About Topas in Vietnam

Danish company Topas Travel was set up in 1973 with the aim of offering authentic tourism experiences off the beaten track. Topas Travel seeks to provide unique, sustainable and culturally sensitive tours for those with a sense of adventure and willingness to venture away from mass tourism and discover the true culture and people of a destination.

The journey of Topas Travel into Vietnam started in the early 1990s, when the company joined forces with a local family in the Sapa region to organise treks in the mountains. Since those beginnings, Topas Travel Vietnam has grown to provide adventurous tours and treks throughout the country that offer visitors a rustic experience and a taste of the real Vietnam.

 

Spanning the length of the country from the lush waterways of the Mekong Delta, to the imposing mountains and gentle valleys in the far north of Vietnam, our tours aim to give visitors a real sense of the country’s awe-inspiring natural scenery and diverse people and cultures.

From a hiking, kayaking or mountain biking adventure deep into the countryside to an overnight stay with a local family or a day trip to a remote village, we aim to provide experiences that are active, genuine and truly memorable.

Topas Riverside Lodge

Topas Riverside Lodge is a simple, rustic lodge that offers overnight stays deep in Sapa valley on the edge of a Red Dao minority village. The lodge is far enough away from the main tourist areas of Sapa to allow a unique and authentic experience and provides a peaceful retreat in the mountains where guests can escape the crowds and immerse in nature.

The hospitable owners ensure guests are comfortable and well-fed on local specialities, and arrange guided walks to the nearby village of Nam Cang and into the surrounding jungle.

The lodge’s setting, next to a pretty river and surrounded by verdant jungle, is the ideal place to relax whilst discovering more about the life of Vietnam’s ethnic minority people who inhabit the mountainous northern region and experience some of their unique customs and ways of life first hand.

Topas Sports

The sport’s department of Topas Travel Vietnam specialises in organising competitive sports events in remote and beautiful locations.

Our annual mountain trail running event, Vietnam Mountain Marathon (VMM), has been held since 2013. The event has grown to attract the participation of thousands of runners from Vietnam and overseas who take to the trails in the area around Topas Ecolodge over distances of 10km, 15km, 21km, 42km, 70km and 100km. From just 200 runners in 2013, to over 2,600 in 2017, VMM is now a major trail running event in Southeast Asia.

In 2017 we introduced a second trail running event, Vietnam Jungle Marathon (VJM) in Pu Luong Nature Reserve, an area of outstanding natural beauty not far from Mai Chau. This is a very special trail running experience, where participants can stay overnight in homestays in a local village and race over stunning trails of 25km, 42km and 70km.  

Our third annual event, the Vietnam Mountain Bike Marathon (VMBM), gives ardent mountain bikers the chance to race on the remote and beautiful trails around Topas Ecolodge over three days.

Topas Mountain Express

Our private minibus service the Topas Mountain Express (TME) is available to transport guests in comfort from Hanoi to Topas Ecolodge and Topas Riverside Lodge and back.

Guests are picked up from their hotel on the morning of their tour to arrive at Topas Riverside Lodge or Topas Ecolodge by lunchtime. Wifi and snacks and drinks are provided on both legs of the journey, ensuring a pleasant, convenient and comfortable journey.  

Around two hours into the journey there is a short refreshment break with a chance to use the bathroom facilities. A short video is played during the journey to give information about the Sapa region.