Tinh Lao Cai Holiday Weather today
Date/time of update: December 22, 2024, 12:49 am, Timezone: GMT+7
Overcast Clouds
Temperature: 7.48°C
Temperature feels like: 7.48°C
Minimum Temperature: 7.48°C
Maximum Temperature: 7.48°C
Atmospheric pressure: 1021hPa
Humidity:86%
Visibility: 10000m
Wind speed: 0.67m/sec
Wind Direction: 77 degrees
Cloudiness: 94%
Sunrise: 2024-12-21 11:39:38
Sunset: 2024-12-22 10:25:30
Lao Cai is a mountainous province in the North-West of Vietnam sharing border with China, Yen Bai, Son La and Lai Chau Provinces. Lao Cai is home to a number of tourist attractions such as Sapa, Y Ty, Muong Khuong, Muong Hum, Bac Ha...which offer great opportunities for adventure travel such as mountain biking tours, trekking tours, motorbike tours, homestay tours…
Lao Cai Travel Guide, What to see, Tourist Attractions in in Lao Cai Vietnam
1/Sapa
The little township perched on the elevation of 1,500m above sea level at the base of Fansipan – the summit of Vietnam is among the most known tourist attraction in Vietnam.
Sapa offers the visitors a lot of experiences: trekking and staying with local ethnic families, trekking and climbing Mount Fansipan – the summit of Vietnam, mountain biking on scenic mountain paths, taking photographs of the sublime nature as well as amazing ethnic people...
Please visit our travel guide to Sapa in the related articles below.
The foot of the Hoang Lien Mountain
2/Bac Ha
The plateau with averaged altitude of 1,000m above sea level is not as popular as Sapa but has always been attractive a destination for the adventurers who love straying from the well-beaten path. Bac Ha is known for an ethnic market on Sunday morning where you can learn lots about the ethnic groups as well as obtain great photographs of ethnic ladies. Bac Ha is 100km from Sapa.
There are very scenic trekking paths in Bac Ha that bring you from one surprise to another. Be informed that you’ll be far from the crowds trekking in Bac Ha.
Please visit our travel guide to Bac Ha in the related articles below.
Bac Ha Ethnic Market on Sunday
3/Can Cau Market
The Can Cau Market is no doubt among the most beautiful ethnic markets in Vietnam. The market’s gathering is on Saturday morning only. At Can Cau, you’ll adore gorgeous colorful ethnic costumes by different local tribes. The natural landscape at Can Cau is wild and no short of wonder. Can Cau Market is 30km north of Bac Ha.
A Nung lady at Can Cau Market
4/Coc Ly Market
Coc Ly Market is in session once per week, only on Tuesday morning. Coc Ly Market is not as well-known as the market in Bac Ha and Can Cau but it certainly has its own charm. The market is by the riverside of the Chay River where you can have a boat trip to the Tay communities living by the river. Coc Ly is 20km southwest of Bac Ha.
5/Bat Xat
Bat Xat is located right on the border between Lao Cai (Vietnam) and China. Bat Xat offers to the visitors: those among highest mountain peaks in Vietnam, ethnic village perched on high mountain slopes, untouched forests, stunning rice terraces,… At Bat Xat, you can take inspirational trekking tours, off-the-beaten track photo tours of rice terraces…
Rice terraces at Bat Xat
5.1 Muong Hum Sunday Market
Muong Hum has a quiet beauty with amazing ethnic people. Muong Hum is not as beautiful and unique at those in Bac Ha or Can Cau though.
5.2 Y Ty Hill Station
Y Ty is something like Sapa but on higher elevations (2,000m), right on the border with China. Y Ty offers lovely rice terraces and spectacular high mountain treks. Y Ty is not visited much by foreign visitors yet. Bat Xat offers to the travelers challenging mountain treks to conquer those among the highest in Vietnam: Lao Than, Ky Quan San (Bach Moc Luong Tu), Nhiu Co San… AdventureGreen operate all these adventure tours.
Y Ty, Lao Cai
5.3 Ky Quan San Mountain (Mount Bach Moc Luong Tu, 3046m)
The stunning untouched mountain is at Sang Ma Sao Commune. The trekking tour from the mountain base takes 3 days and 2 nights.
5.4 Nhiu Co San Mountain (2,965m)
The sublime mountain is also in Sang Ma Sao Commune of Bat Xat District. The trekking tour from the mountain base takes 2 days and 1 night.
5.5 Lao Than Mountain (2,860m)
The mountain is on the border between Trinh Tuong and Y Ty Communes of Bat Xat District. The mountain offers magnificent views of mountains and valleys in the region.
6/Muong Khuong
Muong Khuong is also on the Chinese border with amazing rice terraces. Muong Khuong are rarely visited by foreign travelers.
Things to do, Adventure Travel and Trekking Tours in Lao Cai
AdventureGreen operates several challenging adventures in Lao Cai such as trekking holidays in Sapa, Bac Ha, Bat Xat; mountain trekking to the summits of Mount Fansipan, Lao Than and Ky Quan San (Bach Moc Luong Tu); mountain-bike tours in Lao Cai and Sapa; motorcycle tours through the North-West of Vietnam including Sapa, Bac Ha and Si Ma Cai.
1/ Adventure Tours
Our adventure tours to Lao Cai from Hanoi can range from 4 days or more. The means of transport can be either private car or overnight train. The road trip from Hanoi to Lao Cai is 5 hours via the expressway and from there we may travel to Sapa, Bac Ha, Si Ma Cai, Muong Khuong or Bat Xat where more tourist attractions are found.
Alternatively we can travel by overnight train between Hanoi and Lao Cai which takes 8-9 hours. There are soft-sleeper air-con carriages on board.
On our adventure tours we stay overnight with local families unless you request budget hotels or fancy hotels. The pace of our adventure tours ranges from easy to moderate. Our adventure trips get you to adore the breathtaking natural beauty of Lao Cai as well as get more understanding of the daily life of local ethnic communities.
2/ Hiking Holidays
Lao Cai is home to several sites with trekking opportunities. But our trekking holidays are mostly around Sapa and Bac Ha. At Sapa you get breath-taking nature and amazing ethnic culture. Apart from the Muong Hoa Valley, we trek further into far-flung villages where few tourists venture to. Our trekking tours in Sapa may have the level of difficulty from moderate to extremely hard. The trekking tours at Sapa range from 3 days, 2 nights or longer.
At Bac Ha, you will get pristine nature and untouched ethnic culture. Bac Ha is less visited by most travelers to Vietnam and some visit Bac Ha will only go to the Sunday Market and leave the township. The length of a trekking tour at Bac Ha can be customized from 3 days or more. The level of difficulty for the trekking tours at Bac Ha range from moderate to hard. Sapa would offer more challenging trekking routes than Bac Ha.
3/ Mountain Trekking Tours
The most inspirational of our adventure tours in Lao Cai are for climbing Mount Bach Moc Luong Tu, Climbing Mount Lao Than and Climbing Mount Nhiu Co San… All these mountain peaks are more or less than 3,000m above sea level and they are among the highest peaks in Vietnam. The landscape is simply stunning and AdventureGreen focus on the less-traveled destinations.
You may have known that Fansipan in Sapa is the highest mountain peak in Vietnam. AdventureGreen arranges mountain-climbing tours to Fansipan, too. But it is getting more and more touristy and it is bureaucratic administration system that makes it less fun an experience that it once was. Besides, there is a cable car up there which somehow ruins part of our experience. If you look for untouched nature, beautiful landscape and genuine people then come and join our team to explore Bat Xat with cloud-dusted mountains. Let's make your adventure to Lao Cai an authentic one!
Awe-inspiring mountains on the trek to Mount Lao Than
Mist on the trek to Bach Moc Luong Tu
4/ Cycling Vacations, Bike Tours
AdventureGreen operates mountain bike tours to the Northwest of Vietnam which includes Sapa and Lao Cai. We do not have a separate bike tour in Lao Cai as the distances are short and the operation costs are high given the short duration of a trip.
5/ Motorcycle Tours
Lao Cai is great for motorbike adventures which can be done separately or included into a grand adventure motorbike tour to the Northwest of Vietnam. It is fun as we are surrounded by captivating nature most of the time and at night we will also have great time by the fire of an ethnic family who hosts us for a couple of night on our adventure. Traveling by motorbike allows us to get the every corner of a destination many of which are not accessible at all by car.
6/ Ecotourism, Nature Tours, Biology Tours
Lao Cai is home to several mountain ranges and mountain peaks. Many of these mountains still have untouched natural environment. Many floral species in these mountains are yet to be completely researched. AdventureGreen could assist you in having your knowledge of these flora fulfilled on our biology tours to these mountains in Lao Cai Province. Please contact our travel expert for further information.
Muong Hum, Lao Cai
7/ Adventure Photo Tours
Lao Cai is home to several areas with stunning rice terraces such as those in Sapa and Bat Xat District which are great destinations for our photo adventure tours. The ethnic people in Lao Cai and their daily life are also interesting topics for great photography. AdventureGreen operates a number of photo adventure tours to Sapa, Bac Ha Market, Can Cau Market, Bat Xat. Our tours can range from 4 days to 9 days.
8/ Family Tours
Lao Cai is a mountainous province and if your family have kids younger than 9 years old, then we would suggest you take an easy vacation mostly in Sapa or Bac Ha Town. If you have older kids and love more adventure activities, then AdventureGreen can customize one for your family either in Sapa, Bac Ha or Bat Xat. It is all about adoring sublime nature as well as getting educated of the local way of life and local traditional culture.
How to get to Lao Cai and how to travel around Lao Cai’s tourist attractions
1/From Hanoi to Lao Cai
Lao Cai City is the capital of the province located right on the Chinese border, 320km from Hanoi. A journey to Lao Cai from Hanoi can be done by car/jeep for 5 hours via the expressway. There are also overnight trains which travel back and forth between Hanoi and Lao Cai City, the train trip takes 9 hours.
Lao Cai Train Station where there are daily and nightly trains to and from Hanoi
2/From Yen Bai to Lao Cai
There are 2 roads running in parallel from Yen Bai City to Lao Cai City: Route 70 and the expressway. Route 70 is really bad and dangerous in Yen Bai, the part of the road in Lao Cai is in much better conditions.
From Mu Cang Chai (Yen Bai) to Lao Cai can be done either via Route 279 to Pho Rang, then Route 70 to Lao Cai; alternatively you can take Route 32 to Tam Duong (Lai Chau) and Route 4D, O Quy Ho Pass, Sapa and Lao Cai. The latter route offers stunning scenery.
3/From Lai Chau to Lao Cai
Route 4D is in great conditions and the scenery along the road is beautiful. The most sublime landscape is found at O Quy Ho Pass between Lai Chau Province and Lao Cai Province.
O Quy Ho Pass between Lai Chau and Lao Cai
4/From Ha Giang to Lao Cai
There are 2 routes from Ha Giang to Lao Cai: from Ha Giang to Bac Quang via Route 2, then Route 279 to Pho Rang where you take Route 70 to Lao Cai City. Route 279 is in horrible conditions, especially the part in Ha Giang. The scenery is quite nice though.
Rice fields near Pho Rang on Road 779 between Ha Giang and Lao Cai
Alternatively you can travel to Tan Quang Town (Ha Giang), then turn into Route 177 traveling through Hoang Su Phi, Xin Man (Ha Giang), Si Ma Cai (Lao Cai), Bac Ha (Lao Cai), then turn into Route 70 to Lao Cai. This route offers fantastic natural landscape: stunning rice terraces at Hoang Su Phi, unbelievably beautiful mountainscape from Xin Man to Bac Ha, weekend markets at Hoang Su Phi, Bac Ha and Can Cau. The route is among the best in Vietnam for motorcycle adventures and mountain bike tours.
5/From Sapa to Lao Cai City
The road is scenic yet crowded nowadays as Sapa is overly developed now. The road descends steeply from Sapa to Lao Cai City with high mountains and deep ravines along the way.
Bac Ha, Lao Cai, Vietnam
Scenic road between Sapa and Lao Cai
6/From Lao Cai to Bat Xat (Muong Hum, Y Ty)
This is the most beautiful route in Lao Cai except for that around Sapa and Si Ma Cai. During the rice season, you’ll travel your way amid breathtaking rice terraces in Vietnam. AdventureGreen arranges quite a number of adventure tours and photography tours in Bat Xat. This area is extremely beautiful with natural landscape (sublime and highest moutains in Vietnam, rice terraces, hill stations) and with a number of ethnic minorities. And this region is not visited much by most foreign travelers to Vietnam.
Den Sang - Bat Xat - Lao Cai - Vietnam
Bat Xat - Lao Cai
7/From Lao Cai to Muong Khuong
This route is among the best in Lao Cai for the sublime mountains on the journey. There are several ethnic minorities whose villages can be visited just by the roadside.
Impressive mountains on a road at Bat Xat, Lao Cai
Lao Cai Average Monthly Rainfalls and Temperatures
