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| Picture of me taken by my cousin at Muong Hoa Station |
One of the things I looked forward to when we visited Sa Pa, Vietnam is watching the famous monorail train passing by the picturesque mountainside of northern region of the country. The scene is giving Switzerland vibes. TikTok creators who have been in that place say that it is one of the things one must do there.
So, as the person in
charge of preparing our group’s itinerary, I prioritized it as part of our
activity through dining at Viettrekking Coffee and Restaurant during our second
day in that popular town.
I thought I would just
be watching it. When I was standing inside the train heading to Sun World
Fansipan Legend, I realized that I was about to experience a ride and be part
of the view most visitors of the country are excited to behold.
Maybe you are
wondering why I have late realization that Muong Hoa Funicular train that would
bring me and my buddies to Fansipan cable car, and the monorail train which is
a tourist attraction in Sa Pa are one. As the planner, I should be
knowledgeable about it. But, with the days and nights I spent in writing my
autoethnography, my mind was fried that I miss that detail.
Enough of academics. Let’s
focus on something relaxing.
Our group changed
plans on our visit to the Roof of Indochina. We decided to go there during our
first day in Sa Pa as rain could happen the next day based on the weather
forecast. That paid off as there were clear skies when we went up.
Our astonishing journey
to the Fansipan summit started at Sapa Station which serves as the funicular
station. We went inside the Sun World Sa Pa building which is at the heart of
the town to buy tickets. The ticket office of the railway station is located
there.
It was busy when we
arrived at 9:45 in the morning as fellow visitors trooped at the ticket office.
We got our tickets fast. We availed round-trip cable car + Halal buffet + round-
trip Muong Hoa funicular worth 1,250,000 Vietnamese dong.
We walked to the station,
and I cannot help but to marvel on the European interior design of the
building. I saw a pamphlet along our way and I grabbed one. It has background
information about the things we can see in the World’s Leading Natural Landscape
Tourist Attraction.
We arrived at the
station at 9:55 AM as we took our bathroom breaks. We are instructed to prepare
our tickets as the attendants will check on these. If you are planning to
explore Fansipan Legend, secure your tickets as the QR codes will be scanned
for you to be accommodated. Take a photo of it as well as it can be used as an alternative
if you lose the physical copy.
The train just arrived.
After a minute, the gantry opened. We went on the train. As there were many
tourists, I had to stand and use a grab handle. Well, it was a favorable as I had
the chance to document the scenic view along our way, and how the train
operates.
Based on the pamphlet,
the Muong Hoa Mountain Railway is considered as the longest and most modern funicular
railway in Vietnam with a length of 1.7 kilometers. The train has a capacity of
up to 200 people per carriage and it can transport up to 2000 passengers per
hour. The railway brings tourists from Sapa Station to Muong Hoa Station which
is the entry point of the Sun World Fansipan Legend.
It was special ride
for me as it was my first time riding a train. I was stunned by the way the
railway was installed. You can see houses nestled at the mountainside. Seeing
greenery is a delight. Coniferous trees are standing tall and the villages we
passed by are covered by plants and grass. There are also terraces that are
vital in agricultural activities of the H’Mong people which give tourists a
hint of idyllic life there. We passed by a tunnel that has colorful murals.
There is nothing to
worry about ventilation as ceiling fans are available. They were oscillating that
time. I noticed that windows were also open at that time which gave us the mountain
breeze.
We were welcomed by
the flowers thriving at Muong Hoa Station. We traveled for less than ten
minutes. We alighted the train and our group opted to take pictures with the
vintage funicular train. The bright red, European- styled train is a perfect vacation
photo background.
The Muong Hoa Station
makes you feel that you are in Europe. I love its architectural design, especially
the floor which appears like a chessboard.
We spent the whole day
at the Sun World Fansipan Legend. We bought magnets and souvenirs in the
shopping center before boarding the funicular train at 4 PM. We were advised to
arrive at the Sun Plaza before 5.
As I was exhausted, I failed
to document our journey back to Sa Pa Station. I looked at the mountainside,
and I saw people dining at a coffee and restaurant holding their phones
documenting our ride. We waved at them as if we were too visible inside the
train. We are part of TikTok contents of those diners.
As there were changes
in our itinerary, we did not push our dining in the Viettrekking Coffee and
Restaurant. We missed the chance of watching the funicular train passing by the
valley of Sa Pa, but it is all right as we had the opportunity to try the
train.
The Muong Hoa funicular
railway puts tourists in cinematic mode. The slow train speed gives everyone a
chance to
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