In September, Topas held a fam trip to visit and stay in Topas Riverside Lodge Nam Cang. Fortunately, my colleague, Mrs. Hoa and I had the chance to join this trip. We had enjoyed the trip and the atmosphere in Nam Cang, with a lot of unforgettable experiences. Let me tell you about our two-day-one-night experiences in Topas Riverside Nam Cang. Hope that these pieces of information can be helpful if you have the intention to visit Nam Cang.

General information on Nam Cang and Topas Riverside

Nam Cang

Nam Cang is a new destination on the journey to Sapa. Normally when mentioning Sapa, many tourists will think of Sapa town, Muong Hoa Valley, Ta Van, Ta Phin Village, etc. However, Sapa also has another destination that fewer tourists know, which is Nam Cang. Nam Cang is 30 kilometers, about one hour's drive from Sapa. This destination impresses tourists with its rice terrace field, the mountains, the village, the people, etc. 

Nam Cang 

Topas Riverside

Topas Riverside Nam Cang is located in the heart of the forests and mountains in Nam Cang. If you love nature and enjoy an idyllic atmosphere, Topas Riverside Nam Cang will be a suitable choice for you. The resort has only 14 rooms in total, with a nice view of the stream and the mountain. Coming to Topas Riverside Nam Cang, I feel really relaxed and forget all the hustle and bustle of daily life. Surely, you will also feel the same as me when you come here. 

Topas Riverside Nam Cang

Staying in Topas Riverside Nam Cang, you can experience many activities, from trekking off the beaten path to discovering and learning about the work and of the local people. Let’s see the detailed itinerary that I have joined in this two-day trip!

Two-day trip itinerary

During this two-day trip, our group has had a great experience with lots of memories. Below is the full itinerary for two days in Nam Cang.

The first day

Brief itinerary: 

• Departed from Hanoi at 7.10 a.m.
• Arrived in Nam Cang at 12.30 p.m.
• Enjoyed lunch
• Walked around the villages, visited Mrs. Phu's house and another house
• Came back to Topas Riverside Nam Cang
• Enjoyed dinner and ethnic people's traditional music
• Chatted and exchanged with other people in the group
• Overnight in Topas Riverside Nam Cang

Let's see our itinerary for the first day in detail!

We departed from Hanoi at 7.10 a.m and arrived at Topas Riverside Nam Cang at about 12.30 p.m. Although the mountain road is quite hard to go, with the professional skills of Topas's car driver, you will not feel too tired and exhausted. 

Coming to Topas Riverside Nam Cang, we met our guide - Mr. Kien from Topas, an experienced guide who understands thoroughly the local life and the region. Our room has a direct view of the suspension bridge and the stream. Staying in the room, we can see kids jumping from the bridge to swim in the stream and listen to the sound of water flowing. Although the facilities and decoration inside the room are quite simple, it is really suitable for a resort trip to escape from the bustling life.

View from Topas Riverside Nam Cang

After checking in the room, we enjoyed your lunch in Topas Riverside Nam Cang. The dishes are all delicious typical food in Vietnamese's meals, from stir-fried cabbage with mushrooms to rolls, roasted chicken with mushrooms, etc. After finishing the meal, we came back to our room and relaxed before continuing our trip.

We started our journey to explore Nam Cang by walking around the villages and visiting Mrs. Phu’s house. She is one of the local people working for Topas Riverside Nam Cang. Visiting her house, we had the chance to listen about the differences in the costumes of the Red Dao with other ethnic minorities in Nam Cang.

A corner at Mrs. Phu's house

Besides, Mrs. Phu also told us about the way local people make rice wine with high alcohol concentration and writing paper made from bamboo. The inhabitants in Nam Cang use this type of paper as a votive and amulet in worshiping. In addition,  we also knew about a custom of local people. The main door in the house will not be opened until there is a special occasion in the house such as a funeral or wedding. Leaving Mrs. Phu’s house, we continued to walk through the forest and learn about the process to make silver in another house. 

After that, we followed Mrs. Phu to see her taking the herbals for herbal bathing. Dao people's herbal bathing is really good for your health. 

We came back to Topas Nam Cang Riverside by going through the stunning bamboo forest. There are a lot of mosquitos inside the forest; therefore, you should prepare mosquito repellent before you travel to Nam Cang. 

In the evening, we gathered together and enjoyed the chicken hotpot served with cabbages, spinach, mushroom, and watercress. We also had the chance to enjoy local people's traditional music which is extremely unique. All of the local people are friendly, ready to sing, and dance more due to our request. They went in a cycle, smiled, and made eye contact with us. Gathering together, making friends, and enjoying the music are really unforgettable memories during the trip. After we finished our meal and said goodbye to local artists, we came back to our room, relaxed, and prepared for the second day's journey.

The second day

Brief itinerary

• Enjoyed buffet breakfast at 7.00 a.m.
• Left Topas Riverside Nam Cang for 6-kilometer trekking through the forest
• Came back to Topas Riverside Nam Cang, checked out the room
• Departed for Topas Ecolodge
• Enjoyed lunch in Topas Ecolodge
• Visit Topas Ecolodge
• Left Topas Ecolodge at 3.30 p.m
• Arrived in Hanoi at 8.30 p.m.

After the buffet breakfast, we started our 6-kilometer trekking through the forest at 7.30 a.m. Along the way, we caught up with many beautiful sceneries of the mountain, the forest, and the stream flowing through the village. Regretfully, at the time we visited Nam Cang, local people had harvested the rice; therefore, we did not have the chance to admire the yellow rice terrace field. If you travel in July or August, you can see the golden ripe rice terrace field along the way you do trekking. 

Nam Cang trekking route scenery

After relaxing, chatting, and taking pictures at the ending point of the trekking route, we came back to Topas Riverside Nam Cang and checked out our room. Then, we departed to Topas Ecolodge, had lunch, and visited the room, facilities, and surrounding view here. 

We left Topas Ecolodge at 3.30 p.m. and arrived in Hanoi at 8.30 p.m. Our journey ended with lots of memories. 

If you are looking for a place to enjoy life and escape from the hustle and bustle of daily life, Topas Riverside Nam Cang is really a suitable choice. Coming here, you can immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the mountain and listen to the sound of nature. Let's travel to Nam Cang and draw your own experience!