The town of Sapa, in the northwest of Vietnam, about 40 km from the Chinese border, is located at an altitude of 1600 meters and is surrounded by mountains and rice terraces. Sapa is popular among local and foreign tourists because of its pleasant climate, fresh air, the highest mountain in Vietnam, and hiking opportunities. That's why it attracted us too. We really missed the fresh air at the beginning.
The whole city is one big construction site and the main street has been newly asphalted: dust, traffic jams, and the smell of asphalt and open sewer pipes. However, this has improved somewhat over the course of the days.