We booked on the overnight train, and headed to Sapa. Vietnamese sleeper trains are different from Thai, with separate 4 man cabins, and some particularly fine mood-lighting. the beds aren't as big though, and there's actually less privacy, as you aren't provided with the helpful bed-curtain that the thais give us. we arrived in lao cai and 6am, which is, rather excitingly, only 5 minutes away from the chinese border, and hopped on a bus to sapa. again,more lovely mountain scenery during the drive. sapa itself is an absolutely beautiful mountain town, a-run with h'mong tribespeople, who look about as vietnamese as it's possible to look, and constantly try and get you to buy their handicrafts with the ever-effective line of 'you buy from me!' Apart from running away from these particularly persistent women, there isn't
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