Lao Cai - Where The Himalayas Meet Vietnam
In the northwest of Vietnam, the very tail end of the mighty Himalaya mountain range makes it's last gasp before finally falling down and being replaced by other ranges. This last gasp is just south of the Vietnamese city of Lao Cai, and forms a very large and rugged mountain range blanketed with thick jungle, terraced fields, and small towns. Nestled in a valley high up in these mountains is the tourist town of Sa Pa, a charming, faux-Euro meets Vietnam community. It's all built on a pass from one valley to another, and is a very three dimensional place. The mountains surrounding it are quite spectacular, including Fanxipan, the highest peak in Vietnam. And even with all of the heavy Western tourism, the area is still incredible and very rural, and worth a visit.
We only had two days and one night to visit Sa Pa, and unfortunately for us it was pouring rain the entire time we were there, so it really limited our options to do things. It did make for great photos, but we also missed out on trekking, which is one of the things Sa Pa is famous for. Our guide (Thu) said it was possible to go and do some, but we would end up being muddy messes, and the conditions would be more dangerous than usual. So, we opted to do a little car exploring instead. This way we were able to see the other things the Sa Pa area is famous for, it's local tribes and it's rice terraces. Despite the pouring rain, it was still a magical place to see and we made the most of our time.
Sa Pa sits high in the mountains in Lao Cai Province, nestled among the peaks of the Hoang Lien Son, or Hoang Lien Mountain Range. These "toes of the Himalaya", are substantially higher than the flat valleys around them, and getting into them from the lowlands of Lao Cai city require driving up a steep and winding path to the valleys above. Whilst driving up Kelsey was asleep on one of my arms so I was unable to get any photos, but it was pretty amazing. The gorge we drove up hosted a large river at it's bottom, and that river was crashing over waterfalls in the 15m to 25m range, all with a river of at least 3,000cfs. Eventually you start climbing into valley after valley, until you pull into a small basin on the ridge between two river valleys, where the town itself is perched. It is a beautiful city, with many old buildings mixed with new construction. Although we didn't see any, I'm sure the views from town are glorious as well.