Updated 2024: Uncover the charm of northern Vietnam! Dive into our comprehensive guide to help you decide: Ha Long Bay or Sapa? Explore breathtaking landscapes and authentic experiences.
Are you planning a trip to the north of Vietnam and finding yourself torn between visiting the enchanting Ha Long Bay or the captivating Sapa? You’re not alone. This is a common dilemma faced by many travelers due to the unique attractions each destination offers. But worry not, we’ve got you covered. We’ve explored both places and are here to help you make an informed decision.
Price Considerations
When deciding between Ha Long Bay or Sapa, it’s essential to consider your budget. Both destinations offer a variety of packages, but generally, Ha Long Bay tends to be a more expensive experience.
For Sapa, prices range from $40 to $75 for a 1-night and 2-day trek, including a homestay in a village. The group size usually ranges from 2 to 6 people. For the same price, you can only manage day trips to Ha Long Bay. A 1-night and 2-day experience in Ha Long Bay will cost around $80 to $250, depending on the cruise you choose.
What we picked: For Sapa, we chose Sapa O’Chau and loved it. They promote sustainable employment among the locals which is a plus for us. We chose the tour called “Off the beaten track” as we don’t like touristic activities and we paid 60$ each.
Ha Long Bay is one of the “you get what you pay for” places. If you get a cheap one, you may end up in an awful boat with awful food, wishing the cruise finishes as soon as possible. Thus, we went really out of our budget and chose the package also called ‘Off the Beaten Track’ offered by Indochina Junk for 149$ per person. Important to note that most of the cruises sleep in Ha Long Bay, along with thousands of boats. Choosing that package we wanted to avoid the crowds- our cruise spent the night on Bai Tu Long Bay with only a few boats on the horizon. The boat was pretty good and included very comfortable transportation from Hanoi.
Price: easy win for Sapa
Experience
Your expectations and what you’re looking for in your travel experience are crucial factors when choosing between Ha Long Bay or Sapa.
Sapa was one of the highlights of our trips. Our guide and homestay were simply incredible. We learned so much about her village and tribe, the landscape was breathtaking, and the food was authentic. Most importantly, we didn’t see a single tourist for 2 days. When we left Sapa, we felt like leaving our second home, but we were full of joy thanks to Xuan, our guide. The connection you create with the place and people during these 2 days of trekking is amazing. If you’re interested, you can read more about our experience in Sapa.
Ha Long Bay, on the other hand, is impressive, especially if you go for an expensive company. Our boat was beautiful. The food was AMAZING. The activities are alright, but not breathtaking. A couple of hours of kayaking and visiting a fisherman’s village. They also let us swim for 30 minutes in open water, which was nice. We missed being able to swim at some beach but this is forbidden by the government. Obviously, you have no independence as everything is planned.
Experience: Sapa wins by a little
Comfort
If you’re going to Sapa, be prepared to trek mountains, sleep in a maybe not very comfortable homestay, get muddy if it rains, etc. For Ha Long Bay, you literally feel like Paris Hilton and you don’t need to move a finger. Just relax and enjoy the cruise!
Comfort: a very easy win for Ha Long Bay
Conclusion
If you have the time and the budget, do BOTH. Especially because both experiences are unique and so different from each other. However, If we had to choose only one, we would choose Sapa, just because we had a really authentic experience, one of those that makes traveling so rewarding.
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