Sapa is a small pretty town in the cooler northern part of the country which is surrounded by terraced fields and dominated by the impressive presence of Mount Fansipan. The area is home to a variety of minority hill tribe communities including Red Dao and Hmong, many of which can be seen going about their lives in the small town.
The area offers some excellent trekking opportunities through rice fields via some of the tribal villages and one of the highlights of any visit here is the ‘love market’. This is an ancient local custom where singletons from the various tribes would meet on Saturday night to find a suitable partner outside their own community. The custom has long since moved away from prying eyes but Saturday night is still a popular and lively night to be in Sapa town.