I found this website very easy and quick to use. The normal soft seats cost 144,000 VND each with a total processing and service fee of 107,000 VND coming to a total of 395,000 VND for two seats. You can't pick your seats however they will always put them together unless the train is nearly full. I would recommend booking a couple of days in advance. Shortly after I received the e-tickets via email which don't need printing out for Vietnam Railways.
The train itself was comfy with aircon however the train is very slow and you'll be counting down the final hours! It's best to take some drinks and food with you as the train trolley is limited and a jacket as it gets a bit cold after a while.
Once you arrive at Lao Cao station you will see only a few minibuses getting offered to you as it is much busier if you get the night train! We read online that it should cost 50,000 VND each, they initially wanted 100,000 VND but we ended up settling for 75,000VND as not many minibuses were left and a taxi would cost a lot more. I'm sure if you push for the lower price they will give in.
The minibus itself was full but we had no issues with the hour drive to Sapa. The drivers are known for crazy driving so expect no difference here. The views on the drive are fantastic and really get you excited for your trip to Sapa! Finally they drop you off by the lake in Sapa and you can reach most hostels/hotels by foot in no more than 15 minutes.
A quick summary of our return trip to Hanoi on the night train. We left booking the train too late and no tickets for sleeper compartments were left. We had no choice but to get the 21.10 train from Sapa to Hanoi in the local carriage with only soft seats! It was a very uncomfortable trip, with lights staying on and people getting on and off. A 'local' experience but I would try and stay away from this and get a bed compartment. It also didn't help we got charged $15 each for tickets by our hotel (double the price).
3 out of 5
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