Climbing Lao Than mountain, going to Choan Then village to visit the tree of happiness, watching the brilliant red sunset in a corner of the sky… are the experiences many tourists choose.
If you are too familiar with check-in places like Fansipan peak, Sa Pa love market, and love market, the following tourist attractions can be an ideal suggestion for a three-day trip to Lao Cai, with a cost of only about 4 million VND. person.
Conquering Lao Than mountain, watching the sunset under the tree of Happiness
Tourists depart from Hanoi the previous evening, stay overnight at a hotel in Lao Cai city, and get strength for the climbing trip. Room rates range from 300,000 to 600,000 VND per night.
At 5am the next morning, you arrive at the foot of Lao Than mountain in Y Ty. Travel time from Lao Cai city is about three hours. Visitors can ride a motorbike, rent a car or take a self-drive car. There is a spacious parking space at the foot of Lao Than mountain.
You should hire a local porter to guide you, priced from 250,000 VND a day. The porters are all very friendly and enthusiastic to help guests, including taking pictures of “virtual living”. One of the famous porters of this route is A Ho, 35 years old. A Ho also has a homestay to serve overnight guests, eat and drink.
Lao Than Mountain is also known as the place where “the sun rises first, sleeps late in Y Ty”. Therefore, if you want to hunt clouds, watch sunrise and sunset, you can spend two days here and sleep camping on the top of the mountain. You can also climb up and down during the day.
Travel to the mountain should be as compact as possible. Heavy items should be sent to the porter, or stored in the car. Lunch items can be sticky rice, rice balls, or ordered dishes. At the foot of the mountain, there are small shops selling snacks. Visitors can eat lunch and rest at this place after descending the mountain.
After completing the climb, move to Choan Then , one of the most famous and tourist attractions in Y Ty. This place has an altitude of over 2,000 m, like the Nhiu Co San mountain range and has typical houses of the Ha Nhi people. In the early morning, visitors can watch both Y Ty in the sea of clouds. If you come before sunset, you can watch the beautiful sunset from the mountain at “Y Ty Park”. This is the preferred name of the locals and tourists when they come to the open space at the end of the road through Choan Then village. This area has a beautiful “check-in” point, a Happiness tree, and a small shack built by the people. A park is also a place for children to play in the village, so visitors can talk and take pictures with the children.
In the evening, guests stay overnight at the homestay of local people. One of them is Y Ty Cloud. Dinner is served here, with the main course being sturgeon or salmon hotpot. Room rates from about 50,000 VND per person.
Ta Phin Ancient Monastery – Bathing in medicinal leaves – 30 dishes that combine medicinal herbs of the Red Dao people
The next day, you can spend half a day wandering around Choan Then village, having breakfast with sturgeon porridge and having lunch before leaving for the ancient monastery of Ta Phin village.
Located about 12 km east of Sapa town is Ta Phin tourist village. Here, you should contact in advance to have a free local tour guide to accompany you. One of the famous photo spots in the ancient monastery.
According to Ly May Hanh, a local guide, before the anti-French resistance war, the monastery was home to 12 nuns. After the nuns returned to Hanoi, the monastery was abandoned. There are many spooky rumors surrounding this famous tourist destination, but it still attracts many visitors to admire and explore.
Bathing in the medicinal leaves of the Red Dao is one of the experiences that should not be missed when coming to Lao Cai. The price for each bath is 100,000 VND per person. In the evening, visitors enjoy dishes made from tobacco leaves, and chat with local people by the outdoor fire. After dinner, guests stay overnight at the hotel.
Visit Sapa town – Infinity Garden
In the morning, you can walk around Sa Pa, visit churches, and town markets and buy local specialties as gifts such as buffalo meat, kitchen hog, peaches… Prices of meats range from 350,000 to 600,000 VND per day. weight, depending on the type. Chestnut cake costs 50,000-80,000 VND a box of 10 pieces. One of the famous cake brands, loved by many tourists is Ha Nam. At noon, you can visit restaurants such as Cau May, and Lan Rung… to have a meal before checking out.
A new location here is the Infinity Garden, which opened on April 6. The entrance fee is 200,000 VND per person, free for children under 1.1m. With an area of more than 4.5 hectares. This place is divided into many different areas such as a Japanese garden, ancient area, infinity pool, ethnic cultural village… visit. According to the manager, it can take you up to two days to capture every corner of the garden.
Trip cost
| Service | Expense | Note |
| Gasoline, porter rental, entrance tickets | 1,500,000 VND | If traveling by motorbike and traveling in groups, it will be cheaper |
| Hotel | 1,000,000 VND | For three nights stay at budget hotels, homestay |
| Eating | 1,500,000 VND | All restaurants have car parking for guests |