North Vietnam Free & Easy Trip Day 2｜Departing from Hanoi to Sapa × Visiting Cat Cat Village × Overlooking the Beautiful Terraced Fields

從河內前往沙壩的第一天，展開北越高山小鎮的探險旅程。 一路的山巒、雲霧與少數民族風情，讓人從車上就開始期待接下來的幾天。 今日行程 河內出發前往沙壩 今天要起個大早，6:30 即搭乘旅行社安排的 16 人座小巴前往沙壩（Sapa）。 因為趕不上飯店早餐，我特別詢問是否能提供簡易餐盒，沒想到飯店爽快答應了！ 不得不說，越南飯店的服務幾乎都是五星級，總是讓人驚喜。

The drive from Hanoi to Sapa takes about 6 to 6.5 hours, with two stops at rest areas along the way. I also took this time to introduce my family to Vietnam's rest-stop culture, and had everyone try Vietnamese Salt Coffee — the slightly salty aroma paired with the rich coffee flavor is really something special.

Arrival in Sapa × A First Look at the Market Around 1 p.m., we arrived at the restaurant arranged by the travel agency for lunch. After the meal, we discovered that Sapa Market was right next door, and everyone excitedly headed over to explore it.

The first floor of the market mainly sells souvenirs for tourists, while the second floor has shops where locals buy clothing; we, however, headed straight for the fruit stalls at the back entrance, and what a haul it was — the muscat grapes and longans were both incredibly sweet!

Checking in at Cat Cat Hills Resort & Spa After our meal, the driver took us to the hotel we had specially chosen for this trip, Cat Cat Hills Resort & Spa. This hotel is located right next to Cat Cat Village, an excellent location — you can enjoy a magnificent view of the terraced rice fields right from the lobby.

The room is spacious, and the large floor-to-ceiling windows let you enjoy the mountain view directly from the room. It's less than NT$1,500 per night, which is excellent value for money. However, the downside is that the facilities are a bit outdated, and it's quite far from the city center, so if your itinerary is tight, we'd recommend staying at a hotel in the city center instead for more convenience.

Cat Cat Village Experience × Hmong Guide Xiao Yang At 4 PM, Xiao Yang, our guide for this Sapa trip, picked us up from the hotel to start our journey. He is a Chinese-speaking guide I specifically requested the travel agency arrange, and he is also a local Hmong person who is very familiar with Sapa's culture and geography. Today's afternoon itinerary was to visit Cat Cat Village. To be honest, Cat Cat Village is quite touristy, primarily consisting of shop streets. As you walk down the road, you'll reach the waterfall area below the settlement. Along the way, you can visit minority ethnic houses and handicraft displays, and there are many photo spots.

Not long after, our group was drawn to a "paid Instagram-worthy photo spot," so we split into two groups to head there. Although some of the photo platforms were clearly artificially designed, the weather was clear and the terraced fields looked magnificent, so the photos still turned out really well. Besides running tourism businesses, the local residents here also keep up their traditional farming way of life — corn and rice are still drying at home, and they showed us the process of hand-sewing and cloth-dyeing.

Hmong Traditional Costume Experience × Performance Event My cousin had been longing to try on the local traditional costume even before we arrived in Sapa. Our tour guide Xiao Yang reminded us: don't rent the clothes at the entrance of Cat Cat Village, because our itinerary doesn't backtrack — it's more convenient to rent at the bottom of the waterfall area, where you can return the outfit right after taking photos. The cost for clothing rental plus hair and makeup is 250,000 VND (about NT$320), and it only takes about 10 minutes to get ready. Once dressed in the Hmong traditional costume, you instantly turn into a "princess of the mountains" ✨ — the photos turn out absolutely amazing!

Before taking photos, let's first head to the activity center to enjoy the ethnic minority song and dance performance. The activity center that was originally next to the waterfall has been demolished and is now the primitive hydroelectric power exhibition area. It's about a 2-minute walk to reach the new venue.

The performance features Miao ethnic dance, musical instrument performances, and an interactive bamboo pole dance, lasting about 30 minutes in total, with a lively and festive atmosphere.

After that, Xiaoyang also introduced a "healing house" — the Miao people still believe in witch doctors to this day, and if someone feels unwell, they will invite a shaman to perform rituals and pray for blessings. I never expected that such a tradition would still be preserved in modern times — it's really fascinating.

Taking photos while wearing local traditional clothing in Kaka Village looks absolutely stunning

Dinner in Sa Pa Town × Evening Stroll Around 7 PM, we finished our trip to Kaka Village and asked the driver to take us back to the center of Sa Pa Town for dinner. Unfortunately, the restaurant was too busy and was short on several dishes, so after dinner we headed to the roadside food stalls to experience the local flavors instead. This unexpected change turned out to be a delightful surprise—Vietnamese pho and bánh cuốn (steamed rice rolls) were both wonderfully authentic! After dinner, we took a stroll along the streets and discovered that Sa Pa is now much more lively than it was years ago, with more shops and more colorful lights, and the entire small town is full of energy and life.

Tomorrow will be the long-awaited highlight of our trip: we'll take the cable car up to "Fansipan Peak" and visit Sapa's new attraction, the Rong May Glass Bridge, officially kicking off our mountain-town adventure! Itinerary summary and tips 🚐 Hanoi → Sapa: About a 6-hour drive; you can ask the hotel to prepare a breakfast box 🏨 Accommodation: Cat Cat Hills Resort & Spa (great views, but a bit far from the city center) 👣 Afternoon itinerary: Cat Cat Village walk + Hmong traditional costume experience + performance show 🍜 Dinner suggestion: Try Sapa night market or street food stalls for authentic local flavors 📸 Photo spots: Cat Cat Village terraced fields, traditional Hmong houses, waterwheel and suspension bridge area Arriving in Sapa on day one, I already deeply felt the charm of this mountain town. From the beautiful terraced rice fields to Hmong culture, every corner is worth savoring slowly. Tomorrow, we'll climb Fansipan, the highest peak in Southeast Asia, and take on the heart-pounding challenge of the Rong May Glass Bridge. Previous Post ← Northern Vietnam Solo Travel Day 1 | Hoan Kiem Lake × Jade Mountain Temple × Saint Joseph Cathedral × My First Water Puppet Show Experience Next Post → Northern Vietnam Solo Travel Day 3 | Climbing Vietnam's Rooftop Fansipan × Challenging the Glass Bridge Above Clouds and Mist at Rong May 🔗 Further Reading | Northern Vietnam Solo Travel Series 【Travel Diary】 Northern Vietnam Solo Travel Day 1 | Hoan Kiem Lake × Jade Mountain Temple × Saint Joseph Cathedral × My First Water Puppet Show Experience North Vietnam Free Trip Day 2｜Departing from Hanoi to Sapa × Visiting Cat Cat Village × Overlooking Stunning Terraced Fields North Vietnam Free Trip Day 3｜Climbing Fansipan, the Roof of Vietnam × Challenging the Rong May Glass Bridge Above the Clouds North Vietnam Free Trip Day 4｜Sapa Trekking × Mountain Forests and Terraced Fields × Visiting Ethnic Minority Villages North Vietnam Free Trip Day 5｜Passing Through Red Dao Villages × Bamboo Forest Trails × A Hidden Waterfall Sanctuary North Vietnam Self-Guided Trip Day 6｜Crossing the Yao and Miao Ethnic Protected Area, A Farewell in the Mist North Vietnam Self-Guided Trip Day 7｜Ninh Binh One-Day Tour: Trang An Boat Ride × Mua Cave Hike × Thung Nham Bird Sanctuary 【Complete Guide to North Vietnam Travel】 Hanoi Travel Guide｜Must-See Attractions × Itinerary Planning × Extended Trips Around North Vietnam (2025 Update) Vietnam Sapa Travel Guide｜North Vietnam's Rice Terraces and the Hidden Culture of Ethnic Minorities Ha Long Bay Travel Guide: One-Day Itinerary, Best Season, and Classic Attractions