Sa Pa is among the top 8 mountain and small town destinations in Asia in 2025

Sa Pa is the only representative of Vietnam to make the list of 8 "Mountain and Small Town Destinations in Asia in 2025."

According to the rankings recently announced by digital travel platform Agoda, Sa Pa (Lao Cai province) rose to 6th place in the list of "Mountain and small town destinations in Asia in 2025."

Data from Agoda reveals that searches for Sa Pa increased by 21%, demonstrating the growing appeal of this destination.

According to Agoda, famous for its terraced fields and ethnic minority villages, Sa Pa captivates visitors with its distinctive local culture, alongside the breathtaking natural scenery of the Hoang Lien Son range seen from the top of Fansipan mountain, the highest mountain in Vietnam known as the "roof of Indochina".

Among peaceful mountain destinations, Sa Pa is increasingly becoming an ideal stopover for those who wish to immerse themselves in local culture and admire the pristine natural beauty.

Special flag-raising ceremony on Fansipan peak to celebrate National Day September 2. (Photo: VNA)

Except for the rainy season from June to August every year, the rest of the time Sa Pa always puts on a brilliant natural picture with the characteristics of the seasons: spring has plum and peach blossoms in full bloom; summer is filled with the green color of young rice mixed with the dim light of the morning mist; autumn is filled with the brilliant yellow color of the terraced fields throughout the valley; in winter, Sa Pa not only seems to float in the clouds but is sometimes covered in white snow (a rare sight in tropical climates), making this place even more amazing.

The typical mountain markets have become one of the reasons to attract tourists. The combination of majestic nature and unique culture has made Sa Pa worthy of being one of the most attractive mountain destinations in Asia.

Agoda's rankings are based on aggregated accommodation search data from February 15 to August 15, 2025, across destinations with populations under 50,000, across eight Asian markets.

The top three spots were taken by Cameron Highlands (Malaysia), Khao Yai (Thailand) and Puncak (Indonesia). Following them were Fujikawaguchiko (Japan), Kenting (Taiwan), Sapa (Vietnam), Munnar (India) and Pyeongchang-gun (South Korea), which also made it into the top eight most popular mountain and small town destinations in Asia.

Previously, in January 2025, Agoda also announced that Sa Pa was the most searched small town by tourists in Vietnam based on accommodation searches on this platform.

Located at an altitude of more than 1,500m above sea level, Sa Pa possesses beautiful natural scenery with overlapping mountains and a mild, cool climate all year round.

This is home to many ethnic minorities such as H'Mong, Red Dao, Tay... Visitors to Sa Pa can learn about customs and practices, participate in traditional festivals and enjoy specialties such as thang co, cap nach (pig), lam rice...

Sa Pa has no shortage of outstanding tourist attractions such as Fansipan - "the roof of Indochina", Ham Rong mountain, and picturesque ethnic villages such as Cat Cat, Ta Van, and Ta Phin.

Sa Pa is also a trekking paradise with paths through forests, streams and villages. In particular, many tourists come here to hunt clouds in the early morning, watching unique moments of nature.

If you come to Sa Pa on this occasion, visitors will have the opportunity to attend the Sa Pa Autumn Festival 2025.

Beautiful terraced fields turn from green to yellow in Sa Pa. (Photo: Quoc Khanh/VNA)

The festival with the theme "Sa Pa - Golden Season Festival" takes place from August to October 2025 with a series of vibrant cultural, sports and tourism activities imbued with the identity of the Northwest highlands, an opportunity to promote the strong development of tourism in the land.

The Autumn Festival, part of the Sa Pa 5-season Festival series, aims to honor the natural beauty and cultural identity of Sa Pa's ethnic groups, while stimulating tourism associated with local endemic products and OCOP products.

The cultural and artistic activities organized promise to be very attractive and unique, such as: "Brocade Dance" fashion show; Highland Culture Experience, Sa Pa Love Market with activities to experience some processes of making traditional ethnic costumes and some other products...: indigo dyeing and printing patterns on fabric; sewing and embroidering brocade; trying on traditional ethnic costumes of Sa Pa; performing cultural activities, folk arts, folk games; cuisine: the process of making sticky rice, pounding sticky rice cakes, bamboo rice...

Festival on Ham Rong National Scenic Mountain with 2 mountain climbing competitions; handicraft demonstration; ethnic costume display; experience of traditional dishes of ethnic minorities in the highlands.

Exhibition of “Heritage of the Misty Land”, experience the traditional house space, recreate and honor the unique cultural values of the ethnic communities living in the Sa Pa area. There are also art performances and cultural exchanges according to the schedule: Khen dance, Then singing, campfire, bamboo dance, Xoe dance, Red Dao wedding and reenactment of Sa Pa love market.

In addition, visitors also have the opportunity to experience Hoa don thoc at Fansipan cable car tourist area, performing cultural and culinary activities: making colored sticky rice, pounding rice cakes, folk games, bamboo dancing, performing traditional music and dance.:

In 2025, more than 30 unique and attractive cultural, artistic, sports and tourism events and activities will be held throughout the seasons in Sa Pa town; helping the locality promote natural landscapes, preserve national cultural identity; promote international connections and integration; contribute to increasing tourism revenue, creating momentum for local socio-economic development./.

(Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/sa-pa-lot-vao-top-8-diem-den-vung-nui-va-thi-tran-nho-o-chau-a-nam-2025-post1060659.vnp