Sapa, Vietnam

The ride from Ha Long Bay to Ninh Binh had us questioning our decision to use local transport. The erratic driver yelled at everyone, suffered from Tourette-like symptoms, couldn’t stay in a consistent lane, and kept randomly stopping (in the road, not pulling to the shoulder) to jump out and deliver packages to people waiting along the roadside. Our nerves shot, that evening we arrived at our North Vietnamese commune hidden in the mountains, far away from the noise of the city.

At the end of a village road, steep limestone cliffs formed the letter “C,” (closed on three sides with one entrance) with 20 individual bungalows positioned around a big lake at the foot of the mountains. We were a little worried about being trapped in the countryside, but luckily a 10-year-old boy from the UK stayed in the cabin next door. He and Everett had fun together running wild around the property. It rained the whole visit so Ken and I relaxed and enjoyed the nature, thankful that Everett found a new friend.

Sad to leave our magical commune, we rode back to Hanoi, luckily with a composed driver this time. On the bus with us was a family from Montreal. The Vietnamese husband was born and raised in Canada (his parents were 1975 boat people resettled to Montreal). We had an enjoyable ride because he spoke Vietnamese and became our new-found translator.

Hanoi was very quiet the days leading up to Tet. Shops were shutting down. We spent the afternoon looking for an open post office. Everything was closed but we found a lady who broke into the closed post office and came out with stamps. Success! We boarded the 6am bus to Sapa, a northwestern mountain town terraced with rice fields about 45 mins from the border with China. We unknowingly booked a sleeper bus!

The tourist town was known for its spectacular views and its many ethnic minority groups (e.g., Hmong). Our first two days in Sapa were cold and rainy – not the ideal conditions for trekking, which the area is known for and what we had intended to do there. 95% of businesses were shut down for Tet, so the town was peaceful and festive. We took a long walk around the empty town and found scooter rentals; Everett happily zipped around the town square.

Our third and final day the weather turned around. The sun peaked out, half the stores opened, and suddenly tons of tourists appeared out of nowhere. We took an unforgettable cable car ride up the forested slopes of Fansipan Mountain, the highest peak in Vietnam. Climbing the 600 stairs to the summit, we knew the visibility would be non-existent (totally fogged in) but nonetheless, we were thrilled to get out and enjoy a climb at 10,000 feet. The crowds were manageable and the grounds were immaculate with beautiful gardens. The captivating afternoon turned our Sapa journey into a memorable one.Read more