All You Should Know About Sapa Before Traveling
Sapa is a small mountainous town in the north of Vietnam to escape from the hustle and bustle of the big cities. It is a special gift that nature dedicates to Vietnam and is heaven for those who love romance and mystery. So it is always on top of the best places to visit in Vietnam.
Where is Sapa?
It is about 350km north-west from Hanoi. Sapa, the capital of Sapa district in Lao Cai Province, lied at the altitude of 1600m. Sapa belongs to the temperate region with the temperature ranging from the lowest of 0 degrees Celsius to the highest of 30 degrees Celsius, Sapa’s climate is cool in summer and freeze and foggy in winter.
Sapa first was named in Vietnam national map in the late 1880s when the French came to exploit the resources in the northern mountainous region of Vietnam. The very first French citizens arrived in Sapa in 1909, and then they started to build several villas in this area and turn this place into the resort. Going through many ups and downs in history, Sapa nowadays is known as one of the most attractive holiday destinations in Vietnam, favored by both locals and foreign tourists.
The pristine beauty of Sapa
How to get to Sapa?
There are two common ways for tourists to get to Sapa. You can choose to catch a train or car, but the train is more convenient because the road leading to Sapa is very long and rough. It is advisable for you that you should book a Sapa hiking tour in Hanoi in advance because the agencies will prepare the transportation to take you to Sapa.
Most tourists arrive in Lao Cai by train, and it is an impressive ride. The train leaves Hanoi train station in the evening and arrives in Lao Cai train station in the early morning. From Lao Cai train station to Sapa, it takes an hour for you to get there by bus. It is a valuable chance for you to open your eyes and enjoy the endless blue sky and colorful terraced paddy field. The road is curved around the mountain and some slopes that make your heart throbbing. The further you go, the closer you are to the sky and nature.
Train to Sapa
Sapa - The land of breathtaking scenery
Sapa is one of the best trekking sites in Vietnam; both natives and foreigners vote it. It lies in the heart of the Hoang Lien Son mountain range. It is the most majestic Vietnam mountain range where has the Indochina rooftop - Mount Fansipan - the highest peak in Vietnam with the height of 3143m.. This peak not only is a tough challenge to Sapa trekking tour lovers but also opens an opportunity to see the splendid, magnificent mountainous scenery.
Sapa scenery is a harmonious combination of the minority people here and nature, which can be seen clearly in the paddy fields running along the slopes of the Hoang Lien Mountains.
The particular geographical location of Sapa makes this region an ideal home for a variety of plants, birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles, and insects. Some species are rarely found in northwestern Vietnam.
Sapa - The common house of ethnic minorities
There is nowhere in Vietnam tourists easily meet the local ethnic minorities like in Sapa. The district is the home of many ethnic people, including five main groups of Hmong, Dao, Tay, Zay and Xa Pho. They do not live in this town, but they live in many small villages in Sapa district. In the past, they used to live in the unstable villages that they had to move after harvesting the crops and then find the other nurture soil to plant the crop, until the 20th century they started to change the cultivated method and settle in the stable villages.
Festival in Sapa
There is a market in Sapa town where the local people come to exchange their farming products as well as sell handicrafts and souvenirs to tourists. There is a fun fact that the local people in Sapa can speak English quite well with clear pronunciation.
Sapa - Where to enjoy the strange dishes
Again Sapa’s specialties are the next reason for attracting more and more tourists to this remote town. There are so many kinds of sub-tropical vegetables such as white cauliflower, red beet, or chayote planted here. There are many delicious dishes that you must try at least once when traveling Sapa such as boiled chayote with sesame or “lon cap nach” which are home pigs to be raised in the field or forest.
The cool weather leads to barbecued meat and fish with mushroom and vegetables to be on top of the most popular street foods in Sapa. In Sapa's cold night, it is more fantastic when people gather together to grill corn, sweet potatoes, dumpling, bamboo-tube rice, and even eggs, enjoy 'thang co" dish and sometimes take a sip of corn wine.
Besides, there are numerous Western restaurants from Italian to French that you can also be found around the center of Sapa with a very reasonable price.
Taking Vietnam group travel to know more about the beautiful destinations and the exciting information in Vietnam. If you have any questions, please contact us. We are always willing to answer your wonders. The best trip for you!
