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Sin Ho is a mountainous district about 60 km west of Lai Chau City. Geographically, Sin Ho borders Van Nam (China) in the north, Tua Chua (Dien Bien) in the south, Phong Tho in the east, and Muong Te in the west. With an area of over 1,700 square kilometers, Sin Ho Lai Chau is home to many ethnic minorities in Vietnam, such as Dzao, Mong, Tay, etc.
“Sin Ho” means “a place with many streams” in the local language. At a height of 1,500 meters above sea level, Sin Ho Plateau is considered the roof of Lai Chau province. Like Sapa town, the climate here is cool all year round, offering perfect conditions for many types of flowers and tropical fruits to grow.
Sapa Motorbike Tours - Useful Tips For First-time Travelers
Once you come to Sin Ho Lai Chau, you will be overwhelmed by majestic natural sceneries, and sunny valleys spotted with terraced fields in the harvest season. Especially if you visit Sin Ho on the weekend, you will have the opportunity to enjoy the vibrant and bustling atmosphere of the fair. The colorful traditional dresses, the friendly faces, and the charming scent of local food - all create a vivid picture full of life’s colors.
With these highlights, Sin Ho promises to bring you many exciting experiences. So, if you intend to visit this beautiful district next, here are some useful tips that you should not ignore.
As mentioned above, Sin Ho has cool weather all year round, with an average temperature of about 18०C, so that you can visit this district any time of the year. However, June to September is the rainy season when Sin Ho often has heavy rain and foggy weather. This makes it quite challenging to travel and admire the scenery; therefore, if you want to hunt for clouds, late September to October and March to May will be ideal.
Another note is that Sin Ho is usually very cold in the evenings and early mornings. If you want to explore this beautiful district by motorbike, be sure to dress appropriately. The temperature can be cold on high passes but hot in the valleys, so a thin coat or long-sleeved T-shirt is highly recommended.
Taking a motorbike tour is the best way to discover Sin Ho, but it is for hardcore riders only. From Hanoi, we will ride on Highway 32 to Nghia Lo, then cross Mu Cang Chai, Than Uyen, and finally reach Sin Ho (Lai Chau).
With a distance of over 420 km, this trip is not easy at all, but the experiences you can get are amazing. You will have the chance to challenge your riding skills on winding roads, admire the beauty of majestic nature, and learn more about the unique culture of locals along the way. The greater the effort, the sweeter the reward, right?
Another option is to take a coach. You can catch sleeper coaches from My Dinh or Giap Bat Station from Hanoi to Lai Chau City. Then, you have to hop on a second transport to o to Sin Ho. There are usually two coaches daily (6:00 and 13:30) that will take you from Lai Chau Station to Sin Ho. For the exact time, you can ask the staff at the station.
You can find some affordable mid-range hotels in the heart of the Sin Ho district. Unlike Sapa, which is known as a famous mountain retreat, Sin Ho Lai Chau is rarely visited by tourists. As a result, hotels here are quite comfortable but offer only minimal amenities, meeting the basic needs of travelers. The hotel that BM Travel Adventure highly recommends for our customers is Thanh Binh, one of the best hotels in Sin Ho Lai Chau.
T
hanh Binh Hotel is a well-situated hotel in Group 5 of Sin Ho town, Lai Chau province, which is easy to spot and get to. The hotel has a highly - professional staff who always seeks to satisfy every customer’s need, following the spirit of its motto “to please ones who come, to satisfy ones who leave”. Thanh Binh Hotel has 25 tidy, well-furnished rooms with hot water and the internet. Couples especially favor this place and would rate a full 3 points after their stays. This lodging place is also considered well worth its price in the area, so you would potentially save more money here than at other places.
Featured Facilities
Check out: Top Hotels, Resorts, Homestays in North Vietnam selected by BM Travel Adventure
Instead of staying in a hotel, spending a night in a homestay to get closer to the local’s life is not a bad idea. Here are some of the great homestays in Sin Ho that you can choose:
Address: Sin Suoi Ho Village, Phong Tho, Lai Chau
Phone: 0947 128 875
Phone: 0356 201 939
Address: Vang Pheo, Phong Tho, Lai Chau
Phone: 0986 740 743
Phone: 0942 941 930
Phone: 0987 051 635
Address: Hon Village, Tam Duong, Lai Chau
Phone: 0393 697 401
Phone: 0352 154 330
Phone: 0353 842 720
Phone: 0915 343 201
Phone: 098 113 39 75
Phone: 0855 652 127
Phone: 0912 019 475
Address: Zone 2, Sin Ho Town, Sin Ho, Lai Chau
Phone: 0349 434 628
Phone: 0367 550 257
Coming to Sin Ho, visitors will have the opportunity to explore and enjoy the majestic scenery that is hard to find elsewhere.
For ethnic minorities living in Northwest Vietnam, the water wheel is an essential agricultural tool that helps locals deliver water from lower streams to the higher fields. To see the most stunning water wheels in the northwest, let’s go to Na Khuong Village. To provide enough water for many hectares of rice fields, villagers have built 25 water wheels along the Nam Mu River. Take a walk on the suspension bridge crossing the river and cross the small winding roads; you will meet a beautiful ripe field surrounded by breathtaking mountains.
On the way back to the city from Na Khuong, do not forget to visit Bo Village, where you can admire the amazing terraced rice fields and the big tea hills in the sunset. It will be one of the most exciting experiences during your Sin Ho trip.
Located in Na Tam commune, Tam Duong district, Na Luong Village is famous for its wild beauty of the mountains and unique culture. According to locals, the name “Na Luong” is derived from the language of Lao ethnic people, in which “Na” means “field” and “Luong” means “dragon”. Legend has it that Na Luong is a rich land with relatively flat terrain and a stunning Nam Mu river that is very suitable for agriculture.
About 94 households with 100% Lao ethnicity live in Na Luong Village. Untouched by the modern world, people here still maintain their long-standing customs and practices. Visiting Na Luong, tourists can admire the ancient beauty of traditional stilt houses, breathe fresh air, meet hospitable locals, and enjoy the peaceful life never found in big cities.
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From Lai Chau town, about 20 km to the southeast along Highway 4, visitors will come to Hon village. Stretching over an area of more than 50 square kilometers, Hon hamlet is home to Mong and Lu ethnic groups, of which 90% are Lu people. Local people often settle near streams and rivers and live by growing wet rice, making handicrafts, raising animals, etc. Their lives are simple yet extremely delicate, reflected evidently through the architecture of stilt houses, traditional clothes, and the custom of dyeing black teeth.
With the policy of developing community-based tourism but not losing the long-standing culture, Hon village is gradually becoming one of the ideal destinations for tourists on the journey to discover Northwest Vietnam.
About 6 km from the center of Tam Duong district, Si Thau Chai, located at an altitude of 1,400 meters above sea level, is the resident of 60 Dzao households. Si Thau Chau is a must-visit place in the Tam Duong district with breathtaking views, unique culture, and exquisite cuisine.
Only 3 km from Lai Chau city, Nung Nang appears behind winding slopes. Although this commune is very close to the city, it retains natural landscapes and traditions. Once you come here, you will feel a fresh atmosphere and enjoy a peaceful world with rustic houses and poetic ripe rice fields that are entirely different from the hustle and bustle of life.
Limestone mountains and primary forests surround Nung Nang, so the weather there is coll all year round. If you want to explore more wild places, you can ask locals for directions to remote villages hidden in the romantic old forest.
Tac Tinh, or Love Waterfall, is one of the most attractive destinations in Lai Chau province, attracting many travelers who love to explore the natural beauty. This waterfall is gorgeous, but few people know it is a sad love story behind its charming beauty. Legend has it that a forbidden love between a woman and a man of Dzao people ended tragically here when she jumped down the waterfall. Therefore, the locals named it “Love Waterfall” to honor their noble love.
The waterfall starts at 130 meters from the Hoang Lien Son mountain range and ends with a lake of 100 square meters. From a distance, it looks like a soft ribbon lying in the vast space of majestic mountains. With pristine beauty, you will have a lot of fantastic experiences when visiting Tac Tinh Waterfall.
Tien Son or White Stone, Dan Don, Binh Lu cave is a limestone cave formed millions of years ago. So far, nearly 50 chunks and sub-caves have been discovered inside Tien Son cave. Each has its beauty and a different name that expresses people’s aspirations in life, such as Success, Happiness, and more.
Deeply getting into the cave, visitors will be surprised by the thousands of stalactite ribbons running down from the ceiling or stalagmites rising from the floor as if they were in the middle of heaven. Besides stalactites, streams are winding through the rocks, creating melodious sounds amid the fresh air in the cave that will surely leave an unforgettable impression on tourists.
About 70 Giay households are living in San Thang Village now. Strange architecture with and stone fences surrounding the village, San Thang is one of the famous community sites that travelers should not miss out on. Especially if your trip falls on Thursday or Sunday, you will have the chance to participate in the unique fair of the upland people - the San Thang Fair.
From early morning, the Giay, Lu, Mong, Thai, and Dzao ethnic people, in their most beautiful clothes, flock to the market with a variety of agricultural products, traditional specialties, and handicrafts, creating a bustling atmosphere near San Thang stream. For the locals, the market is not only a place to trade but also offers an opportunity for them to meet, get to know each other, and even relax.
About 5 km from the center of Lai Chau City, Pu Sam Cap is a cave complex consisting of 3 large caves: Thien Mon, Thien Duong, and Thuy Tinh. Each grotto offers incredible pristine beauty that is hard to find anywhere else.
Sin Ho means “a land of many streams” in the local language. At an altitude of 1,500 m above sea level, the Sin Ho plateau is dubbed the roof of Lai Chau province. Like Sapa, the weather here is cool all year round, offering favorable conditions for many flowers and temperate fruits like plums, peaches, pears, etc., to grow.
Wandering on the Sin Ho plateau, you can be amazed by the mountain peaks stretched white clouds, a full yellow sunny valley, and magnificent terraced fields. A simple cottage hidden in the green forest and mountain can also awaken your curiosity.
Situated in Ta Phin Commune of Sin Ho District, O Stone Mountain is related to the legend of a fairy who went on a trip and left an umbrella on the Earth. As time passed, the umbrella turned into a rocky mountain as we know it today. The mountain now is the spiritual venue of the locals, where they often come to pray for a good harvest and a happy life.
Close to O Stone Mountain is Ong Tien cave, which offers many stalactites with strange shapes formed by the Earth's tectonic activity thousands of years ago.
If you come to Sin Ho district without Pu Dao village, that is not to go. This is a village of Mong people in the poetic space of thousands of wildflowers and immense mountains.
Pu Dao means “the peak” in the Mong language. You must cross Lai Ha Bridge spanning the Da river, to reach Pu Dao. You can admire the breathtaking view of the majestic mountains and Thai stilt houses behind towering coconut trees. Remote location yet with spectacular natural scenery, Pu Dao is an ideal place for those who are passionate about exploring new lands.
Explore Hoang Su Phi Ha Giang - Everything You Need To Know
After exploring the incredible landscape of Sin Ho, tasting local food will ensure tourists an unforgettable experience. Here are some famous dishes you must try in Sin Ho:
Motorbike Route: Hanoi - Sapa - Lai Chau - Phong Tho - Sin Ho
The night before the trip, you move to the train station or gathering point to catch a train or sleeper bus to Sapa. Once you arrive in Sapa, take a break and rent a powerful motorbike to prepare for the journey ahead.
From Sapa town, we follow Highway 4D to Lai Chau. On the way, you can make some stops to visit famous tourist destinations such as Bac Waterfall, O Quy Ho Pass, and more. Coming to Lai Chau in the afternoon, we will visit some community-based tourism villages and Pu Sam Cap cave. Then, keep driving through Tam Duong town to reach Tac Tinh Waterfall.
After discovering Tac Tinh Waterfall, we continue to ride along Highway 4D until we reach Phong Tho town; we turn into Highway 12. At the Ma Lu Thang border gate, we ask border guards for permission to visit milestones 64-66 located in Ma Ly Pho commune.
Overnight in Phong Tho town.
Our today's destination is Sin Ho. Keep on Road 12 until you meet Chan Nua T-junction, turn left onto Road 128 to enjoy the scenic view, and head to Sin Ho. Cutting a path in the mountainside, this 40 km long winding road offers magnificent views of peaceful villages, farmland, and poetic rivers.
Cutting a path in the mountainside, this 40 km long zigzag road offers wonderful views of peaceful villages, farmland, and poetic rivers. Have dinner, experience the special herbal bath of the Dzao people, and spend a night at a local homestay in Sin Ho.
From Sin Ho, our crew rides back to Lai Chau city, then across Tram Ton Pass (O Quy Ho Pass) to reach Sapa. Take some time to explore the beautiful Sapa town before returning your motorbike and catching a sleeper bus or train back to Hanoi. Trip ends.
Only From $1,490
Every season Northwest Vietnam brings different beauties. Coming here in September or October, you can admire vast yellow terraced fields while watching orchid trees blossom, what you should do in March in the Northwest region. The 10-day Northwest Vietnam Motorbike Tour from Hanoi to Thac Ba is a great opportunity for you to explore a wide range of destinations. In particular, the itinerary will include visits to Mai Chau, Phu Yen, Son La, Tuan Giao, Sin Ho, Sapa, Luc Yen, and Vu Linh. Riding to each region, you will get different experiences. By joining this tour, you have a chance to not only do sightseeing excursions but also conquer bumpy roads. It can be said that this journey is challenging but fascinating.
Check out the detailed itinerary!
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