Northern Vietnam Self-Guided Tour Day 6 | Crossing the Yao-Miao Ethnic Minority Protected Area, Farewell in the Mist

Foreword Early morning, awakened by sunlight as always. At last night's homestay, a foreign yoga instructor and group members had arranged to wake up early and practice yoga together, but I, someone with rather stiff and rigid muscles and bones, naturally skipped it. Breakfast remained simple yet familiar——pancakes, bananas, honey, plus hot water and three-in-one coffee. Such is the daily combination.

Today's Itinerary At 8:30, Xiaoyang appeared right on time at the door, ready to take us off. After packing our luggage and waving goodbye to the Homestay, at that moment, I unexpectedly felt a bit reluctant to leave.

Yesterday Xiao Yang mentioned that the Bản Dền village we had originally planned to visit has recently undergone a lot of development, and the pastoral scenery that used to be there no longer exists — so at the last minute, they changed our route for us to the Topas Ecolodge Red Dao/Hmong ethnic reserve route instead. This decision later turned out to be the right one Mountain roads in the clouds and mist On the way to Topas Ecolodge, the entire valley was blanketed in a thin mist. I thought to myself that we probably wouldn't see any spectacular scenery today, but then I thought again — we'd already gained so much over the past two days, so today I'd just go with the flow and take whatever came.

The car had just stopped when a group of Yao women came running up to greet us with great enthusiasm. Xiao Yang immediately explained for us: "Over these past few days we've already bought souvenirs, we won't buy anymore." But they still insisted on walking along with us, saying "The path is slippery today, we can help." That kind of persistence and passion had already become a familiar part of our Sa Pa journey. Crossing the terraces: The challenge of mud, beautiful scenes in the mist Today's route required us to actually traverse the terraces—that kind of path walking on the edges of rice fields with wet mud beneath our feet. If it were a sunny day, this would be a dreamlike experience; but after the rain, it became a test of balance.

The shoes were already covered in mud, even soaked through with water, but walking amid the clouds, mist, valleys, and rice ears, it still felt like it was all worth it. Finally we crossed the terraced fields all the way to the little river at the bottom, then made our way back up, taking every chance to admire the scenery.

Some of the terraced fields still have short rice ears growing on them—Little Sheep said those are "the ones that grew back on their own after the harvest"—but these will not be harvested again. Their vitality is still strong, yet they can only stay where they are.

The lookout tower on the hill, looking back on three days' journey Today's hike isn't long, about 4 kilometers.

On the way back, we passed by a small café, and Xiaoyang smiled and said, "From here you can see your homestay, and the paths you've walked these past few days." That scene was so touching — it turned out our journey had already traced a line of memories through the valley.

Lunch and Journey Home: Ending in a Table Full of Laughter At noon, we returned to the restaurant where we had arrived on the first day in Sa Pa. This time, the travel agency specially prepared more vegetarian dishes. Whether meat or vegetarian, everyone ate with satisfaction and contentment. At 3 PM in the afternoon, the family members finally boarded the 'luxury sleeper bus' as desired and prepared to return to Hanoi. Although the driving time was a bit slower compared to a chartered car, those comfortable seats allowed everyone to make up for the sleep they had missed over the past few days.

An Amusing Mishap in Hanoi's Rainy Night We arrived in Hanoi around ten o'clock at night, and it was pouring rain outside. We dragged our luggage to the hotel, only to discover—we had booked the wrong branch! This hotel has three branches in Hanoi, and I had mistakenly booked the one near Train Street, instead of the one beside Hoan Kiem Lake. With no other choice, we had to call another Grab and brave the rain to move to the right place. Fortunately, we finally checked in successfully, bringing this little mishap to an end. Trip Summary and Suggestions Though this day's itinerary was short, it felt like the closing chapter of the entire Sapa trekking trip. Without a long trek and without a lively night, our Sapa trekking came to a quiet, understated end — much like the feeling Sapa gave us: light and mild, yet unforgettable. After walking through terraced fields, bamboo forests, and villages, what we learned was perhaps not just how to admire the scenery, but how to slow down and feel the present moment. Tomorrow, we will begin the final leg of our journey — Ninh Binh's Tam Coc (Halong Bay on Land). 📌 Travel Tips On rainy days the terraced field paths get extremely slippery, so we recommend wearing waterproof hiking shoes. From Sapa back to Hanoi, you can choose a luxury sleeper bus, which is comfortable but takes a longer ride (about 6~7 hours). Previous ← North Vietnam Free Travel Day 5｜Through Yao Village × Bamboo Forest Trail × Hidden Waterfall Secret Realm Next → North Vietnam Free Travel Day 7｜Ninh Binh One-Day Tour: Trang An Boat Ride × Mua Cave Hiking × Thung Nham Bird Sanctuary 🔗 Further Reading｜North Vietnam Free Travel Series 【Travel Journal】 North Vietnam Free Travel Day 1｜Hanoi Hoan Kiem Lake × Ngoc Son Temple × St. Joseph's Cathedral × First Experience of Water Puppet Show North Vietnam Free Travel Day 2｜From Hanoi to Sapa × Visiting Cat Cat Village × Overlooking the Beautiful Terraced Fields North Vietnam Free Travel Day 3｜Climbing Fansipan, the Roof of Vietnam × Challenging the Rong May Glass Bridge Above the Clouds North Vietnam Self-Guided Tour Day 4｜Sapa Trekking × Mountain Terraced Fields × Exploring Ethnic Minority Villages North Vietnam Self-Guided Tour Day 5｜Through Yao Villages × Bamboo Forest Paths × Hidden Waterfall Sanctuary North Vietnam Self-Guided Tour Day 6｜Through the Yao and Hmong Reserve, a Farewell in the Mist North Vietnam Self-Guided Tour Day 7｜Ninh Binh One-Day Tour: Trang An Boat Ride × Mua Cave Hiking × Thung Nham Bird Reserve 【Complete North Vietnam Travel Guide】 Hanoi Travel Complete Guide | Must-Visit Attractions × Itinerary Planning × Northern Vietnam Extended Trip Ideas (2025 Update) Sapa, Vietnam Travel Guide | The Hidden Gem of Northern Vietnam's Terraced Fields and Ethnic Minority Culture Tam Coc Travel Guide: One-Day Itinerary, Best Season, and Classic Attractions Ha Long Bay World Cultural Heritage, Vietnam: Best Travel Season and Recommended Three-Day Itinerary