Sa Pa is high mountainous district of Lao Cai with total natural area of 683 km2, holds 8,24% of provincial area. The north borders with Bat Xat. The South borders with Van Ban district. The East borders with Bao Thang district. The West borders with Than Uyen district and Lai Chau province.
The population is 56.55 people, the population density is 83 people/km2, with 7 enthic groups, in which Mong people are most crowded (accounting for 51.65% of district’s population)
Sa Pa district has 17 communes and one town. Sa Pa town is district capital which locates about 35 km far from Lao Cai town towards the Southwest. Locating in the highway 4D from Lao Cai to Lai Chau, Sa Pa is the gate between two areas in the Northest and Northwest.
In the feudal time, Sa Pa terrainbelonged to Thuy Vi ward, Quy Hoa town, Hung Hoa province. Up to Minh Mang – Nguyen dynastry, Thuy Vi ward was divided into many areas, Sa Pa was separated from forming Huong Vinh area including 15 villages.
After dominating Sapa in 1887, French colonialists opened Hung Ho area – Sa Pa and turned it to be summer holiday resort. They took some French contractors such as Hautefeuille, Lapiques, Anvaro with Frenh engineers and Vietnamese workers to exploit wood, stone, sand, etc, mobilized thousands of workers from plains and local people to serve as labors as well as with prisons from Sapa Prison for the construction work.
Since Lao Cai was found (on July 12th 1907), Sa Pa was formed from two 2 communes which are Binh Lu and Huong Vinh. In years of 30th decade at 20th century, Sa Pa was changed to region including 37 villages, one street with 1020 inhabitants.
Up to 1915, there were two resting house for summer vacation made by wood and constructed by Hautefeuille contractor. Later there were three big hotels: Metropon, Pansipan, Hotel Duy Xang and hundreds of other villas built to serve as convalescence resorts for French.
When resorts waere formed, the infrastructure was built by French. In 1925, built Cat Cat power plant, in 1930 spreaded out asphalt for internal road and Lao Cai – Sa Pa road. Clean water supply system was provided to serve the town. Concurrently, residential area of Sa Pa town was formed. Besides Vietnamese, there were Chinese, French, after that formed streets such as: Khach, An nam and Xuan Vien streets.
In 1943, Sa Pa had about 200 villas and houses built by French, flower grounds, playing area and plaints as well as tourism attraction such as: Stone cave, Bac waterfall, May bridge, etc (however, villas, hotels and offices at that time were not remained because almost of them were destroyed according to the scorched-earth policy in 1947.and border war in 1979)
On 9/3/1944, The North unification gave out the the Decree of forming Sa Pa region including 2 communes of Muong Hoa, Huong vinh and Xuan Vien street (or town now)
In 1948, Sa Pa was divided into 3 communes: Sa Pa Chung, Muong Bo and Kinh Hoa (later called as Mong Va). After being unified, Sa Pa re-organized administrative units and dividing into 17 communes and one town. Eighteen administrative units are kept stably until now.
In 1954, the unification was remained in the North, Sa Pa becamce one resting resort for all people.but Sapa really opened to foreing tourist since 1992.
Sapa has Phan – Xi – Pang mountain peak which has height up to 3,143 m on Hoang Lien Son mountain chain. Calling Hoa Lien Son because there is uniquely Hoa Lien tree on the peak – one valuable medicine, besides Hoa Lien Son also has mine of valuable and rate wood such as oil pine.
Hoang Lien Son chain has more 2,000 species with valuable wood such as: Tong Quan Su, snowbeel, Do Quyen, Pomu, plum, etc in which there are about 66 species recorded in red book of Vietnam such as: cypress, Thiet Sam, pine, red pine, etc. 32 valuable species are green cypress distributed in clime stone region of Ban Ho commune (Sa Pa), red pine is discovered in Sa Pa commune (Sa Pa), Van Sam Hoang Lien – Cold Sam.
These three species are main materials used for extracted to many valuable medicines and hundreds of herbal rememdy types: Quy, Thuc, Do Trong, Hoang Lien Chan Chim, Do Quyen, Kim Giao, etc. In addition, here we discovered some ancient fungus mushroom, Sa Pa neohouzeaua – distributed mainly in high mountain of China and Vietnam
Besides a plentiful forest plant system, forest animal system is also very diversified with 66 animal species, most popular ones are: black Gibbon, Hong Hoang, Cheo Cheo, Vooc, Bac Ma, etc, in which there are 16 species recoreded in red book of Vietnam; 347 bird species such as big spotted eagle, red crest pleasant, yellow beak bird, etc; 41 amphibian species and 61 reptiles in which thorn frog is very rared and has been discovered already in Vietnam
Sa pa has Ham Rong mountain locating closely to the town, any tourist can climb up there to view whole sight of town, Muong Hoa valley, Sa Pa, Ta Phin hiding in the fog. Currently, with artificial changes from human, Ham Rong really is attractive place with fully fruit and flower of Sa Pa. If anyone has ever come to Thach Lam (Van Nam – China) then Ham Rong can be help you image how Thach Lam is.
Sa Pa also has ancient church in the town and walking back up towards the NorthWest from the town, on the way to Ta Phin cave, there is one monastery built by completely stone at one airy and cool hillside. Through the monastery, walk in three kilometers towards the North to one cave which has the width of being able to contain a regiment of people. In the cave, stalactiles create interesting shpes such as dancing fairy, seating fairy, remote rice field, forest. In Ta Phin, two enthich groups which are Mong and Dao people, produce brocade products to sell in domestic and foreign market.
Sa Pa has 7 enthic peoples residenting in, each enthic group has one individual cultural treasure. Particularly in Sa Pa, there is Roong Poc festival of Giay Ta Van peole on Dragon day of lunar January, Sai San festival (stamping mountain) of Mong people, “ Climbing tet” holiday of Dao Do people, all these activities are organized in lunal January annually.
The most rememberable one known by whole country is market days in Sa Pa, one of seventeen administrative units in Sa Pa, there is only market day metting on Sunday in the district capital (Sa Pa town). People coming from far place, must come from Saturday and during the night of Saturday, people wake and play with each other through folk songs of Mong and Dao girls and boys with sound from lip flute, Mong pan pipe, alcohol bowl from old people, etc and people name “ love market” for it.