1. Sa Pa

Sa Pa is a tourist destination which is more than 30km away from the centre of Lao Cai city. Sa Pa is located at the height of 1500-1800m above the sea level. Sa Pa is endowed with many wonders and has attracted many tourists by its magnificient mountains as well as the unique experiences of the lives of the ethnic minority groups. If you ever happen to come to Sa Pa, please explore the following unique tourist attractions :

Conquering the Fansipan peak.

At an altitude of 3,143m, Fansipan is known as the ‘Roof of Indochina’. It’d better to take the train at the centre of Sa Pa town which will bring tourists from the foot of the mountain to the cable station. Afterwards, tourists will be going higher by the Fansipan cables from which tourists will have the chance to admire the colorful landscapes and majestic mountains on the way to the peak. Once you reach ‘the roof of Indochina’, you will have the great and enjoyable feelings among thhe open sky, strong wind and white cloud right in front of your eyes.

O Quy Ho Mountain Pass

Tourists should go to O Quy Ho mountain pass to watch the sunset. This mountain pass is about 15km away from the centre of Sa Pa town and is known as one othe four famous mountain passes in the Nortwest region. Tourists will have the opportunity to watch the clouds moving around the mountain in Lao Cai province’s area and particularly the late afternoon sunlight fully gleaming the Northwest sunset at Lai Chau province’s side.   

Ham Rong Mountain

Standing at the top of Ham Rong mountain, you will have the chance to see the panorama of the entire Sa pa town, Muong Hoa valley, Ta Phin village…hidden in the smog. There are many kinds of fruits planted in here such as peaches, plums, pears… that you will enjoy all the time.

Location: It’s 3km away from the centre of Sa Pa town.

Sa Pa church

Sa Pa church, built in 1985 is considered to be one of the most ancient surviving French architectual site. The church has been embellished and preserved, becoming an indispensable image when referring to the foggy Sa Pa.

Location: In the centre of Sa Pa town

Cat Cat village

Cat cat is Mong people’s old village where many traditional handcrafts have been preserved such as planting cotton-plants, flaxes, weaving, etc. Coming to this village, tourists will have the opportunity to participate in these activities as well as to be able to find the suitable and nice gifts.

Location : It’s 2km away from the centre of Sa Pa town.

Ta Phin Village

Ta Phin village has beautiful natural scenery and the ethnic cultural identities of the Red Dao people with brocading handcrafts. At Ta Phin village, you can visit the nearby Ta Phin Cave in which there are many interesting stalacites in the forms of the fairies dancing and sitting, the distant rice paddy fields, the sparkling forests, etc.

Muong Hoa Valley - Sa Pa Old Carved Stones Area

Muong Hoa valley is a very popular tourist attraction of Sa Pa. It is considered one of the most beautiful valleys in the Northwest and Northeast of Vietnam. Coming to Muong Hoa valley, tourists will be impressed with the beautiful streams of cool water, the charming terraced fields or the unique old carved stones areas.

Location: It’s 8km away from Sa Pa town centre to the Southeast.

Silver Waterfall

On the way to Lai Chau province, you will see the Silver Waterfall fierely flowing down from the height of 200m into the streams in O Quy Ho valley, making the impressive sounds of mountains and forests. However, in spring, tourists should take into consideration before coming to see the Silver Waterfall because the flows of water falling down are very small.

Location: It’s 12km away from Sa Pa town centre to the West, on the way to Lai Chau province.

Love Waterfall

Love Waterfall is at 100m high, day and night pours its white water columns down to the Golden Stream. It is also one of the starting points of the adventurous journey to conquer the Fansipan peak. In legend, Love Waterfall was the meeting place of a fairy from Sky and a woodcutter namely O Quy Ho. However, the couple couldn’t go on for date due to the disapproval of the Sky. Finally, because of missing her lover, the fairy turned into yellow feathered bird flying around the mountain and calling his name O Quy Ho without stopping.

Location: The LoveWaterfall is located in San Sa Ho commune, Sa Pa district, Lao Cai province. It’s 4km away from Sa Pa town in the Southwest.

2. Bat Xat district.

Being a highland district of Lao Cai province, though Bat Xat is not as famous as Sa Pa or Bac Ha, on the tourist map of the province Bat Xat has been marked among the tourist attractions, known as a place ‘where the Red River enters Viet Nam’. Coming to Bat Xat district, tourists should immediately explore the unique tourist attractions as follows :

Border Milestone N^o 92 – Lung Lo

Border milestone N^o92 has demarcated the border line between Viet Nam and China. It is also the first place where the Red River enters the territory of Viet Nam.

Terraced fields at Y Ty and Ngai Thau communes 

Admiring the beauty of the terraced fields is a must-do-experience that the tourists should take notice of when coming to Bat Xat. All the rice paddy fields are fertile with the unique and eye-catching structure: they are covered by the green color showing full of energy in some seasons, and they are then covered by the bright yellow waiting for the harvest in other seasons.

Lao Chai

Lao Chai is home to the black Ha Nhi. It is a good place to watch the entire village covered by the rocky mountains and grassy hills engulfed in mist. In addition, coming to Lao Chai, tourists will have the chance to immerser themselves, experience and participate in the friendly and idyllic daily lives of the local.

Den Sang

Den Sang commune is home to the Red Dao people with their strongly preserved cultural identities. Many old and traditional customs have still been preserved such as special ‘lễ cấp sắc’ (a kind of adult ceremony of the Dao men), fire dancing (jumping over the fire), processing the herbal medicine from the leaves collected in the forests.

Den Sang is also well-known for its romantic Love Stream which is the very common place for couples to go for their dates.

Muong Hum fair market

Muong Hum market is located in a small valley, adjacent to a clear stream, surrounded by the high mountains. The market is often held on Sundays, making the busy days for the highland Bat Xat.

The Muong Hum fair market is often held on Sundays.

Ky Quan San mountain

At an altitude of 3,046m, from the top of Ky Quan San mountain, tourists will have the opportunity to admire the village deeply hidden in the mountains and the beautiful terraced fields after hiking through a lot of exciting paths.

Conquering Ky Quan San mountain has attracted a lot of people who love adventure. 

3. Bac Ha district

Bac Ha district is located at the height of 1.000 – 1.500m above the sea level. The climate is cool and pleasant all year around with the average temperature of 25^oC. Bac Ha is not as noisy as Sa Pa but it has attracted many tourists to come to visit by its wild beauty and cultural values intact.

Bac Ha Fair Market

Bac Ha fair is the largest market in the Northwest, ranking among the top groups of the largest and the most famous markets in Southeast Asia. The market is divided into several areas, including area for selling brocatelle products, household appliances, poultries, cattles, especially horse trading, etc.. All these areas have created the unique features for Bac Ha market.

In additional to Bac Ha market, the Bac Ha night market is often held on Saturdays. Tourists often come to visit on weekends so as to have the chance to experience the cultural characteristics of the local ethnic minority groups.

Hoang A Tuong Palace

Hoang A Tuong Palace had built in 1914 and was completed in 1921 by Hoang Yen Chao who was the crownless king of the old Bac Ha. The classic architecture and its interesting and mysterious stories have proved clearly the remarkable history of this land./.