Sapa is situated in the country’s northwest at an altitude of 1,600 meters. In the early 20th century the French took advantage of Sapa's cool climate, developing it into a summer retreat from the heat and humidity of Hanoi.

Today, Sapa town still retains its European feel, largely due to the French architecture and gardens and today is a popular destination due to its beautiful scenery and colorful ethnic people. Sapa town is reached via a winding 40km road from the town of Lao Cai.

The drive provides a taste of what is to come as the road winds its way up through lush rice-terraced valleys and breath-taking scenery passing several different minority villages along the way. The valleys surrounding Sapa are home to several of Vietnam’s 54 ethnic minority groups, each with their own distinctive dress, customs and dialects.

These tribes can all be seen at the weekend market in Sapa town to trade with one another. Sapa has also become a destination for travelers seeking adventure for Vietnam travel. It is a staging point for trekking in the nearby valleys and for climbing Mount Fansipan, Vietnam's highest peak as well as motorcycle rides in to the wild hill country. Extended treks to visit villages of minority tribes are also available.

Places of interest 
Mount Fansipan

Indochina's highest peak, Mount Fansipan is only 9km from Sapa town and climbing to its summit is one of Asia's most challenging adventures. The trek takes visitors through tiny remote villages and areas of rainforest. 

Hilltribe Villages (Ta Phin, Ta Van, Lao Chai, Cat Cat)

Shorter treks are also very rewarding, and within just a few hours walkers can be in villages that have seen few foreigners. The hill-tribe peoples in this area of Vietnam wear colorful traditional dress as a matter of daily routine and all follow their traditional agricultural way of life which has remained unchanged for centuries.

The various ethnic peoples are relatively easy to identify due to their attire. For example the H’mong wears dark clothing, usually blue or black. The dye is fashioned from the indigo or hemp plant that is native to the area. H’mong women wear long aprons with embroidered waistcoats and have their hair rolled up into a turban-like hat, whilst the men wear a black skullcap, long waistcoat and loose trousers.

Another equally distinctive minority are the Dao (pronounced Zao). Dao women are particularly striking as they shave their hair and eyebrows and wear a large red turban often covered with old coins or jewelry.

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Cao Son market situated on Cao Son commune, Muong Khuong district, Lao Cai province, HCMC, Vietnam and about 80km far away from Lao Cai city.

Coming here, visitors will have the opportunity to communicate, chat and learn more about the daily life of the ethnic minorities living in the four largest villages. There are many ways to get to Cao Son market. However, if visitors want to have the opportunity to cruise on the river and soak up the romantic and poetic landscape, you can take part in tours on the Chay river: Bao Nhai- Cao Son.

From Lao Cai City, on National Highway 4D, visitors will reach Phong Nien commune, Bao Thang District, Lao Cai province. Then, continue to follow Provincial Highway 153, you will come to the foot of the Bao Nhai bridge, Bao Nhai commune, Bac Ha District, Lao Cai Province. From here, going straight the northern about 31km, visitors will reach Cao Son market.

Cao Son is the market of ethnic Hmong, Phu La living in the four largest villages of Muong Khuong district. Every Wednesday, Cao Son market opens.

When Cao Son market opens, many people from all around the region flock to here. Cao Son market seems to be more beautiful by people, goods and natural landscape with Vietnam travel guide. In the vast space and mountain, people are so small…They are happy to buy, sell and exchange goods with each other.

Like other upland market sessions, Cao Son market is divided into several areas:

These items are characteristic mountain area such as: vegetables, wine, honey, upland rice, jewelry…in this market, the most outstanding items is colorful brocade. This is the products made by ingenious hands.

In addition, most attention is the sale of livestock and poultry: pigs, chickens, dogs, buffalo, horses and the atmosphere here is pretty comfortable.

About a few hundred meters far from here is area of ethnic cuisine. Here, visitors will easily be overwhelmed by seductive flavors from some kind of food as buffalo meat, horse meat and beef of Mongolia and intriguing wine of Coc Dam and Coc Ngu..In the bustling atmosphere and attraction that travelers will have to stop, sit down and enjoy specialties with local people.

Coming to market session of Cao Son, tourists have the chance to enjoy the cultural interference of ethnic groups living in villages along Chay river. In addition, visitors also have the opportunity to cruise on Chay river and enjoy the stunning scenery on both sides of river.

Passing through winding slopes and tortuous passes of Hoang Lien Son Mountain Range, you will get to the intriguing Cat Cat Village in San Sa Ho Commune which is a must-visit for tourists travel to Sapa’s magnificent and splendid town.

A tribal village of H’mong ethnic people, Cat Cat is located at the foot of Fansipang Mountain, about two kilometers from Sapa Town. It is nestled at the bottom of the Muong Hoa Valley and near the stunning Cat Cat Waterfall. This is an age-old village of H’Mong ethnic people who maintain unique customs and practices from centuries ago.

To visit the village, tourists can walk through Sapa Market and down the valley. Once you disperse from the crowded area, you’ll be stunned by nature’s beauty with high mountains of over 3,000m  and the green rice terraces 1,000m below with H’Mong houses scattered in the valley.

Entrance tickets are about VND40,000 before you start to climb the stone steps down to the valley, meeting immense rice terraced fields, bamboo clusters as wells as rice husking mills. On the road, tourists will see many H’mong women with wooden packs on their back and an umbrella. Most H’Mong girls have mobile phones and they can speak a little English.

To Cat Cat, tourists will be guided to visit the brocade weaving craft village to admire a lively and colorful picture with women sitting by looms with colorful pieces of brocade decorated with designs of flowers and birds. When these pieces of brocade are finished, they are dyed and embroidered with beautiful designs. H’Mong women use plants and leaves to dye these brocade fabrics and then they roll a round and smooth section of wood covered with wax on fabrics to polish them, making their colors durable.

In addition to the brocade craft, many residents in Cat Cat are good at manipulating gold and silver jewelry. Their products are fairly sophisticated, especially jewelry for women.

Tourists will be entertained with many folk dances and songs in melodies of panpipes, flutes and lip-lute in harmony with the murmurs of waterfalls, streams and whistles of winds. Tourists are suggested to not miss Tien Sa Waterfall, flowing from Hoang Lien Son Mountain Range. The fall looks splendid like a silver carpet under the glistening sunlight.

Tourists to Cat Cat are most attracted by its unique customs, including the custom of’ ‘pulling a wife’. A man can ask his friends to lure a girl he likes to his house and he keeps her there for three days. During this time if the girl agrees to become his wife, a wedding will be held. However, the girl can happily go home after three days if she does not like him.
The houses of H’Mong people in Cat Cat village have three rooms with three doors and covered with po mu wood roof. Going inside the house there are three columns that stand in round or square stones. The walls are made from sawn timber and the main door is often closed and only opens when people in the house organize important events. The altar, inlaid floor containing food, places for sleeping, kitchen and receiving guests are indispensable parts of the houses.
Tourists visiting Cat Cat Village can discover numerous unique features of H’Mong people.

Source: SGT

Known as the town in the fog, Sa Pa always had a special charm by poetic landscapes, fanciful like wearing a painting.

Sa Pa in the summer, in addition to the opportunity to enjoy fresh air, cool, Fansipan conquer the highest peak in Indochina with height 3.143m; visit the Hoang Lien National Park (which has been recognized as a heritage park ASEAN) with many species of flora and fauna endemic or explore the beauty of traditional culture of the community of ethnic groups such as Mong, Dao, Giay, Tay …, visitors also have the opportunity to explore the natural landscape However charming side of the waterfall at the foot of Hoang Lien Son range, such as Silver Falls, waterfalls of Love, Love waterfall effect …

From Sa Pa town, go west along Highway about 12km 4D, visitors to Silver Falls, derived from O Quy Ho Pass (located on the highway linking 4D Sa Pa to Lai Chau). This is one of the most beautiful high waterfall and Lao Cai province. From a height of 200m, water like silver dragon slithered under every rock, flowing rushing on green background of mountains and untouched down the beautiful Muong Hoa valley, creating a natural picture just dreaming just spectacular. Standing on the peak overlooking the waterfall, you’ll find the sticky floor of the ethnic Mongolian looming looming in the mist-thin, the distance are undulating mountain range in dark blue sky.

Sa Pa town is located about 4km south west direction, the station is about 2km Ton waterfall Love commune San Kingfisher Lake. Red dirt road leads visitors to the waterfall Love between forest green structure, looming looming beams azalea with the colors red, white, bright yellow … Go out this road, visitors will encounter a stream, continue along the stream would love to catch.

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Love Falls is the name by which it kept the area a romantic love story. It is said that the old days, the fairy in the sky often down here cool bath. One day, she first found out Saturday young woodcutter has a cooking medium stream gold flute. Flute guy makes the wind to stop blowing and birds also have to stop singing and the animals must also stop to listen. Because the guy passionately flute, so every time she came down to the guy to listen to him play the flute and chat until the new sunrise flight to heaven. Through the conversation, she knows he is name O Quy Ho, who is the son of Spirit Mountain, just because love architecture species grows in the area love falls (flute he made from species of this structure) that they forget his duty to take part should have been allowed into Spirit Mountain of ordinary care to design every day. As time passed, their love blossom and eventually, to the left. One day, Jade Emperor found out and not let her down to earth again. She remembered the anxious young woodcutter, hopelessness and ultimately turned into a golden bird flying around the mountain, constantly called O Quy Ho da 3 hours away, did not subside.

Love Falls has a height of nearly 100m, from the Hoang Lien mountain range and down stream of poetic gold. Clear water line along the bottom of gold rocks and streams make up a stream of yellow light is always weird, especially when the sun has shone on. From a distance, visitors will see the waterfall like a white ribbon. At the foot waterfall, stream meandering Gold swaying in the smooth green lawns stretching the foot of the spine structure Dust …

 

With wild beauty, waterfall Tac Tinh (Binh Lu commune, Tam Duong district, Lai Chau province) is now rated as one of the beautiful waterfalls in the Northwest, according to Sa Pa town on Highway 4D west over 20km.

Tac Tinh Falls is named by the English Dao, “Work” means the water poured down from on high; “Love” means lagoon or small lake. Derived from the Hoang Lien Son range and over 50m high waterfall Love Author look remotely like a soft silk flying between the mountains of the same message. In any season of the year, in the cool waters still flowing waterfall Work Love continuous, abundant supply of water for the whole region. Therefore, long operation life has been associated with daily cultural activities of the native population.
With pristine beauty, majesty, above the waterfall has contributed to tourism related product line nicely between Sa Pa (Lao Cai) and Binh Lu (Lai Chau), became the destination of the guests domestic and foreign tourist coming to the Northwest.

Source: Vietnamtourism.com

The climate of Sapa is highly seasonal, with a subtropical climate in the summer and a temperate climate during the winter. Average temperature for Sapa town is 15.4ºC, with a maximum of 29.4ºC and a minimum of 1ºC.

Sapa , is a frontier town and capital of Sa Pa District in the Lao Cai province in northwest Vietnam. It is one of the main market towns in the area, where several ethnic minority groups such as Hmong, Dao (Yao), Giay, Pho Lu, and Tay live.

For the most pleasant weather, the best times to visit Sapa is March and May or mid-September to early December.  While trips can be enjoyed year-round, the winters in Sapa get cold, with some fog and drizzle, and the summers have the hottest weather and higher chances of rain, with the rainy season starting in May through September.

The Hoang Lien Mountains are home to a rich variety of plants, birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles and insects, many only found in northwestern Vietnam. For this reason, the Hoang Lien Nature Reserve was made a National Park in 2006, and covers much of the mountain range to the immediate south of Sa Pa.

Forest type and quality change with increasing altitude. At 2000 meters the natural, undisturbed forest begins to be seen. Above 2500 meters dwarf conifers and rhododendrons predominate in the harsh “elfin forest”, so called because a lack of topsoil and nutrients means that fully mature trees grow to measure only a few meters in height. Higher still, only the hardiest of plant species are found. At over 3000 meters, Fan Si Pan’s summit can only support dwarf bamboo.

The climate of Hoang Lien National Park is unique to Vietnam. It is highly seasonal, with a subtropical climate in the summer and a temperate climate during the winter. Mean annual temperature for Sa Pa town is 15.4°C, with a maximum of 29.4°C and a minimum of 1°C. The warmest months are July and August, and the coldest months are December and January. Snow falls in some years on the highest peaks.

Climate varies considerably within the national park. The prevalent wind direction for most of the year is west to east, leading to cloud formation on the upper slopes of the Fansipan massif. These high-altitude areas are covered by cloud most days of the year and have very high humidity. Cloud also penetrates into the valleys but these areas are usually less humid than the mountain slopes. In the extreme east of the national park, around Ban Ho village, mean temperatures are considerably higher due to the lower altitude of these areas.

Location: Fansipan Mountain is located 9km south-west of Sapa Townlet in the Hoang Lien Mountain Range. 

Characteristics: Fansipan is branded "the Roof of Indochina" at the height of 3,143m; Fansipan is to be approved as one of the very few eco-tourist spots of Vietnam, with about 2,024 floral varieties and 327 faunal species.

The topography of Fansipan is varied. Muong Hoa Valley, at the lowest altitude (950-1,000m), is created by a narrow strip of land at the base on the east side of the mountain.

Geologists say the Hoang Lien Mountain Range, with Fansipan as its highest peak, did not emerge in the mountainous North West of Vietnam until the neozoic period (circ. 100 million years ago). Fansipan, a rough pronunciation of the local name "Hua Xi Pan" means "the tottery giant rock". The French came to Vietnam and in 1905 planted a landmark telling Fansipan's height of 3,143m and branded it "the Roof of Indochina". Very few people climbed to the top of Fansipan at the time. Then came the long years of war and Fansipan was left deserted for hunting and savaging. The trail blazed by the French was quickly overgrown by the underbrush. 

It takes six or seven days to reach the 3,143m summit, the highest peak of the Indochina Peninsula.

In 1991, Nguyen Thien Hung, an army man returned to the district town and decided to conquer Fansipan. Only on the 13th attempt did Hung, with a H'Mong boy as his guide, conquer the high peak by following the foot steps of the mountain goats. Scaling the height was meant to satisfy his eager will and aspiration to conquer the mountain without expecting that his name would be put down in the travel guidebook. After that the Sapa Tourism Agency started a new package tour there. It seemed the Fansipan Tour was meant only for those who wished to test their muscular power.
The summit of Fansipan is accessible all year round, but the best time to make the ascent is from mid-October to mid-November, and again in March.

Foreigners like best to book Fansipan tours between October and December, as this period is more often than not free from the heavy rains that obstruct the jaunt. But the Vietnamese prefer their tours to the peak of the mountain from February to April, as it is not so cold then. However, the best time for the trek to the mountain is from the end of February to the start of March, when the flowers all flourish and the climbers may behold the carpets of brilliant blossoms, violets and orchids, rhododendrons and aglaias.