Sunworld Fansipan Legend: Reaching The Roof Of Indochina

Either you go for trekking or simply for vacation, Fansipan Mountain or Phan Xi Păng Mountain is surely a top choice to include in your Sa Pa itinerary. You can’t miss out climbing and reaching the highest mountain, not just in Vietnam, but also in the three Indochinese countries of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.

Before, the summit of Fansipan Mountain, also known as the roof of Indochina, can only be reached through hiking. But now, non-hikers and tourists can easily reach the peak because Sun Group successfully built the cable car system that trumps the peak in the name of Sun World Fansipan Legend. This is the tallest, longest and most advanced three-wire cable car system installed for the first time in Asia. 

The route going to the peak starts at Sapa Station, where visitors have to ride the Muong Hoa Funicular to Muong Hoa Station. A little climb by feet will lead visitors to Hoàng Liên Station, the entry for cable cars I mentioned earlier. The cable car will take visitors to Fansipan Station, where a large view deck overlooking the town of Sa Pa awaits. But this isn’t the peak yet. Visitors who want to reach the peak can climb up the stairs or take the Fansipan Funicular at Du Quyen Station. Finally, this tram will lead visitors to the roof of Indochina.

The facade of the Sapa Sation is already giving grandeur through its French-inspired architecture. It’s now one of Sa Pa’s icon. You can’t say you visited Sa Pa without having a photo here. It was just ironic that the plaza is so big and yet the establishments from rest of the floors weren’t operational. It was merely the train’s first stop and some of food bars.

The rest of this huge building is actually a hotel acquired by Accor. Dressed in haute couture and colourful hill-tribe style, Hotel de la Coupole gives an air of nostalgia of the French Indochine era. I can’t help but admire its theme. From the design alone, you’ll know you’ll find luxury on its facilities as well.

We rode the famous Muong Hoa Funicular from this station. The ten-minute ride going to Muong Hoa Station, which passes through two tunnels and four viaducts, is also a ten-minute sightseeing of Sa Pa’s terraced rice fields. The European vibe extends up to the cabin’s interior. However, it can’t be appreciated when it gets crowded.

Upon arrival, we were welcomed by a mini cultural presentation of the villagers. Then, we had to climb up a hill to reach Hoàng Liên Station of cable cars. Going uphill, the side of the path are flowerbeds of roses, daisies and lavenders. There are also gardens for cactus and grass sculptures. My mom is into gardening so she enjoyed this part very much. But the best part for me is after this.

Even after finishing the whole trip, I’ve chosen Bản Mây, a mini bazaar at the cable car station complex, as my favorite spot in this whole compound. You may be surprised that I picked a minor attraction. Well, I simply find this part engaging because I got to discover the traditional beauty of the ethnic groups in Sa Pa and their unique lifestyle and culture. Getting a family from each of the six ethnic groups in Northwest Vietnam and gathering them in a village-looking Bản Mây to showcase their livelihood is indeed a great idea.

I was able to interact with the Red Dao people, specifically with this lady. She was always smiling and she knows how to speak in English well. I got to taste their Bánh a quát, a rice cake, that is like our suman, dipped into crushed peanuts. I prefer our sweet rice cake more though. Then I saw this grilled meat wrapped around betel leaves in another ethnic group’s hut. I’ve always wanted to try this because I saw that at Netflix’s Somebody Feed Phil. But I realized that the leaves has this heat. It wasn’t for me. Nevertheless, I’m glad to have this interaction with the tribes, making it my favorite part in Sunworld Fansipan Legend.

We rode the cable car ride next. Each cabin is big enough to accommodate 35 persons but it gets really cramped inside when the capacity is maxed. Thankfully, there were less people when we went back so I got this solo picture.

It was, by far, the longest cable car line I’ve ridden. Imagine this cable car venturing the highest mountain in Indochina. It was so high that the visibility went from clear to zero as the car ascended. It was literally taking us to the clouds! The mere fact that they constructed the cable car on such mountain is already admirable.

The cabin dropped us at Fansipan Station, where a large viewing deck overlooking the steep drop back down the mountain is waiting. We were surrounded by different types of Buddhist temples, pagodas and statues. We also caught a glimpse of the giant Amitabha Buddha Statueat the peak.

There are two ways to reach the summit. One is by riding the Fansipan Funicular from Du Quyen Station. The other is by trekking 600 steeps steps. Of course, we have to take the tram, not because of our senior companions, but because we were already tired. However, the funicular is only one-way so we have to take the stairs down.

After that one last climb, we conquired the roof of Indochina! It’s actually my first time to reach a summit of a mountain. It’s not just a simple mountain. It’s Fansipan Mountain! Thanks to cable cars and trams!

You will never be hungry at Sunworld Fansipan Legend and that’s one thing I like about this destination. Every station has food centers with restaurants from quick service to upscale. But I just had a watermelon juice throughout our visit and it was delicious.

For those who plan to visit Sunworld Fansipan Legend, my first advise is to avoid weekends if you can. We went here on a Saturday and every part is just so crowded that we couldn’t enjoy the view and the activities at its best. The long queues drained our energy and consumed our time. In fact, my husband backed out when we were about to board the cable car, thought that it would be better to just sleep and went back to our hotel.

So after reaching the peak, I just took a few photos as proof that I made it to the roof of Indochina and left. There was nothing special, actually. There’s nothing to see since it was too foggy. Perhaps, it was just a bad day and it could be better in the other days. Perhaps, the place wasn’t just for active people like me. I don’t know. At least, I had this monumental achievement, I guess.

I couldn’t blame my husband for choosing to spend more of his time at our hotel since it honestly have a more relaxing scene of the same mountain ranges. We checked in at Viettrekking Sapa and from our bedroom, we could spot the passing Muong Hoa Funicular.