Sa Pa aims to capture international tourists

Sa Pa town in the northern province of Lao Cai is set to become an international standard tourist site able to receive 3-4 million visitors annually by 2030.
Under a plan recently announced by Lao Cai People’s Committee, Sa Pa is expected to record an average growth rate of 7.2 percent annually, becoming an economic and cultural centre of the province.
The plan is the outcome of cooperation between the Lao Cai People’s Committee and experts of the Aquitaine region of France .
The town will work as a cultural bridge for ethnic minorities in the northern region and a key trade hub in the north-western mountainous region and the Vietnam-China border area.
According to the plan, Sa Pa and its adjacent localities will be divided into five major tourist areas which will be developed on the basis of tourism themes including heritage tourism, in combination with agricultural ecological landscapes, primeval tourism, and tourism exploring the cultures of ethnic minorities.
Sa Pa town will be developed into nine sub-divisions, including a 363ha core urban area with an expected population of 13,000 people.
During the development process, attention will be paid to issues regarding technological infrastructure and environmental pollution.