If it is real rice terraces you wish to see then forget all about those at Sapa and cross in to Yunnan Province of southern China via the VN/CN border cro0ssings at Lao Cai and Hekou and get to YUANYANG.
Yuanyang is at the same altitude at is Bac Ha and the same ethnic minorities as you will see at Bac Ha are also in large numbers in Yunnan province but with the addition of many more minorities people. The big difference between those in Yunnan and in Viet Nam is that those in Yunnan are all going about their daily work in their normal daily life and free of tourism.
… The beautiful, versatile and friendly country in Southeast Asia, which boasts a unique shape of an elongated “S”; and a long coastline with a lot of wonderful sites. Go north and you will be exploring in the midst of the lush rice terraces, getting closer to the local hill tribes. And you’ll be sailing the Halong Bay, perhaps beating the crowd while kayaking the unexplored secret parts. Go to the central and you will find culture and history, bike rides into the countryside and colonial fine beauty. Or go south to splurge in urban modern Saigon, for a local experience in the Mekong Delta or to enjoy laidback beach days in the sand dunes or Phu Quoc island.
Vietnam holds everything in its gentle hands, so you just have to bite into it.
The capital of Hanoi is also home to our Vietnam Travellers’ Service Center. Located in the midst of the bustling and charming Old quarter you will not only find one of the most appreciated traveller hubs, you will also have local life and charm beyond our door step. Inside, we are waiting for you; keen to share our best insider knowledge and travel tips. So you’ll get the best possible experience in Vietnam. We are travellers ourselves and love to share our love for our country.
We look forward to welcome you and inspire you to explore our country from the far north to the deep south.
Because of geography and geology, the cultivated rice terraces at Yuanyang and around are massive in comparison to those puny ones found in the Sa Pa region.
In fact, Yunnan province has such great diversity and history to offer tourists prepared to travel the large distances in China by express bus, train or plane. Yunnan province is a province of great contrasts and great beauty.
I've crossed this border quite a number of times but always from Yunnan in to Vietnam via Hekou/Lao Cai. Just be aware that China has a single time zone for all of China and when crossing between VN/CN there is a one hour time zone difference +/-.
The contrast between Yunnan Province and northern Vietnam could not be greater. VN is still in the stone age relative to Yunnan province, which is reputedly one of the poorer provinces of the PRC, with its magnificent express ways and railways etc which all stop dead at the VN border.
Sapa is really wonderful place for terrace rice paddy fields then. Beside that you can also choose Ha Giang is also very great for that. Ha Giang is lest touristy than Sapa.