O Quy Ho Pass, Sapa’s mountain road, is National Highway 4D where it crosses the Hoang Lien Son range into Lai Chau, about 15 km and half an hour by car from town. It tops out at about 2,000 m, and the road itself is free. What costs money are the stops along it: Heaven Gate, the two waterfalls, the Lonely Tree and the Rong May glass bridge.
A view from the top is not guaranteed. On a day of thick cloud you drive into it and see very little, and that is the main thing to plan around. This guide does not cover trekking Fansipan, which starts from the same road and needs a separate two-day trip.
See the pass at the hour the cloud allows
A private car and a licensed local guide, with the tickets paid and the order of the day set by the sky.
★Heaven Gate & Tram Ton Pass, Private Half DayThe ticketed park at the top of the pass, the Tram Ton saddle, the Lonely Tree and Silver Waterfall. · About 4.5 hoursSee the tour →O Quy Ho Pass Sunset Day: Love Waterfall, Glass Bridge and Heaven GateTwo waterfalls, lunch on the pass, the Rong May glass bridge, then Heaven Gate in the late light. · About 9 hoursSee the tour →What O Quy Ho Pass actually is
It is one road with several names. Vietnamese sources call it deo O Quy Ho, the maps and many travel writers call the top section Tram Ton Pass, and you will also see Hoang Lien Pass and Cloud Pass. The whole climb is usually given as about 50 km, running along the northern edge of Hoang Lien National Park and marking the border between Lao Cai and Lai Chau provinces. It is often called one of Vietnam’s four great passes.
You will read different heights, from 1,900 m to more than 2,070 m, because sources measure different points. About 2,000 m at the top is the fair figure, and the marker stone inside the Heaven Gate park says 2,035 m.
Why the two sides feel so different
The range stops the weather. The Sapa side is often misty and cool while the Lai Chau side, a few minutes further on, is warmer and clearer. This is the most useful thing to know about the pass, because it means a grey morning in town does not settle what you will see from the top.
The stops on O Quy Ho Pass, in road order
Everything worth stopping for sits in a short stretch of the road, so you can see a lot without much driving. Times below are what a sensible visit takes, not the minimum.
| Stop | From Sapa | Allow | Ticket |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silver Waterfall | about 12 km | 25 to 30 min | 20,000 VND (~$1) |
| Love Waterfall | just past it | 1 hr 45 | 75,000 VND (~$3) |
| Tram Ton saddle | about 15 km | 15 min | free at the roadside |
| Heaven Gate park | at the summit | 75 min | 120,000 VND (~$5) |
| Rong May glass bridge | about 17 km | 2 hours | 500,000 VND (~$19) |
| The Lonely Tree | near the bridge | 20 min | 20,000 VND (~$1) |
Prices were checked in November 2026. They are set by each site’s operator and can change without much notice.
Heaven Gate is not one place
Search for Heaven Gate Sapa and you will find two different things under one name. One is the free roadside view at the top of the pass. The other is the ticketed Heaven Gate park on the Lai Chau side of the summit, with a tall split stone gate in the Bali style, O Quy Ho Pagoda, white stone statues and a red bridge. If a photograph shows the stone gate, it is the park.
Fairy Valley next door is a separate ticket again, with its own lake, statues and rides. You can pay for the park and skip the valley, and nothing about the road requires either.
When to go, and at what hour
Cloud most often pools in the valleys below the pass from October to December. Cherry blossom tends to come between November and January, and peach blossom around Tet. Summer is rain and mist, with landslides possible on the road. Snow is rare and does not come every year.
The hour matters as much as the month. Early morning and late afternoon give the soft light and the lower numbers of visitors; local reports put the best late light at about 16:30 to 17:30. The sun sets around 17:25 in November and around 19:00 in June and early July, so a sunset here means different things in different months. Cloud pools below the pass most often from October to December, ice and very rarely snow can come in the coldest weeks of winter, and in summer the sky is more often rain and mist. Nobody can promise a clear view: on a bad morning you drive into the cloud and see the inside of it.
How to do it: taxi, motorbike or a private tour
A taxi from Sapa is the cheap and sensible choice if you only want a view. Agree the waiting time first, because drivers expect a short stop. A hired motorbike suits experienced riders only: the bends are tight, vans use the whole road, and the weather turns quickly at the top.
Small-group tours run set four-hour slots, and what they cover varies by listing, often with a driver who doubles as guide. A private half day or a full day that ends at the top in the late light costs more. What you pay for is a licensed guide, every ticket settled, and the freedom to move the day around the cloud.
Two ways to spend a day here
Half a day for the top of the pass, or a full day that saves the top for last.
Heaven Gate & Tram Ton Pass, Private Half DayAbout 4.5 hoursSee the tour →O Quy Ho Pass Sunset Day: Love Waterfall, Glass Bridge and Heaven GateAbout 9 hoursSee the tour →Questions about O Quy Ho Pass
Is O Quy Ho Pass the same as Tram Ton Pass?
Yes, in practice. Both names are used for the road over the Hoang Lien Son on National Highway 4D. Tram Ton is the name most often attached to the top section and the saddle.
How far is O Quy Ho Pass from Sapa?
The main viewpoint at the top is about 15 km from town, roughly half an hour by car.
Is there an entrance fee for O Quy Ho Pass?
No, the road is free. Heaven Gate, the waterfalls, the Lonely Tree and the glass bridge each sell their own tickets.
Is O Quy Ho Pass worth visiting in cloudy weather?
Only if you have a fallback. A forest walk to Love Waterfall works in most weather, while the high viewpoints can show nothing at all. Sometimes the far side of the summit is clear when the Sapa side is not.
Can you visit O Quy Ho Pass as a day trip from Hanoi?
Not sensibly. Sapa is about five hours from Hanoi each way, so you need at least a night in Sapa.
Choose your day over the pass
Every tour can be tailored, the guide is a licensed local who speaks fluent English, and you can cancel free up to 3 days before.
★Heaven Gate & Tram Ton Pass, Private Half DayThe ticketed park at the top of the pass, the Tram Ton saddle, the Lonely Tree and Silver Waterfall. · About 4.5 hoursfrom$38/ person›
Choose your group size · price is the group totalSolo traveller$115BOOK →2 guests$130BOOK →3 guests$140BOOK →4 guests$150BOOK →See the full tour page →O Quy Ho Pass Sunset Day: Love Waterfall, Glass Bridge and Heaven GateTwo waterfalls, lunch on the pass, the Rong May glass bridge, then Heaven Gate in the late light. · About 9 hoursfrom$105/ person›
Choose your group size · price is the group totalSolo traveller$235BOOK →2 guests$295BOOK →3 guests$360BOOK →4 guests$420BOOK →See the full tour page →Road, ticket and opening details checked in November 2026. They can change; your booking confirmation is what counts.