Off-road Sapa Motorbike Tour via Bac Ha and Can Cau Markets – 2 days

After having a full breakfast in Sapa with the highest calories, we kick off our tour to Lao Cai. To catch up on the peak conditions of the tour, Honda Motorbikes ranging from 125cc – 150cc engines are preferential and ensure your bike is properly serviced for a long journey. From Lao Cai, passing Highway 4D, visitors will reach Phong Nien commune, Bao Thang District. Along the provincial road 153, through Bac Ha Town, is our first destination – Can Cau Market, located in Can Cau commune, nearly 100km from the northeast of Lao Cai. 

Set in the mountains, 9km south of the Chinese border, Can Cau market is renowned as one of the fascinating open-air markets in Sapa, specializing in livestock and local cuisine. From a far distance, you will feast on the breathtaking view of Can Cau Market, surrounded by terraced fields successively clinging to the mountainside. And there are outlines of majestic mountains over the horizon that paints a picturesque. 

Entering the market, visitors will be overwhelmed by the variegated costumes of the local Hmong and the diversity of goods from the indigenous and Chinese traders.

The market is divided into separate zones for items such as veggies, utensils, brocade products, cattle, and poultry. Furthermore, you find a sense of coziness when gathering in tents with smoke rising, noisy sounds of chopsticks hitting, and the great smell of food. Your mouth will be watering with the sample local dishes and beverages. Thang Co is the most popular dish you absolutely have to try here. It encompasses various organs of some species (pig, cow, buffalo) and herbs (lemongrass, ginger, bouquet garni). After visiting the Can Cau market, we will return to Bac Ha to check in at the hotel and enjoy supper.

Summary:

Distance: 135 km

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Hotel

We start the 2nd day of the Sapa motorbike tour by visiting Bac Ha market early in the morning. Bac Ha is a northeastern district of Lao Cai province, home to ethnic groups such as H’Mong, Kinh, Dao, Tay, Nung, Phu La, Hoa, etc., with unique cultural diversity. The weather here is sprinkling and a bit cold which is great for a barbecue. Before arriving at the market, let’s stop by a small cozy restaurant to try some. 

In the past, the Bac Ha market was on the ground near the foothill, but nowadays, it has been upgraded. The internal market is divided into separate stalls for specific products. You can buy anything from household supplies like pots and shovels to clothes, herbs, precious medicines, cows and buffaloes, etc. The most interesting area is probably the one where hand-embroidered brocade stalls are. The handiness and crafting skills of ethnic females are fully displayed on brocade products which are carefully worked on and take months to complete meticulously by their hands. 

After exploring the marketing and enjoying local foods and drinks, we will head to the next place – Bac Ha Temple. The temple is located in the district center with a magnificent, sacred, and ancient appearance blended with charming mountain sceneries. On October 29, 2003, the State ranked Bac Ha Temple as a National Cultural and Historical Relic. The annual festival of Bac Ha Temple is on July 7 (lunar month) to commemorate the death of the hero Gia Quoc Cong Van Mat Vu. During the festival, there are many interesting activities such as arts, tug, Chinese chess, folk games, cockfighting, dancing, and so on.

We are leaving Bac Ha, where the traditional culture and values ​​of the Northwest highland ethnic groups stay. We head to Lao Cai station to return to Hanoi at a time to wrap up our Sapa motorbike tours. 

Summary:

Distance: 100 km

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

END OF TOUR