Vang Po Hot Springs

A place to stop for a bath lies right beside National Highway 4D, where the road runs through the Phong Thổ area, at the edge of Phong Thổ town. It needs no detour, and not everyone knows it. This is the Vàng Pó hot spring.

A word about the name. Vàng Pó is the official name of the spring, a transliteration of the place name from the Thái language. The Thái are one of Vietnam's ethnic groups, and Lai Châu is one of the provinces where they mainly live. Vàng Bó is the name of the village the spring flows through. The two names sound alike but are different. To avoid confusion, the spring should be called the Vàng Pó hot spring.

The hot water comes from deep inside the mountain. This is a geothermal effect: groundwater meets hot rock far below, then flows out through natural cracks in the stone. The temperature ranges from 45 to 70 degrees Celsius. Nobody pumps it and nobody heats it. Nature does all the work.

The Northwest has complicated geological activity, so natural hot springs are not rare there. But Vàng Pó has a particular advantage. It lies right beside National Highway 4D, the main road linking Sa Pa and Lai Châu. The road continues south to Điện Biên. Travelers on this route can stop without losing half a day. They keep to their journey, step in for a bath, and go on.

The bathing pool for visitors has been adjusted to about 40 to 42 degrees, warm enough to be comfortable. After long stretches of mountain road, a soak in hot water loosens tired muscles and warms the joints. This is what a bather feels on stepping into the pool.

The resort project has a total investment of 99 billion dong. The site covers 49,167 square meters and has 29 four-star rooms. Construction began in late 2018.

After the bath, people can eat at the stilt house in the grounds. The meal is grilled stream fish and xôi ngũ sắc, sticky rice in five colors. It is a Thái specialty of the Phong Thổ area. The fish is caught from the natural streams around here and grilled over charcoal with fragrant local leaves. It is simple food, with a smell all its own.

Vàng Pó lies in the Mường So tourism cluster. The area also has Vàng Pheo, a village of the White Thái. The grand Ô Quy Hồ Pass lies in the area as well.

Late in the afternoon, after a day of crossing passes, a car stops at the roadside. Steam rises from beneath the cliff into the cold air of the Northwest. Travelers step down and sink into warm water that has come out of the earth, looking up at the green cliffs of Phong Thổ. There is the sound of running water, the smell of charcoal smoke from the stilt house next door, and the faint smell of five-color sticky rice.