Located in the middle of breathtaking landscape, Sapa is one of
the most wonderful places in all of Asia. Being a former French
hill station, it is situated in the midst of mountains, just south
of the Fansipan, with 3143 m the highest point of Vietnam. It is
very convenient located for hiking in the surrounding area, where
you can visit many small villages of minorities, mainly the Hmong
(Meo) and the Dao. Especially the Hmong sell beautifully embroidered
bags, caps, jackets, etc. Market day is every day, but the weekend
is special. But the weekend is also specially crowded with foreigners,
so it's probably a good idea to avoid it. I dare say that someone
who has been there just one year ago will not recognize it anymore
and certainly not like the crowds. But that's the way of most of
the (former) insider locations
