Where to Go Shopping in Sapa

In Sapa, besides days of trekking or climbing to the top of mountains to engross yourself in the scenery that is magnificent and poetic at the same time, you can spend your free time wandering and looking for local goods to bring home for people you care about. There are quite many places that you can go shopping in Sapa. Most of them are markets or small shops. The former will offer you a wider range of goods as in any Sapa market, everything is sold. There are garden-fresh foods, snacks, clothing, souvenirs, etc. You can buy them at quite a reasonable price. Also, if going shopping in markets, you can have a chance to get closed to the locals, talk to them, and emerge yourself in the daily life of the town. Besides markets, you can drop in small shops along the street to buy clothing or souvenirs. These shops are usually elaborately decorated and sell things (mostly clothing or souvenirs) whose quality is a bit better than in markets. Therefore, their products' prices are higher.

According to your demand, you can choose where to go shopping. To surprise your friends and family with special gifts from Sapa, let's check out the top 6 best shopping places below. They are such must-visit markets and shops that sell a great deal of distinctive and amazing traits of the tradition in Northern Vietnam.

1. Sapa Market

Sapa has several different markets but the main one, organized every Sunday at the main square, must be the most must-visit attraction. From early morning, streets in downtown in Sapa are full of Red Dao and Hmong people heading to the market. They stay here until late afternoon to buy and sell goods, socialize and unwind with each other after hard-working days.

To visit Sapa main market, you just need to walk through Sapa stone church for a few minutes, turn right and you will immediately see this bustling area. Outside the market are groceries, fresh produce, flowers, and ethnic fabrics. Inside the market, there are lots of mountain fruits such as plum, peach, pear, and apricot. Additionally, on the right side, there are trinkets, which are a kind of ethnic silver jewelry, natural honey, and medical herbs. And if you are a foodie, you should try some traditional food here like horse soup, steamed corn wheat, or corn wine. It will give you an off-the-beaten-track experience. You should also buy some snacks to eat while talking to your companies or watching TV at night. Foods, especially dried ones, are recommended as a gift for your friends from the trip.

2. Sun Plaza

While the Sapa market is a traditional residential trading place where the locals gather every week, Sun Plaza is more like a tourist spot that is elaborately decorated for tourists from all over the world to come and sightsee. Located in the center of Sapa town, Sun Plaza is conspicuous in green and yellow with the classical European style of architecture. This shopping mall was once called a splendid construction of Paris due to its impressive appearance. Therefore, it will be great to take some check-in photos in front of it.

However, don't just snap outside. Getting in, you will be even more surprised. The mall includes a large number of kiosks. Each sells a different kind of products; thus offering a wide range of choices for tourists coming here. Significant products are clothes, textiles, souvenirs, etc. These are of great quality and variety in type, color, as well as shape. Due to the mall's ideal location and fascinating style, the products here will cost you a bit more expensive than in Sapa Market. However, it is worth it when you can both buy things and take great photos for your travel collection.

One more thing about Sun Plaza is the Sapa Station. That a railway station is built inside a shopping mall sounds crazy and interesting at the same time. This Sapa station is for the train that takes tourists to the top of Muong Hoa mountain. If interested, you can buy a ticket and have your trip start right away.

3. Indigo Cat Shop

If you are into well-made handicrafts and looking for some shops selling them, Indigo Cat Shop is a good idea. The shop itself was, at the time it opened, the first 100% Hmong-owned in Sapa. Here, you can buy some blankets, scarves, backpacks, or fabric-made souvenirs like stuffed animals. The special thing about these products is that they use fabric made by the local families and are genuinely manufactured by hand, from homegrown hemp to traditional batik or handmade embroidery. This brings the spiritual culture of the Hmong people to each product and also helps the local families as well as artisans to earn their living. Therefore, by buying things from Indigo Cat, you will not only have meaningful gifts for your friends and family but also have a positive impact on the local minority communities, create a better life for them and their families. The products' prices are quite reasonable compared to handmade ones'. To get to the shop, you can go to no.046, Fansipan Str., Sapa. If your want to buy things online during the pandemic, you can navigate to their website for online order.

4. Lan Anh Shop

Like Indigo Cat, Lan Anh shop sells pretty handicrafts for tourists that are looking for souvenirs. Here, you can find a variety of things such as bags (both big or small), tapestries, coasters, pillowcases, blankets, throw pillows, home accessories, native pants, blouses, etc. All of them are tribal handmade products that are designed and made by the owner. These are also of great quality and variety in shape, color, and pattern. Therefore, you can freely choose the one that you like or is the most suitable for your friends and family. The price here is reasonable. Besides, there are usually discounts for tourists. One more thing about Lan Anh Shop is that it is decorated well with light and accessories; therefore, it can be an ideal place to check-in. Also, the owner of this Sapa shop, as its name suggests, is Lan Anh. She is pretty nice and accommodating. If you have any questions about the product, what to buy for your friends, family, you can ask her so that she can give you some helpful advice. To get to Lan Anh Shop to buy handicrafts and souvenirs, you can go to no.021, Fansipan Str., Sapa.

5. Hieu Stone

As its name suggests, Hieu Strone is a shop in Sapa that makes and sells carved stones as souvenirs. On visiting Cat Cat Village, you will once come across a little shop with artworks made from stone. Then, you should stop to drop by it as here is the place of talented and friendly people. You can easily see the shop's owner, also called Hieu, carving the stone. His work is so genuine and minutious that you can't even stop marveling at it. If you have any questions about the artworks, how to make them, you can be offered a cup of tea by Hieu and hear about his great passion of stone carving. The story is so inspiring that after hearing it, you will really admire his effort and have your motivation in your work later.

Of course, the artworks that are made of 100% love, passion, and meticulousness always have great beauty. You can choose to buy some decorative pieces of his work. The price will be quite high but it is worth it when you spend money on both stunning products and an inspiring story. This can make your experience in Sapa even warmer. One thing to take note of is that some other people and various shops around are imitating Hieu's artwork, so please check his shop carefully.

6. Linh Handicraft

Also located in Cat Cat Village, Linh Handicraft sells handmade products for tourists that come here. The products sold here include mostly clothes, bags, and also some books. The style of them is really unique and environmentally friendly; therefore, it is quite meaningful if you buy some things from here. The shop is also decorated in quite an interesting style, so you can take some photos to check-in. Besides, the price is reasonable. Therefore, you can buy everything that you like with just a moderate amount of money. There are also workshops for tourists can experience the work of making clothes on their own with eco-friendly material. To go to Linh Handicraft to get yourself pretty handmade clothes, you can arrive at Cat Cat village, Sapa.

Above are our recommendations on where to go shopping in Sapa. For more detailed information, you can contact us through our website or call (+84) 4 3624-9007. We are always available to help you. Wish you have a great vacation and unforgettable shopping experience in Sapa.

Duc Anh Tran

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