Places to visit in and around Sa Pa

Places to visit in and around Sa Pa
Sa Pa Market
All manner of hill-tribe clothing, jewellery and handicrafts, some quite old, are on sale – after fierce bargaining – in the main Sa Pa Market. The ethnic-minority attire has been cleverly altered for foreign body shapes. Vendors gather at the market every day, but the best time to visit is early on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Throughout the week, Black Hmong and Red Dao women wander about town, aggressively touting their clothing and jewellery. Sapa tours

Sa Pa Church

Replaced in the last decade with all manner of mini-hotels and karaoke bars, only a few original buildings, replete with balconies and cupolas, linger from Sa Pa’s days as a French hill station. One of the most noteworthy is Sa Pa Catholic Church. Built in 1930, it was shelled in 1952 by the French and again, in 1979, by the Chinese. Repaired in 1994, a priest comes in from Lao Cai twice a week to preach to a packed congregation able to recite Mass from memory. North Vietnam tours

Treks around Sa Pa

Places to visit in and around Sa Pa

Just 3km (2 miles) outside of Sa Pa is the well-trodden Black Hmong village of Cat Cat. The Black Hmong children here squat bare-bottomed in the dirt and pose for tourists’ cameras (in return for money, of course). Dozens of visitors tramp through this small stilt-house village daily on their way to the nearby Silver Falls (Thac Bac), about 12km (7 miles) out of town. Also near the falls is a long wooden suspension bridge called Cloud Bridge (Cau May). Several outlying villages, such as Ta Van, Sin Chai and Ta Phin, make for pleasant and relatively easy treks. Hotels and travel agencies in Sa Pa will have more details.Au Co Cruise – Halong Travel

Mount Fansipan

For the truly adventurous (or foolhardy), there is Mount Fansipan (Nui Phan Si Pan), Vietnam’s highest peak at 3,143m (10,310ft), to conquer. A guide is mandatory (by law) for the trek to the summit, which takes a minimum of three days to complete. Directly west of Sa Pa and located in Hoang Lien Son National Park, the scenery is utterly magnificent, notable for its rhododendron-rich forests and exceptional birdlife.

While there is some rather threadbare camping equipment available for rent in Sa Pa, most climbers choose to outfit themselves for the trek in Hanoi, where it’s easy to find good fleece jackets and sturdy shoes. While not technically demanding, it’s a long way up the mountain and the trek is not to be underestimated, particularly in rain or misty conditions. Closer to the summit, the ascent involves negotiating a number of steep, rocky patches and can be treacherous if the ground is wet. March is perhaps the best time to visit as this is the peak of the dry season. If you decide to make the trip, be sure to book with an experienced local operator.