It is true that the cable car will get you to the top but you might pay a high price in terms of visting  at that moment most likely a over-crowded areas and unfortunately potentionaly loosing the mystical atmosphere at the mountain top itself.

As any other Hiking Trail towards the peak this one might be easier or more difficult depending on your level of fitness and a weather.

It is mostly recomended to start a hike via north trail – which beggins near the Love Waterfall. It might be further away from the Sapa, against the other ones with a longer total path distance of the Trail, but the trail itself seemed to be in a good condition having a stready increasing and decreasing difficulty phases with 2 solid camps on the way up – providing sufficient shelter options if needed. The First Camp was situated at 2,200 m and the second one at 2,800 metres which is also equiped with a shelter hut ;-).

I, of course have choosen a „shorter“ route which is in reality: longer and also harder. Even that the start of the route was approximely 9 km closer the Sapa (versus the mentioned north trail) I lost some time here and there by getting a 2 times lost and going through a section of the jungle even without a route.

 Unfortunately enough, I was later then rewarded by quite intense „meeting“ with a biggest white water buffalo which I have ever seen. At first time I just saw his back and I thought that it is elephant :D.

 If is someone interested in this route you need to find a bridge over the river, outside the city, north not far away from the cable again northly, in the valley on the forest border,  then its quite easy to find the route yet you have been warned. Definetely do not go there alone or without a proper functioning GPS, offline maps etc. to be able to find your exact location and adjust since the trail itself does end in the middle of the jungle on a random jungle carpenter spot.