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Hanoi to Sapa by bus or night train
Hanoi to Sapa
Dozens of sleeper and cabin buses run daily from Hanoi to Sapa town in about 5h30 to 6h30, many via Noi Bai airport, from 271,548₫ for October 2026. Trains stop in the Lao Cai valley: SP3 leaves Ga Hà Nội at 22:00, SP7 at 22:40, both arriving before 06:30, berths in four-berth compartments from 475,000₫. Sapa is about an hour from Lao Cai by road; there are no flights.
Hanoi to Sapa time, price and stops
| Usual way | Sleeper or cabin bus, straight to Sapa |
|---|---|
| Typical time | About 6 h by bus; 7 h 50 min by train to Lao Cai, then 1 h by road |
| What it costs | From 271,548₫ by bus; from 475,000₫ for a train berth |
| Where it arrives | The bus company's office in Sapa town, or Ga Lào Cai by train |
Where the buses and trains leave from in Hanoi
There is no single bus station for Sapa. Each company leaves from its own office, and the address is on the ticket.
Pickups for October 2026 departures:
- Sao Viet: 114 Trần Nhật Duật on the edge of the Old Quarter and 789 Giải Phóng further south.
- HK Buslines: 70 Nguyễn Hữu Huân and 76 Hồng Tiến.
- Inter Bus Lines: 5 Trần Nguyên Hãn beside Hoan Kiem Lake and 118 Nguyễn Khánh Toàn.
- G8 Sapa Open Tour: 160 Trần Quang Khải and 01 Lê Lai.
The same company can run one departure from the Old Quarter and the next from the other side of the city, so read the address for your departure, not the company's name.
Most of the big companies also pick up at Noi Bai airport. If you land in Hanoi in the morning, you can be in Sapa by the evening without going into the city at all.
The trains leave from Ga Hà Nội (Hanoi station), on Le Duan street. SP3 and SP7 also stop at Gia Lâm, on the east bank of the Red River, about 22 minutes after leaving Ga Hà Nội, if that is closer to where you are staying.
Where you get off in Sapa
Buses finish at their company's own office in Sapa town, most of them along Điện Biên Phủ, the main road in: HK Buslines at number 734, Inter Bus Lines at 436, G8 at 411.
The trains stop at Ga Lào Cai (Lao Cai station), in the city of Lao Cai, 294 km from Hanoi by rail and about an hour below Sapa by road. See the section on Lao Cai station below for the last stretch.
Cabins, berths and cancelling
Almost every bus on this road is now a sleeper. A cabin is a curtained pod for one person, or for two in a double cabin, and lower-deck cabins cost a little more than upper ones. The 44-berth sleepers are cheaper and more open.
Limousine vans are the other choice: nine to eleven leather seats, daytime only. For October 2026 several small companies (Sapaking Limousine, Golink Sao Vang, Eco Sapa Limousine) sold them from the Hanoi Opera House at about 06:30 to 07:00 and 14:00 to 15:00, for 437,500₫ to 585,000₫, in about six hours.
On the train, the railway's own fares depend on the berth. A lower berth in a four-berth compartment costs about 20,000₫ more than an upper one, and fares can change with the date you buy and your position in the carriage.
Several private companies run their own carriages coupled to the same trains. For October 2026:
- Laman Express on the 22:00.
- New Livitrans on the 22:40.
- Fanxipan Express on both, among others.
Their berths sold online from about 850,000₫, with different interiors and their own rules.
Cancelling online depends on the company: for October 2026, HK Buslines allowed it up to 72 hours before departure and Inter Bus Lines up to 132 hours.
Sapa to Hanoi
Buses leave Sapa from about 06:00 to after 23:00 and take about 5h30 to 6h30; for October 2026 they were selling from 271,548₫. Many go straight to Noi Bai airport as well as into central Hanoi. By train, you first get down to Lao Cai: SP8 leaves at 12:05 and reaches Hanoi at 19:30, from 202,000₫, and the night train SP4 leaves at 21:50 and arrives at 05:40, from 362,000₫.
Sapa to Hanoi time and price
| Usual way | Sleeper or cabin bus, or the daytime train SP8 from Lao Cai |
|---|---|
| Typical time | About 6 h by bus; 7 h 25 min on SP8, 7 h 50 min on SP4 |
| What it costs | From 271,548₫ by bus; from 202,000₫ on SP8 |
| Where it departs | The bus company's office in Sapa, or Ga Lào Cai |
Leaving Sapa
Buses back leave from the same company offices in Sapa town where they drop off, most of them on Điện Biên Phủ. For the train you have to get down to Ga Lào Cai first, about an hour by road; leave yourself time, because the road down is mountain road.
Arriving in Hanoi, or straight at the airport
The buses end at their company offices in Hanoi, and many of them also stop at Noi Bai airport. For October 2026 Sao Viet, HK Buslines, Inter Bus Lines and G8 all sold Sapa to the airport directly, in about six hours.
That is the simplest way to catch a flight out, though six hours on a mountain road is not a time to cut fine.
Both trains end at Ga Hà Nội, SP8 at 19:30 and SP4 at 05:40.
The daytime train back
The one daytime train on this line runs south. SP8 leaves Lao Cai at 12:05 and reaches Hanoi at 19:30, and for October 2026 departures it cost about half the night fare: 202,000₫ to 243,000₫ for a berth in a four-berth compartment, against 362,000₫ to 425,000₫ on SP4 the same night. There is no daytime train in the other direction.
Bus straight to Sapa, or the train to Lao Cai
Sapa sits high in the mountains of Lao Cai province, and the railway does not go up there. That decides the choice.
The bus goes all the way. Sleeper and cabin buses run from Hanoi to Sapa town in about six hours, on the expressway to Lao Cai and then up the mountain road. So many companies run it that for October 2026 departures, close to 800 departure and pickup combinations were on sale online.
The train goes to Lao Cai. The night trains SP3 and SP7 run from Ga Hà Nội to Ga Lào Cai, arriving around dawn, and then you go up to Sapa by road, about an hour more. It is slower in total, but you lie flat in a compartment on rails rather than on a bus on mountain bends.
There are no flights. Sapa's airport is still a project in 2026, so the nearest airport is Noi Bai in Hanoi, and the buses that pick up there are the quickest way from a plane to Sapa.
Hanoi to Sapa bus and train times
Trains, as published by the railway for October 2026:
- SP3: Ga Hà Nội 22:00, Gia Lâm 22:25, Yên Bái 02:00, Ga Lào Cai 05:50
- SP7: Ga Hà Nội 22:40, Gia Lâm 23:05, Yên Bái 02:37, Ga Lào Cai 06:27
- SP8: Ga Lào Cai 12:05, Yên Bái 15:39, Gia Lâm 19:07, Ga Hà Nội 19:30
- SP4: Ga Lào Cai 21:50, Yên Bái 01:27, Gia Lâm 05:17, Ga Hà Nội 05:40
Buses. There is no fixed timetable for the route as a whole, because each company runs its own. For October 2026 the departures on sale ran around the clock, and the biggest companies listed a time, from one pickup or another, every 15 to 30 minutes through the morning and afternoon and again from about 21:30 to midnight.
The late-evening buses arrive in Sapa between about 03:30 and 06:00, which is early to reach a hotel; the morning ones arrive in the afternoon.
Hanoi to Sapa prices in 2026
Bus, sold online for October 2026, fees included:
Train, the railway's own fares for October 2026, insurance included:
The railway notes that its fares change with the date you buy, the passenger and the berth's position in the carriage, so the same berth can cost a little more on another day. The private carriages coupled to SP3 and SP7 sell online from about 850,000₫ a berth. Add the road from Lao Cai to Sapa to any train fare.
Lao Cai station to Sapa
Ga Lào Cai is about an hour below Sapa by road, and the trains arrive between 05:50 and 06:30.
Shared cars and vans. For October 2026 departures, seats from Lao Cai station to Sapa town were on sale online from 175,000₫ to about 312,500₫, taking about an hour, with departures listed from 05:30. They drop at a company office in Sapa, mostly on Điện Biên Phủ. Travellers in late 2025 report people at Ga Hà Nội selling these transfers who do not work for the railway.
The public bus. Lao Cai's route 01 runs from the square in front of Lao Cai station to the church in the centre of Sapa. It was running in 2025, according to the province's newspaper, Báo Lào Cai.
Hanoi to Sapa: what people ask
How long does it take from Hanoi to Sapa?
About 5 hours 30 minutes to 6 hours 30 minutes by bus, straight into Sapa town. By train, 7 hours 50 minutes to Lao Cai, then about an hour by road up to Sapa.
How much is the bus from Hanoi to Sapa?
For October 2026, from 271,548₫ for a berth on Inter Bus Lines' 44-berth sleeper, and about 460,000₫ to 610,000₫ for a single cabin with HK Buslines, Sao Viet or G8 Sapa Open Tour, all sold online with fees included.
How much is the train from Hanoi to Sapa?
The train goes to Lao Cai, not Sapa. On SP3 and SP7 the railway's own fare for October 2026 was 475,000₫ to 555,000₫ for a berth in a four-berth compartment and 646,000₫ in a two-berth one. Add about 175,000₫ or more for a shared ride from Lao Cai up to Sapa.
What time is the night train from Hanoi to Sapa?
SP3 leaves Ga Hà Nội at 22:00 and reaches Lao Cai at 05:50. SP7 leaves at 22:40 and arrives at 06:27. Those are the railway's times for October 2026.
Which is better, the sleeper bus or the train to Sapa?
The bus is quicker and goes all the way to Sapa town, and you can board at Noi Bai airport. The train takes longer and needs a road transfer at Lao Cai, but you sleep flat in a compartment instead of a bus on mountain bends. If the bends worry you, take the train.
Can you fly from Hanoi to Sapa?
No. Sapa has no airport in service in 2026; the planned Sa Pa airport is still a project. Fly into Noi Bai in Hanoi, where many Sapa buses pick up at the airport itself.
How do I get from Noi Bai airport to Sapa?
Take a bus that picks up at the airport. For October 2026, Sao Viet, HK Buslines, Inter Bus Lines, G8 Sapa Open Tour and several others sold Noi Bai to Sapa directly, in about six hours.
How do I get from Lao Cai station to Sapa?
By shared car or van, from about 175,000₫ and about an hour, with departures listed from 05:30. Lao Cai's route 01 public bus also runs from the station square to the church in Sapa; ask at the station for its current times.
Is there a daytime train from Sapa to Hanoi?
Yes, from Lao Cai: SP8 leaves at 12:05 and arrives in Hanoi at 19:30. For October 2026 departures it cost 202,000₫ to 291,000₫, about half the night train's fare. There was no daytime train from Hanoi to Lao Cai.
How much is a private car from Hanoi to Sapa?
Sold online for October 2026, from about 2,160,000₫ for a three-seat car to about 5,500,000₫ for a nine or ten-seat van, for the whole vehicle.