SAPA TOWN
[06.02.2010 15:25]
Sapa is a frontier town and district in the Lào Cai province in northwest Vietnam. It is one of the main market towns in the area, where many ethnic minority groups such as H'mong, Dao and Tay live.
History
It is most likely that Sa Pa was first inhabited by highland minorities of the Hmong and Yao groups, as well as by smaller numbers of Tàyand
Giay, these being the four main minority groups still present in Sa
Pa district today. The Kinh (lowland Vietnamese) never originally
colonised this highest of Việt Nam’s valleys, which lies in the shadow
of Phan-Xi-Pǎng (Fansipan, 3143 meters), the highest peak in the
country.
It was only when the French debarked in highland Tonkin in the late 1880s that Sa Pa, or Chapaas the French called it, began to appear on the national map. In the
following decade, the future site of Sa Pa town started to see military
parties as well as missionaries from the Société des Missions Etrangères de Paris(MEP) visit. 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 Cairegion, including Sa Pa, came under direct colonial military
administration so as to curtail banditry and political resistance on
the sensitive northern frontier.
Location of in Vietnam;Coordinates:  22°21′N103°52′E
The first permanent French civilian resident arrived in Sa Pa in
1909. With its attractive continental climate, health authorities
believed the site had potential. By 1912 a military sanatoriumfor ailing officers had been erected along with a fully fledged
military garrison. Then, from the 1920s onwards, several wealthy
professionals with enough financial capital also had a number of
private villas built in the vicinity.
At the end of the Second World War a long period of hostilities
began in Tonkin that was to last until 1954. 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 vast majority of the Viet population
fled for their lives, and the former town entered a prolonged sleep.
In the early 1960s, thanks to the New Economic Zones migration scheme set up by the new Socialist regime, new inhabitants from the lowlands started to migrate to the region.
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. Sa Pa was back on the tourist
trail again, this time for a newly emerging local elite tourist crowd,
as well as international tourists.
In 2006, the Chairman of The People''s Committee of Sapa Province was
elected to The Communist Party Central Committee as the youngest ever
member (born in 1973).
Geography
Sa Pa District is located in Lao Cai Province, north-west Vietnam,
and 350 km north-west of Hanoi, close to the border with China. The
Hoang Lien Son range of mountains dominates the district, which is at
the eastern extremity of the Himalayas. This range includes Vietnam''s
highest mountain, Fan Si Pan, at a height of 3142m above sea level. The
town of Sa Pa lies at an altitude of about 1600 m. The climate is
moderate and rainy in summer (May—August), and foggy and cold with
occasional snowfalls in winter.
View on the mountains from downtown Sapa
Sa Pa is a quiet mountain town and home to a great diversity of
ethnic minority peoples. The total population of 36,000 consists mostly
of minority groups. Besides the Kinh (Viet) people (15%) there are
mainly 5 ethnic groups in Sapa: Hmong 52%, Dao 25%, Tay 5%, Giay 2% and
a small number of Xa Pho. Approximately 7,000 live in Sapa, the other
36,000 being scattered in small communes throughout the district.
Most of the ethnic minority people work their land on sloping
terraces since the vast majority of the land is mountainous. Their
staple foods are rice and corn. Rice, by its very nature of being a
labour intensive crop, makes the daily fight for survival paramount.
The unique climate in Sapa has a major influence on the ethnic
minorities who live in the area. With sub-tropical summers, temperate
winters and 160 days of mist annually, the influence on agricultural
yields and health related issues are significant.
The minority people can only yield one crop of rice annually, which
leads to food shortfalls in many communes at specific times. This
shortage of food contributes to malnutrition and other related health
problems. The climatic conditions also contribute to many health issues
including coughs, colds, and bronchial and respiratory problems that
are commonplace throughout the community.
The geographical location of the area makes it a truly unique place
for many interesting plants and animals, allowing it to support many
inhabitants. Many very rare or even endemic species have been recorded
in the region.
The scenery of the Sa Pa region in large part reflects the
relationship between the minority people and nature. This is seen
especially in the paddy fields carpeting the rolling lower slopes of
the Hoang Lien Mountains. The impressive physical landscape which
underlies this has resulted from the work of the elements over
thousands of years, wearing away the underlying rock. On a clear day,
the imposing peak of Fan Si Pan comes into view. 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.
Geology, climate and human activity have combined to produce a range
of very distinct habitats around Sa Pa. Especially important is Sa Pa’s
geographic position, at the convergence of the worlds 14 “biomes”
(distinct biographic areas), producing an assemblage of plant and
animal species unique in the world. Ecological life
The Hoang Lien Mountains are home to a rich variety of plants,
birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles and insects, many only found in
northwestern Vietnam. For this reason, the Hoang Lien Nature Reserve
was designated in 1986, covering much of the mountain range to the
immediate south of Sa Pa.
Forest type and quality change with increasing altitude. At 2000
meters the natural, undisturbed forest begins to be seen. Above 2500
meters dwarf conifers and rhododendrons predominate in the harsh “elfin
forest”, so called because a lack of topsoil and nutrients means that
fully mature trees grow to measure only a few meters in height. Higher
still, only the hardiest of plant species are found. At over 3000
meters, Fan Si Pan’s summit can only support dwarf bamboo. Topography
The Hoang Lien Mountains lie at the southeastern extent of the
Himalayan chain. The nature reserve is located on the northeast flank
of these mountains and includes Vietnam’s highest peak, Fansipan, at
3,143 m (see map). The lowest point is 380 m but most of the nature
reserve lies above 1,000 m. The flanks of the mountains are very steep
and many areas are almost inaccessible on foot. Between Fansipan
Mountain and Sa Pa town, lies the Muong Hoa valley, which has been
terraced for wet rice agriculture. This valley becomes wider towards
the east of the nature reserve. Climate
The climate of Hoang Lien Nature Reserve is unique to Vietnam. It is
highly seasonal, with a subtropical climate in the summer and a
temperate climate during the winter. Mean annual temperature for Sa Pa
town is 15.4°C, with a maximum of 29.4°C and a minimum of 1°C. The
warmest months are July and August, and the coldest months are December
and January. Snow falls in some years on the highest peaks.
In common with the rest of northern Vietnam, Hoang Lien Nature
Reserve experiences a marked wet season from May to September, with the
heaviest rainfall occurring in July and August. Mean annual rainfall is
2,763 mm, with a high of 4,023mm and a low of 2,064mm. Humidity ranges
from 75 to 91 percent with a yearly mean of 86 percent.
Climate varies considerably within the nature reserve. 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. These
high-altitude areas are covered by cloud most days of the year and have
very high humidity. Cloud also penetrates into the valleys but these
areas are usually less humid than the mountain slopes. In the extreme
east of the nature reserve, around Ban Ho village, mean temperatures
are considerably higher due to the lower altitude of these areas. Geology
The geology of Hoang Lien Nature Reserve includes metamorphosed
sediments and a granitic intrusion. The metamorphosed sediments strike
from northwest to southeast along the Muong Hoa valley. On the
northeastern side of the valley is a craggy ridge of marble and
metamorphosed carbonate rocks that exhibit a karst style of weathering.
These formations are currently being quarried for road building. The
valley floor is characterised by schist and, to a lesser extent,
gneiss. The granitic intrusion extends from the Muong Hoa River to the
summit ridge of Fansipan and beyond. Due to the high humidity and
rainfall in the area, chemical weathering is prevalent. This is
reflected in the clay nature of the soil. Economy
Before the 1990s, the town''s economy was mainly based on small size agriculture.
Tourist arrival between 1995 and 2003 grew from a total of 4860 to
138,622. On average, this cohort is made of 79% Vietnamese and 21%
foreigners. Hydrology
Hoang Lien Nature Reserve is drained by the Muong Hoa and Ta Trung
Ho rivers, which feed the Nam Po River and, finally, the Song Hong
(Red) river. The forest has an essential role in water catchment
protection, particularly the forest at high altitudes, which is
frequently covered in cloud. Water condenses on the vegetation and
falls as ‘occult’ precipitation. Occult precipitation makes a major
contribution to stream-flow during the dry season when rainfall is low. Vegetation
The forest of Hoang Lien Nature Reserve can be classified as
belonging to 3 types: sub-montane dry evergreen forest, tropical
montane deciduous forest and sub-alpine forest. The sub-montane dry
evergreen forest, which occurs at lower altitudes, has been the most
heavily disturbed by the activities of man.
In addition to the forest habitats, the nature reserve contains
large areas of agricultural land, scrub land and Savannah. Agriculture
is concentrated at altitudes below 1,500m, in the bottom of valleys.
Scrub land and Savannah areas are found where forest has been cleared:
around the edge of cultivated areas and on ridge tops, which have been
subjected to burning. A final vegetation type represented at Hoang Lien
Nature Reserve is dwarf bamboo. This habitat is confined to the highest
ridges of the Fansipan massif, at altitudes above 2,800 m.
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