Tourists in Sa Pa Town
Summer festival to coincide with holiday period
According to To Ngoc Lien, Chairman of the Sa Pa Town People's Committee, the local Cultural Centre is currently planning a summer festival, set to launch on April 29. As part of the festivities, Sa Pa will host a street festival and welcome an art troupe from neighbouring China for a special performance.
"Popular tourist attractions such as Thac Tinh Yeu (Love Waterfall), Thac Bac (Silver Waterfall), and Ham Rong Mountain are being upgraded with additional features. Travel agencies have also registered to hold events aimed at drawing more visitors, including a rose festival and horse racing in nearby communes. In Cat Cat Village, traditional customs will be recreated in a live-action show," Lien stated.
Town fully decorated, ready to welcome guests
Sa Pa boasts over 10,000 rooms across hotels and homestays. However, many hotels are already nearly fully booked for the forthcoming holiday period.
Dao Thi Hanh Ly, general manager of a hotel with more than 150 rooms in Sa Pa, said that even on regular days, her hotel is almost fully occupied, with international tourists accounting for 50 to 90 percent of guests. “For the Reunification Day (April 30) and May Day holiday, demand will certainly rise. As of now, 65 percent of our rooms have already been reserved,” she shared.
Similarly, Cao Van Thang, director of a hotel with more than 200 rooms, reported that his establishment was fully booked for the Hung Kings’ Festival holiday, which spans three days from 5 to 7 April.
Nguyen Xuan Binh, director of the Rong May Glass Bridge Tourist Area, noted that on average, half of all visitors to Sa Pa include the glass bridge in their itinerary. He described the upcoming holidays, including the Hung Kings Festival and the Reunification Day (April 30) and May Day breaks, as peak season for tourism in the region.
“To prepare for the influx of tourists, we’ve enhanced our landscaping and serviced our equipment, particularly the lift system. The elevators here operate at high capacity, transporting over 2,000 guests daily, so strict maintenance protocols are essential,” he explained.
Phan Cao Vy, Chairman of the Lao Cai Tourism Association, revealed that this year had seen a significant rebound in international visitors to Sa Pa. The number of foreign tourists in the first few months of the year has doubled compared to the same period in 2024.
In the first quarter alone, Sa Pa welcomed over 1.5 million visitors. Authorities project that during the Reunification Day (April 30) and May Day holiday, tourist arrivals may spike to nearly 200,000.
