Vietnam Ep 1 - We went to the SUMMIT of VIETNAM !!! - Hanoi, Sapa, Fansipan

This is episode 1 of crossing Vietnam from North to South.
After arriving in Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam and visiting Ngoc Son Temple on Lake Hoan Kiem [1] we headed to Sapa in our first sleeping bus. We stayed in Mega View Homestay, a place I would definitely recomment for its cheap prices, epic views of the valley and tasty breakfasts !
The next day we undertook our first hike, in the Muong Hoa ricefield valley.
Despite the already harvested rice (mid-october is a bit late to get the best of this area), the valley and the landscapes it offered were gorgeous. We saw the water buffaloes and ducks bathing graciously ! To walk back, we had to cross Cat Cat village, a nice village but quite transformed by mass tourism, I think it has lost its authenticity quite a bit, especially when you see fake bamboo mills spinning aimlessly. However we did admire the beautiful H'mong dresses [2] [3].
The evening was dedicated to spending the night out with awesome travelers we met on the way and then playing billiard, a game the vietnamese really hold to their hearts.
The day after, we headed to the summit of Vietnam: Mount Fansipan or Phan Xi Păng at 3143m above sea level. Since the hike up requires a guide and costs from 60 to 80 Euros, we decided to take the train (6 Euros) and cable car (30 Euros). It took us about 1h30-2hrs to get to Mount Fansipan and then an additional hour to walk up all the steps while admiring the sights. The full hike from the bottom takes approximately 7 hours. After gazing in awe at the Great Amitabha Buddha Statue [info from pannel] and talking about the religious beliefs in Vietnam [4], we arrived at the very top of Vietnam !
After descending and spending one last night in Sapa we headed for our bus to a town called Muong Kim, located further south. However, we never arrived there...
00:12-00:30 Arrival
00:30-01:15 Hanoï
01:15-01:58 Ngoc Son Temple on Lake Hoan Kiem
01:58-02:30 Bus ride to Sapa
02:30-03:06 Arrival in Sapa
03:06-03:31 Preparing for the hike
03:31-05:59 The hike
05:59-06:29 The H'mong ethnic minority
06:30-07:38 Night out, restaurant and billiard
07:39-08:00 Alpine train ride
08:00-08:43 Our first selfie-park !
08:43-09:31 Sketchy cable car ride
09:31-10:24 Phan Xi Păng (Fansipan)
10:24-11:16 The Great Amitabha Buddha Statue and vietnamese religion
11:16-11:51 The summit of Vietnam
11:51-12:55 Lunchtime !
12:55-End Way down, end
Music (Epidemic Sounds):
Indulgence - Alec Slayne
Cherry Breath
Wandering Nomad - Cody Francis
Origami Voyage - Mandala Dreams
Smoove - Jobii
Kimono Of Tears
The Misty Mountains - Hampus Naeselius
Immovable As The Mountain - Yi Nantiro
Shibuya Bullet Train - baegel
Bibliography:
[1] vi.wikipedia.o...
[2] fr.wikipedia.o...
[3] horizon.docume...
[4] en.wikipedia.o...