Authorities of Sapa tourist town will hold a ceremony on November 2 of this year to celebrate its 110th anniversary of tourism development. On the same event, which will be held at the town’s central stadium, they will also be announcing the government’s decision to recognize the town’s terraced fields as a National Heritage. Located in the province of Lao Cai, Sapa is a delightful French hill station built in the early years of the century.

It is also known for cradling one of the most beautiful tourist attractions in the country – its terraced fields. Its steep feature and fertile soil allows the local ethnic minority to grow rice in it. Looking at these fields from afar, it appears like a picture of nature with spectacular beauty. Its colors change seasonally, exhibiting its most alluring charm when the new crop begins, green rice grows and the field is lush with ripening rice. The new crop start on April and May, the surface of terraced fields are watered, creating a graceful image that harmonizes the brownness of the land with the tranquil of the deep blue sky above.

During June to July when the crop is green, it creates a picturesque image of a green carpet of paddies stretching from the foot to the heaven line. At the end of autumn in September and October, when the terraced fields are ripe, a picture of a gold silk curving along mountain slopes is created. The ethnic people that cultivate these lands, and live in these very hillsides, still wear traditional clothes which adds to the its allure and innate charm. Sa Pa’s Terraced fields became more famous when the Travel and Leisure Magazines of America declared it is on the top seven grandiose ones of Asia and the world.

A series of activities will be organized from October 15 to November 3 to celebrate this occasion including an international seminar on preserving the cultures of ethnic groups, the Fansipan Mountain Discovering Programme and the Sapa street festival plus a programme on discovering the cultural heritages of ethnic minority groups in Sapa. Like most traditional events, guests will also have a chance to witness Hat giao duyen, traditional folk songs by Dao Do ethnic minority people and wedding rituals by Giay ethnic minority people.

The provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism department, in coordination with Sapa District People’s Committee, will also set up a photo exhibition to provide visitors with updated information about tourism in Sapa and its development plans. Lao Cai welcomes 640,290 tourists, including 278,700 foreign arrivals during the first half of 2013, with revenues reaching nearly VND1.3 trillion (USD61.35 million) during the said period.