After two days in Hanoi, we took a bus with comfortable built-in sleeping bed/recliner to the Northwest region. It was very clean and comfortable for a few-hour nap on long-distance trips. The one-way bus ticket was 350,000VND (or ~$14USD) per person. The initial plan was to tour the Lao Cai and Yen Bai provinces of this region. However, due to inclement weather once we arrived Lao Cai, we decided to cancel the Yen Bai destination. Lao Cai is home to the most popular Sapa District. We stayed in Sapa for five days at the Vista Hotel. It was foggy with occasional light rains. Within walking distance from the hotel (Vista Hotel), we visited the Cat Cat Village for a couple of hours in the morning then rode the motorcycles to the Sa Pa downtown. Unexpectedly, we were surprised that Sa Pa has been transformed into a bubbling city over the last few decades. The city is well-maintained and fun to walk around with many shops and eateries.

Link to the Northeastern Vietnam photo gallery: https://pbase.com/mic_hong/northeastvnfeb2025
Link to Ninh Binh photo gallery: https://pbase.com/mic_hong/ninhbinhvnfeb2025
Link to Hanoi photo gallery: https://pbase.com/mic_hong/hanoivnfeb2025

Link to additional photos from Thanh Huong:
https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipMwYYg1nC9IFyzEeRb2cKm5hpsJ7nDPQEnMFYhDif2MKRheXjLUZKbaONRm9aVwnQ?key=cEl0VGVqcGg2LXpXZ0dJRGdOU3AwTWVhUDVDUW53