As Sapa is a major tourism hub in northern Vietnam, it's no problem to find a reliable connection. You can book tickets online in advance, but also in person at train or bus stations.
By train (via Lao Cai)
The most popular and probably the most convenient way to get to Sapa from Hanoi by public transport is to use the night sleeper train. Although the trains are often advertised as going to Sapa, the destination train station is actually in Lao Cai, which is 35 kilometres from Sapa.
So in addition to the train, you will need to arrange transport from Lao Cai to Sapa.
There are plenty of trains running between Hanoi and Lao Cai (Sapa), you can choose between regular Vietnam Railways trains and luxury private trains where the train journey itself will be a great experience. Compared to buses, trains are a more reliable, safer and more comfortable form of transportation, but on the other hand, train travel takes much longer and is a bit more expensive.
In addition to the expensive tourist trains, Vietnam Railways operates two night trains from Hanoi to Lao Cai, the SP3 train at 22:00 and the SP7 train at 22:40.
In the other direction, trains depart Lao Cai at 21:30 (SP4) and 12:05 (SP8). The train journey takes approximately 7.5 hours.
Where to book a train ticket from Hanoi to Sapa?
We strongly recommend booking your Hanoi to Sapa train ticket online in advance, trains tend to sell out long in advance and you might not get a connection on the day you want. If you are spending a longer time in Hanoi, you can go to the station and buy your train ticket there.
You can book train tickets from Hanoi to Sapa (Lao Cai) in advance on the official website of Vietnam Railways, but the process can be very complicated for foreigners. You can book trains easily and mainly in English at 12go.com.
How to get from Lao Cai to Sapa?
Upon arrival at the train station in Lao Cai, you can choose from several ways to get directly to the mountain town of Sapa:
- Local bus No. 1 - local buses stop directly at the square in front of the station.
- 05:30 - 17:00
- Intervals: 20 - 30 min
- Price: 30000 vnd
- tourist minibus - tourist minibuses stop directly in front of the station, can also be booked on 12go.com or Baolau
- 06:00 - 14:00
- Intervals: 30 min - 5 h
- price: 40000 - 90000 vnd
- Taxi - ideally arrange a taxi in advance through your hotel or a transport company, taxis on site will be considerably more expensive
- Price: from 500000 vnd
By bus
Apart from trains, buses are the only other means of public transport you can use to get to Sapa.
They are also the only choice if you want to travel to Sapa from other cities in northern Vietnam, such as Ha Giang province or Mu Cang Chai.
From Hanoi
The great advantage of the buses that connect Hanoi and Sapa is their direct route to the centre of Sapa, their relatively low price and great flexibility. Even if all the train tickets are sold out, you can definitely get a tourist bus.
Buses run all day and night from many locations and stations in Hanoi, and the trip to Sapa takes approximately 6 hours even with a refreshment break. Most of the buses are very comfortable, the night buses are even sleeping and very pleasant.
Buy bus tickets from Hanoi to Sapa.
You can buy bus tickets directly at the station, but you will save very little compared to a tourist bus. So we highly recommend booking buses on 12go.com.
You can buy the cheapest bus on the Hanoi-Sapa route from 170 000 vnd. Tourist buses also have the advantage of departing from the historic centre of Hanoi, where most tourists stay.
From other places in northern Vietnam
Sapa is a great base for exploring the other beauties of northern Vietnam. For travel to more distant destinations, it's ideal to change buses in the larger city of Lao Cai, but there are a number of direct buses that run directly from Sapa. Some tickets can be booked on 12go.com, for others you'll need to book through your accommodation in Sapa.
The following routes are particularly popular:
- Sapa - Ha Giang (popular motorbike circuit, mountains, ethnic minorities, traditional markets): journey time 6 h, from 300 000 vnd
- Sapa - Mu Cang Chai (rice fields, sightseeing, ethnic minorities): driving time 5.5 h, from 275 000 vnd
- Sapa - Son La (ethnic minorities, authentic life): driving time 8 h, from 500 000 vnd
- Sapa - Bac Ha (traditional Sunday market, trekking through villages and into the mountains): driving time 3h, from 175 000 vnd
