Su Pan Village

We continued walking into the next village all the scenery is very similar but this village specialises in Homestay and it very touristy which is a shame.
Next to Muong Hoa River, Su Pan is a veryOkumaya devam et
Ta Van Village

Still walking now we re in Ta Van which is 10 kilometres from Sapa. Ta Van is a village of Lao Cai province and is still in Muong Hoa Valley. Residents are mainly the H'Mong, Giay, and Red Dao.
TaOkumaya devam et
Lao Chai

Still walking into the next village of Lao Chai.
Lao Chai village is 6 km from Sapa and is the beginning of a Muong Hoa valley.
This was also our lunch stop at our driver, Mr Kien's, cafe and home.Okumaya devam et
Out and About

Ok, we have had a little rest from today's adventure and time to walk around Sapa City Centre.
Lots of little stores, mainly selling hiking gear, and restaurants. It is not very busy yet as mostOkumaya devam et
Out on the Town

Well sort of out on the town, Drinks on the hotel rooftop balcony, a short walk to a restaurant for dinner, another short walk up the hill past the night market and a Vietnamese coffee before retiringOkumaya devam et
It's My Birthday

It's my Birthday and we have to be up, showered, fed and checked out all before 7.30am.
Today we are driving about 100k out of Sapa to the Local Markets
Birthday slice for breakfast.
Bac Ha Markets

Today is another long day of sightseeing and finishing with the night train back to Hanoi.
First stop after 3 hour drive are the Bac Ha Markets.
Bac Ha Markets are in the northern hills of VietnamOkumaya devam et
Bac Ha Markets

The markets are interesting with so many people, some very weird looking meat and vegetables which they purchase and eat at the stall from which they have bought.
We decided if it looked and smeltOkumaya devam et
Bac Ha Markets

The colours of the handicrafts and clothes were very bright. The dresses the Flower H'mong people wear is very heavy embrodied and so beautiful.
Bac Ha Markets

John had another experience of trying to bargain with a group of ladies " you buy from me only 200VDN". We decided all we wanted to pay was 100VDN and this bargaining went on for about 20 mins whileOkumaya devam et
Ban Pho Village

Back in the car for a short drive to Ban Pho village.
Ban Pho Village is an upland commune of Bac Ha district, Lao Cai. It Is one of the most well-known villages in Sapa, Ban Pho Village where hasOkumaya devam et
Chay River boat trip

We then boarded a sanpan for a 20 min ride down the Chay river. The river was running fast in sections.
The government in their wisdon built a dam downstream which has decreased the amount of waterOkumaya devam et
Lao Cai

We are now in Lao Cai, our final destination in Sapa.
Lao Cai is a city in the Northwest region of Vietnam. It lies at the junction of the Red River and the Nanxi River approximately 160 milesOkumaya devam et
All aboard

Time for dinner and drinks before we board the train back to Hanoi.
We had a slightly better experience this time with the boarding but our expections were low from the sub standard amenities in LaoOkumaya devam et
Back in Hanoi

As I mentioned freezing cold last night from the train air conditioning so not a happy camper as I now have a cold and feel dreadful hope the day improves.
Well it did not, no driver to pick us up atOkumaya devam et
MK Premier Hotel

Back at the hotel around 6am, we knew our room would likely not to be ready just yet but we were hopeful if we checked in and sat in the foyer we may have been able to get in a little earlier than theOkumaya devam et
Lunch in the Old Quarter

We walked down the street for lunch in search of a Pork Vietnamese Roll. Who would have thought that difficult. Not one in sight so we tried a Vietnamese bread roll with a pork and mushroom meatball.Okumaya devam et
Birthday Dinner

As it as my birthday yesterday we went out tonight for dinner.
Our bad day did continue, the hotel had issues trying to get us a cab, once we finally got one he became a little lost on the way to theOkumaya devam et
Mk Premier Hotel

Not the best day today it is raining but we are going out of the city today for a full day tour so maybe it will be clear in the countryside.
After a good night sleep my knee is a little better whichOkumaya devam et
King Dinh and King Le Temples

We are on our way to the Ninh Binh Province which will take about 2 hours in the bus.
Ninh Binh Province is located in northern Vietnam, about 100km south of Hanoi. It has hundreds of limestoneOkumaya devam et
Sampan ride on Tam Coc River

Still raining but nothing is stopping us from enjoying the day.
Tam Coc is also in Ninh Binh province Hoa Lu and Tam Coc are very picturesque and for 41 years, from 968 to 1009 CE, Hoa Lu was theOkumaya devam et
Back in the Old Quarter

Even though it was wet all day we still had an enjoyable time.
On arrival back at the hotel it was shower, dinner, blog and then put my feet up.
Goodnight.
What to do today?

Good morning Vietnam you are still raining?
Today we are going to walk around Hanoi and take in some more history.
Due to the rain we will travel by cab to the furtherest point.
Confucius say?

The Temple of Literature is dedicated to the teachings of Confucius in Hanoi. The temple hosts the Imperial Academy, Vietnam's first national university. The temple was built in 1070 at the time ofOkumaya devam et
On our way to the next attraction

It took a while to wander through the Museum of Literature and it is still raining. We continued walking and found a nice cafe for lunch and then continued on to the next attraction.
We came acrossOkumaya devam et
GezginSounds interesting how you can walk between the villages.