1. Overview about Sapa train
Beside bus, train is an ideal way to travel to Sapa from Hanoi. Although Sapa has no railway station, you can take a train from Hanoi to Lao Cai, and then catching a bus or a taxi to get to Sapa which is around 38km from Lao Cai.
In the path train to Sapa, there are more than ten railway companies which can be divided into two types: Vietnamese national train company (ran by the government called Vietnam Railway) and private railway companies. Vietnamese national train company often has low price, however, almost travelers prefer trains that ran by private railway companies because they are more convenient, popular, and comfortable. Each train offer both daytime and night trains. On trains that ran by private railway companies, there are two popular train classes which are superior cabins and deluxe cabins.

• Deluxe cabin: This cabin is very ideal for families and large group of travelers. Each cabin is decorated with wooden interior, includes 4 soft berths air conditioning and luggage space. Each bed has separate clean pillows, fresh blanket, and curtain.
• Luxury 2-berth cabin: It offers privacy and intimacy for couples because there are only two berths in each cabin. Generally, the equipment is luxury, modern and convenient. Even in the most luxury trains, tourists will have a chance to experience 5-star amenities. Deluxe cabin is air-conditioned, and wood paneled with individual reading lights, baggage storage, LCD TV, over-sized windows and toilets.
2. Sapa Train companies
• Victoria Express Train is the most luxurious train from Hanoi to Sapa. All carriages are equipped with modern and convenient facilities. Currently Victoria Express is reserved for only tourists who stay at Victoria resort in Sapa. It costs from $110/person/one way.
• Sapaly Express Train is an excellent train service operated by Sapaly Hotel. All carriages are decorated with luxurious interior following the European standards. Instead of 7 cabins like other trains, it has 6 cabins in one carriage. As the result, each cabin has more space. The price of a train ticket is from $45/person/one way.
• Chapa Express Train is one of newest trains from Hanoi to Lao Cai (Sapa). It is operated by a reputable company – Sapa Petro Tourism Joint Stock Company. All cabins are equipped with comfortable beds and luxury furniture. If travelers book a round trip ticket, Chapa Express will offer you a shuttle bus without service fee from Lao Cai station to Sa Pa Town and vice versa. The cost is from $40/person/one way
• Orient Express Train is a popular choice for tourists with stunning decoration, good quality and reasonable price. It offers with 2-berths, 4-berths, and 6-berths cabins. The cost is from $35/person for a single ticket.
• King Express Train is one of the most popular trains from Hanoi to Lao Cai. There are 25 cabins include 2 berths and 4 berths in each cabin. Professional services and well-trained staffs are the strength of this train. It takes from $33/person for a single ticket.
• Fanxipan Express Train is also popular choice for passengers to move from Hanoi to Lao Cai because of its good reputation. It has 4 carriages with 14 cabins (include 4-berths cabins and VIP 2-berths cabins) and each cabin is fully-equipped with essential facilities. The cost is from $42/person for a single ticket.
• Livitrans Train has the highest number of carriages with 90 cabins. All cabins are equipped with deluxe facilities. The restaurant onboard can provides hot meals to tourists with reasonable price. The price is from $38/person/one way.
• Violette Express Train is the newest train opened in 2016 with the number of 14 cabins. Each cabin is well equipped with modern facilities like wooden floor, air-conditioned and baggage storage. The price is from $31/person/one way.

3. How to book a train
You can buy a train ticket directly at the train station; however, the train station staff might not speak English, so it is difficult for you to communicate with them. Moreover, you only can buy tickets of trains that ran by Vietnamese reunification train (Vietnam Railways) in the booking office. Therefore, if you would like to use high quality and modern trains, it is the best way to let your travel company to book the train ticket for you.
You can get more information of trains in Vietnam though the website: http://vietnam-transports.com/train-ticket
To book a train ticket, you can contact us via:
Email: booking@vietnam-transports.com  website: www.vietnam-transports.com
Or Ask an expert via hotline: +84 969623100

Tips for traveling to Sapa by train
+ Book the tickets in advance so you can follow the seat number to find easier
+ Bring neck pillow if you have an overnight trip in hard or soft seat
+ Bring along some food if you afraid of food quality on train.
+ Take great care of your luggage on your own because there might be some robbers on the train.

4. Weather and best time to travel Sapa

– Weather by season: In Sapa town, it experiences four seasons in one day: spring weather in the morning, summer weather at noon with mild sunny, cool feeling like autumn in the afternoon, and cold weather like winter at night. This unique advantage makes Sapa different from anywhere else in Vietnam. In summer, the temperature is between 20 °C – 25 °C during the day and ranges 13 °C – 15 °C at night. The winter is often from December to February with cold weather and cloudy. The temperature maybe below zero and snow falls in some years on the highest peaks. The rainfall concentrates mostly from May to August while July and August are wettest months. Therefore, it is not a good time to visit Sapa in these months.
– Best time to visit: If you concern about weather, you should visit Sapa in periods from September to November and from March to May because at these time, Sapa weather is portrayed by warm sun during the day, cold at night and less rainy. However, in the winter from November to January, the temperature is lowest in a year and if you are lucky, you may watch snowfall which might not happen in a tropical-climate country like Vietnam. Although in wet season, rains might give you some difficities to visit Sapa, a rainbow after that creating a beautiful view and turning Sapa into a magic land. In two months May and October, it is the harvest season. If you come to Sapa in these seasons, you will admire golden terraced fields stretching across hillsides, creating a wonderful landscape in Sapa. Therefore, tt could be said that every moment in a year is the best time to visit Sapa.