Ham Rong Ecotourism Area

On a clear day, one spot on Hàm Rồng Mountain shows the whole center of Sa Pa at once. It is called Sân Mây, the Cloud Yard. From there the center of Sa Pa lies below, with Sa Pa Lake and the Stone Church. Farther off rises the Hoàng Liên Sơn range, and Fansipan appears and vanishes in the clouds.

People often start getting to know Sa Pa at Hàm Rồng. On one walk that is not very long, a visitor can take in the land, the climate and the scenery of the whole region.

The mountain stands right in the center of Sa Pa, and the way in is behind the Stone Church. Work on the Hàm Rồng ecotourism area began in 1996, and it spreads over nearly 150 hectares.

The path to the summit is more than a kilometer long, with many stone steps. It usually takes nearly an hour of steady walking. It is not as steep as many mountain peaks. Still, every stone step is soaked in mist and carries the damp smell of earth that belongs to Sa Pa.

On the way up, the path passes through several different areas.

First comes Vườn Lan, the Orchid Garden, where hundreds of kinds of orchid are collected, tended and displayed. This is typical of the Sa Pa climate, where wild orchids can grow outdoors. After it comes the flower garden of the four seasons, with peach, pear, plum, hồng and hydrangea, and other flowers that change color with each season.

Next is the Stone Garden, also called Thạch Lâm. Natural blocks of stone rise out of the ground in every strange shape. People in Sa Pa look at these stones and tell of a pair of dragons, separated by a great flood. They turned to stone and stayed on with the mountain. That is a legend, not a record of history. Still, it shows how people there set their imagination into every rock around them.

The high point is the Cloud Yard, one of the finest places for taking in the view along the Hàm Rồng route. From here Sa Pa shrinks below like a painting. For those with energy left, the path goes on up to Cổng Trời, or Sky Gate, where the line between earth and cloud seems to dissolve.

Hàm Rồng also has an area for Hmong music and songs and for cultural exchange. The khèn is a wind instrument of the Hmong. Its sound and the sound of the flute ring out halfway up the mountain, blending with the wind and the faint scent of orchids.

Hàm Rồng is the place to understand Sa Pa from above before stepping down into it. From the Cloud Yard, clouds roll over the rooftops below, and some who come to Sa Pa for the first time do not want to leave.