Fansipan Mountain
Location: Fansipan Mountain
is located 9km south-west of Sapa Townlet in
the Hoang Lien Mountain Range.
Characteristics: Fansipan is branded "the
Roof of Indochina" at the height of 3,143m;
Fansipan is to be approved as one of the very
few eco-tourist spots of Vietnam, with about
2,024 floral varieties and 327 faunal species.
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The topography
of Fansipan is varied. Muong Hoa Valley, at the
lowest altitude (950-1,000m), is created by a
narrow strip of land at the base on the east side
of the mountain.
Geologists say the Hoang
Lien Mountain Range, with Fansipan as its highest
peak, did not emerge in the mountainous North
West of Vietnam until the neozoic period (circ.
100 million years ago). Fansipan, a rough pronunciation
of the local name “Hua Xi Pan” means
“the tottery giant rock”. The French
came to Vietnam and in 1905 planted a landmark
telling Fansipan’s height of 3,143m and
branded it “the Roof of Indochina”.
Very few people climbed to the top of Fansipan
at the time. Then came the long years of war and
Fansipan was left deserted for hunting and savaging.
The trail blazed by the French was quickly overgrown
by the underbrush.
It takes six or seven days to reach the 3,143m
summit, the highest peak of the Indochina Peninsula.
In 1991, Nguyen Thien Hung, an army man returned
to the district town and decided to conquer Fansipan.
Only on the 13th attempt did Hung, with a H’Mong
boy as his guide, conquer the high peak by following
the foot steps of the mountain goats. Scaling
the height was meant to satisfy his eager will
and aspiration to conquer the mountain without
expecting that his name would be put down in the
travel guidebook. After that the Sapa Tourism
Agency started a new package tour there. It seemed
the Fansipan Tour was meant only for those who
wished to test their muscular power.
The summit of Fansipan is accessible
all year round, but the best time to make the
ascent is from mid-October to mid-November, and
again in March.
Foreigners like
best to book Fansipan tours between October and
December, as this period is more often than not
free from the heavy rains that obstruct the jaunt.
But the Vietnamese prefer their tours to the peak
of the mountain from February to April, as it
is not so cold then. However, the best time for
the trek to the mountain is from the end of February
to the start of March, when the flowers all flourish
and the climbers may behold the carpets of brilliant
blossoms, violets and orchids, rhododendrons and
aglaias.
Location: In center of Sapa Townlet,
Sapa District, Lao Cai District; 33km from Lao
Cai City.
Characteristics: Ham Rong Mountain is an attractive
tourist area in the center of Sapa Townlet.
Visitors to Ham Rong have chances
to climb up the San May (Cloud Yard) to enjoy
the panorama of Sapa Townlet, visit the orchid
gardens with beautiful and colorful flowers. In
addition, Ham Rong Mountain has numerous caves
and stones in extraordinary shapes.
Sapa
Ancient Rock Field
Location: Sapa Ancient Rock
Field is in Muong Hoa Valley, Hau Thao Commune,
Sapa District, Lao Cai Province.
Characteristic: This 8sq.km-area of remains
consists of large multi-grade rocks engraved
with ancient images.
Sapa Ancient Rock Field
is between the terraced rice paddies of ethnic
minority groups. The first exploration research,
in 1925, recorded that there were 200 stones
of various dimensions concentrated in the area.
Hon Bo, which is 15m long and 6m high, is the
biggest of theses rocks.
The engravings on the surfaces of the stone
are either pictographic or decorative. Remarkably,
among the engravings are drawings of humans,
stilt-houses of the ethnic minorities and symbols
believed to be a primitive form of writing.
But their meaning has not yet been deciphered.
In addition, impressive
images include a da chong (the husband stone),
da vo (the wife stone), as well as stones that
look like tigers and a stela with an incantation
written on it by the carver to help his people
defeat the tigers. The da chong and da vo tell
the story of faithful love between a couple
who overcame all difficulties to be together;
even though they turned to stone, they are still
dedicated to each other.
Archaeologists have proven that
this area has been inhabited since ancient times.
These fascinating Viet remains have drawn the
attention of scientists and tourists.
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Tet of dancing of the Dao Do
Time: From the 1st to the 2nd
day of the first lunar month.
Place: Ta Phin Commune, Sa Pa District, Lao
Cai Province.
Objects of worship: Deities, ancestors.
Characteristics: Dancing (14 styles of dance),
bathing ancestor’s statues.
Three
big families of Ly, Ban, Trieu arranged Tet
of dancing at the head of the family’s
house. The main ceremony is the dances which
are performed by small group of young boys and
girls. There are many dance styles which are
described the contexts of ancestor angel go
down the earth to attend the Tet with offspring.
After the dance ceremony is an ancestor’s
statues procession and bathing ancestor’s
statues ceremony. Next to it is a dance of offering
red and yellow cocks... The flag dance is the
end
of the festival.
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Thuong Temple Spring Festival
Time: From the 14th to the
15th day of the first lunar month.
Place: Lao Cai City, Lao Cai Province.
Objects of worship: Tran Hung Dao.
Characteristics: A palanquin procession, tug
of war contest, wrestling contest, and con throwing,
sticks pushing, no (arbalest) shooting.
Thuong Temple is located on
the Hoa Hieu Hill, Lao Cai City, dedicated to
Tran Hung Dao - the famous general of Tran Dynasty.
He commanded the Dai Viet troops defensive in
Lao Cai in 1257. The spring festival is organized
at the cutural center of Lao Cai Ward and Thuong
and Mau Temples. The ceremonies include the
opening festival, processions of the Holy Mother
and Thien hau Nuong; worshipping ceremony takes
place on the 14th day, thanksgiving ceremony
is on the 15th day to pray for peaceful and
prosperous things to everyone. It involves traditional
singing and dancing performances and mountainous
ethnic games: con throwing, arbalest shooting,
tug of war, stick pushing, wrestle, cocks fighting,
swinging... The spring festival is alco displayed
brocade souvernirs, local goods which are made
by girls of the Mong, the Dao, the Thai...
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Xoe Dancing Festival in Ta
Chai
Time: The 15th day of the first
lunar month.
Place: Ta Chai Commune, Bac Ha District, Lao
Cai Province.
Objects of worship: Agriculture Deity (administer
of fields and gardens).
Characteristics: Xoe dancing of the Tay.
Xoe Festival in Ta Chai is the
spring festival of the Tay to pray for good
crop, full of grains and rice. The ritual is
rather simple with a tray of offerrings put
at the foot of a neu tree which show the sincerity
of villagers to the god of farming. After the
magician observes rituals, the whole of the
village take part in dancing of xoe in the boisterous
sounds of gong, drum with many special styles
of dance such as: xoe in group, xoe in couple,
xoe in four person, xoe greeting...
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Cat Cat Village
Location: Cat Cat Village is
2km from Sapa Townlet, Sapa District.
Characteristics: This is an age-old village
of H'Mong ethnic group remaining unique customs
and practices that are lots in other villages.
Visitors
to Cat Cat have an opportunity to admire a lively
and colorful picture. That is the image of young
women sitting by looms with colorful pieces
of brocade decorated with designs of flowers
and birds. When these pieces of brocade are
finished, they are dyed and embroidered with
beautiful designs. A noteworthy is that H’Mong
women use plants and leaves to dye these brocade
fabrics. And then they roll a round and smooth
section of wood covered with wax on fabrics
to polish them, making their colors durable.
In addition to the brocade weaving
craft, many residents in Cat Cat are good at
manipulating gold and silver jewelry. Their
products are fairly sophisticated, especially
jewelry for women.
Tourists to Cat Cat are most
attracted by its unique customs, including the
custom of “pulling wife”. A man
can ask his friends to lure a girl he likes
to his house and keeps her there in three days.
During these days, if the girl agrees to become
his wife, a wedding will be held. However, the
girl can happily go home after three days if
she does not like him.
Traditional houses of H’Mong
people in Cat Cat have three rooms with three
doors and covered with po mu wood roof. In the
house there are three columns that stand in
round or square stones. The walls are made from
sawn timber. The main door is always closed
and only opens when people in the house organize
important events. Altar, inlaid floor containing
food, places for sleeping, kitchen and receiving
guests are indispensable parts of the houses.
Visitors to Cat Cat Village
can discover countless unique features of H’Mong.
