Paradise in Southern Asia, Sa Pa - Vietnam Journal #4

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People said that Sa Pa is a paradise in Southeast Asia, and I agree. After reels about Sa Pa bombarded my social media, I was keen to see what Sa Pa was like for myself. I was very well prepared, even making an itinerary well in advance—which is rare for me. I'm not usually a structured person when it comes to traveling, but because I didn't want to waste my vacation wandering off, I made thorough preparations.

Welcome to Sa Pa, Vietnam… I'll take you on a tour of Sa Pa, a small town with a wealth of European architecture.

Sa Pa, Vietnam

After visiting Sa Pa, I learned that this small town, about a six-hour drive from Hanoi, was colonized by the Portuguese. Therefore, it's no surprise to see many European-style buildings there. This small town of Sa Pa is very popular when winter arrives. Although you won't find snow in the city, the low air temperature will make you—especially for Southeast Asians who are tropical—feel like wearing warm clothes like in Europe. The good news is, at the peak of Fansipan—which is still in Sa Pa, it will snow when the peak of winter arrives.

There are so many things I love about Sa Pa, one of which is the wide and clean main road. It had just started raining, so I had to pull my thick jacket closer. It's understandable, as I'm a tropical person who can't stand air conditioning at 16 degrees Celsius, let alone temperatures lower than that. Then, as the day began to dry out, the air around me still felt cool. I felt like I was in the middle of a pine forest in West Java, Bandung, because the vibe was the same.

You know, there are many food stalls in Sa Pa. This area is like the economic center of Sa Pa where you can see many food and beverage businesses there. You just have to choose, where you like to come? What is clear is that you will not go hungry there. The cafes in this Sa Pa area are indeed the best. You can taste Vietnamese coffee directly. When I was there, all the stalls looked interesting to stop by. But I couldn't go into every one, right? The thing I regretted when I arrived there was wasting so little time. Sa Pa is a small, quiet town and is very good to stop by, even for a week.

This is the road along the shore of Sa Pa Lake, very well-maintained and clean. Sa Pa Lake was one of the first places I visited upon arriving in Sa Pa. All buses coming from Hanoi drop off passengers at this riverbank. Despite this, the area is very well-maintained. I didn't see any trash around. This is a practice that deserves appreciation.

In addition to numerous food and beverage outlets, Sa Pa has numerous hotels and hostels. You can choose the one that suits your taste, and almost all of them are very affordable and offer beautiful views. Isn't it great to be able to stay in a hotel with a beautiful lake view or equally beautiful mountain views?!

But one thing you should remember before visiting Sa Pa is to prepare your calves. Because when you arrive there, you'll encounter many uphill and downhill climbs, which will require leg strength. Because it's located in the highlands, Sa Pa doesn't have flat roads. In some places, the paths are steep and there are many steps. So prepare your body if you like walking everywhere.

Hasta La vista…

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