Sapa is a must-visit destination for those who have a great desire to explore the unique beauty of ethnic mountainous lifestyle in Vietnam. Tourists will instantly fall in love with fragile fog, spectacular landscapes, and a climb to the peak of Indochina area, namely Fansipan.
But, the most fascinating and memorable activity was that we had a chance to participate in hill-tribe markets, go shopping around, and interact with hospitable minorities there. Each market tends to have its own specialty and charm. Depending on how adventurous you are feeling, some seem easier to get to than others. The following are some of our favorite activities during the travel to Sapa. Hope that you will find this guide truly helpful!
In fact, Sapa gets its name famous with a lot of imposing attractions and enjoyable activities. But, I strongly advise you to rent a motorbike if you travel alone or rent a car if you have a big group. That’s because such attractions are far away from each other and scattered around the town. In order to start our discovery, my friend and I rented a motorbike.
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| Photo by Truth'soutthere |
A trip to Sapa will not be complete without a visit to any Sapa market. For me, this was truly a perfect place to understand more about ethnics’ activities and lives. So, we decided to choose Bac Ha market as our first destination, which was situated about 76 kilometers from Lao Cai City. There was especially a large population of Flower H’mong here. Well-known as the morning Sunday market, it also stands out as the largest and most lively market in the area. We arrived at there in the early morning to not only avoid the crowds of tourists, but also see the market in full swing.
We recommended you to take comfy shoes and a high-quality camera because there are many areas to explore, and scenes to take photographs. In addition, an umbrella might be also useful as protection from the sun. You can find everything here, from souvenirs and trinkets to traditional clothing and H’mong dress. But, we did not buy anything. Rather, we simply wanted to gain hands-on experience. The most attracting feature that won my heart from the first sight was the buffalo market, which was a new and odd experience for both of us. We witnessed several wallowing water buffalos and their calves while a few sellers tried to bargain for the suitable choice.
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| Photo by collect on the internet |
We continued our journey to Ban Pho Village that was located 30 minutes drive from Bac Ha market. This village is famous for corn wine (rượu ngô) – a traditional wine here. In addition, you should also try the tasty “Thang Co” which is one of the specialties of ethnic people. It is just a mixture of all parts of ox, horses, pig, buffalo, especially corn wine. After checking in here, we were invited to have lunch by an H’mong family. They were very sincere, honest, hospitable, and enthusiastic. We had an opportunity to watch them directly cooking corn wine and enjoy. Although corn wine was not heavy, we just had tasted some samples. One family member guided us through the village from one side to the other. Following his guide, we also saw how the corn was treated, dried, sorted, stored and brewed. After all, it was truly an educational adventure which left us memorable and impressive!
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| Photo by zeuma fr |
For an adventurous feeling, we did not skip a great chance to climb up to Ham Rong Mountain. To do that, we had to follow the road behind the church to the end, and then turn left. After that, we continued to go hiking up the mountain to conquer Cloud Yard (Sân Mây) – the summit of Ham Rong. On the way to the mountain, my eyebrows were really raised by the natural beauty of orchid garden, peach forest, and a field of flowers. Of course, I did not forget to take several meaningful shots here! Standing on the peak, we threw our vision to stunning landscapes around and admired the most poetic beauty of Sapa town shrouded in clouds.
We came back to hotel after a long day of discovery. Of course, both of us felt exhausted and slept very well. But, we were very excited in what we spent. For me, you should spend at least 2 days and 1 night in Sapa to be enough time to visit such 3 above beautiful spots. On the whole, I hope to return and explore this exquisite town again in the near future.