We booked a 2-berth VIP cabin to Sapa from Hanoi directly through VIC Sapa’s website. I think the price was a bit higher than some other operators but the experience was very good. The payment, receiving tickets, and instructions all worked smoothly.

The cabin was simple, but comfortable and clean. We appreciated the water and power outlets provided. Importantly for us, the shared bathroom was quite clean with a sit-down toilet and stocked with toilet paper. We did bring our own hand towel as there was just a single hand towel available in the bathroom.

Overall, we much preferred the train experience traveling to Sapa to taking the bus, despite needing to transfer from Lao Cai to Sapa by taxi/bus. And I think this is because we were able to comfortably spend most of the travel time sleeping thanks to VIC Sapa’s cabin.

Review link: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g311304-d25070205-Reviews-VIC_SAPA_TRAIN-Sapa_Lao_Cai_Province.html