Visit to Ma Tra village - A new destination in Sapa, Vietnam

Ma Tra Village is home to the H’mong and Red Zao. It lies some kilometers east of Sapa town lies a large oval-shaped valley. Following the main road from Sapa to Lao Cai for 4km. Tourists can enjoy the panorama view of the whole valley, stretching for about 12 Km with some low hills in the middle to divide the valley into two parts. The closer part to the road is the area of Ma Tra Village; the further one is Ta Phin village where the Red Zao and Black H’mong share the land.


The H’mong people occupy the higher land on which they built narrow terraced rice paddies while the Red Zao cultivate larger and flat fields around the center of the valley. From over 10 years ago, a 15km motorway was built to connect the center of the valley with Sapa town and it takes only half an hour. However, it is much more interesting to follow the trail which run on high elevation around the valley for a real-life discovery.

Travelers who prefer a less commercial track and wants to explore Vietnam’s ethnic mountainous life will appreciate the village’s spectacular landscapes and exotic lifestyle when coming to Ma Tra Village. Here, locals survive by weaving brocade, silk, forging farming tools, carving silver and other traditional crafts. The hamlet also has an art troupe, including folk artisans and those who have a thorough knowledge of the locality’s history, custom and tourist attractions.

The entire Sapa District is dominated by the Hoang Lien Son Mountain Range which boasts Vietnam’s highest mountain of Fansipan at a height of 3,142 meters above sea level. Following the main road from Sapa to Lao Cai for 4km, one can enjoy the panorama view of the whole valley, stretching for about 12 Km with some low hills in the middle to divide the valley into two parts. The closer part to the road is the area of Ma Tra Village  and the further one is Ta Phin village. Though faster and better routes were established over time, many still prefer to follow the trail which run on high elevation around the valley for a real-life discovery. This increased the appreciation of the valley and Ma Tra village in particular.


Locals in the village generally only weave and create handicrafts for their personal consumption. Recently, as visitors to the village continue to grow, they are beginning to increase their production and sell some of their items on the town’s main street.

When traveling to Sapa and taking the trail to witness Ma Tra Village, make sure to take reliable walking shoes, raincoats, jackets, torch, insect repellent and all necessities for trekking. Some travelers also opt to spend overnight in the area by doing homestays. This is a great way to interact with the ethnic people.

Ma Tra Village is one of a few villages perching on the most beautiful and silent terrace valley in Sapa. There are nearly fifty households residing in the villages and most of them are the Mong’s (also living the Red Zao). You can visit the H’mong’s small primary school to meet little and pretty children and their rudimentary classes, sightsee lots of beautiful views on your way exploring this new village and enjoy the panorama of the whole valley. Ma Tra Village is also a must-go for its preserved culture and customs. Though the development and modernizing policies applied in the land, it is reserved with traditional folk art, including it exotic and beautiful traditional songs and dance, folk instrument performances. Additionally, Ma Tra Village is worth a visit for experiencing its traditional crafts like silver carving, forging, weaving and brocade production especially linen items.

To reach Ma Tra Village, you first have to go to Sapa town then spend a day discovering Ma Tra Village and other villages in Sapa. Thanks to the modern transportation system, nowadays, visitors can easily go to Sapa Vietnam in many ways such as going by coach or by train (depending on your choice)

By train: Most tourists arrive in Lao Cai, the province to which Sapa Vietnam belongs, by train (read more about the train from Hanoi to Sapa) and it is definitely an impressive ride. The train leaves Hanoi train station in the evening and arrives in Lao Cai train station in the early morning. From Lao Cai train station to Sapa is another hour bus ride, which gives your eyes a massage with the endless blue sky and colorful terraced paddy field. The road is curved around the mountain and you will just go from one surprise to another. The further you go, the closer you are to the sky and to nature.

By car: Another convenient transportation when coming to Sapa Vietnam is going through the highway by car or coach arranged by VietnamSpiritTravel, which is always available during the day and take fewer hours than going by train. But be warned the mountain roads can be extremely dangerous.

Upon arrival in Sapa town, after check-in and relaxation, you can kick off your Ma Tra Village exploration. Lying about 4 km from the center of Sapa town, you can go to Ma Tra village by some ways such as Sapa land, Jeep, or motorbike. You can even rent a motorbike then head to Ma Tra Village on your own. But remember that the road in Sapa is a little difficult to go if you are not native people here. For more safety, you can go by Sapa land or Jeep. 


Ma Tra is one of a few villages perching on the most beautiful and silent terrace valley in Sapa, an interesting tourist area for both domestic and international tourists when coming to Sapa Vietnam. For the best trekking trip in Sapa, this village is definitely a must.