When traveling to Sapa and have visited familiar places like the stone church, Ham Rong mountain, if you don’t know where to go next, Cuong will suggest you a tourist destination near Sapa town, very easy to reach with plenty of picturesque spots, rich cultural identity, and famous specialties. Where could be so magical? That is Cat Cat Sapa village.

1. Where is Cat Cat Sapa village located?

From the center of Sapa town, following the road towards Fansipan mountain for about 3km, you will reach Cat Cat village. Cat Cat village is located in San Sa Ho commune, Sapa district, Lao Cai province, where many ethnic Hmong people live. Compared to other villages like Ta Van, Ta Phin, Cat Cat is closer to Sapa town, only 3 km away and easier to reach. That’s why Cat Cat attracts many visitors to explore during their Sapa trip.

The village is named Cat Cat because in the early 20th century, the French discovered the magnificent beauty of this place and chose it as a resort for high-ranking officials. The French named this place Cat Cat because there is a very beautiful waterfall in the village called CatScat in French.

Located at the foot of Hoang Lien Son mountain, Cat Cat village hides itself, nestled under the embrace of Mother Nature. The whole green color of the fields, hills covering the entire village, interspersed with small houses of the local people. Everything blends together, creating a colorful and romantic natural picture. 

2. Directions to Cat Cat Village, Sapa

There are 3 ways for you to travel from Sapa town to Cat Cat village: by taxi, by motorbike, and on foot.

2.1 Hire a motorbike taxi

If you don’t have a motorbike (Cuong thinks this is the majority case because most people usually take the train or bus to Sapa) or are afraid of getting lost in a new place, especially if it’s your first time traveling to Sapa, you can take a motorbike taxi to Cat Cat village. At locations like in front of the stone church in Sapa, or at the Sapa bus station, there are always many motorbike taxis available. It only costs about 40,000 VND for one way or 70,000 VND for a round trip to get to Cat Cat village.

2.2 Rent a motorbike and go on your own

If you want to be independent and comfortable exploring the road to Cat Cat village, then you should rent a motorbike. With prices ranging from 80,000 to 150,000 VND, you can rent a motorbike for a day. For those with good riding skills and sometimes want to stop by the roadside to take photos when unexpectedly encountering beautiful scenes, renting a motorbike and going on your own will be very convenient. Cuong finds the road to Cat Cat village not difficult to ride, with fewer rocks and bumps compared to the roads to Ta Van or Ta Phin villages. The road is also quite short, only 3 km, so Cuong thinks for experienced backpackers, it’s just a small matter like a bunny hopping around.

2.3 Renting a bicycle

Another interesting option you can experience is cycling. The distance from Sapa town to Cat Cat village is only about 3 km and the road is not too difficult, so cycling is a quite ideal choice. Many guesthouses and hotels in Sapa town offer bicycle rental services. The rental price usually ranges from 120,000 VND to 150,000 VND per day.

2.4 And finally, walking or trekking

I see many Western backpackers choose this way to go from Sapa town to Cat Cat village. Along the way to the village, I encounter many groups of Western friends walking to Cat Cat village. This is a great way to improve physical fitness, enjoy the scenery, and it’s very economical, completely free, without spending money on motorbike taxis or bicycle rentals, right!

Walking is not a bad choice at all because on the road from Sapa town to Cat Cat village, you will be mesmerized by the vast and majestic landscapes, with high mountain ranges on one side and the picturesque Sapa valley on the other, with terraced fields stretching endlessly. Moreover, as the road to the village is located at a higher position, you can also have a panoramic view of Cat Cat village from above, with houses nestled closely together, blending with grass, trees, and flowers. If you have time, visit the lookout tower at the entrance of Cat Cat village to capture the entire village from above.

Finally, if you join a Sapa tour in a group, the travel company will arrange transportation to take you to the tourist spots in Sapa. Nowadays, tourist vehicles from provinces cannot travel deep into the village, so you will have to walk about 1 km from the drop-off point to the village.

3. Ticket Prices for Visiting Cat Cat Village in Sapa

When you arrive, you have to buy tickets, each ticket costs 70k for adults and 30k for children. The ticket inspection team is very strict, no one can enter without a ticket. Stone steps help you descend to the village quickly. 

At the ticket counter, there are many maps available. You can take one for free, and it is very useful. It includes all the famous attractions in Cat Cat village and directions – very helpful for your exploration, especially if you are unfamiliar with the area and have never been to Cat Cat village before.

4. When is the best time to visit Cat Cat Village in Sapa?

The answer is that any season is good, each season has its own charm. In spring, you can admire the cherry blossoms, plum blossoms blooming brightly around the village, extremely graceful and beautiful. Especially at the famous Cat Cat waterfall area in the village, you will have beautiful selfie photos next to the white waterfall and thousands of forest flowers blooming in various colors. In summer, the season of bright yellow mustard flowers, against the deep green background of the grass, will make you extremely delighted in front of the vast fields of mustard flowers that seem to sparkle in the sunlight.

Autumn with ripe golden rice fields, cool weather, and rushing waterfalls around the island will create a dreamy, attractive, and romantic space. In winter, Cat Cat village is immersed in ice and white snow. This is also a famous destination to admire beautiful snow in Sapa today, with misty clouds, and white snow covering a whole area creating a fairyland amidst the human world.

5. Once you arrive at Cat Cat village in Sapa, let’s explore with Cuong!

After passing through the gate leading to Cat Cat village, you will walk through a stone-paved road to enter the village. On both sides of the road are rows of stalls selling handicrafts. The H’Mong people are very honest, not deceitful, they sell their goods without using aggressive sales tactics, and their invitations are very normal, not overly insistent like in other tourist areas. Their simple and sincere invitations will leave an impression on you. 

Each successive step leads down to small thatched cottages. Here, you can stop to take photos, capturing the panoramic view of the valley from above. Along the way, there are many cultural houses, preserved to recreate the daily life and activities for tourists to gain a better understanding of the Hmong people. All are made of wood, leaves, and earth, making you more interested in this place, feeling like stepping into a real house of the ethnic people.

Next, there is a slightly sloping hill with a flower garden, passing through the gate leads to this area. There, you can capture the panoramic view of the valley, which is extremely beautiful. The flowers with various colors are suitable for photography and admiring the beautiful scenery. There is also a hanging bridge, a hut resembling a windmill, where many photos are preserved as memories of the journey to explore Cat Cat village. 

Following the steep stone path down, after more than a hundred stone steps, you will hear the sound of rushing water. Stepping down below, you will see a stream of pure white water flowing vigorously. During the rainy season, the water may appear slightly murky due to soil erosion, but it still captivates you. If you want to capture the panoramic view of the waterfall, you should stand from a high point to capture the entire flow of the waterfall. Or capture the image on the bridge crossing both sides, trying to include the two ends of the waterfall to make the photo even more beautiful. 

Next to that, you can walk to the area in the middle of the waterfall along a rugged bamboo path to take photos with 3 wooden water mills. However, you should be careful because this path can be slippery when wet and the water flowing down from the waterfall can make it very slippery. On that day, Cuong saw many people renting traditional ethnic costumes and skillfully climbing up to the middle of these bamboo bridges to take photos. The scene was truly picturesque with the 3 giant water mills, the swaying bamboo bridges over the Hoa stream, the rushing water down the rocks below creating a majestic natural landscape, overall very impressive. Visiting Cat Cat village without taking photos in this area would truly be a waste of the whole trip!

Cat Cat Village has nearly 80 households, mostly located along the stone steps in the village, with some scattered on the mountain slopes. The central area of Cat Cat Village, which is also a popular spot for young people to take trendy photos, is where three streams converge day and night: Tien Sa stream, Gold stream, and Silver stream, along with the roaring Cat Cat waterfall (also known as Tien Sa waterfall) with its white foamy water. Next to the waterfall, there are two suspension bridges, Si bridge and A Lu bridge, attracting many tourists to admire the scenery and take memorable photos.

The Cat Cat waterfall flows straight down from top to bottom. The water flows strongly, shooting small streams of water near the standing area. If you are a nature lover, enjoy a little mischief, you will have beautiful photos here. This waterfall was discovered by the French and named CatScat waterfall. 

Furthermore, this waterfall is also known by the name Fairy Waterfall. To explain this name, let’s explore a folklore story preserved and told by the local people with Cuồng. In the past, near the waterfall, there were fairies living, and according to another legend, on beautiful moonlit nights, fairy maidens descended here to bathe and wash their hair, hence the name Fairy Waterfall.

Stepping up from the waterfall, you will see a small house specifically used for organizing cultural performances. There are about 6 performances organized for tourists to visit and admire each day. Here, Mông girls and boys perform ethnic cultural arts similar to the cultural house performances at Ham Rong Mountain. 

This house used to be a place where the French colonialists vacationed and built a hydroelectric dam. Immersing yourself in the dances and music here will bring a joyful atmosphere to all tourists when visiting Cat Cat village. You can join in the traditional Sapa dance with the young H’Mong men and women.

See more:

Extremely Detailed Review of 20 Sapa Tourist Destinations for First-Time Sapa Visitors

Top Most Prominent Tourist Attractions in Sapa

6. Seven exciting experiences not to be missed when visiting Cat Cat Sapa

6.1 Admire the terraced fields

Terraced fields are a unique form of agriculture practiced by the people in the Northwest region of Vietnam, including Sapa, Lao Cai. On the way to Cat Cat village and even when entering the village, you will be amazed by the breathtaking terraced fields that undulate like green silk strips embracing the hillsides and mountains. In the distance, there is the deep green color of the mountains. It all looks like a desert painting, depicting the harmonious beauty of the mountains and water in this region.

I am extremely fond of admiring the terraced fields at two different times of the year. In April and May, it is the season when people pour water into the fields. The terraced fields resemble large silver mirrors, reflecting the green grass, trees, clouds, and mountains. In the autumn, around August and September, it is the season when the rice turns golden. Everywhere is covered in the golden color of ripe rice, just looking at it makes you feel full. These terraced fields have been there for many years, all meticulously created by the hands of the Dao, Mong, Ha Nhi, Giay people…

6.2 Explore the traditional handicraft village in Cat Cat

Aside from growing rice, the Mong people in Cat Cat also develop traditional handicrafts such as growing flax, weaving fabric, making household tools, and forging agricultural tools. In addition, in Cat Cat village, there is also the craft of making silver and copper jewelry, creating exquisite products like necklaces, bracelets, belts, rings… To learn about these crafts, you can visit the traditional handicraft village with areas showcasing hand embroidery, craft introductions… which are truly unique. 

Silver crafting

The craft of making jewelry from silver and bronze has been around for a long time, producing exquisite products. The silver crafting process involves many stages. First, the Hmong people put the silver in a pot on a charcoal stove and heat it until it melts, then pour it into a mold. After the silver cools down, they take it out and use a hammer to shape it, forging it into various sizes and shapes such as long, short, square, triangle, round, flat, or pulling it into threads. Next, they smooth it out and if decoration is needed, they use nails to engrave patterns, creating raised or sunk designs before shaping the final product. Finally, they polish it to make it smooth, white, and shiny. The silver crafting products in Cat Cat are very diverse and exquisite, especially women’s jewelry such as necklaces, bracelets, belts, and rings.

Batik

Brocade is woven by skilled artisans of the Mong ethnic group with four main colors: green, red, white, and yellow, featuring unique patterns and artistic designs. These eye-catching brocade pieces are displayed for sale at markets, traditional brocade stalls will help you broaden your horizons and choose gifts for your loved ones. Visit souvenir shops, pick out a bag, bracelet, wallet for yourself…

Rest assured, you will have unique accessories when you arrive in the city and continue your daily life. When strolling through the market of the H’mong people in Cat Cat village, Cuong was amazed by the vibrant colors of the dresses worn by the H’mong women and girls, feeling like being lost in a flower forest with a variety of products on display.

Weaving linen fabric

The Cat Cat village is famous for its traditional crafts that have been preserved through generations, among which handwoven linen fabric is the most special handmade product that you can choose as a gift for your loved ones.

By learning about the linen weaving process, you will see the meticulous and elaborate work of the ethnic people to create these clothing sets. Ramie plants, cotton plants, and linen are harvested from the forest and used to make these clothing sets, while silk from silkworms is used for embroidery. To create colors for the outfits, yellow is obtained from turmeric, black from forest leaves, red and brown from tree bark, and green from indigo leaves, creating a refreshing color palette for the clothes. Cat Cat village is also famous for its indigo dyeing technique, which you will see when exploring the area.

If you visit the central market, you can easily spot the unique and exquisite linen fabric woven by skilled artisans with various new patterns. When visiting the homes of the indigenous people, you will often see images of ethnic mothers sitting by the loom, skillfully weaving colorful fabrics. They not only showcase excellent craftsmanship but also serve as meaningful gifts that convey the sentiments of the Northwest people to your loved ones.

Weaving

The brocade weaving in Cat Cat village is a wonderful highlight that creates the diversity and uniqueness of the traditional crafts of the Northwest mountainous region. The brocade products and household tools created by artisans in the village will make you extremely excited and amazed by the sophistication, skillfulness, and uniqueness of the people here.

6.3 Explore the unique festivals, customs, and practices of the ethnic people

When visiting Cát Cát, you also have the opportunity to experience and explore the customs, traditions, and the beauty of religious beliefs of the local people. You can immerse yourself in the gentle dances of the beautiful Hmong girls, or the melodious tunes of the Hmong boys. In the evening at Cát Cát village, Cuồng and his group of friends joined the locals in a traditional dance called “sạp”. You may have seen this dance performed at cultural centers, community events, or on television, but have you ever tried it yourself? Have the confidence to join in the dance with the locals and discover the hidden agility within your body. You will truly feel closer and more connected to the ethnic boys and girls, who always have bright smiles on their faces.

If you visit Cat Cat village at the beginning of the new year, you can participate in the Gau Tao festival to pray for blessings, luck, and to ward off all illnesses of the Mong ethnic people. Or you can wander around the market and visit various stalls to enjoy famous specialties such as corn wine, corn cakes, smoked buffalo meat, chicken blood pudding, frog cooked with bamboo shoots, corn cakes, soybeans… These are typical dishes of the Northwest people. 

If you’re lucky, you may still encounter on the road the scene of H’Mong boys looking for wives. The traditional custom of H’Mong people attracting a lot of attention. This is a generations-old tradition of the H’Mong people. 

When a young man falls in love with a girl, he will prepare a feast and invite friends to bring the girl home for 3 days. If the girl agrees to be his wife, the young man will hold an official wedding ceremony. The wedding ceremony according to tradition can last from 2 to 7 days. But if the girl does not agree, they will drink a bowl of wine together as friends and return to normal. 

And to develop the tourism potential of Cat Cat village, Lao Cai has implemented additional special programs such as: “Mong Cultural Festival in Cat Cat village”, experience program “A day as a Mong farmer” or “A day as a Mong bride” will give you the opportunity to experience the life of the local ethnic people… During these festivals, you will witness traditional dances, listen to smooth melodious songs; watch artisans carving silver, weaving linen, embroidering brocade, forging knives and hoes; or join the locals in archery competitions, blindfolded goat catching, tug of war, crossing the bamboo bridge over the stream… promising to bring many interesting experiences. When traveling to Sapa with your friends, invite everyone to immerse themselves in the spring festival of the Mong people, with traditional games like swinging, tug of war… the whole group will definitely have a fun day, organizations will have a more enjoyable teambuilding trip and contribute to enhancing solidarity. 

6.4 Transform into ethnic boys and girls

Another fun experience when visiting Cat Cat village is trying on the traditional costumes of the H’Mong people. People from the lowlands are often intrigued to try on the attire of those from the highlands. The woven costumes with earthy colors are very eye-catching. Wearing these outfits and taking souvenir photos is a favorite activity for many young people visiting Sapa. When visiting Cat Cat village, Cuong and his friends rented costumes from H’mong girls and took photos in the area of thatched huts and yellow mustard flower fields. Indeed, in Cat Cat village, every meter you walk, you can capture hundreds of memorable photos for your check-in, feel free to post on Facebook. Or you can wait until evening and immerse yourself in the lively traditional dance of the H’Mong boys and girls at the cultural house area. Cuong guarantees you will have a night full of laughter and truly feel like a local.

In the area of Cat Cat village, there are many places where you can rent beautiful traditional costumes. The types of costumes here are quite diverse, so you can freely choose the outfit you like. For someone from the lowlands like Cuong, it’s rare to see ethnic costumes, so everything looked strange and beautiful that day. Surprisingly, the rental price for each outfit is quite cheap, ranging from 30,000 to 50,000 Vietnamese dong per set. Before renting a costume, make sure to carefully check the clothes. If you find any damage, it’s best to inform the rental person immediately. Otherwise, when you return the outfit after taking photos, if they find any tears, they might blame you for causing the damage while wearing it, crossing streams, or climbing, and you might end up having to pay for it. 

One more thing Cuong wants to remind you is that after renting beautiful ethnic costumes, don’t forget to take photos with the little ethnic children in Cat Cat village. Or you can also visit the school area, listen to the young children studying. The ethnic minority children with innocent smiles, mischievous and playful features, that’s why many travelers to Sapa end up buying “bribes” candies and asking to take pictures with the local children.

6.5 Staying at a homestay in Cat Cat village

According to Cuong, you can spend a day visiting all of Cat Cat village, from the Cat Cat waterfall area to the souvenir market selling local handicrafts. However, for those who have extra time and want to learn more about the local people’s way of life, just one day is not enough. Therefore, you can find homestays in Cat Cat village to stay overnight.

A fun day in Cat Cat village can be tiring, so if you want to stay overnight, you can book homestay accommodation (staying at a local’s house). Cat Cat village is famous for its many homestays with super beautiful views such as H’Mong Cat Cat, Homestay Gem Valley, Chapi Homestay, Art House Homestay, The Have Sapa Camp Site…

Staying in a homestay means staying with a local family, so you will not only experience the life of the people in Cat Cat village but also enjoy many beautiful landscapes. Most homestays in Cat Cat village have beautiful views, so you can freely choose, and no matter which homestay you choose, you will have beautiful check-in photos. 

When visiting Cat Cat village, Cuong stayed at Cat Cat View Hotel, so Cuong will review this homestay for you. Cat Cat View Hotel is known as the best resort paradise in Cat Cat village. The comfortable rooms are located on the hillside with beautiful views and many modern amenities such as elevators, warm stoves… will help you have the best time staying here. Cuong’s room is wooden-floored and decorated with many vases of flowers, looking very elegant and stylish. The room feels very clean, the bed is super comfortable, Cuong slept soundly until morning and then started exploring Cat Cat village again.

6.6 Visiting the homes of ethnic people

At Cat Cat village, there are over 80 stilt houses. Among them are some quite ancient houses with a unique architectural style dating back to the 19th century. Exploring these houses, learning about the daily life, customs, and traditions of the local ethnic people here is truly a fascinating experience. Visit a local family’s house in the evening, sit by the fireplace, drink corn wine, apple wine, and listen to the elders tell old stories. You will surely discover more interesting things about Cat Cat village, the traditions, and culture of the Mong ethnic people.

The architecture of the Mong people in Cat Cat village still retains many ancient features: three-room houses with a roof made of pomu wood. The house frame has three horizontal beams. The columns are placed on round or square stones. The walls are made of split wood, with 3 entrances: the main door in the middle, and 2 side doors at each end of the house. The main door is always closed, only opened for significant events such as weddings, funerals, or ancestral worship during Tet holidays. Inside the house, there is a worship space, a loft for storing food, sleeping area, kitchen, and a guest reception area.

6.7 Enjoying delicious local specialties in Cat Cat Sapa

Corn wine

In Cat Cat village, corn wine, also known as “happy water,” is considered a very popular drink. Corn is boiled in hot water for a long time, causing the grains to burst, then these grains are mixed with yeast and fermented. The fermentation process lasts about 6 days before it can be consumed.

You can easily buy corn wine at the market at a very reasonable price, making it an ideal gift to give to your loved ones after your trip.

Buffalo meat cooked on the kitchen counter

When it comes to the specialty food of Sapa, Cuong is amazed by the spicy taste of chili on the tip of the tongue and the rich flavor of buffalo meat. As one of the most special specialties of Sapa, the pieces of buffalo meat on the stove with a dark brown color are eye-catching, sweet and tender with the distinctive flavor of buffalo meat and the smell of the kitchen smoke will make you constantly amazed by its deliciousness. This will be a great snack for you and your friends when visiting this land of Sapa.

Various fruits

Plums, peaches, and pears from Sapa are the typical fruits that everyone knows. These mountain fruits may not look attractive, but they have excellent quality, with a crispy sweet or refreshing pleasant taste. You can buy them along the road near Sapa church to choose the freshest and cheapest fruits.

Drink apple wine

Apple wine made by the hands of the local people in the village is brewed for only 10,000 VND per cup, and try the distinctive dishes of the local people, especially grilled dishes. If you stay in Cat Cat village in the evening, don’t forget to have a cup of wine with a plate of grilled food and share stories under the sky and sea with your close friends. 

7. Tourist destinations near Cat Cat village in Sapa

7.1 Sin Chai village

Bản Sín Chải is located about 4km north of Cát Cát village, and is the home of the Hmong people living along the road. When visiting Bản Sín Chải, you can explore the tribal houses, watch weavers at work in the workshop, and enjoy traditional music performances.

7.2 Bản Tả Phìn

Bản Tả Phìn is located 10 km north of Sapa, with a picturesque natural landscape, deeply imbued with the cultural identity of the ethnic people, always charming visitors with the rustic, simple yet attractive beauty of Tả Phìn.

After carefully reading Cuồng’s detailed review of Cát Cát village in Sapa, are you inspired to pack your bags and explore this village yet? Cuồng is confident that you won’t regret adding Cát Cát village to your Sapa travel itinerary. Once you reach Cát Cát village, if you want to know where to have fun, where to find delicious food, or where to take beautiful photos, remember to revisit Cuồng’s review. This is the ultimate guide to fully and comprehensively explore Cát Cát village in Sapa. Wishing you a pleasant Sapa trip!