Last summer, Mr Vu Quoc Toan, Director of Minh Quoc Company in Vung Tau, had some business in Hanoi and decided to visit Sapa on the weekend. On Tuesday, he came to Hanoi railway station and intended to book a berth for Thursday night trip. Unluckily, no more berths were available for even up to the next week because there were too many local and international visitors going to the famous, charming mountain town at that time. He had to try his best seeking the intervention of the Director General of Vietnam Railway Corporation and finally got a place on Hanoi - Lao Cai train.
Rest and discovery of ethnic culture
Sharing a compartment with two young men from Sweden, Mr Toan initiated conversation and came to know that the two foreigners were on a trip to discover the culture of the East. For his part, Mr Toan wondered whether he could have a successful visit to a place known as the Da Lat of the North.
350 km from Hanoi and 1,700 metres above sea level, Sapa has a temperate climate of 15 - 25 degree Celsius. In winter, sometimes snow falls and makes the landscapes more romantic for the people in a tropical country such as Vietnam. Sapa is also a part of HoangLienSonMountain which stands 3,400 metres high, at the roof of Indo-China.
Sapa was first discovered by French geologists in 1903 and became a luxurious resort for French officials and rich people with Gothic-style villas, restaurants and churches.
When Vietnam became independent, Sapa became open to all people, and in particular since the 1990s, it has been an ideal place for tourists, mountain-climbers and researchers of ethnic culture.
With high-class hotels built and operated by Vietnamese and foreign investors, Sapa attracts not only Vietnamese but also visitors from all parts of the world, especially foreign backpackers after visiting Hanoi, and Ha Long Bay never fail to come to Sapa exploring primitive forests and sharing the life among the 25 local ethnic minorities.
The weekly “Sapa love market” of young H’Mong people, ancient engraved stones reminiscent of letters on a Pyramid, Ta Phin brocade village, and Cat Cat cultural village are its most important tourist attractions. Tourists are further impressed by visiting the houses of H’Mong, Dao, and Ha Nhi ethnic minorities built high in the mountains, admiring their colourful dresses each with their own unique culture.
After Sapa, tourists often drop by Bac Ha, Bat Xat, visiting Bac Ha market place where ethnic people not only buy and sell local products but also present their best clothes, singing and dancing, providing a festival of the region. The area is also famous for special fruit: plum, peach, pear and in particular San Nung vodka, the favourite in both highland and plain areas.
Bright prospect
According to Lao Cai Tourism Department, in the first nine months of 2005, 404,000 tourists visited Lao Cai, including 138,000 foreigners and mainly to Sapa, increasing the turnover to VND160 billion (equivalent of US$10 million). To upgrade the railway built by the French a century ago, the French government has approved a funding of Euro30 million and the project will start in 2007 and completed in 2010. The road from Yen Bai to Lao Cai will also be upgraded with some hundred million US dollars.
Pending the improvement of the railways and as a consolation, visitors may take time on the slow train to watch mountains and forests, rivers and terraced fields on both sides. Mr Toan had to put on additional coat as Sapa is quite cold by Southern standard. While foreign backpackers negotiated for motorbike taxi to visit remote hamlets or train tickets back to Hanoi as they could not get round-trip tickets - a good sign of demand but a sad aspect of poor infrastructure.
Tung Lam
Vietnamese
