Aerial view of terraced tea fields curving beside a hillside resort with pool near Sapa, Vietnam.

Plan · Packing

What to pack for a village trek

A daypack list for three to five days of walking between village houses: shoes that grip wet clay, rain gear that actually helps, and the layers for a cold night on a wooden floor.

Plan my trip Trekking seasons

Footwear first

The single item that decides whether a trek in these hills is pleasant is your shoes. The paths are packed clay, terrace edges, stone steps and forest roots. Dry clay is easy; wet clay is like soap. What you need is a deep, soft-rubber lug pattern, not a stiff boot.

Trail-running shoes or light hiking shoes with aggressive lugs suit most people on all our routes. They dry overnight; leather boots do not.
Ankle boots help if you have weak ankles or a heavy pack, but take longer to dry in a damp village house.
Break them in. At least 40 to 50 kilometres before you fly. New shoes on day two of Hoang Su Phi end treks.
Sandals or flip-flops for the evening and for washing. Shoes come off at the door of every house.
Two pairs of quick-dry socks per day in the wet season, plus leech socks for Nam Ha and Mondulkiri after rain.

Rubber boots?

Local farmers wear cheap rubber boots in the rainy season, and in deep mud they work. For three days of mixed terrain most visitors blister in them; we suggest them only for July and August on forest routes, and they can be bought locally.

The list, by season

Item	Dry season (Oct – Apr)	Wet season (May – Sep)
Daypack	20–30 litres with hip belt	Same, with a pack liner or dry bags inside
Rain gear	Light shell for showers	Breathable jacket plus a poncho over you and the pack
Warm layer	Fleece or light down; essential Dec–Feb	Light fleece for evenings in Sa Pa and Hoang Su Phi
Base layers	2 quick-dry shirts, 1 for sleeping	2–3 quick-dry shirts; cotton never dries
Legs	Trekking trousers	Quick-dry trousers or shorts plus leech socks
Sun	Hat, sunscreen, sunglasses	Hat and sunscreen; the sun is strong between showers
Poles	Recommended for descents	Strongly recommended on clay
Water	1.5–2 litres capacity	1.5–2 litres; more in Mondulkiri and Pu Luong in summer

Your main bag stays at the start hotel or travels by vehicle, depending on the route. You carry only what you need between breakfast and the next house, plus one night's clothes and toiletries where the vehicle cannot reach the village.

Cold homestay nights

Nights are the part most visitors underestimate. Sa Pa town averages a low of 6.2 °C in January, and Luang Namtha, at 552 metres, has recorded 0.4 °C in December. Village houses are wooden, unheated except for the kitchen fire, and often draughty. Hosts provide thick blankets, but you will sleep better with:

A warm layer to sleep in: fleece jacket, thermal leggings, wool socks.
A silk or cotton sleeping-bag liner. It also answers the question of how often blankets are washed.
A warm hat for the evening and early morning.
Earplugs and an eye mask. Roosters do not keep tourist hours.

Sources: Sa Pa climate table (Vietnam Institute for Building Science), via Wikipedia; Luang Namtha climate (FAO 1990–2019), via Wikipedia · checked 2026-10-03.

Homestay and camp kit

Headtorch with spare batteries; power cuts happen and toilets are often outside.
Quick-dry towel; houses may or may not provide one.
Toilet paper and hand sanitiser.
Small power bank; sockets are shared and some forest nights have none.
Basic first aid: blister plasters, painkillers, rehydration salts, any personal medication.
A sarong in Laos and Cambodia, for washing at village water points with some privacy.
A few photos of home. Hosts are curious, and it starts conversations without a shared language.

What not to bring

Heavy cotton clothes and jeans. They stay wet for days.
Expensive jewellery and anything you would hate to lose.
A full-size sleeping bag in warm months; blankets are provided. In December and January on Vietnam routes, a light bag can help if you sleep cold.
Drones, unless you have checked local rules. Border areas in Vietnam are not the place to test them.
Single-use plastic bottles by the dozen. Bring a bottle; we refill it.

Where to go next

Check your month on the trekking seasons page, compare the hardest day of each route on the route table, then pick a trek on the treks page. The region pages, starting with Sa Pa, describe the conditions on the ground.

Plan My Trip

Questions about kit?

Ask in the form. Your guide's advice for your month comes with the trek plan.

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Common questions

Questions travellers ask most

Boots or trail shoes?

Trail shoes with deep soft-rubber lugs suit most people on our routes: they grip wet clay and dry overnight. Boots help weak ankles but stay wet longer.

Do homestays provide bedding?

Yes: a mattress, a mosquito net and blankets. A sleeping-bag liner is still a good idea for comfort and hygiene.

Can we leave luggage somewhere?

Yes. On every route your main bag stays at the start hotel or travels by vehicle. You walk with a daypack.

Do we need leech socks?

On Nam Ha and Mondulkiri after rain, yes. On the Vietnam routes they help in July and August. They are cheap and light.