Sapa Tours, Sapa home stay tours, Sapa trekking and markets with Griswalds Vietnamese Vacations

The differences in the Griswald's approach to a visit to Sa Pa start from the word go. Our 2, 3 or 4 day tour is exactly that 2, 3 or 4 days up there on the mountain & we don't pad out the trip by including the train up there & back. We can't - there's no option to it.

We take the night train from Ha Noi & we always book the best available, 4 berth, soft bed, A/con, cabins & they're really quite nice. Most people comment that they're very pleasantly surprised by the standard. We meet at the cafe & 1 of our staff takes you to the train & doesn't leave until you're settled in your cabin.

The strange things is that we often find tourists who try to steal someone else's cabin & it's just a nasty & stupid thing to do. Nasty, because they try to steal someone else's bed & Stupid, because they think they'll get away with it. Maxie seems to be the best at imbecile removal but the girls are just as tough too. The main point of this is that we don't leave our guests stranded in Ha Noi or up in Lao Cai either. On your way home, one of our staff will again, take you to your cabin & ensure that everything's OK before saying goodbye.

On arrival at the border town of Lao Cai you won't have to fight for a seat on the bus either. You'll simply walk across the road & have a tea or coffee while you wait for the bus to leave. Again, no hassling, no arguments & no uncertainty - we take care of all the hassles for you.

A holiday in Sa Pa is unique and the famous Sa Pa night market is always charming. A holiday in Sa Pa is just what the doctor ordered in Summer too as it's always much cooler up there.

Sa Pa is up in the far north west corner of Vietnam and very close to China. At about 1200 Metres above sea level, the climate is cooler than in other parts of the country. We've got lots of great photos of Sa Pa and to see them please click on one of the thumbnails at the bottom of the page. Unlike 95% of our competitors we're the tour operator & not just a ticket seller & it makes all the difference in price, quality & service !

So what's the big surprise at the hotel ?

Well apart from being sweet & lovely, our partner in Sa Pa, Miss Loan has shown again that she's not just a pretty face but she's the smartest girl in town too. We've now got an elevator at the hotel so even though the best view in Sa Pa was worth the 170 odd steps to your room, the steps are now a thing of the past !

Some General info about Sa Pa

There's a number of misconceptions about this wonderful area in the northwest of Vietnam. Many people talk about and refer to the "week end" markets at Sa Pa. It often gives the impression that they're in the same place & the markets are only on the "week end". Neither is entirely accurate. The following is an attempt to give some detail to the "markets", their location & the alternatives available to visitors of this magnificent area of Vietnam.

The biggest advantage of the "week end" activities would be for the backpacker tour operators. They can maximise the attendance (& profit) by herding the backpackers onto busses & driving them up to the area en masse. The biggest problem with this, of course, is that the tourists, because of their large numbers, are unable to see & take advantage of a lot that's on offer. In the past these tours were really the only way to gain access to this wonderful area. However, time waits for no one & in recently we've been going mid week to avoid the crowds & the feed back we get from our guests is that it's really spectacular.

The Markets

In Sa Pa, as in every town in Vietnam, there's a market every day. Vietnamese people hate food that's not fresh & simply won't put up with it (makes you wonder why we do ?). They go to the market every day & in Sa Pa it's no different. Except that on Saturday nights they have a thing called the Cho Tinh (Love Market) & the various hill tribe people go there to try & win a heart.

It's very charming & not to be confused with the Australian tradition of getting blind drunk on a Saturday night a going the grope on some poor unsuspecting member of the opposite sex. Alas I digress ! Saturday night's alright for lots of people & for lots of reasons.

In Sa Pa, Saturday night's alright too & all who go there say they'll never forget it.

Alternatives

Griswalds were the first company to hire the local H'mong people as guides. We feel that it's time they had an opportunity to do something else besides just making & selling Handi-crafts. It's their villages we go to so who better to introduce you to their neighbours than the H'mong people themselves.

Our partner in Sa Pa has a lovely hotel run by her & her wonderful family & who'll take great care of you. The standard of the hotel is really good & its got loads of charm & the pictures will show you just how nice it is. The fire places are a real treat when it's cold & our staff will even come in to light them for you while you're in town having dinner at one of the lovely restaurants.

We only go to this area by train & we aren't interested in the very large groups. It's not fair on the tourists, the Vietnamese & especially on the minority groups. The backpacker tours are still going strong if that's what you want, but it's not what we do. The largest group we take is 6 but more often than not it's 2 or 3 & in that way everyone gains. Most people comment that they're very pleasantly surprised by the standard. It's quite impossible to take groups of 20-30 people into the areas we go & we simply don't want to.

Doing things the way we do ensures that we come & go when & where we/you want & that we don't harm or disturb the area or people involved. We're always welcomed back to the villages & often stop for a chat along the way with hill tribe people we know. We're very well known & liked in the area for a number of reasons but mostly because we genuinely care about the people.

Max's Vietnamese is not too bad & because he's such a garrulous sort of bloke the locals really like him. Our guests are often surprised when, half way up a mountain, some H'mong or Dao kid comes up & in perfect English says "Hi Max". He'll of course rattle on with them in English & Vietnamese. This is great for travellers because they get a genuine opportunity to meet & interact with some remarkable people.

Because of the small groups we take, our treks are loosely structured so that we can take full advantage of each new situation as it unfolds. It's your holiday and we think it should be a real adventure.

Bac Ha & other week end or minority market places

Normally people go to see the “Sunday” market at Bac Ha which is very good. However these days there are lots of western tourists there which is understandable. You’ll have a choice to visit either Bac Ha or another one. The other market is your fair dinkum hill tribe market. Smaller than Bac Ha but much more authentic & without all the backpackers.

It’s an early start for the drive to either place & both are a bit wild with people riding on horses & buffalo. The markets are packed full of interesting things to buy, like the famous Viet Cong black pyjamas as well as lots of beautiful handicrafts by the various groups. You’ll see lots of groups including Lo Lo, Giay, Flower H’mong, Nung, Tay as well as H’mong. In the afternoon you’ll drive back to Lao Cai to board the train to Ha Noi.