Sapa: 1-Day Trek Muong Hoa Valley & Ta Van Village Lunch

4.99

(146 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

The first thing I remember is the sound — boots crunching on loose gravel as we left Sapa town behind, mist clinging to the hills like it wasn’t ready to let go. Our guide, Minh, waved us down a narrow path that dipped into Muong Hoa valley. He pointed out the terraces — not just green but every shade between jade and gold, depending where you looked. The air smelled faintly sweet, almost grassy. I tried to ask Minh how many times he’d walked this route; he just grinned and shrugged, “Too many to count.”

We passed through Ý Linh Hồ — a cluster of wooden houses where kids darted past with plastic kites. There was this moment when an old woman offered us sticky rice wrapped in banana leaf; I almost dropped it because my hands were shaking from the walk (not sure if from tiredness or excitement). The bamboo forest after Lao Chai was quieter than I expected, except for birds and our own laughter echoing off the trunks. Minh told stories about his childhood here — something about getting lost once and finding his way back by following the river’s sound.

Lunch in Ta Van village was simple but perfect: fried tofu, pork cooked with lemongrass, bowls of rice that tasted different somehow — maybe it was just hunger or maybe mountain air changes things. We sat on low stools while Minh explained little things about H’mong life; he laughed when I tried to pronounce “xin chào” properly (I definitely didn’t). Afterward we wandered around Ta Van at our own pace before a car picked us up around 4:30pm. I still think about that view looking back up the valley — clouds rolling over the terraces like slow waves. Hard to explain why it sticks with me.