SAPA

About Sapa…
Located in Vietnam's remote North West Mountains, Sapa is famous for both its fine, rugged scenery and also its rich cultural diversity. Sapa, at 1,600m above sea level, is an incredibly picturesque resort town that lies on the Hoang Lien Son mountain range near the Chinese border in northwestern Vietnam, known as "the Tonkinese Alps". Sapa and its surrounding region is host to many hill tribes, as well as rice terraces, lush vegetation and Fansipan (Phan Xi Phang), the highest peak in Vietnam at 3,143m. As a result of a recent surge in popularity Sapa has rapidly become a tourist hot-spot.
Sapa is home to a wealth of colorful, diverse hill tribes, who have steadfastly resisted integration into Vietnamese society and modern life. In fact, the hill tribes, including the Hmong, Dao (Dzao), Tay, Day (Dzay) and Xa Pho, comprise the majority of inhabitants in the area, outnumbering the Vietnamese (Kinh) who prefer the warmer low lands.

When Heaven & Earth meet
Northern Vietnam is my favourite travel destinantion. I love Sapa with it's beauty , people and handicrafts. But what was drawing me back again and again was the hilltribes there and their beautiful emboridery. I am an ethnicmania, I find great joy in meeting ethnic minorities and are sooo facisnated with their costumes. There are 54 ethnic minoriteis in throughout Vietnam which has given me enough reason to revisit Vietnam.
Sapa setting blissfully at the elevation of 1,650 meters on the Hoang Lien Son mountain range, is a hill station built in 1922 and a fine resort town. Besides the fertile terraced paddy fields and primal hill tribal villages, it is home to the fog-swirled Fasipan peak at 3,143 meters, the highest in the countries. Fasipan peak may only br 9km from Sapa but it take at least 3-5 days to reach to the peak only by foot. Many of the local hilltribes never been to the peak. Out of my 3 visits, I have'nt get a chance to take the hike to Fasipan as visiting hill tribes villages and spending time with them had kept me busy.
It is best to come on weekdays and depart to Bac Ha on the weekend. Or
the other way. Sunday & Monday are quite days in Sapa. There are time, many of the H'mong and Red Dao who hawk around town or by the street would return to their home in the villages. So as with some of the young H'mong tour guides who station in Sapa by renting nut size rooms….
…..Sapa is a great place for nature lovers, hikers/trekkers, and etnicmanias like me. I have visited Sapa in March, April, May & June. For my 4th visit to Sapa, I wil probably go in July or August. Why not make your next excursion to Sapa and around.