Updated: Jun 7, 2024
As the tourist cradle of Northwest Vietnam, Sapa always impresses visitors with its majestic mountain scenery. Coming to Sapa, people will be surprised by the towering peak of Fansipan - the roof of Indochina. Visitors will be able to go from one surprise to another because each season Sapa wears a new shirt, the scene is different in every season.
Sapa in the rainy season is green, like a giant mirror in the Northwest, in the ripe rice season, Sapa wears a fresh yellow shirt. Sapa is like that, like a beautiful 17-year-old girl, making people not want to return…
Fansipan - the place known as the "roof of Indochina" is always in the top tourist activities that are hard to ignore when coming to Sapa. It is known that the most ideal time to conquer Fansipan peak is from September to April of the following year. This is the time frame that the weather and climate in Fansipan is the most stable, with little rain and cool.
Conquer Fansipan Peak - Roof of Indochina
If you can't climb the mountain road, don't worry, the cable car is a convenient alternative. From the cable car cage, you can have an impressive panoramic view of Hoang Lien Son range and Muong Hoa valley. Don't miss the Bamboo Garden, Bao An Zen Monastery, Bich Van Zen Monastery, shopping area, etc. located in Fansipan Legend area.
Ham Rong Mountain is an ideal place to visit, located right next to the central town of Sapa, built on an area of about 150 hectares. The name is based on the shape of a "super giant" rock that rises high into the blue sky shaped like a dragon's head. People compare Ham Rong to a "small Sapa" because it always changes its color according to each season of the year.
Climb to Ham Rong Mountain
The more steps you go up, the more you can discover beautiful scenes such as the orchid garden, heaven gate, and peach garden. Visiting Ham Rong mountain, you can also explore many kinds of plants and see countless rocks with different shapes. It has a distinct color at any time of the year. However, if you have the opportunity to travel to Sapa on your own in the spring, this is the most beautiful season when the trees are sprouting buds and spreading the scent of the forest!
Going away from Sapa town center about 10 km to Ta Van commune, you will reach Ta Van village. On the way, you will pass through Lao Chai - a place with the beautiful natural scenery of mountains and forests, and even the famous ancient stone beach of Sapa. When going on a trekking tour of Lao Chai and Ta Van villages, visitors have the opportunity to experience the warm hospitality of the people and taste the local delicacies.
Trek in Ta Van
When you reach Ta Van, you will feel that this place is completely separate from the bustle of the town. The fields stretch endlessly with no beginning or end, and the rustic cottages weaving in the small road create an irresistible attraction for those who have "legs" who like to move.
A wonderful stretch of land at the foot of Fansipan, Muong Hoa valley is one of the most popular destinations for motorcyclists. Driving from town to Muong Hoa will be an amazing experience of your life.
Muong Hoa Valley
You have the opportunity to go through the highest mountains to dozens of downhill streams, past small villages and rice fields filled with the bright yellow of ripe rice, bringing with it the typical fragrance of the countryside of ethnic minorities, and see how people do farming. Currently, Sapa has a mountain train service that crosses the Muong Hoa valley to help you fully enjoy the scenery here.
To learn about Sapa's oldest black H'Mong village culture, you should visit Cat Cat Village during your trip. This place is only about 3 km from the center of Sapa Stone Church, the asphalt road is easy to move, you can walk to admire the scenery, take pictures of Cat Cat waterfall or majestic terraced rice fields.
Cat Cat Village
Visitors will learn about the life of the Black H'Mong and the unique cultural beauty of the mountainous people. You should try once to rent a traditional costume of the Sapa people to experience the unique identity of the village.
Sapa Stone Church is located in a prime location leaning against Ham Rong Mountain, in front of a large area where colorful festivals are often held. The architecture of the church is in the Roman Gothic style with construction materials of hewn stone combining lime, sand and molasses. The details of the arch, roof, and steeple have their own unique features and have never had to be restored. Just wear vintage clothes to check-in.
Sapa Stone Church
Tourists definitely cannot miss the experience of admiring the wonderful beauty of the terraced rice fields on the hillside when coming to Ma Tra Village and Ta Phin Village. Due to the steep terrain and fertile soil, local ethnic minorities cultivate rice and create beautiful terraced rice fields.
Terraced Rice Fields
Coming to Ma Tra village, visitors will be warmly welcomed by the H'Mong people and visit the terraced rice fields. It is recommended to walk in these rice fields, where you can both understand the local culture, admire the beautiful and breathtaking scenery and take beautiful photos. Not far away is Ta Phin village, the residence of the Red Dao ethnic group. Coming to Ta Phin, do not forget to visit Ta Phin stalactite cave with interesting shapes.
Another fairy tourist destination in Sapa. Love Waterfall is located 14 km southwest of Sapa town, with a height of 100m flowing day and night. From a distance, the waterfall looks like a soft silk strip, standing out among the green vegetation. To reach Love waterfall, tourists need to walk through the cool green bamboo forest. Especially in March, the road will be brilliant with the red color of azaleas.
Love Waterfall
In Sapa, there is also a tourist destination called Sapa Heaven Gate, which is famous as a "check-in" place. At an altitude of 2228m, Sapa Heaven Gate (or O Quy Ho) is the best place to see the Northwest mountains.
Sapa Heaven Gate
Looking at the winding curve of O Quy Ho passing around the mountainside and 2 beautiful waterfalls, Silver Waterfall and Love Waterfall, you feel like you are lost in a fairyland. "Going to Heaven's Gate to fully understand the beauty of Sapa" - is a saying that many tourists pass on when talking about this place.
Located at an altitude of 2,200 meters above sea level, “Dragon Cloud” Glass Bridge is a real challenge for even the bravest of travelers. In return, you can admire the charming natural scenery of the famous Hoang Lien Son range, enjoy the cool atmosphere to relieve stress and depression.
Sapa Glass Bridge
You must have heard many times about Sapa love market - a special cultural feature in Lao Cai, held only on Saturday evenings. This is an opportunity for young men and women in the village to meet, exchange and learn to choose their life partner through love songs. In addition, you can also enjoy hundreds of delicious dishes here and shop for brocade items of the Mong and Dao people.
Sapa Love Market
Seven-color sticky rice is a specialty of the Nung Dinh people. Initially, this dish was invented to offer to ancestors with the desire for a bountiful harvest and a prosperous life. Each color of sticky rice has its own meaning. For example, green is the color of spring, dark red is the color of patriotic martyrs who died in the war, and yellow represents the color of dispersion and heartbreak. The dish is a wonderful combination of seven colors without the use of chemical dyes. Local women skillfully create color using a variety of forest leaves and herbs and some of their family secrets. Nung Dinh people believe that eating this dish will bring good luck. With its attractive appearance and distinctive taste, it is favored by many tourists.
Seven-Colored Sticky Rice
One of the great highlights of a trip to Sapa is having a drink at the cloud cafe where you can take in the stunning views and enjoy a local drink. Most of these cafes can be found in Fansipan and Cau May streets. To name one standout cafe, it would be Cafe in the Clouds, where you can spend time enjoying the exotic landscape and admiring the views over the green valley below. The cafe also offers a wide range of drinks as well as local and international dishes. This can be a great experience to try in Sapa.
Enjoy a drink at the cloud cafe
If you visit Ta Phin village in the first weeks of spring, you will have a chance to witness one of the most beautiful traditions of the ethnic people called “church singing”. On this occasion, local people and tourists in the region will move to Ta Phin commune to see this wedding custom and listen to singing charms. For most ethnic minorities in Lao Cai province, marriage is still arranged in advance. During the worshiping time, the groom and the future bride will join the procession back to the village. Young men and women compete in singing and dancing to satisfy their spiritual needs. The most interesting thing about this occasion is that you will be able to see ethnic clothes with different designs and colors, creating an unforgettable beautiful picture.
Above are the experiences to travel in which season, how to go to Sapa, the most worthy places to visit in this great mountainous place or what to eat. Just pocketing this much, your trip to Sapa will be much less difficult and embarrassing! Let's come to Sapa on this vacation and experience it for yourself!!!
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