The Silver Waterfall
Beside the road, 12 km from Sapa.
Kiếm Anh — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Dansapa — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Liftold (thảo luận) — CC BY 3.0 · Liftold (thảo luận) — CC BY 3.0
O Quy Ho is the longest mountain pass in Vietnam: close to 50 kilometres of National Road 4D crossing the Hoang Lien Son range between Sapa in Lao Cai province and Tam Duong in Lai Chau. Near the provincial border the road reaches about 2,000 metres; the watershed's official name is Tram Ton pass, and locals call the top Cong Troi, the Gate of Heaven. The Sapa side is the one most visitors drive. About 12 kilometres from town the road passes the Silver Waterfall (Thac Bac), falling down the rock beside the road, and then the Tram Ton ranger station, one of the starting points of the hiking route up Fansipan. Above it, viewpoints look across the folds of the range, and at sunset cloud often fills the valleys below. The weather turns fast: in winter the Sapa side gets cold wind and fog, and in cold snaps the top can be covered in ice, while summer is hot and dry on the Lai Chau side. The road is steep, with sharp bends and drops, so hire a car with a driver rather than riding a motorbike yourself, and avoid it after dark or in thick fog.
Beside the road, 12 km from Sapa.
The top of the pass at the border.
With cloud filling the valleys.
National Road 4D, northwest of Sapa toward Lai Chau
The road is steep, with sharp bends, frequent fog and trucks, so riders without mountain experience are better off hiring a car with a driver and avoiding the road at night or in fog.