SaPa has its unique climate and geographical location. The wonders of nature and the beauty of pristine condition make the town become an ideal place to support inhabitant plants, animals as well as human beings. SaPa can also brag about its magnificent natural beauties, from Ham Rong Mount that allows visitors to enjoy a panorama picture of the town to Thac Bac, from the Bamboo Forest to Sa Pa Ancient Rocks, from Cat Cat Village to Muong Hoa Valley among others.
Lying beneath the majestic mountain range of Hoang Lien with emerald green hillsides flooded with terraced fields with the rich culture as well as strong-featured and dreamy scenery, SaPa provides the high-quality touring services and top-notch accommodation facilities for tourists. However, standing out from all such values, road-side foods make SaPa a special rendezvous for visitors. In order to really enjoy the nature-blessed town, many visitors choose to stay at local’s houses and eat in roadside food vendors. That brings the budget-conscious tourists the real good experience in their Vietnam discovery tours.
Barbecues are attractive to most people, and are quite popular for those living in localities with temperate climate. However, grilled foods in SaPa will bring another experience to visitors. Just imagine small open fires along the street leading to beauty spots in SaPa often surrounded by groups of visitors who want to enjoy food the way SaPa residents do. Most popular dishes on offer are simple barbecues that can make tourists’ mouth water.
SaPa is an ideal place to enjoy grilled foods for its variety of dishes such as grilled egg, chicken, and beef with vegetable, rice and chestnut among others. The way grilled foods are served there makes them more enjoyable. Street vendor is the familiar imagine of Vietnam tourism. In the place, far from 350 kilometers north-west of Ha Noi, the food is prepared on small fires by the street to cater to tourists. For example, on the rough way to Silver Waterfall, visitors can see such open fires within 100 meters from the foot for the water fall.
Rice in bamboo tube is the unique choice. They put rice into the bamboo tube, add with water, and then put on fire until the green bamboo turns into brown. Those skewers are quite cheap, at round 0.5 USD (10.000 VND) In addition, corn, sweet potato and cassava can be considered as appetizers that smell very good and taste delicious. Little brownish chestnut baked in hot coal is a wonderful finger food too.
Moreover, visitors should not miss grilled cabbage roll with beef, chicken wings with honey, salmon or other fish soaked in spices since they are fresh and smell good, which could be seen as main courses. Especially, grilled pork which is only found in SaPa is one of the most favorite choices of tourists because it tastes sweet and tough. Pigs in SaPa have little fat because ethnic minorities raise a small strain of pigs endemic to the locality around their house and let them roam the field. Only with around 1.5 USD (30.000VND), you can be served 2 skewers.
Nothing can compare with the felling of sitting on a small chair, around a burning charcoal fire and enjoying food and chat with friends in a cool night of a mountainous area. All of the ingredients to prepare those foods are grown in SaPa by local residents of tribal groups such as H’Mong, Dao and Tay. Visitors can have a full stomach and delicious food dinner with only 5 USD (100.000 VND). Listening to amazing stories from local ethnic people is an unforgettable memory. Travelers also can walk around the town to buy souvenirs while enjoying these barbecue foods. Vendors selling grilled foods are everywhere in the foggy town from the market to small alleys but they mainly gather along Ham Rong Street, an area near the stone church in SaPa Town.
Love Market awash with singing and flute sounds and young lads and lasses in colorful fashions is one of the most interesting in SaPa. Visiting SaPa on Sunday, tourists have chance to enjoy the colorful traditional Sapa market. Sa Pa is home to six different ethnic minority groups, each having their own festivals handed down from their ancestors and are still preserved in their full colors and identities these days.
SaPa has its own beauty depends on the season. The best time to visit SaPa is in the spring when the peach flowers bloom everywhere from the houses’ garden to the hills. However, people can visit SaPa in September to see the terraced fields. SaPa is also a good place for people who want to escape the summer because the average temperature in SaPa is only 15 degrees Celsius, and the maximum daytime temperature in SaPa is only 15 Celsius. SaPa occasionally offers a good chance for those wanting to see snowfall in winter, when the temperature normally approaches zero. For first-timers in SaPa Excursions, it should be also noted that the town is a valuable sight-seeing destination, and place for them to explore peculiar cultural traits of different tribal groups there.
