There are high-quality touring services available when one visits Sapa in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai, there are many high-priced things in the mist-enveloped town for ones to empty their pockets, and there are also top-notch accommodation facilities there for well-to-do tourists.
It is wonderful to sit around a burning charcoal fire, on a small chair, enjoy grilled food and chat with friends in a cool night of a mountainous area. Diners can also listen to interesting stories from local ethnic people living there.
Others can walk around the town to buy souvenirs while eating 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 Sa Pa Town. Therefore, it is called the barbecue street because there are around ten barbecue food stalls in a street stretching just 100 meters.
For first-timers in Sa Pa, 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.
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. There is also the traditional market gathering on every Sunday, and residents from communes far away often prepare for the occasion the day earlier, with many departing for the weekly event on Saturday to be there in time. The famous Love Market awash with singing and flute sounds and young lads and lasses in colorful fashions is also organized on the occasion.
Sa Pa is also a good place for ones to escape the sultry weather in Ha Noi during summer, as the climate in the town, some 1,600 meters above the sea level, is quite mild. The average temperature in Sapa is only 15 degrees Celsius, and the maximum daytime temperature in Sa Pa is only 15 Celsius.
Sa Pa occasionally offers a good chance for those wanting to see snowfall in winter, when the temperature normally approaches zero.
Sa Pa 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.
But, standing out from all such values, road-side foods make Sapa a special rendezvous for visitors, especially those wanting to enjoy Sa Pa the budget-minded diner’s way.