Sapa (Northwest Vietnam Loop) – 4. Journey, Day 1-2

Day 1 (Hanoi – Mai Chau)

After a quick run-through of the Minsk, a filling up demonstration at a nearby petrol station and buying of a set of poncho, Cuong decided I was ready to go. Knowing Hanoi’s notorious traffic, he offered to guide me out of Hanoi. I rejected his kind offer and quickly lost myself in the streets of Hanoi. It did not help that it started drizzling.

I finally made it out of Hanoi at 1pm. The roads near Mai Chau were twisty but fun. It was good introduction to the mountain roads at Sapa.

Near Mai Chau, I stopped at a viewpoint for some photo taking. I met two friendly locals who were also admiring the scenery. Realizing that I was going to spend the night in Mai Chau, they took upon the task of leading me to Lac Village. I reached Lac village at 4pm and stayed in a White Thai stilt house (Guesthouse 19). The dinner provided by the host was excellent.

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Roads to Mai Chau

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Sapa (Northwest Vietnam Loop) – 2. Route

The Northwest Vietnam loop takes us from Hanoi to Mai Chau, followed by Son La, Dien Bien Phu, Sapa, Lao Cai and Yen Bai before bringing us back to Hanoi. It is best to plan five to six days for the trip, so that you can ride at a reasonable pace with adequate time for sightseeing. The minimum number of days required for the trip would be three days. Personally, I spent four days for the trip.

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Map of North Vietnam and route taken

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