Hanoi to Sapa Train: Schedule & Price 2024

You are interested in learning about the Sapa trip from Hanoi. You do not know which transportation to choose is the best: Hanoi to Sapa by train or Hanoi to Sapa by bus? This article will help you to answer all things about Hanoi to Sapa train.

One of the options for the passengers to get from Hanoi to Sapa is to get the train from Hanoi to Lao Cai train station then get the bus or taxi from Lao Cai to Sapa town. 340 km is not a short distance and I am sure that people would prefer travel on a safer option. In this article, I will tell you about the train (with schedule and price updated) from Hanoi to Lao Cai as my personal experience.

The first time I went from Hanoi to Sapa, and while I asked for a local train from our capital to Sapa town, everyone was laughing. Actually, there is no direct train between two places, therefore, it required the combination between train and bus as I mentioned above.

Transfer from Hanoi to Sapa by train

Types of Train from Hanoi to Sapa

There are a lot of trains that run from Hanoi to Sapa. You may find the Express Trains or fast trains which start with SP, others are the slower trains. If you are a tourist, just take care of SP train (SP1, SP2, SP3, SP4, SP7, SP8), which takes you about 8 hours for the trip from Hanoi to Lao Cai.

Local Train: The local train offers the basic facility and you are mixed with local people. There are several options for these cases such as hard seat, soft seat, hard berth, soft berth with AC. Express train SPs depart at 19:40, 20:35, 21:30, 22:00 while the normal train LCs start going at 6:10 and 22:00.

Overnight sleeper Train: For a trip of 8 hours from Hanoi to Sapa, the hard seat or even soft seat will make you exhausted because they are only suitable for a short distance. The soft sleeper berth or hard berth is much more comfortable and when you travel overnight, it saves your time if you sleep well.

Tourist train: specially designed for tourists to help the guests have a better service and get comfort during the trip. Tourist trains are all equipped with AC, soft sleeper, reading light. The private companies rent some carriages on a train and turn them into luxury sleeping cars for tourists.

• SP1/SP2 convey a whole series of privately–run sleeping – cars for tourists, including Fansipan Express, Orient Express, and etc.
• SP3/SP4 includes Sapaly, Victoria Express train, Orient Express and you also can find King Express and the others on SP7/SP8.

Surely, it costs more money on the tourist trains but it is worth money for its services.

Overnight Train Hanoi to Sapa

 

Train to Sapa from Hanoi schedule & price

The Express trains from Hanoi to Lao Cai daily depart twice a day (which are SP1 and SP3) and it takes you about 8 hours to go from Hanoi train station to Lao Cai train station.

Train no	Departure time	Arrival time	Duration
SP1	21:35	05:30	7 hours and 55 minutes
SP3	22:00	06:05	8 hours and 5 minutes

 

Train Hanoi to Sapa ticket fares is various among the brands because of its facilities and services. The most expensive one is Victoria Express Train.

On the tourist train, they offer the guests 2 options which are a shared berth cabin and a private 2 berth cabin. Obviously, in a 4 berth cabin, the ticket fare is per person while in a private 2 berth cabin, you have to pay for the whole cabin to stay there. In some cases, if you travel alone and would like to stay in a 2 berth cabin, it costs you a lot for this. However, for some companies, they would like to welcome more and more guests so that they only require a little extra fee + your single ticket to stay at the VIP 2 berth cabin.

Type of cabin	4 berth cabin	2 berth cabin
Ticket fare	30 - 83 USD per person	130 - 225 USD per cabin

 

There will be the following local train ticket from Hanoi to Sapa rates (updated 2021):

• Air-conditioned soft seats: 150,000 VND - 200,000 VND (Ticket prices vary according to seat position)
• Ticket type 6-bed air-conditioned cabin: 290,000 VND - 380,000 VND/ticket/one way (price according to different floors)
• Ticket type 4-bed cabin with wooden furniture: 415,000 VND at the beginning of the week, 500,000 VND at the weekend
• Premium 4-bed cabin tickets Dream, Chapa Train, Sapaly... have the price: 680,000 VND/bed/time

 

The 5 best overnight train brands from Hanoi to Sapa & reviews

Five best overnight train brands are collected and introduced here for your convenient trip. Let’s have a look at their facilities, train schedule, ticket price, and review from the customer.

1. Victoria Express Train *****

The Victoria Express Train is one of the most deluxe trains on the Hanoi – Sapa route, which can accommodate 48 passengers with 13 deluxe cabins, bar, and restaurant.

• Facilities: AC, reading light (private), luggage storage, large picture window and bathroom, and waiting room at the train station
• Train schedule: SP3 Dep. 22:00 pm, Arr. 6:10 am (Date +1)
• Price:

Type of cabin	4 berth cabin	2 berth cabin	2 berth cabin (1 person)
Ticket fare	83 USD	250 USD	225 USD

 

This is the best service for the train trip from Hanoi to Sapa. And it received a lot of reviews from the guests who traveled by this. To sum up, let’s look at the pros and cons of using Victoria Express Train

Pros

Cons

It provides high-quality services and it is the best option for people who would like to use a professional and luxury service with their privacy. You can use the separate washbasins to wash hands and spacious toilets with stunning decoration and surely, it is clean all the time. The private 2 berth cabin is very clean, the mattress is very comfortable and the view is wonderful. The staff on board are always smiling, also helpful, and eager to help guests at any time.

It seems to be that there is nothing to complain about Victoria Express but its expensive ticket fare. However, you know, as the guests said, it is totally worth the money.

Victoria Express train Hanoi to Sapa

 

2. Orient Express ****

• Facilities: All cabins are equipped with superior facilities such as AC, clean and pure bathroom, big luggage storage, and comfortable berths.
• Train schedule: SP1: Dep. Hanoi at 21:35, Arr. Lao Cai at 5:45 (Date+1)
• Price:

Type of cabin	4 berth cabin	2 berth cabin	2 berth cabin (1 person)
Ticket fare	31 USD per person	130 USD per cabin	130 USD

Pros:

• They also have a big bathroom for the guests and received a lot of positive comments from the passengers for the comfort of using services here.
• The staff are well trained and willing to help guests in any cases.

Cons

• You have to pay the whole cabin if you would like to stay at the 2 berth cabin. There is no deduction for a single person.
• Besides, Orient Express is located at SP1, which departs at 21:35 and arrives at 5:45 (Date+1). A little earlier departure and arrival may make you rush in some cases.

Orient Express train Hanoi to Sapa

 

3. King Express ****

King express train has a total of 25 cabins, spreading over several carriages and accommodated by nearly 100 passengers.

• Facilities: AC, blankets, cushions, towels, and a private toilet per carriage
• Train schedule: SP3: Dep. Hanoi at 22:00, Arr. Lao Cai at 6:10 (Date +1)
• Price:

Type of cabin	4 berth cabin	2 berth cabin	2 berth cabin (1 person)
Ticket fare	33 USD per person	140 USD per cabin	140 USD

Pros:

• As its name, this company would love to treat the guests as the Kings and the Queens, therefore, they have a very lovely staff team, who are always smiling and helpful.
• For some reviews, the people who traveled on King Express emphasized the clean and spacious cabin of this company

Cons

• There is nothing to complain about here, it is just a tiny thing that it runs overnight so that you can not see anything along the way and if you can not get used to sleeping on an operating train, you would not sleep well, however, this is also a big plus because you can save your time and money by using this kind of train.

 

4. Fansipan Express Train ****

It is one of the most deluxe tourist trains from Hanoi to Lao Cai, which serves 112 passengers in 4 superior sleeping carriages

• Facilities: AC, reading lights, water, snack, and napkin, also they have a tool and table to provide cold or hot water on the carriage and waiting room at train station
• Train schedule: SP1: Dep. Hanoi at 21:40, Arr. Lao Cai at 5:45 (Date +1)
• Price:

Type of cabin	4 berth cabin	2 berth cabin	2 berth cabin (1 person)
Ticket fare	27 USD per person	140 USD per cabin	140 USD

 

Pros:

• Well, Fansipan Express is appreciated for its professional staff and services, and well-equipped facilities
• Fansipan Express is the company which offer one of the most reasonable prices for the guests

Cons

• The big bathroom is missing, therefore, you may feel it inconvenient to use the toilets here.

 

5. Sapaly Express Train ****

Sapaly Express Train runs SP3 on the way from Hanoi to Sapa, which is fully decorated with high standard soft sleepers with air conditioning wooden cabins. It provides 2 options as the customers’ favors which are 4 - soft sleeper cabins and 2 - berth Vip cabins.

• Facilities: AC, reading lights, water, snack, and napkin, also they have a tool and table to provide cold or hot water on the carriage
• Train schedule: SP3: Dep. Hanoi at 22:00, Arr. Lao Cai at 6:10 (Date +1)
• Price:

Type of cabin	4 berth cabin	2 berth cabin	2 berth cabin (1 person)
Ticket fare	30 USD per person	140 USD per cabin	140 USD

 

Pros

• the decoration on each cabin makes you feel warm and the AC is strong enough in the summertime.
• Hot water is provided so it is a plus point for this company
• The staff is well trained and attentive

Sapaly train Hanoi to Sapa

 

6. Chapa Express *****

This is one of the newest trains in the system and it provides a luxurious and comfortable trip for its guests. The facilities are outstanding from the train system in Vietnam.

• Facilities: AC, reading lights, water, snack, and waiting room at the station
• Train schedule: SP3: Dep. Hanoi at 22:00, Arr. Lao Cai at 6:10 (Date +1)
• Price:

Type of cabin	4 berth cabin	2 berth cabin	2 berth cabin (1 person)
Ticket fare	42 USD per person	160 USD per cabin	160 USD

Pros

• They have the waiting room, where the guests can relax to wait for the train or change clothes and have a shower.
• The cabin is very big and the window is big too.
• They provide snacks, water and also fruits for all the guests
• Almost all the guests tell the staff they were the best ones on the route from Hanoi to Sapa.

Cons

• As the cabin is large enough, the corridors are quite narrow, however, it is not a problem because you would love to stay in your room from the first look.

Champa express train hanoi to sapa

 

Local tips to travel to Sapa from Hanoi by train

• Book in advance

The train tickets are limited and they are easy to sell out. You should reserve your ticket as soon as possible if you would like to travel by train from Hanoi to Sapa (Lao Cai). Moreover, with your early booking, you get a good opportunity to choose the best tourist train and reserve for the Vip 2 berth cabin, which is fully booked soon.

• Do not bring a lot of money or expensive things

It is safer to store your money at the bank than bringing it with you when you do travel by train.

• Choose the right gate at Hanoi train station to enter

There are 2 gates for 2 different trains, which depart from Hanoi to other provinces. Le Duan street gate is used to welcome the guests to the trains to the south of Vietnam. Tran Quy Cap street gate is only for the guests who travel from Hanoi to Sapa by train. Therefore, you should remember to go to Tran Quy Cap Street. Ask your taxi driver or hotel receptionists to do this for you.

• Avoid Scams at the station

You should buy the train tickets from the ticket counters at the train station or contact a trusted travel agency to get some further discounts. They are 2 safe options for your comfortable trip. Some people will try to convince you to buy a cheap ticket and get their offer, unfortunately, in some cases, those are fake tickets, which make you lose your money for nothing. In the other cases, you are put into the local carriage, which is poor facilities or hard wooden seats, not a soft sleeper cabin.

• Reserve pick up service at Lao Cai train station

Even which company you choose, you are scheduled to arrive at Lao Cai train station at more or less 6:00, which is quite early in the morning. From here you get 2 options to travel to Sapa town. Firstly, take a local bus and it costs you ~ 1.4 USD (30 000 VND) per person and 45 minutes for the trip from Lao Cai to Sapa. For a better option, you may reserve the pickup service from your hotel, which will send a driver to pick you up at Lao Cai station then drive you to your hotel in Sapa town.

 

You might be interested in How to choose the best Hanoi to Sapa bus?

Traveling to Sapa by train or bus has its own advantages. Hopefully, this article will help you make the right choice to have the best Sapa tours from Hanoi. Let’s say it is quite long for my article but I hope you find useful information for your next trip. Do not hesitate to contact me if you would like to get further information. Check BestPrice Travel for travel guides and local tips for your best comfort in Vietnam.