20 Best Sights in The Northwest, Vietnam

Without a doubt Bac Ha's biggest draw, the Sunday market here retains its authenticity despite a growing influx of tourists. Market day sees local hill-tribe people (most noticeably the colorfully dressed Flower H'mong) flock from the surrounding mountains to trade their wares. Handicrafts are available for tourists, but this remains a mostly local affair with goods ranging from livestock to herbs.

Taking place every Saturday, this market is a worthy precursor to the extravaganza that is Bac Ha's Sunday trading jamboree. Indeed, Can Cau possibly feels more authentic due to its remoteness—it is 20 km (12 miles) north of Bac Ha—and the relative lack of tourist numbers. Like Bac Ha Market, it is a magnet for the local tribespeople. The colorful Flower H'mong are a noticeable presence, as are the Blue H'mong, distinguished by their striking zigzag pattern costume. All manner of items are traded here, including livestock and traditional medicine.

Within walking distance of the Dien Bien Phu Museum, the command bunker has been remade with makeshift sandbags filled with concrete. Overhead is a reproduction of the corrugated roof from which a lone Viet Minh soldier waved a victory flag—the image, re-created several hours after the fact for a documentary film, became Vietnam's enduring symbol of victory over colonial oppression.

Across the street from the Dien Bien Phu Museum, this spotless cemetery (also called the A1 National Martyrs Cemetery) is the final resting place for many unknown Viet Minh soldiers. Here in bas-reliefs are scenes of the battle depicted in larger-than-life-size socialist realism. One of the most emotional aspects of Dien Bien Phu is here: the names of all the Viet Minh casualties from the historic battle at Dien Bien Phu are carved on the back of the front wall of the cemetery.

This museum has been built on the site of the battle with the French, and although there is a section dedicated to the region's ethnic-minority communities, French ignominy and Vietnamese glory are the principal topics here. The main hall recounts the events of the siege and the battle itself, with blinking maps and legends synchronized with a recorded loop outlining the battle's chronology. Outside is a collection of weapons used in and around the garrison: the Vietnamese tanks and guns look as if they were polished yesterday afternoon, the rusting French jeeps are riddled with bullet holes, and the remains of a French plane lie in a twisted heap. The museum is designed to resemble a Vietnamese soldier's helmet.

French veterans organized the construction of the small, rather forlorn-looking French War Memorial, which stands across the road from the command bunker. It commemorates the 3,000 French troops buried under the rice paddies.

On the outskirts of the main street in Mai Chau, there is an ancient gold apple tree (Diospyros Decandra) with historical significance. The Thai people say that their ancestors planted the tree 1,000 years ago when they first immigrated to Vietnam. In the war with the Chinese, many women were beheaded and their heads hung in the tree to serve as a warning. For this reason, many villagers believe that the tree is full of souls that must be respected. A small pagoda used to stand next to the tree, but it was destroyed in the American war. The tree became a heritage site in 2006 and is home to a small shrine.

Some of the battle's most intense combat took place at Hill A1, a position labeled Eliane by the French. Once considered impregnable by the French, it was the last key position to fall to the Viet Minh. A decrepit French tank and a monument to Viet Minh troops now stand here.

The Hoa Binh Dam on the Đà River is the second-largest hydroelectric dam in Southeast Asia. Experts say it produces about 27% of Vietnam's electricity. The reservoir is an epic place to go boating, kayaking, or swimming during the summer in Mai Chau. On a darker note, the dam's construction forcibly moved more than 89,000 residents, and dam displacement can be a controversial topic in Vietnam.

A grand palace in humble Bac Ha, this unexpected and somewhat outlandish structure was built by the French between 1914 and 1921 to keep the fractious Flower H'mong chief, the so-called Cat King, Hoang A Tuong, happy. The result is one of the more striking architectural sights in this part of Vietnam, resembling a fusion of a French château and a church.

Sapa is part of this mountainous 7,400-acre landscape covered by temperate and subtemperate forests. The reserve provides a habitat for 66 species of mammals—tigers, leopards, monkeys, and bears among them—16 of which, including the Asiatic black bear, are considered endangered. An impressive 347 species of birds, including the red-vented barbet and the collared finchbill, can be found only in these mountains. Among the area's geological resources are minerals from sediments deposited in the Mesozoic and Paleozoic periods. From the Muong Hoa River to the peak of Mt. Fansipan, the eastern boundary of the reserve is formed by a ridge of marble and calcium carbonate. Also found in this region is kaolinite, or China clay, used in the making of porcelain.

Guided walking tours of the nature reserve are recommended and are easily arranged through hotels, guesthouses, and tour agencies in town. Motorbike drivers will be happy to take you down the road from Sapa for a full day of hiking, swimming in waterfall pools, and visiting H'mong and Thai villages. Hoteliers and tour companies can also make arrangements for you.

The highlands around Son La are naturally blessed with veins of underground hot water. Vietnam, by and large, doesn't really have much in the way of a communal bathing culture. As a result, hot spring tourism, even in a place as naturally predisposed as this, is still only burgeoning.

Several smaller highland villages surround the small city, each with its own hot springs, some of which are open to the public. If you feel like soaking your tired bones for a while, have your driver or a motorbike taxi take you to either Phu Mau Ville or Mong Ville. Both are only a few miles from the main road and are open to the public. The hot springs at Phu Mau Ville are cheaper and have been open to travelers for longer, so the quality of the water and the facilities themselves have definitely seen better days. Mon Ville is a little further, newer, and a little more expensive (by a few dollars). Its spring water is clearer and the surrounding scenery more beautiful.

For a commanding view of the town and the surrounding area, climb the stone steps behind the Trade Union Hotel to the lookout tower known as Cot V3. The climb is steep and takes about 20 minutes, but the view is quite nice.

Destroyed by American bombers (but partially rebuilt), this former French penal colony, with its tiny underground cells and dank corridors, leaves a strong impression of life in captivity. The ticket includes entry to the Son La Museum, housed in a moldy colonial mansion overlooking the prison. Downstairs, the museum displays pictures of life in Son La, past and present, and upstairs is a model of a Thai village and an exhibition of ethnic minority clothing. The prison and museum are on the hill in the center of town, next to the People's Committee building. You can purchase an information booklet about the prison in the gift shop for 25,000d.

Now housed in a less-than-pleasant building near the bus station on Luong Dinh Cua Street, the Sapa market is probably the most convenient place to purchase tribe crafts, textiles, and other local specialties. Once the gathering place of sellers and craftsmen and women from the tribes surrounding the area, due to mass tourism and effective management, the market is now populated more by sellers coming from outside the province. High rents and operational costs have pushed not a small number of local tribe people out of the market. It's not uncommon to find cheap, mass-produced knockoffs of tribal crafts mixed in with the real deal. 

Even so, browsing the wares while watching the sights of H'Mong and Red Dao women in their richly embroidered dresses and elaborate silver jewelry is still a hard-to-beat experience. The quality and price of the market product offering have become a buyer-beware affair, but the market is still the most populous and convenient place to pick up something for the memory. 

Part of the fun is bargaining, but don't express too much interest upfront. Hold out for as long as you can, and then ask to see the good stuff. You'll likely be shown fabric of quality superior to what was offered only moments before.

The market is at its peak on Saturday when tourists from Hanoi flood into Sapa; you may actually find it quieter and more fun on weekdays.

The first floor of this small museum is called the Sapa Minorities Handicraft Shop, and you can indeed purchase beautiful gifts here. For the information, head up the large wooden staircase and peruse the slightly dusty exhibits. You can get a useful crash course in the ethnology of the area and view photos and artifacts used in traditional celebrations.

Son La is the largest dam in Southeast Asia. It went into operation in 2011 and sits astride the Da River. Interest in developing the area for eco-tourism followed a few years later. Nowadays, there are a handful of ecolodges and businesses promoting water sports, kayaking, and island-hopping day trips out of the Dam vicinity.  

The highlight of this mountainside compound of attractions is a cable car system, which is 6,292.5 meters (20,645 feet) long and a stunning 1,410 meters (4,626 feet) high. It is the longest nonstop three-rope cable car in the world and allows anyone to get to the top of Mt. Fansipan in just a few short minutes. Designed by Doppelmayr, a German-Swiss-Austrian group, this cable car takes you through the mountain mist over beautiful rice terraces and valleys, and delivers you to the Sapa Station where you can take a funicular or walk 300 steps to the top. Many visitors have complained that the restaurants and shops at the top are an eyesore, but the construction shows true ingenuity.

Son La used to be known as nothing more than the stopover point between Hanoi and Mai Chau. Ta Xua Peak changed this. Local Vietnamese reserve many names for this peak: the Stairway to a Thousand Cloud, Dinosaur Spine, Windy Peak, and Cloud Ocean. The peak itself is a specific point in a long Ta Xua commune and trekking path that runs trough it. The trail runs along continuous mountain ridges separating Yen Bai and Son La provinces. Surrounding the trail and the peak are pure, primeval forests with minimal human influence. Because of the sheer height, the remoteness of the location, and the difficulty of reaching it, Ta Xua retains some of the most pristine, majestic beauty that Northwest Vietnam has to offer. 

The road network expansion in Northwest Vietnam has put Ta Xua on the map for more people outside of the most expert trekking lovers. Even so, access to Ta Xua peak remains the purview of good-old human feet and (very adventurous) bikes only. 

If you are staying in Bac Ha during the summer months, this attractive waterfall is an inviting place to cool off. Around 12 km (7 miles) east of Bac Ha, it has a large pool that is deep enough for swimming.