General Information
Location: Northern Vietnam, Lao Cai Province
Population: Over 61,000 (2018)
Language: Vietnamese and languages of ethnic minorities
Currency: Vietnam Dong (VND)
Natural Condition: Mostly mountainous area
People
Most of Sapa people are ethnic minorities having a simple and peaceful life attached to nature. Every day, men go hunting in the forests; working on terraces while women stay at home, raise children and weave colorful fabrics. Once a week, they often gather at markets in the center of Sapa for trading goods and buying necessaries. Recently, tourism has brought new things for this land from resorts, restaurants, hotels, homestays to roads and technology.
Besides, more and more people have migrated to Sapa, settled down there and set up the business. Therefore, the locals now get used to the appearances of tourists as well as the civilization of society. They, nonetheless, preserve their traditional and cultural values on one side but popularize them for profits.
Nature
Tourism can partly change the lifestyle of the locals but never does to the nature in Sapa. The town on the clouds is the way tourists name for this dreaming land. Sapa is rustic villages with houses made of wood and straw, storages filled by yellow corns, and giant wooden wheels along a river using the streams to spin for creating the force serving the milling. It is majestic Mount Fansipan – the rooftop of Indochina with a height of 3143m.
It is also bumpy roads lying on towering cliffs covered by immense tropical forests. Paying a visit to Sapa will show you that paradise is not far away but in this exotic destination.
Culture
Sapa’s culture is imbued with the identities of ethnic minorities. It attracts visitors for the unique festivals, colorful handmade clothes, mouthwatering cuisine with special mountainous ingredients and natural seasoning. Exploring every village brings you distinctive experiences of tradition and practices.
Provided that you do not have enough time to do that, pay a visit to a local market and it will be beyond your expectations. The market is filled with handicraft arts, traditional games, and colorful clothes. You will feel a little bit tired when choosing gifts to bring home after your Sapa tour because of a wide range of styles and designs.