5 must-go places in Sapa

Under a thick film of dreamy fog, the tiny yet charming Sapa Town is so famous for its cooling climate and extremely unique landscape. In this place, there are many spots of interest for visitors to explore freely. Let's shape the list of 5 must-go sites in Sapa right now.

1. Ham Rong mountain peak

Ham Rong Mountain is located adjacent to Sapa town centre.  you can absolutely walk at leisure to the top of this mountain just to relax while looking at scenic surroundings . Thanks to local people,  the site  has been restructured with typical natural landscape and floriculture and resting station for climbers. Conquering Ham Rong peak is not as tiring as you think, on the contrary, this peak is very easy to top as its path is not so steep and the two sides of the path are fully filled with colourful patterns of flowers. Up to the top, panoramic view of the whole Sapa town might make one’s heart beat faster.  Muong Hoa valley and villages of ethnic people lurking in the mist paint an amazing picture of nature.

2. The ancient stone church

The church was built by the French in 1895 to serve the majority of French having a rest in Sapa to attend weekend mass. Up to now, the stone church still remains intact and it is considered as an impressive architectural mark of French culture that should be seriously preserved and embellished. Currently, the church still holds many activities and masses at certain timeframe for the local Catholic people and visiting people as well.

3. Villages of Ethnic people

Visitors are never supposed to miss a chance of attending a trekking tour that reveals the distinctive lifestyle of locals, to visit the Cat Cat village of Hmong people as well as Ta Phin Village of the Red Dao people. Coming to those places, visitors are exposed to the highland lives at its best genuineness. These villages have always had the blending of natural landscape and richness of traditional values. Added to those things, traditional crafts like fabric-weaving, rice-farming, corn-farming really captivate visitors’ curiousity. 

4. Muong Hoa Valley – Ancient Rock Site

A special feature in here is hundreds of huge stones carved with mysterious drawings which remain unexplained up to now, in term of their origins and meanings. Those drawings have existed for centuries, lying among trees and terraced fields. Nowadays, these ancient rocks are ranked as relics that should really be preserved with high concern.

From April to May, terraced rice fields in Muong Hoa valley look like huge sparkling mirrors as water fills all over the surfaces. From September to October, those rice fields just turn into golden seas of fruitful harvesting time. At those best times of a year, Muong Hoa Valley is perfect to see.

5. Sapa Market

Someone said that if you want to learn the culture of a region, come straight to its market. Luckily, that saying is so true for Sapa. Sapa market in the past and  in the current time are different a bit but the original culture of highland periodic market sessions still remain the same. There will always be the vividness of brocade from the Dao, H'mong people and there will always be many home-made items brought to the market to exchange for other items or to sell for money. Sapa Market is now in daily operation but it is way more crowded at weekend, as it is the right time for people from all remote vilages to gather in one place, do business exchange or even make friends. It’s a cultural highlight that people love and hope to maintain.