[2] It is one of the main market and touristic towns in the area, where several ethnic minority groups such as Hmong, Dao (Yao), Giáy, Xa Pho, and Tay live.

They left in the entire valley hundreds of petroglyphs, mostly composed of lines, which experts think date from the 15th century and represent local cadastres.

[3] Then came the highland minorities of the Hmong, Yao (Dao), Giáy, Pho Lu, and Tày peoples, still present in Sa Pa district today.

[4] It was only when the French arrived in highland Tonkin in the late 1880s that Sa Pa, the name of the Hmong hamlet, began to appear on the national map.

In the following decade, the future site of Sa Pa township started to see military parties as well as missionaries from the Société des Missions Etrangères de Paris (MEP) visit.

[6] The French military marched from the Red River Delta into the northern mountainous regions as part of Tonkin's ‘pacification’.

In 1894-96 the border between China and Tonkin was formally agreed upon and the Sa Pa area, just to the south of this frontier, was placed under French authority.

From 1891 the entire Lào Cai region, including Sa Pa, came under direct colonial military administration so as to curtail banditry and political resistance on the sensitive northern frontier.

In the process, nearly all of the 200 or so colonial buildings in or around Sa Pa were destroyed, either by Việt Minh sympathisers in the late 1940s, or, in the early 1950s by French air raids.

The short 1979 occupation of the northern border region by Chinese troops had little impact on Sa Pa town, but did force the Kinh (lowland Vietnamese) population out for a month.

In 1993 the last obstacle to Sa Pa's full rebirth as a prominent holiday destination was lifted as the decision was made to open the door fully to international tourism.

With sub-tropical summers, temperate winters and 160 days of mist annually, the influence on agricultural yields and health-related issues is significant.

The geographical location of the area makes it a truly unique place for many interesting plants and animals, allowing it to support many inhabitants.

The last major peak in the Himalayan chain, Fan Si Pan offers a real challenge to even the keenest walker, the opportunity of staggering views, and a rare glimpse of some of the last remaining primary rain forest in Vietnam.

8,200 feet) dwarf conifers and rhododendrons (Ericaceae) predominate in the 'elfin forest', named for the nutrient-deficient soils at this elevation which prevent most plants from fully maturing; trees will only grow but a few meters at this location.

In addition to abundant local livestock and agriculture, such as domestic water buffalo, the Hoàng Liên Mountains are home to a rich biodiversity of plants, birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles, and many invertebrates, many of which are endemic to Northwest Vietnam; for this reason, the Hoàng Liên Nature Reserve was established as a national park in 2006, covering much of the mountain range to the immediate south of Sa Pa.

The national park is located on the north-east flank of these mountains and includes Vietnam's highest peak, Fansipan, at 3,143 m (see map).

Between Fansipan Mountain and Sa Pa town, lies the Muong Hoa valley, which has been terraced for wet rice agriculture.

In common with the rest of northern Vietnam, Hoàng Liên National Park experiences a marked wet season from May to September, with the heaviest rainfall occurring in July and August.

The prevalent wind direction for most of the year is west to east, leading to cloud formation on the upper slopes of the Fansipan massif.

In the extreme east of the national park, around Ban Ho village, mean temperatures are considerably higher due to the lower altitude of these areas.

On the north-eastern side of the valley is a craggy ridge of marble and metamorphosed carbonate rocks that exhibit a karst style of weathering.

This habitat is confined to the highest ridges of the Fansipan massif, at altitudes above 2,800 m. [Pekan Budaya di Sapa Vietnam Merayakan 120 Tahun Pariwisata] https://intrend.id/pekan-budaya-di-sapa-vietnam-merayakan-120-tahun-pariwisata/