High mountains near Sapa in northern Vietnam

by Silva Wischeropp

This Asian mountain scene is an analogue photograph from my series: “Passage to Vietnam”. The photograph was taken during my three-month photography trip in 2000 using a Nikon FE2 camera on the unique high-altitude plateau with valleys fringed by rice fields in northern Vietnam, near Sapa.

Sapa is a mountain town in northern Vietnam (Lao Cai Province).
It lies at an altitude of around 1,600 metres in the Hoàng Liên Sơn Mountains and is famous for its spectacular rice terraces and the colourful mountain tribes of the Hmong and Dao.
The climate here is significantly cooler and often misty.

Highlights in Sa Pa
Fansipan: At 3,143 metres, it is the highest mountain in Vietnam (and Indochina).
You can reach the summit by cable car and funicular.

Cat Cat Village: A traditional, albeit very touristy, Hmong village in a valley near the town. Tickets cost around 150,000 dong (approx. 6 euros).

Trekking & Homestays:
Multi-day treks through rice terraces and to ethnic minority villages such as Ta Van
are the region’s main attraction.
Bac Ha Market:
The nearby Sunday market is famous for its flowers, local produce and the region’s ethnic groups dressed in traditional attire.