"The climb to the peak is brilliant but hard.

There are comments here about circumventing the rangers and not obtaining a permit/guide.

Don’t do it as the rangers have grown in sophistication, have cameras on the trail and will arrest you if you return to the station to collect scooters/vehicles.

The fine is hefty - we were fined per person- and is due to inexperienced hikers climbing solo and/ or getting lost or injured or some other kind of stupid.

They will and do fine you. It’s not for show! Its real!

Its a technical ( scrambling and some tech descent on the climb) and tough climb and isn’t your average bush walk and whilst we did it in 4.5hrs we were absolutely shattered at the top due to altitude

The trail has bamboo and forest and in contrast to comments here practically no litter or rubbish. Its a great trail for SE Asia.

We are fit and do a lot of canyoning so are used to climbing ladders and root nests etc. ideally you are used to difficult hikes prior to attempting.

Get a guide, pay the permit , carry plenty water and pay the fee and leave very early - ie: give yourself 6+ hrs due to altitude and dizziness as last gondola is 3:30pm in winter and you definitely don’t want to climb back in the dark!"

M vEss

"Review fansipan

The highlight of our Vietnam round trip!

We got picked up by a taxi at the hotel around 4 a.m and arrived at the trailhead around 4:35 a.m. There are three reasons why we went that early and I would definitely recommend to do the same.

1. The early ours often promise better weather and clear views, which was the case here as well. We arrived at the first viewpoint at around 6 am, enjoyed the sunrise and had a little snack. The higher the sun, the more clouds started to form and the less of a view.
2. I wanted to be far from the road and deeper into forest to experience the waking up of the forest. I am doing field recording, why the early morning for me is perfect to capture the sounds of birds and other animals. And there were plenty!!!
3. We did not want to hike with a guide, which is why we wanted to be at the trailhead before the guards arrive. (There is a barrier but you can easily pass by on the side) Apparently they only sell you a permit with a guide, which is kind of unreasonable as the trail is super easy to find, especially if you use maps.me or AllTrails etc. (Helpful but not necessary) Don’t get me wrong, guided tours can be nice, sometimes and we also like to support the locals in Sa Pa by spending money in their businesses or doing a guided tour in The Valley. If you want to do a guided tour, then go for it. It is just absolutely not for us in this context. Also I prefer not to talk during hikes, and enjoy the silence and sounds of nature, which is quite hart to find in Vietnam and believe me, you won’t even have much breath for chatting at the end of the day anyways. Paying a guide which in our case we did not need or want and then having to pay another 800.000 for the cable car down is a rip of in my opinion. I think the municipality or whoever is responsible should rather make people buy permits to support funds for local people and the maintenance of the trail instead of forcing guided tours. No need to be said: please pay utmost respect to the nature and environment. Leave no trace, don’t even move stones if you can as even they are a habitat for many animals. Maybe even pick up some plastic you find on the trail.

About the trail:

The beginning is very easy and Leads through lush forest and amazing streams with flowers and birds (depending on the time and date of course). Very diverse fauna and flora could be found and we were in awe almost the whole time during the first half of the hike.

After around three hours, the second half of the trail leads into more highland area with a lot of bamboo and steep cliffs with stairs and ladders. It is quite tough for the legs but pretty doable until the very last stretch which becomes quite steep and hard. Still we would rate the trail as rather moderate, not super difficult, compared to other trails we did in other places. I think any abled person with good fitness can do it. Just go in your own pace and make breaks when you need it. There is no need to rush."

Tidian Baerens (Tidi)

"This is the starting point for trekking to Fansipan summit. I stoped here to register and buy ticket (you must accompany with a tour guide if you want to trek inside the national park). I bought a 2 day trekking tour from my hotel, abt 2 mil vnd. They also had tours to Fansipan for 1, 3 or 4 days. My tip, if you know a local guide, you can contact them directly and discuss the price with them, they can help you arrange everything with a cheaper price. I visited this place at the first of Dec. It was foggy, cold and had slightly rain. This season was not a good time for trekking, so, i and my guide were the only visitors when we got to the Fansipan peak, so supprise. The hiking is not too difficult but it was a bit slipery, and sometimes need to climb, go up and down. So, you need a good health and be very careful. The nature is great, the landscape is amazing, and animals are lovely. It completely deserves for your effort. Next time i will trek for 3 or 4 days."

Han Nguyen