Things to do in Sapa

Sapa is a mountain town in Vietnam's far north-west, close to the Chinese border and about five to six hours from Hanoi by road. It sits above the Muong Hoa valley, whose rice terraces step down the slopes in green (summer) or gold (just before the harvest) and are home to Hmong, Dao and Giay communities.

Most visitors come to walk: easy trails lead down through the terraces to villages such as Lao Chai, Ta Van and Cat Cat. Above the town, a cable car climbs to the summit of Fansipan, at 3,143 m the highest mountain in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.