04 Days - Market and Ecolodge Package in Sapa

Day 01 (Friday): Night train from Hanoi to Lao Cai (-,-,-)
You will depart from Hanoi in the evening by night train to Lao Cai near the Chinese border. or you can go by private bus from Hanoi at 12 AM

Day 02 (Saturday): Lao Cai – Sapa – Topas Ecolodge (B,-,-)
You will arrival early in the morning in Lao Cai and meet your driver who will transfer you to Sapa and further on to Topas Ecolodge. The drive is approximately 1 hour and 45 min.
Upon your arrival at Topas Ecolodge you will enjoy your breakfast. The rest of the day is at your leisure and you can book an excursion to the surrounding villages. You will spend the night in your own private bungalow with a view of the valley and dotted mountain surroundings.

Day 03 (Sunday): Full day visit Bac Ha market – Lao Cai (B,L,-)
At 6:30, you will commence the market tour from Topas Ecolodge by a transfer to Bac Ha, which is 70 kms Northeast of Lao Cai. Bac Ha is the largest market in the area, situated inside the small town of Bac Ha. On every Sunday mornings, it is literally a riot of color as many different ethnic groups such as the Flower H’mong, Phu La, Black Dao, Tay and Nung minorities gather to trade. After visiting the market, you will spending the whole morning exploring the market, you will have a transfer to a nearby minority village, where you will enjoy lunch in a local house which is well prepared by your  friendly hosts.
After lunch, you drive downhill for about half an hour to visit Trung Do village. The beautiful village, located by the Chay river, is inhabited by Tay minortiy. Hereafter you will get on a motor-boat and have a cruise to Bao Nhai, experiencing the picturesque scenes on the river banks, if the Chay river’s water level is high enough, or continue to visit another of many interesting minority villages. Your vehicle then picks you up for the journey to Lao Cai, where you will check in a day room for a shower before taking the night train to Hanoi.
Approx: 5 hours driving/ 2 hours walking

Day 04 (Monday): Arrival in Hanoi (-,-,-)
The train will back arrive in Hanoi early in the morning and your trip has ended
Note: In case you would like to visit one of the other markets (Coc Ly market on Tuesday, Lung Khau Nhin market on Thursday, Can Cau market on Saturday, Muong Hum or Muong Khuong market on Sunday), please contact our sales team”

This package includes:
• English speaking guide during shared excursions*
• 1 night at Topas Ecolodge (twin shared Deluxe bungalow)
• Shower room in Lao Cai
• Indicated meals (B = breakfast, L = lunch, D = dinner)**
• Return train ticket Hanoi – Lao Cai – Hanoi (soft sleeper in a 4-berth AC cabin)
• All indicated transportation
• All entrance fees to the indicated places

*The excursions are based on sharing group of maximum 10 travelers
**Other meals at Topas Ecolodge are recommended to be booked in advance.

Market tours in Northern Vietnam
The markets in the Northern Vietnam are always the special meeting places of the locals, who, in their new colorful traditionally costumes, present not only for selling their farming products and purchasing things for their essential needs but also for their habit of socialization. Each market, like a fire, ignite its surrounding immense green mountainous area once a week with colors and human warmth by the local hill tribes.

If you are interested in a bigger market than the local market in Sapa, it is possible to arrange that as well. Most of the bigger markets are about 3-4 hours of drive away from Topas Ecolodge. We suggest combining a market trip with your arrival or departure day of the night train, as you will spend less time on transport that way. If you are interested in market tours we have a special 2 days package that you may like. It includes a stay at Topas Ecolodge or Victoria Hotel and Spa and a market tour.

We highly recommend the following market tours:

Coc Ly Market on Tuesdays
This is a unique market taken place only on Tuesday. Coc Ly is a very small market where you can meet several ethnic minorities such as the Flower H’mong, Black Dao, Phu La, Nung and Tay. The trip offers you a one-way motor boat ride along Chay River and a short walk to Trung Do village of Tay minority.

Can Cau Market on Saturdays
This is a unique market taken place only on Saturdays. Can Cau is a small but very colorful market. Here you can meet several ethnic minorities such as the Flower H’mong, Nung, Phu La as well as the Chinese people. The trip offers you a boat ride along Chay River and a short walk to Trung Do village of Tay minority.

Bac Ha Market on Sundays
Bac Ha is the largest Sunday Market as well as the most colorful one in the area. Here you can meet mostly the Flower H’mong and then the Phu La, Black Dao, Tay, Nung minorities. The market offers a variety of local products, which could not be found in other areas. The animal market will be also very interesting. On this trip, you will also have opportunity to enjoy a boat cruise in Chay River. Further we can arrange tour to other markets on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.