Rice terraces in the northern mountains
Sa Pa sits high in the Hoang Lien Son mountains near the Chinese border, looking over the Muong Hoa valley and its layers of rice terraces. It is the base for treks to villages of the Hmong, Red Dao and other ethnic minorities, often with homestays along the way. The terraces are greenest in early summer and turn gold before the autumn harvest. A cable car climbs to the summit of Fansipan, the highest mountain in Indochina, though many still prefer the two-day hike.