Love Waterfall

Thac Tinh Yeu lies inside Hoang Lien national park, reached by a path of about a kilometre and a half that follows the Suoi Vang, the Golden Stream, up through bamboo and old forest to a fall of around a hundred metres dropping in a broad fan into a pool. The walk is the better part of the visit, and the same trailhead at Tram Ton is where the traditional trekking route up Fansipan begins - before the cable car, everyone climbing the mountain started here. The legend attached involves a fairy and a woodcutter, in the usual pattern. Flow is much reduced in the dry season.

What you actually see

• A fall of about a hundred metres - dropping in a fan into a pool.
• A walk up the Golden Stream - about a kilometre and a half through forest.
• The old Fansipan trailhead - at Tram Ton, where the trek used to start.
• Flow that drops in the dry season - as with all the Sapa falls.

When to go

May to September for water; September to November for clear weather. Half a day.

Honest expectations

The path is muddy and slippery in most conditions and gets rough near the top. Entry is charged in addition to any park fee. In the dry season the fall is thin. Weather is wet and cold at this altitude.

Nearby

Silver waterfall is down the road; O Quy Ho pass is above.