Lying at 38 kilometres far from Lao Cai Township and 376 kilometres from Ha Noi, the hanging garden Sa Pa was discovered by a Western person in the end of the 19th century. To reach this place, people can follow two ways: one way from Lao Cai Township and another from Binh Lu (Lai Chau), by different means of transporting like trains, cars or motorbikes.
In
the 40s, the French people projected and made Sa Pa become an ideal
place for resting and convalescing with full equipments and facilities
like good hydroelectricity system, water providing station, governor
general edifice, chief envoy building, coal department, treasury,
forest management system, asphalted roads, and especially more than 200
villas with the Gothic architectural style in the 19th century of
Europe in the central of the township, lying among peach forests and
samu trees. This has brought the township the form of a European city.
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| Colourful plum flowers in the spring |
Sa Pa has been known about its pure, temperate
atmosphere and beautiful landscapes. In 1909, a convalescence and
medical treatment area was built up. In 1917, a tourism office was
founded in Sa Pa and one year later, the French people started to build
up their first villas. In 1920, the railway Ha Noi -Lao Cai was
completed and Sa Pa then was thought of as the summer capital of the
North.
In spring time, tourists have a chance to contemplate the special beauty spots here. They can take a look at peach forests stretching thousands of kilometers, from the township to the peak of the mountain pass O Quy Ho, like a carpet of pink flowers greeting the guests coming. Spring in Sa Pa is the time when various flowers bloom with many colours, from orchid, gladiolus, dahlia, peony to peach, plum and apricot flowers.
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| Staircase towards the Sapa paradise |
Besides,
there are many other kinds of beautiful and valuable trees such as
artiso, bamboo, cycad, and especially thorny pine trees which are
called "Sa-mu" in H'mong language. In the collection of herbal plants
to cure diseases of Vietnam, nearly all kinds of herbs have origin and
can acclimatize in Sa Pa environment. Some can be counted are:
conioselinum univitatim, ashweed, cardamon, goldthread, saussuera lappa
chark, acanthopanax, angelica, etc.
Furthermore, Sa Pa is also the mysterious land with special plants growing on the peak of Phan-xi-pang and a number of rare and valuable birds and animals like parrot, peacock, francolin, wild boar, and Tibetan bear. In these days, at Sa Pa people have found out a community of carved stone with nearly 200 small and large stones. Annually, more than ten thousand of tourists visit this region, including groups of foreign students come to do sightseeing, study, do research, make movies and take photographs.
Source: simplevietnam.com
Sapa - Catcat - Laochai - Tavan -Giang TaChai Village
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