DONG HOI to SAPA → Transport? ☀️

1. Dong Hoi to Hanoi 
2. Hanoi to Sapa
📍 Tourist Map of Sapa 
🎫 Book Ticket Online

From Dong Hoi to Sapa you can travel by plane, train, bus, car.

• • Travel distance from Dong Hoi to Sapa is about 820 km by land via Hanoi. The best and fastest option how to reach Sapa from Dong Hoi is to travel by plane + bus/train via Hanoi. You can take a direct flight from Dong Hoi to Hanoi and bus to Sapa or train to Lao Cai. Travel by plane + bus via Hanoi takes totally about 9-10 hours and it costs about $40-70/pp (flight + bus ticket). Another option is to travel by train from Dong Hoi to Lao Cai via Hanoi. Travel by train from Dong Hoi to Lao Cai takes about 18-22 hours and it is the cheapest option of transfer. There are also some luxury sleeper trains from Hanoi to Lao Cai. Travel by tourist bus from Dong Hoi to Sapa is also available via Hanoi, but this option takes a lot of time and it is not so comfortable, if you can – take a sleeper train. If you are already in Sapa, you can travel by bus to Mu Cang Chai or you can travel to Hanoi – the capital of Vietnam and Ninh Binh.

BOOK a TOUR / ACTIVITY in Sapa ➜

Sapa – full of the Hmong ethnic people and  foreign tourists.

• • Sapa is the most visited tourist site in northern Vietnam. Sapa is a home of ethnic Black Hmong and Dao people. A lot of visitors come to Sapa because they want to visit the highest mountain of Vietnam – Fansipan (by train + cable car). Sapa and surrounding is also an ideal place if you want to stay in local hoomestay at Hoang Lien Son National Park. The closest railway station to Sapa is in Lao Cai, about 35 km from the town of Sapa. There are a few ways how you can get to Sapa / Lao Cai from Dong Hoi in central Vietnam – by tourist bus or bus+train via Hanoi, or flight + bus/train via Hanoi and Lao Cai. There is no airport in Sapa, but there are direct flights from Dong Hoi to Hanoi.

BOOK JOIN TICKETS to Sapa ➜

How do I get from Dong Hoi to Sapa?

1. TRAIN, BUS, FLIGHT from Dong Hoi to Hanoi

• • there are lots of trains and some buses through the day and also at night
  • travel by train or bus from Dong Hoi to Hanoi takes about 9-12 hours
  • price of the train ticket from Dong Hoi to Hanoi is about $12-33/pp (seats or hard,soft berth)
  • price of the bus ticket is about $13/pp (sleeper bus)
  • also luxury Violette Train or Livitrans Express (train ticket costs about $72/pp, soft berth-deluxe)
  • railway station in Dong Hoi – Dong Hoi Railway Station (Tiểu Khu 4, Phường Nam Lý)
  • railway station in Hanoi – Hanoi Railway Station (120 Lê Duẩn, Quận Hoàn Kiếm)
  • you can use also a direct flight from Dong Hoi to Hanoi – Vietnam Airlines, VietJet Air (prices start at $30-80)
  • from Noi Bai Airport to Sapa you can travel by tourist bus or minivan, taxi
  • Book train and bus e-tickets + flights from Dong Hoi to Hanoi on Baolau ➜ or 12go.asia ➜
  • you will receive your e-ticket by email, ready to print or carry in your mobile phone or tablet and present when boarding the train or at the ticket counter of the station before boarding the bus

2. TRAIN or BUS from Hanoi to Lao Cai/Sapa

A) BUSES from Hanoi to Sapa:

• • the best and most fastest way is to use day or night direct bus from Hanoi to Sapa town
  • travel by bus from Hanoi to Sapa takes about 6 hours
  • buses depart from Hanoi to Sapa from My Dinh bus station, another private bus companies depart from other places
  • verified bus companies: Sapa Dragon, Hason Haivan, Inter Buslines, EcoSapa, SapaExpress, TheSinhTourist…
  • price of the one-way bus ticket to Sapa from Hanoi is about $10-22/pp
  • read this article: How to go from Hanoi to Sapa?

B) TRAINS from Hanoi to Lao Cai:

• • lots of travelers and tourists go from Hanoi to Sapa with a night train
  • all the trains go to Lao Cai town (340 km from Hanoi), it is the end station (25 km from Sapa)
  • price of the train ticket to Lao Cai starts already at $7-8 – soft seat, $17 – soft berth
  • trains of Vietnam Railways (ofic.vietnamese railways) or also trains for tourists (also 2-bed cabin in the train)
  • read this article: Train Schedule – Hanoi to Lao Cai
  • this is a top travel route from Hanoi to Lao Cai/Sapa – recommended – book your train or bus e-tickets online!
  • seat selection available on Baolau+12go (Vietnam Railways may change the orientation of the carriage at the departure station anytime at their convenience)

BOOK TICKETS – Hanoi to Sapa ➜

Vietnam Railways trains – SP1, SP3, SP7, LC3:

– hard or soft seat – price of the one-way ticket is about 120 000 – 160 000 viet.dongs / 1 person ($7-8, soft seat)
– hard berth (6-bed cabin) or soft berth (4-bed cabin) – price is about 270 000 – 400 000 viet.dongs ($17, soft berth)
– SP = new trains, LC3 = old train, carry-on baggage in the train is 20 kg
– seat selection available on Baolau and also on 12go.asia

Tourist and private train operators (added to SP1 + SP3):

– Livitrans, Violette Train, Oriental Express, King Express, Sapaly, PV2, Fansipan Express, Victoria Express
– train ticket price is about 700 000 – 1 800 000 viet.dongs / 1 person – soft berth (depend on the type of cabin)
– better quality and service, luxury trains, 2 or 4-bed cabins, carry-on baggage – 20 kg
– the most deluxe train – Victoria Express Train (price of the ticket is about 2 500 000 – 3 500 000 viet.dongs)
– you can read this article: Luxury trains from Hanoi to Lao Cai/Sapa

➜ For bookings with Royal Railway and private railway companies Victoria Express, Fanxipan Express, King Express, Orient Express, Sapaly Express, Chapa Express and Saigon Golden Train, you will be required to complete the payment before submitting your order. Your reservation will be processed and you will receive a voucher by email to collect the physical ticket at the station before boarding the train.

➜ For bookings with Vietnam Railways and private railway companies Livitrans Express and Violette Train, you will be required to complete the payment before submitting your order. Your reservation will be processed and you will receive your e-ticket by email, ready to print or carry in your mobile phone or tablet and present when boarding the train.

➜ If you buy bus tickets online on Baolau or 12go.asia, you will receive your e-ticket by email, ready to print or carry in your mobile phone or tablet and present at the ticket counter of the station before boarding the bus

Buses from Lao Cai town to Sapa:

If you’re traveling from Hanoi to Sapa with a train >>> All the trains end in Lao Cai town, 10 km from the Chinese border in northern Vietnam. Trains run throughout the day and many travellers and tourist travel in the evening (20.30 – 22.00 pm). The nigth train arrives to Lao Cai town at 6.00 – 7.00 am. You must take a public bus or taxi from Lao Cai town to Sapa, lots of tourist buses are waiting outside the train station. Be careful they are overprized. The public bus station is in the center of town, 300 meters from the railway station, see the map.

I recommend to go with a public bus in Lao Cai town, bus tickets are cheap. There is a time table + tickets of buses from Lao Cai to Sapa. All the tourist trains (Oriental Express, Sapaly, Livitrans, King Express…) are very nice and comfortable, but the price is a bit higher.

BOOK TICKETS – Lao Cai to Sapa ➜

❓ FAQ + TIPS – Travel route from Dong Hoi to Sapa:

Updated: June 2025

BOOK a TOUR / ACTIVITY in Sapa ➜

BOOK Your HOTEL in Sapa ➜

🎫 Book your train or bus  tickets from Dong Hoi to Sapa + Schedule:

(You can book another travel route, eg. Dong Hoi to Hanoi, Hanoi to Sapa…)

Sapa to Noi Bai Airport ➜