Sapa

High in the mountains near the Chinese border, Sapa looks over the Muong Hoa Valley, where rice terraces step down the slopes for kilometres. The air is cooler here, the peaks are often wrapped in cloud, and the highest of them, Fansipan, is the tallest mountain in Indochina.

Sapa is best explored on foot. Trails lead from village to village through terraces and bamboo forest, and the people who farm this land, including Hmong, Red Dao and Tay communities, open their homes to travelers. A night in a village homestay is often the part of the trip people remember most.