Vietnam - Sapa

Sapa - the heart of beautiful mountains in Vietnam

薩帕 – 越南美麗的山城

Main destination of the northwest Vietnam, 350 km from Hanoi, the heart of beautiful mountains stretching to the border of China and Laos, Sapa (pronounced Chapa) lies in a beautiful valley in circus in beautiful mountains covered with hamlets, near the Chinese border. This beautiful region is populated by several ethnic minorities the Hmong and Dzao. Almost daily, the Montagnards in the neighborhood put on their costumes more glittering and make way to the markets. It is really spectacle seeing farmers going to market and returning to their villages and hamlets.

As in other parts of Asia, outside influences have gradually eroded the rich cultural identity to both minority ethnic Vietnamese. Few of them still wear traditional dress, with the exception of women from remote villages in the far north.

All hill tribe markets take place at weekends, most ethnic groups in the region come to sell their products. The Hmong black majority are recognizable to lovely silver buckles worn by women in their ears (sometimes several superimposed).

Around Sapa rice terraces spread over the slopes of the mountains and hiking are organized to go down to hamlets where, with a guide, you can meet the villagers and communicate more easily with them.

For the climate, Sapa, we must bring a little wool, even in summer: do not forget you are at 1600 m altitude and the rain is often threatening, without generating real and lasting in without time. In winter, you must dress warmly because it is cold (0 °) and humid in January and February are the months you can have snow. From March to May, the climate is excellent most of the time.

A spectacular trek to the remote villages of colourful hill tribes. Face-to-face meeting and living with local people.

Visitors to Vietnam all agree that Sapa is the country's crown jewel. The combination of fresh mountain air, relaxed ambience, sweeping panoramas and fascinating hill tribes make Sapa a most - wanted destination.

An adventure into a wide variety of ethnic minority groups generally retaining their lifestyle, traditional costume with high mountains, deep ravines and terraced fields will excite your spirit of adventure.

The adventurous trek takes us deepinto a hilltribe region where tourists are still something of a novelty. Staying in village homes allows us to experience, at first hand, a lifestyle that has been little touched by the modern world and a curiosity from our hosts just as great as our own. The trekking is fairly strenuous at times but the spectacular scenery and sense of adventure make this an outstanding trek.

High in the ethnic mountains of Vietnam. A wonderful few days to see these amazing ethnics and how they live. Special time to go is Saturday when a love market is on.

Almost everybody visiting Vietnam will go to Sapa and Bacha (Bac Ha), places amidst a wonderful landscape of mountains and a colorful population of minorities.

Elevated 1600 meters above the sea level, Sapa was built by the French in 1922 as a hill station for relaxation. It is home to many ethnic minority groups.

Famous for its Saturday night lovemarket, ethnic minorities from many of the surrounding villages don their most colourful costumes and head for the town. Sapa has now become a famous tourism site, it offers the traveller a rare glimpse into the way of life that has all but vanished from the rest of Asia. Here you will find no welcome mats or rehearsed "Cultural" parades, just real people living real lives who greet visitors with genuine warmth and real smiles.

100 km from Sapa, Bac Ha - a small town built on a desolated highland is well-known for the century-old colorful markets of the real mountainous people including the Dzao and the Flower- H'Mong. They and the mountains seem to fall in a sleep and time stands still until Sunday mornings when the markets occur. All the young boys and girls wear their most beautiful clothes and go to the market.

Climbing up the peak of Mount Fansipan, nicknamed "the roof of Indochina" for spectacular views of Sapa, trek through rain forest.

Are you interested in trekking? If you are, this tour is a big challenge for you. Try your best to climb to the roof of Indochina - Fansipan Mountain. At 3143m Mt. Fansipan is the highest peak in Vietnam and the entire Indochina peninsula. This remote trek provides plenty to see and absorb, from the scattered rocks inscribed with drawings and designs of unknown origin, to the French influenced hill retreat town of Sapa with its minority groups, beautiful villas and cherry forests. Our trek to the top of Mt. Fansipan is challenging and will be fully supported every step of the way by our guides, porters and cooks who's local knowledge and understanding of the different hill-tribe cultures we pass along the way will add to the uniqueness of this exhilarating journey.

All photos by Tran Le Kien