Sapa

Situated atop the Hoang Lien Son Mountains, Sapa is a colonial-era town in northwest Vietnam overlooking the terraced rice fields of Muong Hoa Valley. At an elevation of 1,500 metres, this small market town shares its border with China and offers some of Vietnam’s best trekking. Arguably offering the most authentic bucolic experience in the country, Sapa is rapidly becoming a mainstream destination.

Sapa’s top trekking destinations are Dragon Jaw Mountain and Heaven’s Gate, featuring colourful flower beds, waterfalls, tropical foliage, natural rock formations and man-made stone monuments. For those who do not enjoy climbing, cable car trips at Fansipan offer panoramic views of rice terraces. Back in Sapa town, unwind with great Vietnamese food platters and noodle soup at Little View Restaurant, Fansipan Restaurant and Bombay Indian Lounge.

Hill tribes like the Hmong, Tay and Dao comprise Sapa’s local population. You can peek into their lives at the quaint Cat Cat Village, where Sapa Town Park displays manicured gardens. Seek blessings at the French-Catholic Holy Rosary Church, admire Town Hall’sHall’s French architecture, and learn about Sapa’sSapa’s past at the Cultural Museum.

Quang Truong Square is the town centre with a vast cemented field, close to which is Sapa Lake for amazing boating trips. Visitors often take home handicrafts and silver and metal trinkets from Sapa Marketplace and Cau May Street Market.