On 2 Nov, Sapa take place the ceremony to launch the cable car project. It is the longest and highest three – wire cable car sytem in the world.
The cable car stretch 7 km from Muong Hoa valley to peak of Fansipan Mountain. It take about 15 minutes to conquer peak of Fansipan Mountain with maximum transport capacity of 2,000 passengers per hour and each car holds 35 passengers. The total investment of this project is about USD210 million. It is planned to completed by the end of 2014 and put into use in 2015.
The project is expected to help to boost the number of tourists to Lao Cai in general and to Sapa in particular to two million per year by 2017 and three million per year by 2020.
The Sapa area is highlighted by its natural beauty and its ethnic history. Sapa is nestled in the mountains, in regions known for rice production, and sunrise and sunset trips to layered rice fields will make any photographer’s mouth water. Vietnam’s famed karst formations — ancient limestone cliffs and mountains eroded by millennia of inclement weather — can be found near Sapa too, most notably a Ham Rong mountain. The nearby villages of Ta Phin, Lao Chai and Cat-Cat are sometimes described as “crumbling” centers, as modernization and spreading urbanization threaten the traditional way of life in the mountains, but these villages remain Hmong minority centers. Visits to each of these towns and stops to their local markets help local economies immensely.
Fansipan Mountain is located 9km south-west of Sapa Townlet in the Hoang Lien Mountain Range. Fansipan which has varied topography is the home of about 2,024 floral varieties and 327 faunal species. An ascent to the summit can be made by the Fansipan Tourism Agencies or by mountain-climbers themselves with the local guides. It usually takes 3 days for a round trip, but this can be reduced to only 2 days for seasoned hikers. The peak is accessible all year round but the best time for the trek to the mountain is from mid-October to mid-November, and again in March when wildflowers are in bloom.
After completing the work to construct cable car from Sapa to Fansipan mountain, the amount of tourist to Sapa is being expected increasing.
