Bac Ha is one of the most interesting ethnic markets in Vietnam and possibly everywhere in South East Asia. Sunday is market day in Bac Ha, which is the occasion for the various local ethnics to gather in huge crowds to exchange the last news, gossip, shop, and eat a copious lunch. Old and young from the surrounding hamlets hike several hours to the market. It is visibly a festive event. You will be surrounded in a sea of color, and have the feeling to be on a movie set.
Can Cau market (takes place on every Saturday; about 20km North of Bac Ha)is one of the most fascinating open-air markets in the region, specializing in livestock.
If you have to leave the area on Saturday night, you can visit Can Cau Saturday Market instead of Bac Ha Sunday Market.
If you visit both Sapa and Bac Ha, the visit to Bac Ha market should be on the first day or the last day of the tour because Sapa and Bac Ha are at two different sides of Lao Cai station and quite far from each other.
Get to Bac Ha:
- If you take night train from Hanoi on Saturday, you will get to Lao Cai station around 6.00 AM. After 2 hours driving you will get to Bac Ha Sunday market.
- If you stay in Sapa on Saturday night, 7.00 AM on Sunday morning we will pick you up from hotel. After about 2h45mins driving, you will get to Bac Ha market.
It is better to be there from early morning to see how people carry things to the market.
You have a chance to see unique kinds of food, special wines
made from rice, cassavas, corn and different fruits such as plumps, apples, peaches, etc…
Many different ethnic groups such as Flower Hmong, Phu La, Black Dao, Tay and Nung minorities gather to buy and sell local products that cannot be found elsewhere. The market is always very crowded, local products for sale or barter are carried on horseback: pigs, cows, chickens, ducks, dogs and other livestock. There is a brisk trade at the market for everything from hand-embroidered skirts to all manner of 4-legged animals.
After lunch drive back to Lao Cai. On the way visit Trung Do Village of the Tay minority.
Take the boat along the Chay river.
Stop to see the Vietnamese and Chinese border in Lao Cai . Transfer to Station for overnight train back Hanoi or drive to Sapa for trekking tour.
Inclusive services: train tickets, car/bus, guide, breakfast
Exclusive services: Drinks, tips and pick-up from Hanoi train station to hotel on the last day.
Suggestions:
Suggestion 1A: SAPA - BAC HA 2 days/ 3 nights
Friday:
- 7.30 - 8.00 PM: transfer to the train station
Saturday:
- After 8 hours by train you will get to Lao Cai station.
- Pick up from Lao Cai station then drive to Sapa (1 hour driving)
- Get room for shower and store luggage.
- Have breakfast in our hotel.
- Start trekking to Y Linh Ho and Lao Chai - villages of Black H’mong people.
- Keep trekking through small tracks through rice terraces to Ta Van – village of the Dzay people.
- Have picnic lunch on the way.
- Get to the main road then take a van back to the hotel in Sapa. Or if you want to see the market at early morning, we can take you directly to Bac Ha and overnight at hotel/homestay (dinner is included if you choose homestay in Bac Ha).
- Free to see Sapa at night
- Meals: breakfast, picnic lunch
Sunday:
- 7.00 AM on Sunday morning we will pick you up from hotel. After about 2h45mins driving, you will get to Bac Ha market – the most colorful market in the Northwest of Vietnam. Free to see the market.
- After lunch drive back to Lao Cai. On the way visit Trung Do Village of the Tay minority.
- Take the boat along the Chay river.
- Stop to see the Vietnamese and Chinese border in Lao Cai . Transfer to Station for overnight train back Hanoi.
- Meals: breakfast
Monday:
You will be back to Hanoi around 4.30 – 5.00 AM
- Inclusive services: transfer to Hanoi station, train tickets, car, hotel, boat trip, guide, mentioned meals.
- Exclusive services: Drinks, tips, not mentioned meals and pick-up from Hanoi train station to hotel on the last day
Suggestion 1B: SAPA - BAC HA 2 days/ 3 nights
Saturday:
- 8.00 PM: transfer to the train station
Sunday:
- After 8 hours by train you will get to Lao Cai station.
- Pick up from Lao Cai station then have breakfast at a restaurant.
- After about 1h45mins driving, you will get to Bac Ha market – the most colorful markets in the Northwest of Vietnam. Free to see the market.
- After lunch on your own expense, drive back to Lao Cai.
- On the way visit Trung Do Village of the Tay minority.
- Take the boat along the Chay river.
- Stop to see the Vietnamese and Chinese border in Lao Cai . Drive to Sapa and check in hotel
- Free to see Sapa at night
Notes: You can replace activities of this afternoon by trekking in Sapa and sleep at homestay instead of hotel in Sapa. Dinner is included if you stay at homestay.
- Meals: breakfast
Monday:
- Have breakfast in our hotel.
- Start trekking to Y Linh Ho and Lao Chai - villages of Black H’mong people.
- Keep trekking through small tracks through rice terraces to Ta Van – village of the Dzay people.
- Have picnic lunch on the way.
- Get to the main road then take a van back to the hotel. Get room for shower.
- Free to see Sapa market for a while before driving to Lai Cai station and take night train back.
- Meals: breakfast, picnic lunch
Tuesday:
You will be back to Hanoi around 4.30 – 5.00 AM
- Inclusive services: transfer to Hanoi station, train tickets, car, hotel, boat trip, guide, mentioned meals.
- Exclusive services: Drinks, tips, not mentioned meals and pick-up from Hanoi train station to hotel on the last day
Suggestion 2A: SAPA – BAC HA 03 DAYS/ 04 NIGHTS
Thursday: Hanoi - Lao Cai by night train
- 20:00 pick up at hotel to Hanoi train station
- Inclusive services: Transfer, train tickets (type: 4 soft berths in a compartment with A.C, normally 8 hours by night train)
Friday: Sa Pa Trekking to 4 villages - Ylinh Ho - Lao Chai - Ta Van – Giang Ta Chai
6-7 hrs trekking throughout 4 hamlets - visit 2 different kinds of minority.
- 05:15 you will arrive at the last arrival station – Lao Cai station. Picked up and drive up to Sapa. First of all, get shower, luggage store and then enjoy breakfast at our hotel in Sapa (just take small bags while trekking)
- Trek down to YlinhHo and Lao Chai village of the black H’mong people.
- After a picnic lunch, keep on alongside Muong Hoa stream, over suspension bridges to Ta Van village of the Dzay people.
- Keep trekking to Cau May (Rattan Suspension bridge) - Giang Ta Chai . Visit and stay overnight with a local family of the Dzay minority. You can join the tour guide and the house owners to cook Vietnamese food for dinner.
- Enjoying your dinner and getting to know local typical traditional customs, culture….
- Inclusive services: Transfer, tour guide, home-stay permit, breakfast, picnic lunch and dinner.
Saturday: Ta Van - Giang Ta Chai - Su Pan – Bac Ha
- In the early morning you will be sure to be woken up by the households but lucky to see how is their daily life for a new day coming!
- Enjoy some pancakes made by your tour guide’s skillful hands.
- Start a new trek into Hoang Lien Son National Park by more stunning landscapes and other ethnic minority villages dotted further your eyes sigh.
- Visit Giang Ta Chai village of the Red Dao minority and then continue that trail to Su Pan village for lunch.
- Get picked up and drive to Sapa to get luggage and drive to Bac Ha. It is 2.5 hours driving up and down the mountains.
- Check in stilt house (homestay) or hotel.
- Dinner and overnight
- Inclusive services: Transfer, tour guide, breakfast, picnic lunch and homestay/hotel. Dinner is included if you choose homestay.
Sunday: Bac Ha Market – Trung Do – Chay river – Night train back
- Early morning is the best time to see Bac Ha Market. Villagers from various ethnic communities gather to sell their products or livestock at the market of Bac Ha, which then transforms into what may well be one of the most colorful markets in Vietnam. Many people arrive on foot, on ponies or if some are rich enough can drive motorcycles or be carried by motorbike carrier.
- It is just amazing to be at a place full of colorful dresses of Flower Hmong people and seeing the happiness on their faces. All the activities of the locals are just natural and they enjoy eating ice-creams, checking out and bargaining various things, talking with each other, eating noodles and "thắng cố" food which is a mixture of all parts of horses and drinking corn wine. These foods which are cooked by the ethnic minority people and the corn wine are very famous in Bac Ha.
- Lunch by your own expense.
- Say good bye to Bac Ha and get back to Trung Do village, visit the Tay minority then get on boat along Chay river. Get off boat at Bao Nhai then drive to Lao Cai.
- On the way back, stop to see the V
ietnamese - Chinese Border.
- Free to have dinner at a restaurant on your own then take night train back to Hanoi.
- Inclusive services: Transfer, tour guide, breakfast, entrance fee, boat trip, train tickets (same class as the first day)
- Exclusive services: Meals not mentioned, drinks, tips and pick-up from Hanoi train station to hotel on the last day
Suggestion 2B: SAPA - BAC HA 3 days/ 4 nights (hotel + homestay or 2 homestays)
Saturday: Hanoi - Lao Cai
- 20:00: transfer to the train station
- Inclusive services: Transfer, train tickets (type: 4 soft berths in a compartment with A.C, normally 8 hours by night train)
Sunday: Bac Ha - Sapa
- After 8 hours by train you will get to Lao Cai station.
- Pick up from Lao Cai station then have breakfast at a restaurant.
- After about 1h45mins driving, you will get to Bac Ha market – the most colorful markets in the Northwest of Vietnam. Free to see the market.
- After lunch (by your own expense) drive back to Lao Cai. On the way visit Trung Do Village of the Tay minority.
- Take the boat along the Chay river.
- Stop to see the Vietnamese and Chinese border in Lao Cai . Drive to Sapa and check in hotel
- Free to see Sapa at night
- Notes: You can replace activities of this afternoon by trekking in Sapa and sleep at homestay instead of hotel in Sapa. Dinner is included if you stay at homestay.
- Meals: breakfast
Monday: Lao Chai - Ta Van - Giang Ta Chai
- Have breakfast at the hotel. You store big bags at the hotel; just take necessary things (as little as possible).
- Start trekking to Y Linh Ho and Lao Chai - villages of Black H’mong people.
- Keep trekking through small tracks trough rice terraces to Ta Van – village of the Dzay people.
- Have picnic lunch on the way.
- Trek further to Giang Ta Chai village of the red Dzao people
- Check in homestay and learn daily activities of the locals.
- Join cooking dinner with the guide and family.
- After dinner, you will spend a lovely night in the village with fresh air and peaceful atmosphere.
- Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Tuesday: Giang Ta Chai - Su Pan - Ban Ho - Sapa - Lao Cai
- Wake up to see the morning dawn rising up on the mountains.
- Have breakfast and prepare for another trekking day.
- Visit Giang Ta Chai village and trek further through bamboo forests.
- Keep trekking up and down hills to get to Su Pan.
- Back for lunch then the car picks up to take back to hotel for shower.
- Get the bus/car to Lao Cai station and take night train back to Hanoi
- Meals: Breakfast, lunch
- Inclusive services: soft-sleeper train tickets 2 ways (4 people/cabin), mentioned meals, transfer, entrance fees, homestay, guide.
- Exclusive services: Drinks, tips , not mentioned meals and pick-up from Hanoi train station to hotel on the last day.
Suggestion 2C: SAPA - BAC HA 3 days/ 4 nights ( 2 homestays)
Saturday: Hanoi – Lao Cai
- 20:00: transfer to the train station
- Inclusive services: Transfer, train tickets (type: 4 soft berths in a compartment with A.C, normally 8 hours by night train)
Sunday: Bac Ha Market – Sapa – Ta Van – Giang Ta Chai
- After 8 hours by train you will get to Lao Cai station.
- Pick up from Lao Cai station then have breakfast at a restaurant.
- After about 1h45mins driving, you will get to Bac Ha market – the most colorful markets in the Northwest of Vietnam. Free to see the market.
- After lunch (by your own expense) drive back to Sapa and store big bags at the hotel.
- Continue driving to Ta Van village; do short trek to Giang Ta Chai village of the red Dzao people
- Check in homestay and learn daily activities of the locals.
- Join cooking dinner with the guide and family.
- After dinner, you will spend a lovely night in the village with fresh air and peaceful atmosphere.
- Meals: breakfast, dinner
Monday: Giang Ta Chai - Su Pan – Ban Ho (6- 7hrs trekking)
- In the early morning you will be sure to be woken up by the households but lucky to see how is their daily life for a new day coming!
- Enjoy some pancakes made by your tour guide’s skillful hands.
- Start a new trek into Hoang Lien Son National Park by more stunning landscapes and other ethnic minority villages dotted further your eyes sigh. Visit Giang Ta Chai village of the Red Dao minority and then continue that trail to Su Pan village for lunch.
- Enjoy magnificent scenery of Ban Ho valley as trekking down to Ban Ho village
- Diner and overnight with a Tay family in Ban Ho
- Meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Day 04: Ban Ho - Thanh Phu - Nam Sai – Nam Cang – Nam Toong – Su Pan - Sapa - Lao Cai - Hanoi
(5 – 6 hrs trekking to challenge on your feet, discover and see more villages that are considered to be unexplored, untouched by travelers)
- Learn more about the Xa Pho group on a loop back to the main road where a van will return you to Sa Pa
- Collect your luggage and take shower at the hotel - free time until 18:00 drive back to Lao Cai for the night train back toHanoi.
- Meals: breakfast, lunch
- Inclusive services: soft-sleeper train tickets 2 ways (4 people/cabin), mentioned meals, transfer, entrance fees, homestay, guide.
- Exclusive services: Drinks, tips, not mentioned meals and pick-up from Hanoi train station to hotel on the last day.
Or you can start on Saturday night, visit Bac Ha market on Sunday then do trekking in Sapa on Monday
Please contact us to customize your trip.
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