Travel Highlights - Sapa Terraced fields

Classic Sapa Rice Terraces: Lao Chai Village

The most classic impression of Sapa is its ethnic minority villages and rice terraces. On this trip, we visited Lao Chai Village to admire its magnificent scenery up close. Although transportation is somewhat inconvenient, most ticketing platforms offer day trips, making it highly recommended for independent travelers to Sapa to experience its tranquil beauty. While I was really looking forward to walking through the Sapa rice terraces before the trip, after visiting, I found that the most beautiful views are captured from a high vantage point. On the way to Lao Chai Village, our guide first took us to a viewing platform to admire the terraces, where we also encountered more than seven women selling handicrafts.

Lao Chai Rice Terraces: Arriving at Lao Chai Village, we finally saw the most beautiful Sapa rice terraces with our own eyes. Surrounded by mountains, the layered and magnificent scenery was truly astonishing for a city dweller like myself! Walking along the paths through the fields, I recommend wearing comfortable shoes, and of course, sunscreen is essential!

Lao Chai Village is located at the foot of Hoang Lien Son, about 7 kilometers from Sa Pa town. The most convenient way is to take a private taxi or join a day tour. If you are already a seasoned Vietnamese, you might as well try renting a motorbike to go there on your own.

That day, we encountered a large group of ethnic minority women who chatted with us in foreign languages they had learned, following us along the street selling souvenirs. They never gave up hope, even in despair.

That day, our tour guide led us on a three-hour hike along a rice terrace path. The driver dropped us off at the entrance. Suddenly, a swarm of women selling souvenirs appeared, relentlessly pestering us – a real nuisance! The biggest problem was that it didn't matter who you bought from, because with so many people, if you didn't buy anything, they'd follow you from beginning to end, like a swarm of flies.