Challenging times for Sapa Vietnam , for years Sapa has been the
gateway to Vietnam=92s northern mountainous regions and hill tribe
communties, but tourism must be carefully developed to ensure the
town=92s heritage is protected, says Karl D. John.
It reminded me of the many happy Christmas holidays that I had in the
UK during my youth. I was fortunate enough to enjoy a traditional
English Christmas lunch with turkey, stuffing, bread sauce, Christmas
pudding with brandy sauce. It was expertly prepared by John, who runs
an English pub in Sapa with his charming Vietnamese wife, Loan.
My company, the Vietnam Investment & Project Development Group (VIPD
Group), is developing the Life Heritage Resort Sapa, a 115 unit, four
star resort for Life Resorts, so while visiting Sapa every month, I
have come to know the hilltop destination like the back of my hand.
Sapa Vietnam is an incredibly picturesque village, about 1,600 metres
above sea level that is part of the Hoang Lien Son mountain range, 350
kilometres from Hanoi, near the Chinese border in North-Western
Vietnam.
You can=92t miss seeing the hill tribe people, their villages, rice
terraces, lush vegetation and then there=92s Fansipan, which at 3,143m
is the highest peak in Vietnam and the last major peak in the
Himalayan chain.
The total population of around 40,000 consists mostly of minority
groups. Excluding the Kinh people (15 per cent) who make up the
majority of the Vietnamese race, there are five main ethnic groups in
Sapa: Hmong (52 per cent), Dao (25 per cent), Tay (5 per cent), Giay
(2 per cent) and a small number of Xa Pho.
Approximately 7,000 people live in Sapa, the remaining 33,000
inhabitants being scattered in small communes throughout the district.
Most of the ethnic minority people work their paddy fields on sloping
terraces dotted around the hills.
The French discovered Sapa, or Chapa as the French called it, in the
late 1880=92s. With its attractive continental climate, health
authorities believed the site had potential. By 1912, a military
sanatorium for ailing military officers had been erected along with a
fully fledged military garrison. Then, from the 1920=92s onwards,
several wealthy professionals with financial capital also had a number
of private villas built in the vicinity.
After the end of the Second World War, a long period of hostilities
began that was to last until 1954. In the process, nearly all of the
200 or so colonial buildings in or around Sapa were destroyed in the
late 1940=92s or in the early 1950=92s.
The vast majority of the Vietnamese population fled for their lives,
and the former town entered a prolonged sleep. In the early 1960=92s,
the authorities encouraged migration to the area and new inhabitants
from the lowlands came to the region. In 1993, when Vietnam opened up
the world, Sapa emerged as a tourist destination.
There are forty-four hotels mainly catering to backpackers, with
eighteen hotels in the centre of town. The four star Victoria Hotel
opened in March 1998, as new developments take shape, it will face
serious competition and will find it hard to maintain its position as
market leader.
The way ahead
Sadly, as tourism develops, there are positive and negative effects on
a community. Whilst the infrastructure is improved, jobs are created
and the standard of living is enhanced, the seedy side can also creep
in. The minorities walk the streets of Sapa peddling their trinkets
and traditional fabrics. It is not uncommon for a tourist to be
harassed.
Michael Gray authored an interesting photo essay titled Cloud over
Sapa in 2002 that describes the impact of tourism on the Hmong
community, particularly young girls.
One of the main tourist attractions is the Love market, which takes
place every Saturday, where Hmong and Dao youths meet in the hope of
finding a suitable partner and court each other through traditional
music, songs and games. Whilst it is desirable to have such rare
cultural attractions, care must be taken in how it is presented.
All stakeholders have a responsibility and part to play, to ensure
that tourism develops in a sustainable and sensible way, be they local
authorities, residents, businesses or tourists.
Efforts should be made to involve the community in the development of
tourism and in the participation of activities, to get their buy-in.
Developers should incorporate the local culture and architecture in
the design. There are plenty of examples, how not to develop and
lessons should be learnt from these.
Delivery of the product and quality of service are critical areas that
need careful attention. Training is a must, even in cities where
people are more sophisticated. Therefore, in Sapa, local authorities
need to facilitate the development of training efforts by providing
facilities (free of charge) that can be refurbished to an acceptable
standard by trainers.
From my dealings with the People=92s Committee of Sapa and in particular
the Vice-Chairman, I know that there is a strong desire to assist the
development of tourism in Sapa. This enthusiasm should be supported by
central authorities, namely the Ministry of Culture, Sports and
Tourism.
Sapa is a beautiful location that has great potential as a tourist
destination. It offers what many locations in Vietnam cannot offer. It
would be a crying shame if all stakeholders do not meet the challenge
of developing Sapa as a credible alternative to other destinations
within Asia. Let Sapa be the Cameron Highlands of Vietnam.
By Karl D. John (Timeout)
For any reference, you can visit: http://www.trekfansipan.com
More cheaper options:
Sapa excursions: http://www.activetravelshop.com/?name=3Dproduct&op=3DlistP=
roducts&subcat=3DSapaTours
Sapa trekking tours: http://www.activetravelvietnam.com/tour.php?op=3Ddetai=
l&tourId=3D48 |