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Wintertime in
Vietnam is very cold and humid, especially the
northern
mountain areas of which
Sapa is a popular destination,
however winter is the best time to discover the beauty of
this high land.
 Sapa always stands on the top list of winter
destinations in
Vietnam. "City in the fog" has the specific of northwest
mountains with blue skies, white clouds and colourful
flower blooming all year round and many travelers come to
Sapa in the winter . Winter is very cold in Sa Pa , sometime
weather drops to below zero degree, tree branches and grass
are covered with ice. Sa Pa on icy days always attracts many
tourists and photographers and strangely all the most
beautiful pictures about Sapa are taken in wintertime. Sapa
has many walking paths into the village with beautiful
scenes of nature , flower forest. The hamlets on the
hillsides, along streams, brocade gown spread on huge rocks
, pieces of newly dyed linen flying in the thin haze makes
Sapa becomes more beautiful and romantic . While is beach
tourist spots are empty in winter Sapa is still bustling
with tourists, mostly foreigners, they come to find out the
natural and cultural beauty of the land over 100 years old.
Sapa
is known as a city in the fog, however in winter, fog
in Sa Pa is denser, causing blurry landscape, full of
mystery. Fog spread everywhere, perching on the pine
branches along the way, in the rice terraces causing blurred
shadows of indigo skirts appears and disappears every now
and then. Sa Pa town with homes looming in the fog. The
ancient castles and modern villas built with Western
architecture, follow the winding roads or protruding on the
slopes, hillsides. The roads in town is as beautiful as a
picturesque. Despite the cold and fog , the ancient Samu
trees along roadsides are still green. The forests of
bamboo, pines are immense. Along the red tiled road, looming
in the fog , the women wearing bamboo baskets on their back
are walking quickly, their heads are covered with colourful
scarves.
Located in
Muong Hoa valley, less than 10 km from Sapa, the
Cat Cat village is a vivid picture of the
Hmong culture. The
houses are roofed by Po Mu wood, with the pillars placed on
round or square rock. The outer room is full with brocade
clothes for sale, souvenirs, bronze and silver jewelry and
ethnic instruments such as Dan Moi, pan leaf, bamboo
flute...
Close to Sapa,
Y Ty (in Bat Xat district) is inspiring
tourists to return after their first visit. There are still
large number of tourists coming to Y Ty on cold winter days,
this place is reckoned as paradise for young backpackers.
The wonderful thing in Y Ty is the natural landscape, there
is here jungle, cardamom, Son Tra flower and little houses
plastered with earth. Coming to Y Ty, homestay in the
village is the most interesting, travelers stay and have
dinner with the hosts, enjoy herbal bath served by local
ethnic people. Y Ty in wintertime is still very attractive
captivating adventurous tourists to experience life in a
distant land.
In recent years,
homestay has become a favourite experience
especially for the young people thanks to reasonable prices,
culture and closeness to the nature. In response to the
increasing demand, many families have renovated their houses
in order to receive tourists, visitors can stay the night
with family, learn about cultural characteristics, enjoy
local cuisine of the area.
In the famous places such as Sapa,
Bac Ha, Bat Xat homestay
is developing very fast with more and more professional
services of the hosts, In addition to accommodation and
food, homeowners can also become tour guides taking visitors
to experience life in the village. |
