Rough Guide to Vietnam - Jan Dodd [310]
Topas Eco–lodge 020/387 1331, www.topas-eco-lodge.com. Situated a 45min drive from Sa Pa, the Topas Eco-lodge is made up of 25 luxurious but eco-friendly alpine lodge-style cottages, set on a clifftop with spectacular views looking down over a glorious valley and the ethnic minority village of Ban Ho. Their office in Sa Pa offers transport to the lodge and a number of tours. US$51–75
Victoria Hoang Dieu 020/387 1522, www.victoriahotels-asia.com. The Victoria’s 77 rooms bring a touch of luxury to Sa Pa and find a regular clientele among expat residents of Hanoi looking for an accessible weekend break. Pool, tennis courts, sauna and jacuzzi on site, as well as an excellent restaurant and a rabbit farm for the kids. Guests can travel here on the Victoria Express, a luxury carriage on the 9.55pm Hanoi–Lao Cai train daily bar Sat. US$151 and over
The far north | The northwest | Sa Pa and around |
The Town
Sa Pa itself is ethnically Vietnamese, but its shops and market serve the minority villages for miles around. What initially attracted visitors was the weekend market, which runs from Friday to Sunday. These days it’s housed in a concrete eyesore, a far cry from the original Saturday “love market” where the local ethnic minorities would come to court their sweethearts. The love market has now moved on elsewhere, a result of too many intrusive camera flashes and voyeuristic tourists, though plenty of minority people still turn up to peddle ethnic-style bags and shirts to trekkers. More authentic market fairs can be found on the other side of the Red River at Can Cau (Sat) and Bac Ha (Sun; see "Arrival and information"). The weekends are still bright and lively in Sa Pa, though, with the women coming dressed in their finery – the most eye-catching are the Red Dao, who wear scarlet headdresses festooned with woollen tassels and silver trinkets. Black Hmong are the most numerous group – over a third of the district’s population – and the most commercially minded, peddling their embroidered indigo-blue waistcoats, bags, hats and heavy, silver jewellery at all hours.
The far north | The northwest | Sa Pa and around |
Eating and drinking
Sa Pa has the widest range of food in the north outside Hanoi; one benefit of the building boom is that there is plenty of choice, many serving a mixture of local cuisine and foreign dishes. To go where the locals are, try the series of street stalls along Pham Xuan Huan, parallel to Cau May, that serve pho and rice; some stay open late into the night, when the focus shifts to barbequed meat and rice wine. For nightlife, the Red Dragon(See "Eating and drinking") serves beer and cocktails, or you can shoot some pool at the Tua Bar on Dong Loi.
Auberge Muong Hoa. Popular restaurant with a great terrace area that serves cheap and decent Vietnamese fare or local interpretations of Western dishes. A good place to mingle with other travellers.
Baguettes et Chocolat Thac Bac. Part of a chain that trains disadvantaged children in hospitality; it offers excellent pastries and, as the name suggests, filling baguettes and chocolate sweets, in a comfortable colonial setting. It also sells custom-made hampers to take on your trekking journey.
Chapa Garden Pham Xuan Huan. This secluded, Norwegian-run restaurant with delectable cuisine (mains from 120,000đ), fine wine and a crackling fireplace has something of an Alpine atmosphere. The friendly staff are all Black Hmong, and there’s always a local choice among the Western items on the menu.
Delta Cau May. With a prime location and a good wine list, the Delta is better known for its pizzas than its pasta, but is still a popular place for late-night diners.
The Gecko Ham Rong. Well-designed, French-run venue; the dishes are pricey but their originality – clay pot with caramelised fish, for example