Lying in the very North West of Vietnam near the Chines border, Sapa has made its own way to become one of the very attractions of the country which is a favourite destination accessing from Hanoi (besides Halong Bay and Ninh Binh). Formerly a hilltop retreat for French colonialists who want to find a faraway place to escape from the heat of the country due to its climate similar to Western’s, that’s why now there are still many of colonial villas there as the historical proofs of its majestic era.
Sapa is now such a colorful town thanks to the local hill tribes’ resident there (mostly the H’mong and Dzao) but it’s not all about this town in terms of attracting tourists but solely on the merit of its natural beauty. It's particularly rich in opportunities for treks or biking through the paths running through different levels of mountainous topographic from easy to hard for adventure seekers, homestays for those who want to live with the locals so as to be in direct contact with the region’s community and want to observe life in a different way, especially when you venture further into small hamlets, you can catch the glimpse of fascinating lifestyle which seem to be stolen from the past; and breathtaking landscape with mountains, valleys, paddy rice fields with changing shades and colorful local markets for unique beauty admirers making Sapa is undeniable one of Vietnam’s jewels.
For the people living in Sapa, life is now much better for them, however they still struggle to make earning and their main profit is based on tourism which they made products (hand-made scarves, costumes and souvenirs for sale).
No matter what time of year visiting, Sapa has its drawback and advantages. The best time to visit Sapa is in the Auturm from August to December when the sky is clear. It may have rain but it is still warm with ripen rice paddy all around making the scenery glowing like a painting. In the winter, it is cold and have chance of snow (but very rare and happens in several days only), the sky is grey and can be foggy and rainy, but if luckily, sometimes it is clear and the views are more gorgeous than ever.
