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Getting there
Two main roads wend their way into the north western mountain area: the
latter part of the trip offers good views, but the roads are poor and
the twelve-hour journey is tiring. For most visitors, overnight train
travel to Lao Cai and by road to Sapa is the best option.
The original
Lao Cai town was destroyed during the 1979 invasion of Vietnam by the
Chinese Army. As none of the present buildings predate the event, the
only attractions for visitors is the road to Sapa and the border gate
with China
Sapa’s
history
Sapa came into existence as a hill station during the French occupation.
Previously a Black H’mong village, it was ‘discovered’ early in the
twentieth century and developed as a resort for French military
officers, civil servants and business people. Its marked similarity to
alpine areas in France and its temperate climate made it a haven from
Hanoi's clammy winter dampness and sultry humid summer. By 1940, it was
a sizeable town populated almost entirely by French citizens.
As France’s
grip on the country weakened, the buildings emptied. After their victory
at Dien Bien Phu, the Viet Minh demolished most of the buildings. One
that escaped was the summer residence of the Governor General of
Indochina, which was commandeered by the Secretary General of the
Vietnamese Communist Party as his holiday retreat. That was also
flattened during the 1979 Chinese invasion.
Sa Pa
today
Today, a few buildings have been restored, notably
the church, shelled by the French as the Viet Minh began to advance
through the northern mountains. Several of the new buildings are vaguely
based on the long gone French villas – the Auberge Hotel is a good
example. Apart from that, the only enduring memento of the French
presence is the inclusion of open fires and chimneys in many buildings –
a welcome addition as the temperature often slips below zero in winter.
Sapa has
several reasonable local hotels, and one of international standard. A
recent arrival is a small four-room guest house owned and managed by the
Hoa Sua organisation. It’s comfortable, friendly and puts money into the
local economy.
The
ethnic minority groups
The main attraction of this area, apart from its superlative natural
beauty, is Vietnam’s largest concentration of ethnic groups. Many
distinct groups live in this area and, apart from those living around
the tourist centre of Sapa, their dress, buildings, traditions and
lifestyles have changed little over the last hundred years.
Sapa Tourist Attractions
The Sapa weekend market held on Saturday and Sunday mornings.
Ethnic groups from different villages would flock to town for trading
and for meeting with lovers. The whole town of Sapa would be colored by
their traditional colorful costumes.
There
used to be a love market in town on Saturday night until late 1990s.
Since more and more tourists travel to Sapa for witnessing the love
market, it's not in session as it was once.
Cat Cat
Village is about 1 km from Sapa town. It's located at the bottom of
the Muong Hoa Valley and near the stunning Cat Cat Waterfall. Cat
Cat is home to the Black H'Mong who accounts for over 50% of Sapa
population. To visit village, you walk through Sapa Market down the
valley. Once you walk out of the crowd, you'll be stunned by the
nature's beauty with high mountains of over 3000 m and the green
rice terraces dropping nearly 1000 below. The sun shines across and
there are H'Mong houses scattered in the valley. The walking tour of the
whole loop would take you about 2 hours.
Lao Chai
and Ta Van Villages are home to the Giay People and Black H'Mong
People. They are at the bottom of the Sapa Valley and offer breathtaking
scenery of rice terraces dissected by the running water of the mountain
streams. To visit these 02 villages, you'll need to hire a jeep or a
motorbike and travel past the stadium and Sapa market gate. You'll
follow this main road for 8 km, then you'll see a path down the valley
to the right where you'll get off and start the walking trip of Lao Chai
and Ta Van Villages. The whole tour takes about 1.5 hour.
Ta Phin
Village is 12 km from Sapa Town and it's home to the Red Zao People.
The village nestles itself on the mountain slopes and offers unreal
mountain views. You can take a motorbike/jeep from Sapa to the village
and enjoy a walking tour around chit-chatting with the local young girls
selling handicrafts. Very likely you'll be invited to visit their home.
The tour takes about 1-1.5 hour.
The
Silver Waterfall and the Gateway to Heaven: these 02 sites located
about 15 km from Sapa Town on the road from Sapa to Lai Chau province.
The Gateway to Heaven is Tram Ton Pass between Sapa and Binh Lu town
which offers stunning panoramic view of the Fansipan and the deep valley
below. The trip takes 2 hours by jeep or motorbike. Make sure the camera
has enough memory for this route.
Ham Rong
Mountain is just right in the center of Sapa Town. The mountain
offers a panoramic view of Sapa and its surroundings including Fansipan
- the Peak of Indochina. Accessing the mountain, you'll go alongside the
church from the town center to the end of the road and turn left for the
asending path. There are steps which will guide you through the fresh
orchid gardens and flower gardens to the top. There's also an ethnic
house on the mountain with ethnic music and performances played by the
local girls and boys.
Mount
Fansipan (3143 km elevation) is the Peak of Indochina. You can join
Paradissa on an adventure of a life time conquering this summit in 4
days. Our staff including H'Mong boys will help us with logistics for
the tour. Mountain camps as accommodation, untouched junges on the way
to the top, hotly cooked meals accompanied by sounds of jungles are
hightlights of the adventure.
Bac Ha Market
The road zigzags along the foot of
the mountain from Lao Cai provincial town of Lao Chai Province, which is
300 km north of Hanoi, to an altitude of 1,000 meters where there
appears a small district town in a green valley of tall Samu trees. It
is Bac Ha district town, home mainly to the Mong ethnic minority.
More detail
Coc Ly
Market
It is the colorful market in a
mountainous area where the Flower H'mong mainly gathers to exchange
their homemade products.This Tuesday market is about 35km from
Bac Ha. You can get here via a fairly good road, or by road and river;
hotels in Sapa and Bac Ha can organise trips. Coc ly is a small village
on the Chay river inhabited by the Flower H'mong Minority people.
More detail
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