Brian Jeffrey
On the morning of November 23, temperatures at Fansipan’s summit dropped below freezing. By 5 a.m., frost began to cover the wooden platforms and vegetation in the area, and it started melting around 8 a.m. as the sun rose.
This unusual frost event is typical in the high mountains of northern Vietnam during harsh winter conditions. Visitors who were there that morning were thrilled to see the frosty scenery.
Ha Van Thang, the Director of the Lao Cai Department of Tourism, shared with VietNamNet that the recent cold snap has led to an uptick in tourists coming to Sa Pa.
“This is encouraging news for Lao Cai’s tourism industry as it recovers from the floods and landslides in September,” he commented.
He also mentioned that more cold weather is expected in the coming days, which might result in additional frost and a potential rise in tourist numbers.
For 2024, the province of Lao Cai plans to draw in 8.5 million tourists, though current projections indicate that they may only reach 7.5 million by the end of this year.
The Sa Pa Town People’s Committee continues to strive toward hosting 4.5 million visitors. Local tourism businesses are hopeful about boosting the industry in the last two months of the year.
