Colourful Ethnic Culture Sapa

Hanoi - Sapa

Hanoi – Sapa (320km): 5hrs

This morning, embark from Hanoi for a five hour drive to Sapa town and be amazed by the wilderness and picturesque mountains.

Upon arrival, check-in to the hotel and have lunch before transferring outside of Sapa to a ethnic Hmong Hill Tribe Village situated against the stunning Hoang Lien Son Mountain Range and Indochina's highest peak, Mt. Fansipan.

Be welcomed into one of the village households for an experience of ethnic indigo dying technique with a hill tribe family. Get acquainted with the weavers who will demonstrate the unique indigenous art of Hmong hemp textiles. For hundreds of years in the North of Vietnam, the Hmong group has grown and woven hemp for their ethnic costume. After harvesting rice from the terraces, the Hmong traditionally spend most of their time making garments – partake in an interactive experience to see how the traditional process is done – from the raw product to making the thread, spinning to make cloth on the loom, dying with fresh leaves from the indigo plant then finally the embroidery. The motifs used represent different aspects of the community, from family life to rice and spiritual symbols. After spending time to experience the dying process and technique with a hill tribe family as well as their daily lives, return to Sapa.

 Appropriate footwear must be worn in Sapa. Note that if conditions are wet, programs may be diverted.

Overnight in Sapa.

Sapa Trekking

Begin today’s tour at 08:30 and drive 6km south from Sapa town to Hang Da Village to discover the unique culture, custom and way of living of the Black Hmong people, the second biggest ethnic minority group in Sapa.

Stop at viewpoints along the way for marvelous views over the Hoang Lien mountain range before arriving in a small hamlet which sits at an altitude of 1,572m overlooking the Muong Hoa valley. Leave the vehicle for an easy walk through this charming Black Hmong hamlet. Follow a lesser-known village path gradually downhill through the stunning valley of Sa Seng, passing through several Hmong hamlets along the way. A typical Hmong village comprises wooden roofed houses surrounded by rock walls where pot-bellied pigs, chickens and water buffaloes run here and there, with children playing with makeshift toys. Then sit down on a picnic blanket set out nearby the hill tribe village.  Enjoy a picnic lunch while sipping a glass of wine  in the rustic yet peaceful surroundings looking down valley. Then walk through Hau Thao, with some luck, get the chance to see Hmong women making fiber from hemp, which they spin and weave to make traditional costumes, before returning to a meeting point and be transferred back to the hotel in the mid - afternoon.

Note: In case of fog or poor weather the itinerary will be subject to change. The picnic lunch is prepared by the top five-star hotel in town.

Spend the rest of the afternoon at leisure.

This evening, enjoy an outdoor candle-lit dinner serving up an authentic tribal traditional meal paired with some of the most flavourful  wines in the flickering candle lit at a terrace overlooking Sapa town.  Enjoy live cooking by a local chef with sharing of cultural stories about ethnic people and be part of an exclusive gastronomic experience that will make your taste buds jump from joy. (Venue: Outdoor balcony  in front of Chic restaurant of Hotel de la Coupole Sapa.)

Overnight in Sapa.

Sapa - Hanoi

Today, spend the morning at leisure before being escorted by guide and driver back to Hanoi. 

Note:

• The most beautiful time to travel to Sapa is Apr - May & Sep - Oct with incredible scenery of terrace rice fields
• Sapa become a popular tourist destination, so at weekends & holidays, it would be more crowded in town