Sapa sits at 1,500 metres in the Hoang Lien Son range, beneath Fansipan — Indochina’s highest peak at 3,143m. The landscape is a living tapestry of terraced rice paddies, carved over centuries by the Hmong, Dao, and Tay peoples who still farm them. Trek between villages, stay in homestays, and witness a way of life that has changed little in generations. The rice terraces turn emerald in the growing season and gold at harvest — among the most photographed landscapes in Asia.