By Ha Vuong- Travel Expert

The villages in Sapa are the main attractions for any travelers visiting Sapa. Most of these villages are located in the valleys in the diameters of 20km from the town center. The traditional villages are the living places of local hill tribes including H'mong, Dzao, Giay, Tay, Xa Pho people. They all set in a stunning landscape of mountains, forests and terraced ricefields, the villages are the main destinations for trekking tours and homestay while travelers can explore their traditional way of life with fascinating cultures. Here you can find the list of all villages you can explore on your Sapa trekking tour:

1. Ma Tra and Ta Phin villages

As one of the attractive community-based eco-tourism routes of Sa Pa town, Ta Phin has become a destination for many tourists visiting Lao Cai. Ta Phin is about 17km northeast of Sa Pa Town center, inhabited by Dao and H’mong ethnic groups. 

Ta Phin has a beautiful natural landscape, rich cultural traits of the Red Dao people. You will be invited to one of the local house sets next to beautiful rice fields. The trails through the village give you a stunning view of the mountains from afar. The Dzao women are very skillful at making embroidery. 

Coming to Ta Phin village, you can visit the nearby Ta Phin cave. In the cave, there are many stalactites creating interesting shapes.

The trekking loop starts from Sapa town toward the main road from Sapa to Lao Cai. After 2km, you'll turn left to a village trail to Ma Tra village. The hiking trail is through the village and its rice fields before reaching Ta Phin. From Ta Phin, you can either continue to Sa Seng village and get back to the main road to go back to Sapa. At the end of winter, the road to Se Seng village (community tourism center of Ta Phin) was covered with hidden clouds, green mountains and forests, as well as beautiful houses of H'Mong people. The entire loop is around 20km. You can also hire a motorbike with a driver or a private car to drive you there. 

2. Cat Cat village

Cat Cat is a village is about 2 km from Sa Pa Town. Cat Cat village was formed in the middle of the 19th century by H'mong people. They live in wooden houses on mountain slopes. Near their settlement, they grow rice and corn on terraced fields. The trail from Sapa town downhill to the village is a nice pleasant walk through the houses and fields. The women in the village retain quite a lot of traditional crafts like cotton, linen and cloth weaving. The walking loop through the village is about 5 km with steps and can be done by everyone. During the walk, you can visit local houses and learn about their culture. There's also a nice waterfall on the walk next to a central hydropower plant built by French a century ago. There's a cultural show that happens twice a day. 

3. Sin Chai village

Passing through Cat Cat village about 2 km, you will reach Sin Chai village. Although located quite close to Sapa town, this place is not as touristy as other villages. This is an ideal place for tourists who want to observe and learn about the lives of the indigenous H’Mong people.

The typical wooden houses of the H’Mong people are close to the small road. The road even just big enough for a motorbike to pass from the beginning until the end, but the village is still so beautiful.

4. Y Linh Ho village

Not often mentioned, but Y Linh Ho is a very nice village you should add on your Sapa trekking tour. This is the village located between Sapa town and Muong Hoa valley. Most travelers will bypass this village on their Sapa holiday however it can be included on an exciting Sapa off the beaten path experience. A full hiking day in Sapa will take you from town toward Cat Cat village, walk through Y Linh Ho village before exploring Lao Chai and Ta Van village in Muong Hoa valley. This is one of the wildest trails in Sapa through forests, terraced fields interspersed with wooden houses of H'mong people. 

5. Lao Chai village

Lao Chai is a commune located in the widest and most beautiful valley - where can be seen from Sapa Town or on the top of Ham Rong. About 7 km from the center of town, Lao Chai is not far so many people walk from the town to this village. You can either get to Lao Chai village on the main road by car or motorbike or taking the hiking trails from Sapa. The hike is on a mountain slope with winding trails parallel to the Hoang Lien Mountains. The scenery is very beautiful with bamboo forests, mountain views before reaching the valley. This is one of the bigger villages in Sapa with traditional houses dotting throughout the valley in small hamlets stretching from Muong Hoa stream to the foot of the Hoang Lien mountain. Muong Hoa valley (Golden stream valley) has the biggest rice terraced files in Sapa. The field here is ranked the most beautiful in entire Northern Vietnam and is one of the national beauty spots.

6. Ta Van village

Ta Van village shares the other half of Muong Hoa valley with Lao Chai village. From Sa Pa Town, follow the winding road about 10km halfway up the mountain to reach Ta Van commune. In the H'Mong language, Ta Van means "big arc". The village is as beautiful as a picture, with the background of the Hoang Lien Son mountain range, the front look over the clear Muong Hoa stream. From Ta Van village, you can travel very convenient to other famous tourist destinations of Sapa such as Lao Chai, Cau May, Ta Phin... 

In recent years, Ta Van has become one of the destinations for those who love to explore and experience the beauty of nature and culture. Muong Hoa valley with Lao Chai and Ta Van village makes a perfect day visit from Sapa. This is also a very popular destination for an overnight homestay in the village. 

7. Ban Ho village

About 30 km away from Sapa town in the same direction as Lao Chai - Ta Van, Ban Ho is a village of the Tay people. With a relatively small population compared to other ethnic groups, this is the only village in Sapa that is inhabited by this group. The village is located in a small valley by the end of Muong Hoa stream.

To go from the main road down to the village, visitors have to go through a majestic and beautiful winding road. The most interesting thing when coming to Ban Ho village is to experience the homestay in the typical stilt houses here to enjoy the special dishes. Ban Ho is also a more secluded village in Sapa a great place for those who look for an off the beaten path experience. 

And more...

There are many other villages you can visit while you are in Sapa. Most of them are a little bit far away from Sapa town and require you more days:

• Ban Khoang village (H'Mong) and Ta Giang Phinh village (Dzao) are located in the Northern parts of Sapa. They are great for a Sapa trekking tour and will require a full day. Our Handspan's office in Sapa organizes a full-day private guided tour to these two villages. 
• Hau Thao village (H'Mong): A nice village perched high on a mountainside opposite to Muong Hoa valley. You can enjoy a panoramic view of Sapa mountains and valley on hiking trails. This village can be reached on a full-day hiking tour in Sapa. 
• My Son village (Xa Pho), Sin Chai B village (H'Mong) and Nam Cang village (Dzao) are by the end of Muong Hoa valley further from Ban Ho village. This is the least visited valley in Sapa. Overnight homestay tour to this area is a great option for those who want to get away from the crowd.

Handspan Travel Indochina proudly recommends a series of our popular trekking tours in Sapa that cover most of these villages: THE BEST SAPA TOURS.