SaPa town is located in Lao Cai province, in north - west Vietnam. SaPa means "town of sand" Sa (sand), Pa (town) in Chinese characters and is the population center for SaPa district. The town is situated at 1650 meters above the sea level in a scenic mountainous landscape. Northern Vietnam was previously known as Tonkin and the SaPa area was nicknamed the "Tonkin's Alps" by the French.
The area was discovered by European when a Jesuit missionary visited Sa Pa in 1918. French colonists were attracted by the climate and scenery, and in 1932 they began developing the town as a health resort. After moving the existing minority settlements, they built the church, some hotels, an aerodrome, tennis courts, the hydro-electric power station and over 200 villas, which have since been abandoned or destroyed. They also established road links with Lao Cai and Lai Chau.
Since 1945, Sa Pa has been governed under the Vietnamese political system. In early 1979, there was an armed assault on Sa Pa which destroyed most of the buildings. Due to Vietnamese resistance this conflict lasted less than two weeks. Only tens of the original French buildings remain intact. Major population centres such as Lao Cai were razed to the ground. The ruins of one French villa are prominent on the route from Sa Pa towm to Sin Chai village.
Today, Sa Pa is one of the most popular area for tourists in the north of Vietnam. Tourism is a high - income industry, with hundreds thousand of tourists visiting Sa Pa every year.
Vktour offers a number of different treks to Sapa, starting with the 2 days/ 3 nights Easy Trek then continue with Sapa Medium Trek, Sapa Hard Trek, Sapa - Bac Ha or adventure with Conquer Fansipan. Each trek usually offers an overnight home stay. Please study the various options available and contact us if you require more details.
