Fansipan

Phan Xi Păng

The highest peak on the Indochinese Peninsula. A record-breaking three-cable car lifts you 3,000 metres in about 15 minutes, and from the summit's stone marker and Buddhist temple complex you can look down over a sea of clouds.

Mount Fansipan rises to 3,143 m and is the highest peak in Vietnam and across the entire Indochinese Peninsula. It lies in Hoang Lien National Park, about 9 km southwest of Sa Pa town, and once required 2–3 days of strenuous hiking to reach the summit. Since the Sun World Fansipan Legend cable car opened in 2016, visitors can take the Muong Hoa mountain train from the centre of Sa Pa (about 6 minutes, through the valley to the cable car station; round trip about VND 100,000–150,000), or take a 10-minute taxi ride to the station. From there, ride the three-cable car, which is 6,293 m long with a 1,410 m drop and holds two Guinness World Records, for about 15 minutes up to the upper station at 3,000 m. Along the way you'll look down on the terraced fields and primeval forest of the Muong Hoa Valley. From the upper station to the summit, you must climb about 600 steps, or ride the summit train (about VND 80,000) for the last stretch. At the top stands the iconic triangular summit stone marking 3,143 m, where people queue for photos. Around it is a group of ancient-style Buddhist buildings: a 21.5 m bronze statue of Amitabha Buddha, a statue of Guanyin, the Golden Roof Pagoda, and an eleven-storey pagoda. When clouds roll in, it looks like a fairyland. Adult cable car tickets cost about VND 800,000 (weekends and holidays add about VND 46,000), and children aged 1–1.4 m pay about VND 550,000; the tickets include round-trip cable car rides. Opening hours are roughly 07:45–16:00 on weekdays and 06:30–16:30 on weekends (last descent around 17:30–18:00). There is a week-long maintenance shutdown in late September each year. Go on the first car in the morning to avoid crowds and afternoon fog, and plan about 4 hours for the whole visit. Note: the summit is 8–10°C colder than the town and very windy, so bring a jacket. Some people experience mild altitude sickness at 3,000 m, so take it slowly. On foggy days visibility can drop to zero, so it's better to wait until the next day. In peak season (autumn and Vietnamese holidays), cable car queues can exceed one hour.

Opening hours

Weekdays 07:45–16:00; weekends 06:30–16:30 (last downhill service about 17:30)

Highest peak · Cable car · Sea of clouds · Buddhist architecture

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