Vietnam Northwest

Sa Pa, or Sapa, is a frontier township and capital of Sa Pa District in Lao Cai Province in north-west Vietnam. It is one of the main market towns in the area, where several ethnic minority groups such as Hmong, Dao (Yao), Giay, Pho Lu, and Tay live. Before the 1990s, the town's economy was mainly based on small size agriculture. Tourist arrival between 1995 and 2003 grew from a total of 4,860 to 138,622. On average, 79% of the visitors are Vietnamese and 21% are foreigners. Certainly visit the local market before you head out to explore the terraced rice fields in the region.