Sapa District is located in Lao Cai Province, north-west Vietnam, and 350km’s north-west of Hanoi, close to the border with China. The Hoang Lien Son range of mountains dominates the district, which is at the eastern extremity of the Himalayas. This range includes Vietnams’ highest mountain, Fan si pan, at a height of 3142m above sea level. The town of Sapa lies at about 1600 meters of altitude. The climate is moderate and rainy in summer (May-August), and foggy and cold with occasional snowfalls in winter.