Lao Cai town, the provincial capital, is both a border town to China – the westernmost crossing open to foreigners via Hekou -- and the gateway to Sapa. If it looks kind of new to you, that’s because it is. The town was largely flattened by the Chinese during their invasion of 1979 and the international border crossing here did not re-open till the early 1990s. What you see today, including many of the glorious concrete egg-carton-style buildings, is just 30 years old. Most visitors spend no longer than an hour or two in Lao Cai town itself, waiting for the train back to Hanoi or a bus out to elsewhere in the province, although an overnight stay may be a welcome break if coming in from China or embarking on a long bus journey.