Sapa lies in the very north west of Vietnam near the Chinese border. Along with Halong Bay it is the "other" major excursion from Hanoi. Time permitting you can do a circuit around the northwest highlands which takes in Mai Chau, Son La, Dien Bien Phu, Lai Chau and finally Sapa before heading back to Hanoi. This would take at least a week by private vehicle and longer on local buses. During the wet season roads can be treacherous with landslides common. The best time to visit is from March to May and from September to mid-December.
In reality the vast majority of visitors arrive in Sapa from Hanoi via Mai Chau and don't go on to discover the spectacular scenery of the Tonkinese Alps where Montagnard hill tribes have lived for centuries.
In Sapa these local people have quickly adapted to the incursion of tourism and it's a common sight to see local women from the hill tribes pursuing foreigners down the main street bartering over colourful clothing and souvenirs. You might find this over the top in Sapa and would benefit from a trip out into the more remote villages where tourism had such a nasty social impact. The Montagnards aren't complaining though as many of them have grown relatively wealthy on the back of the new found cash economy.
Exploring the remotest mountainous region for its hidden values: nature wonder and interesting cultures, moving along quiet roads up mountains and down hills with stunning scenery, paying visit to unknown tribal villages, trekking or walking for sometimes, home stay with locals and sample their traditional food
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