Sapa Overview
With stunning natural landscape as well as cool
weather, Sapa is widely known as the second Dalat in Vietnam. The town is
perched on the eastern slopes of Hoang Lien Son mountain range (which is also
known as the Tonkinese Alps). Under the French colonial period, many hotels,
villas and tennis courts had been constructed there and the region was once
transformed into a summer retreat.
Today, Sapa is an ideal place for tourists for its
beautiful scenery and the diversification in culture. Sapa is now a destination
where tourists can take part in various activities and tours from sightseeing,
trekking, mountain climbing, cycling, etc.
Visiting Sapa in any season has its own special
features. In spring, visitors will have opportunity to observe the romantic
landscape with blooming colorful flowers. In summer, the flowers pass by and
will be replaced by ripen fruits. In this period of time, the waterfalls in
Sapa are at its best beauty. In autumn, the yellow terrace fields, which have
become a hot theme for photographers, will surely attract you. The best time to
observe such marvelous rice paddies is in September. In winter, Sapa’s weather
turns colder than usual and sometimes, there will be snow in some places. These
are the four seasons with different characteristics in landscape that Sapa
offers tourists. However, with regards to the temperature only, you can
experience all the four seasons in one day in Sapa.
Tourists traveling to Sapa not only for its natural
beauty, but also for its cultural beauty since Sapa is home of a large number
of ethnic minority groups. Several ethnic groups to be found is Sapa (Lao Cai)
include: the H’mong, Dao, White Thai, GIay, Tay, Muong, Xa Pho, etc. The most
prominent among these are the Red Dao and the H’mong. The Red Dao can easily be
identified by the coin-dangling red headdresses and intricately embroidered
waistcoats worn by the women, and the Hmong can be distinguished by their
somewhat less elaborately embroidered royal blue attire. A popular scene that
you may often see when staying in Sapa town are the women with brocatelle
products on their hands asking you to buy some, or the small children keep
following you along your trekking route into the villages. You don’t have to
worry much about them since they would probably do no harm to you.
Sapa is not only well-known for the landscape, for
the diversified culture, but also is famed for its “Love Market” - where the
ethnic boys and girls often gather to find his/her love. However, Love Market
today is not as meaningful as it was in the past. Tourists still feel curious
about this market since it somehow reflects the traditional real Love Market.
The Red Dao hill tribe youths of both sexes congregate in a weekly courting
rite, singing tribal versions of Loretta Lynn love songs to woo the opposite
sex. The songs are highly personalized and boast of the composer's physical
attributes, domestic abilities and strong work ethic. It’s interesting to
observe what local people do in this Love Market, so give it a chance despite
the transformation in current conditions.
Villages of different ethnic minority groups in Sapa
have also become popular attractions, especially for foreigners. They are
curious about and eager to explore the special features of each village which
is home to specific ethnic groups. Several well-known villages in Sapa are the
Cat Cat, Ta Phin, Sin Chai, Lao Chai, Ta Van, etc, which are located in the
valleys of Muong Hoa, O Quy Ho, Lao Chai, Ta Phin…
Sapa has been becoming a great tourism destination.
In coming years, it is expected that more tourists will visit Sapa. However,
the development of tourism must go along with the sustainable development of
the environment. That’s the aim of Sapa as well as of other tourist attractions
in Vietnam.
