3 Best Restaurants in The Northwest, Vietnam

Like Sapa itself, Le Gecko bears noticeable French influence with a menu that features a host of bistro classics. There's a comfortable bar area that is popular in the evenings, while the outside terrace is a great spot for people-watching. There's nothing particularly fussy about either the restaurant or the home-style cuisine, so don't expect fancy sauces of Parisian haughtiness.

The sister restaurant of the Maison de Tet in Hanoi, Maison de Sapa is the place to relax and unwind for a few hours and enjoy some delicious food and drinks. Specializing in fresh, farm-to-table ingredients, the menu is always changing to reflect the finest seasonal options. The bohemian decor is all made in-house and there are plans to create natural herbal baths upstairs, as well as host live-music events.

With meat as the staple fare of the Northwest, it comes as some surprise to find that Dien Bien Phu's top restaurant is a wholly vegetarian affair—a delicious one at that. The owner is an English tutor, which ensures that service is much less spotty than it tends to be elsewhere in the more remote regions of Vietnam. Despite Dien Bien's Phu's mythical status in the country's history, there's nothing revolutionary about the food here, but it is tasty, including vegetarian spring rolls.