Known as the ‘Roof of Indochina,’ Fansipan (10,312 feet) is the highest mountain in Vietnam. Located in the country’s north-west region just 17 miles from the Chinese border, it is the Hoàng Liên Son range’s tallest peak, rising from a photogenic valley of rice terraces. Sapa, the French colonial outpost turned tourism boomtown, is the main gateway to the remote Hoàng Liên National Park in South-East Asia where Fansipan is located. The park is renowned for its biodiversity, towering bamboo and colorful hill tribes. Guided treks up Fansipan started in earnest in the 1990s, typically taking at least three or four days, but shorter, more challenging hiking trails in Vietnam have since become just as common.
