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 Sapa,
a vibrant town nestled in the midst of the awesome northern mountain terrains,
is truly a photographer’s delight. The
picturesque scenery of the mountains, valleys, waterfalls and rice
terraces, as well as the many different ethnic minorities in their colourful
traditional dresses, leaves lasting memories for every visitor.
The cool weather, together with spectacular views of mountain peaks,
makes this a perfect place to rest, relax and be in touch with nature… reasons
why Sapa was chosen as a hill station during French colonial days.
The
area is home to many ethnic minorities such as the Hmong, Dao, Thai, Tay and
Giay. Visits can be made to their
villages where you can gain first-hand insights and understanding into their
lifestyles, cultures and customs. At Sapa
market, ethnic minorities gather to sell their own unique handicrafts and
embroidery, the ladies often sewing pieces of embroidery, nursing their young
infants and bargaining with interested buyers all at the same time!
 A number of interesting local ethnic minority
markets, each market opens only on a particular day of the week, can be found
around Sapa. Of these, one of the biggest
and most popular Bac Ha market meets on every Sunday.
Many ethnic minorities such as the Black Hmong, Flower Hmong, Tay, Phu La,
Thai, Nung and Dao don their best dresses and congregate in the market to sell
their handicrafts and embroidery or just to catch up on the latest news with one
another. Another popular ethnic minority market meets on Saturdays in the
Can Cau area. Like Bac Ha market, Can Cau
market is another big gathering of different ethnic minority peoples meeting to
catch up and trade. However, Can Cau is
less visited by tourists and hence presents more of the “real” thing.
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