Sapa Town lies within Lao Cai Province, and can be reached directly by car or bus. Trains run to Lao Cai City, which is about 60km from Sapa.
Car Transfers
Private cars or vans are available for hire from Hanoi. Please
contact us here to inquire about availability and booking.
Shuttle Bus Hanoi – Sapa
Mr Linh’s Adventures operates a shuttle bus service from our office at 83 Ma May Street, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi to Sapa Town. The vehicle is a Ford Transit Minivan with a capacity of 14 people and is used solely as a tourist service and not as public transport. The bus departs at around 6am from the office, and if your accommodation is in the Old Quarter, we can arrange for collection there. Please
contact us for more details.
Train to Lao Cai
The train runs between Hanoi and Lao Cai, mostly overnight, departing Hanoi in the evening and arriving in Lao Cai in the early morning.
How to get to the Hanoi train station: The train station is located at 120 Le Duan Street, roughly 2km from Old Quarter. We recommend getting a taxi or motorbike taxi to get there.
How to buy a train ticket: At the ticket booth at the train station, with the best option being the SP1 through SP8 trains, which are usually faster than the LC1 through LC10 trains. We recommend booking in advance as tickets are known to sell out.
Lao Cai is the final destination, located roughly 60km from Sapa. Once in Lao Cai, you can take any local bus with “Lao Cai-Sapa” on the sign. The nearest bus stop to the train station is in front of the gas station outside. The bus takes roughly 30 minutes to reach Sapa.
Local Buses
Local buses run directly to Sapa Town. Although the bus operators will make every effort to operate according to published schedules, the travel times and route can change depending on local conditions.
From Hanoi
The following bus stations have buses running from Hanoi to Sapa:
- Luong Yen Bus Station: No. 3 Nguyen Khoai Street, 2km from Old Quarter.
- Gia Lam Bus Station: No 9 Ngo Gia Kham Street, 6km from Old Quarter.
- My Dinh Bus Station: No 20 Pham Hung Street, 10km from Old Quarter.
When you arrive at the bus station, we recommend looking for Hung Thanh Bus Company, as they have the best buses with comfortable sleeper seats. Tickets are roughly $15USD and can be bought both at the stations and in advance. We recommend booking in advance as it’s a very busy route, and most buses depart around 8pm, travelling through the night and arriving in Sapa the following morning. Please arrive at the bus station 30-40 minutes prior to departure.
From Thai Nguyen
Buses from Thai Nguyen connect Cao Bang and Ba Be to Sapa. Buses depart from Thai Nguyen Bus Station 7pm and arrive in Lao Cai at 5am the following morning. From here you will need to catch one of the buses described in the train section above or arrange private transport to Sapa.
From Ba Be National Park
We recommend asking your host in Ba Be at least one day in advance about bus tickets, and they will arrange the booking and ask the bus driver to pick you up at the lake between 5 and 6am. The bus will take you to Thai Nguyen, from which you will need to follow the instructions above to reach Sapa.