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Cover Story — Northern Vietnam

25 Best Things to Do in Sapa, Vietnam (2026): Top Treks, Sights & Tips

Discover the best things to do in Sapa, from trekking terraced rice fields to exploring hill tribe villages, markets, and Fansipan's stunning mountain views.

Jack Lee Jack Lee · Northern Vietnam · 5 min read
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In this issue — where to go first
01 Sapa 02 Ha Giang 03 Ha Long Bay 04 Hanoi 05 Da Nang
Asia Trip Blog — Field GuideVietnam, in priority order
Vietnam · five places to start

Where to go first

01

Sapa

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Terraced valleys and Hmong trekking villages threaded through the northern highlands.

02

Ha Giang

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Vietnam's most dramatic road trip, one hairpin at a time.

03

Ha Long Bay

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Thousands of limestone karsts rising straight out of jade-green water.

04

Hanoi

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Old Quarter alleys, egg coffee, and a thousand years of history.

05

Da Nang

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Long beaches and the gateway to Hoi An and the Marble Mountains.

Asia Trip Blog — Farther AfieldLaos, Cambodia, Thailand, China
Farther afield

More of the trail, roughly in the order we’re covering it

06 · Laos

Laos

Slow river towns and the Banana Pancake Trail's quiet heart.

07 · Cambodia

Cambodia

Angkor's temples and the Mekong's floating villages.

08 · Thailand

Thailand

Bangkok's chaos, southern islands, and northern hill country.

09 · China

China

Ancient capitals and landscapes that inspired a thousand scrolls.

Asia Trip Blog — DispatchesFresh off the trail
Latest field notes

Fresh off the trail

Northern Vietnam

Sapa Vietnam Travel Guide: Everything You Need to Know (2026)

This Sapa Vietnam travel guide covers everything you need for an unforgettable mountain adventure. Sapa is Vietnam's great mountain escape. A former French hill station perched at 1,500m in the far north, it's where emerald rice terraces pour down valleys, Hmong and Red Dao villages cling to hillsides, and Fansipan — the highest peak in Indochina…

Jack Lee·7 min read

In brief

Asia Trip Blog — ContributorsThree storytellers, one trail
Who’s writing

Contributors

Northern Vietnam & rail

Jack Lee

Jack launched AsiaTripBlog after spending years backpacking through Southeast Asia on a shoestring, then returning in style. He specialises in Vietnam — from the northern highlands to the Mekong Delta — and believes the best meal you'll ever eat costs about $2 and involves a plastic stool.

2 stories Read Jack Lee →