Visiting Sapa in Summer

Located in the northwest of Vietnam, at an altitude of 1600 meters, 38 kilometers from Lao Cai city center and 376 kilometers from Hanoi, Sapa is known as not only a famous resort of Sapa district, Lao Cai but also owns a host of miracles of nature. The stunning terraced rice fields, luxuriant forests, and unique local cultures are all the features that create a majestic, charming and poetic landscape scenery of this Northwestern region.

Best time to travel to Sapa Vietnam

The climate of Sapa is divided into two clear seasons, with a subtropical climate in the summer and a temperate climate during the winter. The average temperature for Sapa town is 15.4ºC, the maximum temperature is 29.4ºC, and minimum temperature is 1ºC.

The wet season lasts from May to September, with the heaviest rainfall occurring in July and August. The weather is also evident for changing frequently and quickly as said that only in Sapa, one could experience many different seasons within just one day.

Month    Weather features

Sapa valley views

• January: The coldest month, cloudy, foggy but not too wet. Better from early days and gets worse to the latter half of the month.
• February: Very cold in early days, cloudy, foggy. Get warmer & better towards later days.
• March: Much more beautiful and warmer than Feb, more sunshine
• April: Summer start, dry, clear, warm enough
• May: Starting the rainy season with quick shower occasionally, clear sky with more sunshine but a little bit warm in the open at noon.
• June: Warm but not as hot like other regions. Clear sky, much sunshine but summer shower get more but not too wet
• July: Among the two worst months of the year caused by a summer shower
• August: The peak month of typhoon and rain
• September: Autumn starts, getting drier and usually very nice towards the end of the month.
• October: Cool, dry, sunshine almost everyday, clear sky
• November: Cooler, dry. Maybe misty and foggy towards the end but nice
• December: Wet winter starts and gets worse on the later days of the month.

As a subtropical region, Sapa has endowed with the cool climate and agreeable average temperature. The best time to travel to Sapa Vietnam is during summer. By advantages of nature, those are favorable conditions of growth of diversified of fauna and flora. Those features make Sapa become an ideal destination of the Northwest Mountains of Vietnam.

The beauty of Sapa

Coming to Sapa at any time, visitors always enjoy distinctive and unique beauties. Summer in Sapa lasts from May to September and not as hot as other regions in Vietnam. That may be a reason for increasingly visiting of many tourists at that time.

If spring is symbolized by several ethnic festivals as well as flowers, by wet and foggy weather, summer in Sapa is also an occasion for visitors to enjoy the most favorable and most beautiful weather in the year. In comparison with months of spring, the summer’s climate is warmer and cleaner.

However, in some last months of summer, it becomes wetter and quite slipperier, especially in July and August because of the high rainfall at this time. Thus, the best time for trekking or hiking in Sapa is during the summer months from March to May.

During this period, it’s the time of growing terraced rice fields of the ethnic people. The whole of the valleys is covered with smooth lime-green color. Buffaloes pull plows across the terraces, and the cone-hats of farmers dot the countryside as they squat to pull crops from the ground. From afar, it seems to look like a lively picture of nature. However, the terraced fields will be changed seasonally to gold color. That is also a reason for its beauty at any time.

Nothing is as great as being taken under slight sunshine from slopes, enjoying the light wind and fresh atmosphere. Also, the blooming of flowers is not only in spring but also in summer. On this occasion, visitors would be admired romantic beauty of specific flowers which are spread out colorfully on valleys.

Things to do

Market in Sapa

With each tourist destination of Sapa, visitors will be involved in different activities. For example, in Ta Phin village, visitors can have a bath with the herbal medicine - a service offered by the Red Yao, experience the feeling of adventure in O Quy Ho pass and see the ripening rice in Muong Hoa. Besides, if taking a trip to Ta van village, visitors will get a chance to do trekking, discover the local cuisine and learn more about the regional culture through market meetings and Sapa love market.

On the way to Ta Van, along two sides has a fertile terraced field which adorns by the green of corn and rice. When visitors come to Ta Van village, they will not be amazed at the pure beauty of the houses in the village. Previously, Ta Van based on the customs and character of the Giay in Lao Cai. They live together at the bottom, mountains, the valleys, along streams. They rarely live in the mountain or the top. Because living in the same local, according to the historical process, the Giay is influenced by the culture of the Tay, Thai, Nung about language, home, dress, and some cultural activities. 

In additions, visitors can visit other colorful and exciting markets in Sapa such as Bac Ha (opening every Sunday), Coc Ly (opening every Saturday), Can Cau (opening every Tuesday),....They are a weekly spot for individuals from local tribes as well as people from various ethnic groups, including Phu La, Black Dao, Tay and Flower H’mong. Here, visitors can expect to see many items up for sale, including pigs, buffalo, cows, chickens, ducks, and dogs.

However, as a warning to vegetarians and the faint of heart, while many of these animals are sold live, in one section of the market, they are sold as cuts of meat, which can create a graphics display. While these items are not convenient for tourists to purchase, many vendors sell things that will make unique and interesting souvenirs. For example, many locals sell beautiful hand-embroidered skirts, colorful fabric, and small wooden dolls.

Sapa town is now chock-full of Vietnamese tourists on summer breaks. At the weekends they descend upon the restaurants and cafes in large groups. In the evenings the open-air amphitheater is swarming with children firing flashing rocket toys into the sky while teenagers stand in circles, kicking Caus (shuttle-cock-like objects) back and forth. Adults sit on the stone steps to watch local H’ mong people perform traditional dances and songs on the stage.

In conclusion, it can be said that Sapa depending on nature’s changes looks like a magic land. That is a constant source of poetic inspiration, transforms the whole region. To have safe and interesting Sapa tours, the best time to travel to Sapa Vietnam is in summer.