tourist trap. But if you walk like 20 minutes in any direction and suddenly you're in actual Vietnam again (the typical Vietnamese rice fields scenery you see in movies!).

I ended up staying with a Hmong family in Ta Van village (totally by accident when I got lost hiking and they just... invited me in?). The grandmother spoke maybe five words of English but somehow we spent an entire evening talking. Well, I talked, she listened and nodded knowingly (google translate helped). Shared some rice wine that tasted like rocket fuel but went down smoother after the third cup.

The Fansipan cable car is expensive as hell like 800k VND, which is what I was spending on food for three days. But you know what? Sometimes being a tourist is fine. The views from up there are absolutely insane, especially if you catch it on a clear day. I went up around 2pm and got lucky with the weather. Half the people there were taking selfies, but the other half were just standing there with their mouths open. I was definitely in the mouth-open camp lmfao

Fansipan Mountain of Sapa Is Just Majestic With Clouds Everywhere

Word of advice though: skip Cat Cat village (read the tripadvisor reviews in the link!). It's basically Sapa Disneyland at this point. Instead, ask literally anyone staying there about smaller villages. They'll usually know someone's cousin who does homestays. That's how I ended up in Ban Ho, which was way more chill and nobody was trying to sell me anything every five seconds. Yep, people trying to sell you stuff/souvenirs in touristic areas of Sapa can be a mood spoiler if you are someone who is afraid to offend people. You know what I mean!

Ha Giang Mountains of Vietnam With Zigzag Roads

Ha Giang Loop: Or How I Nearly Died and Loved Every Second

This is where things get real. I'd been riding motorbikes around Southeast Asia for months, thought I had it figured out. Ha Giang laughed at my confidence and then showed me what mountains actually look like.

First day out of Ha Giang city, I'm cruising along feeling pretty good about myself. Then I hit Quan Ba and realized I'd been riding through the foothills. The actual mountains were still coming. That Twin Mountains viewpoint? Pictures make it look nice and peaceful (and some people joke about obvious view if you catch my drift!). Reality is standing on a cliff in 15mph winds wondering if your bike's breaks brakes are as good as you hope they are.

Dong Van Mountains of Ha Giang

Made it to Dong Van that night feeling pretty accomplished. Had dinner at a tiny homestay cum restaurant where the owner's kid kept staring at me (probably wondering why the weird foreigner was eating pho with a spoon). The food was incredible though like why-doesn't-Vietnamese-food-at-home-taste-like-this incredible.

Day two was Ma Pi Leng Pass which everyone talks about like it's just another scenic viewpoint. Guys. This is not just another scenic viewpoint. This is a narrow road carved into a cliff face above a river canyon that goes down... I don't know how far because I was too scared to look. The views are absolutely mental but so is the road. Saw a guy there making reels (probably tiktok/insta) right on the edge and genuinely thought I was about to witness a tragedy. Please don’t be like that!!

Had to stop at the little cafe up there just to calm my nerves. I ended up chatting with a Vietnamese biker who was like oh yeah, this is easy road, wait until you see the road to Meo Vac. Turns out he was not exaggerating.

Ma Pi Leng Mountain Pass of Vietnam

The thing about Ha Giang that you don’t hear much is how quiet it gets (pun not intended!). You'll be riding through these valleys and suddenly realize you haven't seen another vehicle in an hour. Just you, the mountains, and the occasional water buffalo giving you judgmental looks. It's peaceful in a way that makes you understand why people become hermits.

Hidden Spots That Are Actually Hidden

Everyone's always talking about hidden gems that turn out to be in every guidebook for god sake! Just call it the found place at this point. But I stumbled onto some places that genuinely felt undiscovered (yes technically you can say now it's not so hidden anymore and you may call me a hypocrite but think in a relative sense!).

Mu Cang Chai Rice Terraces

Mu Cang Chai is one. It's mainly famous for rice terraces, but nobody actually goes there. I think because it's a pain in the rear to get to and there's no instagram worthy cable car. But man do those terraces go on and on forever! Stayed with a family there who had never hosted a western guest before. The kids followed me around like I was some sort of exotic animal. Their mom made incredible sticky rice cooked in bamboo that I've been dreaming about ever since. I am a sucker for Vietnamese food at this point…

Remote Village of Y Ty in Vietnam

Then there's Y Ty village which is so remote I'm not even sure it's supposed to have tourists lol. Took a bus  then a motorbike taxi and then walked for two hours through mud that came up to my ankles. Worth every squelchy step. The Ha Nhi people there still live in traditional mud houses and seemed genuinely surprised to see me. Language barrier was absolute but the village (chief?) invited me to share dinner anyway. Sometimes you don't need words. Rural folks are just built differently no matter the country be it Vietnam or USA or Indonesia and I am sure those of you who have travelled to rural parts of any country would know what I am talking about.

Ba Be Lake in Vietnam

Ba Be Lake was different kind of amazing. Did the boat trip through what people there call the fairy cave, which sounds cheesy but is actually magical. The water's so clear and the acoustics in the cave are wild that our guide (yep I booked a guided tour, sue me!) started singing traditional songs and it echoed for like thirty seconds. Plus I saw more birds there than anywhere else in Vietnam. Not exactly hidden, but way less crowded than the famous spots.

When to Go (And Why Everyone Gets This Wrong)

Everyone parrots the same advice about September to November being perfect but is it?
And yeah, the weather's great and the rice terraces are golden and all that. But here's what they don't tell you: everyone else knows this too genius! October in Sapa is like a backpacker convention.

I went in March and it was honestly perfect. Cool mornings, warm afternoons (not blazing hot), flowers everywhere. The rice paddies are bright green instead of golden, which is actually more dramatic in photos. Plus way fewer tourists so you can actually have conversations with locals instead of competing with tour groups.
and you know what? my best memories from there were the ones where I spent time talking with villagers in my broken Vietnamese (helped by g translate). Like those were the moments I remember vividly. something something human connection and all that….

December gets written off as too cold, but I met a couple (French I think from the accent) who did Ha Giang in December and said it was incredible. Crisp, clear days and they basically had the whole loop to themselves. Just pack warm clothes and prepare for some seriously cold nights. We are talking sleeping bag weather.

Summer's supposedly terrible because of rain, but honestly? I loved the dramatic weather. Those afternoon thunderstorms in the mountains are something else. Just don't plan any serious hiking and be flexible with your schedule because roads do get washed out sometimes. I am not kidding, it can be dangerous. If you come here during that time I won’t recommend with family but as a solo only.

Money Stuff (The Numbers That Actually Matter)

Budget travel in the mountains is stupidly cheap if you do it right. Homestays run about 100k to 200k VND per night ($4-8), including dinner and breakfast. And we're not talking ramen as these are proper home cooked meals with vegetables from the garden and usually some form of local alcohol.​
If you are vegan, then good luck is all I can say..

Food in villages is basically free. I mean, you're paying, but like 30k VND for a massive bowl of pho that would cost $12 in a western city. Street food is even cheaper with banh mi for 15k vnd and fresh fruit for basically nothing. Should I even count half a dollar?

The expensive stuff is the touristy activities. Fansipan cable car is 800k VND (for adults which I assume you are if reading this). Ha Giang easy rider tours run about 200-250 USD for 3 to 4 days. Motorbike rental is around 200k VND per day. It adds up if you're doing all the highlight reel stuff.​

If I were you I would just skip the tours. Rent your own bike, stay in homestays, eat local food. I spent about $20 per day total in the mountains, and that was without being particularly careful about money (even after including the couple of mini guided tours I did).

a Homestay in Ha Giang Popular Among Bikers

The Homestay Reality Check

Homestays are incredible but they're not hotels. You're literally staying in someone's house, usually sleeping on a mattress on the floor in a room with other travelers. Bathroom situation varies wildly where sometimes it's a decent shared bathroom, sometimes it's an outhouse that's seen better decades.
My point is manage your expectations and do not expect luxury stay. I know its self explanatory but have heard people complaining about their homestay facilities. I mean you get what you paid for.

But the hospitality of families running these homestays is even better than five stars I have stayed in Vietnam (not bragging).

The food is where homestays really shine. The best meals I had in Vietnam were sitting on tiny plastic stools in village kitchens. Fresh vegetables, herbs I couldn't identify, meat that was probably alive that morning. Everything cooked over wood fires and served family style. The only challenge for you in homestays would be if you are a Vegeterian/Vegan. You would have a bad time because wherever I went it was just dishes with meat. I mean you can ask them to give a Veg option but don’t expect too much.

One night in Pu Luong, the power went out in the whole village. Instead of being inconvenient it turned into an amazing evening of candles, local wine, and the whole family teaching me traditional games. Those are the moments you can't plan for. I think the wine played a bigger role in my positive sentiment there haha

Getting Around Without Losing Your Mind (Or Life)

The motorbike thing is tricky. Everyone wants to do it because it looks awesome on Instagram but Vietnamese mountain roads don't care about your selfies. I've been riding for years and still had some sketchy moments. I was genuinely worried for my life more than once…

If you're not 100% confident, do an easy rider tour. Yeah, it's more expensive, but you'll actually enjoy the scenery instead of white knuckling every turn. Plus the drivers know all the good photo spots and where to get the best food.​
Read google reviews for the company and check for reviews talking about safety.

For Ha Giang specifically I saw way too many accidents. Steep roads, sudden weather changes and trucks that take up the whole road (riders trying to overtake them). If you do rent a bike, start with shorter rides around Ha Giang city to get a feel for it. And wear a helmet, obviously duh! The rental shops have decent ones now.

Local transport is hit or miss. Buses between major towns work fine but getting to smaller villages usually means motorbike taxis or walking. Xe oms (motorbike taxis) are everywhere and cheap, just agree on the price first (not sure about Grab because I didn't check myself).

Food Adventures (And Misadventures)

Vietnamese mountain food is a whole different beast from what you get in cities or tourist areas. It's heartier, more rustic, lots of stuff I'd never seen before.

Cooking Prep for Thang Co Dish in Vietnam

Thang co in Ha Giang was... an experience. It's this soup made from horse meat and organs, traditionally eaten on weekends. Sounds terrible, tastes actually pretty good once you get past the mental block. The locals thought it was hilarious watching me try it.​ maybe it was!

Corn wine showed up everywhere. Every homestay has their own batch, ranging from "this is actually pleasant" to "I think this might be paint thinner." Always try to accept it when offered though as it's a hospitality thing. 

Best meal I had was completely by accident. Got caught in a storm near Mu Cang Chai and ducked into a tiny place I found there that was basically someone's kitchen. The woman there didn't speak any English but understood I was hungry. She made an incredible noodle soup with vegetables I couldn't identify and herbs that made my mouth tingle in the best way. It cost me maybe $2 and I still think about it back home on rainy days…I told you before, these were my best memories…

Street food in mountain towns is amazing. Fresh spring rolls, grilled meat skewers, tropical fruits I'd never seen. Just use common sense and eat where locals eat, avoid stuff that's been sitting out too long.

Safety Stuff (Because Your Mom Asked Me To Include This)

Mountain weather changes fast. Like sunshine-to-thunderstorm-in-fifteen-minutes fast. I got caught in a downpour on a mountain road and couldn't see more than ten feet ahead. yes its real and I am not trying to exaggerate for effect, go check some youtube videos of rain in Vietnam and you would maybe stop doubting me. Had to pull over and wait it out under a random shelter with a Vietnamese family who shared their thermos of tea.

Wildlife isn't really a concern. I saw exactly zero dangerous animals. Lots of water buffalo who are chill unless you get between them and their food but then why would you if you are a sane person. Some leeches during the rainy season but they are more gross than dangerous.

The real safety issues are roads and weather. Mountain roads are steep, narrow, and sometimes in questionable repair. Add rain or fog and things get sketchy fast. Don't ride at night, don't push it if the weather's bad, and trust your gut if something feels dangerous.​ I can’t say this enough, Vietnamese mountains can be dangerous so don’t try to be a hero here and bring a don't care attitude…pleaseeee it's not worth it!

Medical facilities are limited outside major towns. There's a decent hospital in Sapa and basic clinics elsewhere but anything serious means a long trip back to Hanoi. Travel insurance that covers motorbike accidents is essential if you're planning to ride.

Vietnamese mountains will challenge your assumptions about comfort, convenience and what makes travel worthwhile. You will probably get rained on, definitely get confused, and possibly question some of your life choices while navigating a mountain road in the fog.

But I promise you it's going to be worth it as long as you. Mountains are calling, are you listening? 

FAQ

Q. Does Vietnam have mountains?
Yes, Vietnam has extensive mountainous terrain, with three-quarters of its territory consisting of low mountains and hills. The country features dramatic landscapes, including the Fansipan mountain (the highest in Indochina) in the northwest, the central Annamite Range, and numerous peaks and highlands throughout the country.  

Q. Does Vietnam Mountains get snow?
Yes, Vietnam's northern mountains, particularly areas like Sapa and the Hoang Lien Son range (including Fansipan peak), can experience snowfall during the winter months, typically from December to February.