Located 38km from Lao Cai City, Sapa is a mountainous district of Lao Cai Province 1,600m above sea level. With an average temperature of about 18 degree Celsius, Sapa lures tourists all year round with its splendid mountain landscapes, ethnic villages and terraced rice fields.
In the spring, Sapa is blanketed with flowers. In the summer, tourists can escape the heat for the endless green of the terraced rice fields. In the fall, the region seems to be a golden carpet under the glistening sunlight. When winter comes, the town is covered by mist and clouds sneak down almost to touch the villages and valleys. And this is the only part of the country that sees snow.
However, the best time to witness the scenic beauty of Sapa is April and May when Sapa’s flowers bloom in a wild profusion of color.
Sapa is not only endowed with an ideal climate but also has many natural sites such as Ham Rong Mountain, Bac (Silver) Waterfall, Ta Phin Cave and a large bamboo forest. Sapa is also considered a must-come destination by climbers and scientists who want to reach the top of Fansipan Mountain, the highest mountain in Vietnam at 3,143m, of the Hoang Lien Mountain Range.
The fresh, cool air in Sapa is ideal for growing temperate vegetables such as cabbage and chayote, precious medicinal herbs, fruit trees such as plum, pear and peach and many kinds of flowers such as daisy, peach blossom and gladiolus.
Sapa is renowned for its many beautiful terraced fields on the mountain sides which have been recognized as one of the world’s seven most beautiful and magnificent terraced fields by U.S.-based Travel & Leisure magazine.
Sapa is home to many ethnic peoples such as H’Mong, Dao Tay and Muong so it is also famous for typical cultural features of ethnic people, especially local women in colorful brocade dresses working in the fog with a baby strapped to their back. People are attracted not only by the romantic and fascinating scenery but also by the strange ethnic ‘love’ markets and festivals such as Roong Poc of the Giay people, San Sai of the H’Mong people and Tet Nhay of the Dao people.