Ban flower means “sweet flower” according to Thai language. This kind of tree belongs to the woody plant. It is about 5 to 12 meters in height. Each branch of the tree has the brownish shell and heart-shaped leaves. Unlike most plants, the leaves of Ban flower tree distributes sparsely in a branch. Especially, Ban flower does not have only one color but it is various with the white, red, purple color or even the mix of these colors. The fragrance of Ban flower is very pleasant, it can spread through a wide range of hills in Sapa. In the winter, Ban flower tree sheds all leaves. When the warm spring is coming, the tree flushes and grows strong.

Every year, Ban flower starts blooming in early spring, usually in March. Its florescence is mostly in early April and it draws to an end in May. When Ban flowers on every branch fully bloom and cover up all leaves, from the far distance, the tree looks like a candy floss in big size, which creates an attractive natural picture in your Sapa Vietnam tours.

Thai people consider Ban flower to be the symbol of love. Like the sticky rice with the purple color for the loyalty and the red color for the passion and romance of love, the white color of Ban flower not only expresses the pure but also the essence of true love in bright without a mercenary motive. Thanks to this characteristic, Ban flower represents an eternal love in the local belief. Besides, Ban flower is known as a sign to predict whether this crop is abundant or not. If Ban flower blooms in a brilliant way this year, it will indicate an upcoming bumper harvest in Sapa.

In addition to being the beautiful scenery for tourism, Ban flower is also used in daily life. In your Sapa tours, you will see the indigenous people here make use of Ban flower to process into some famous specialties of Sapa. Some kinds of dish from Ban flower are soup, salad, fried and so on. Also, to pay homage to the ancestors, Thai people have a habit of arranging Ban flower in the altar on the occasion of New Year. Furthermore, the bark of Ban flower tree is used for treating skin diseases, healing wound and angina with high efficiency.

Sapa, located in northwest Vietnam, is such an amazing top tourist destination, famous for the imposing nature and the friendliness of the minority people living here. When we think of Sapa, the breathtaking view of the terraced fields, the high mountains, and the diverse culture of more than 30 local ethnic groups just come to our minds. 

Winter in Sapa is cold and humid, especially during the night. However, sunrise on these days in Sapa is just so appealing. Waking up early and sitting on top of one of the streams to watch the sunrise in the early morning is a top thing to do in Sapa. In this season there’s also snow, but it’s not the same kind of snow as those in some temperate countries. Snow in Sapa is just groups of tiny snowflakes that fall from the clouds. 
 

While it would be a magical sight to see the rolling hills and mountains covered in a blanket of fresh white snow, you can imagine hiking in this weather could be challenging and would require you to bring a lot of extra gear and clothes you won’t need during the rest of your time in Vietnam.

If it doesn’t get cold enough to snow, you will probably get some light rains which again will make trails and streets muddy. Winter is also a time of heavy fog. If you’re lucky you can catch the clouds gliding in to wrap around the mountains and beautifully reflect the light, but chances are your views of Sapa’s unique landscape will be obstructed by fog and all you’ll see around you as you hike is a grey wall.

There are loads of great things to see and do in Sapa Vietnam. Visitors usually love all that the charming town has to offer – these suggestions only skim the surface! 

1. Trek to the local villages

Trekking to some of the nearby local villages is a must when in Sapa, you’ll pass some absolutely gorgeous scenery. Once you arrive, you’ll be immersed in the hill tribes’ culture and customs and come away richer for the experience. The Cat Cat Village is particularly popular amongst tourists, as you get to see how the Hmong villagers farm the valley and produce handmade textiles. (Vu Pham Van / © Culture Trip)

2. Stop by the Sapa Culture Museum

This wonderful little museum is well worth stopping by if you want to learn more about the local history. Its exhibits and galleries highlight the different costumes, traditions, and cultures of the various hill tribes.

3. Hike up the highest mountain in Southeast Asia (or take the cable car)!

Fansipan towers to a height of 3,143 meters and is the highest mountain in Southeast Asia. Hiking to the top may be tough, but you’ll be rewarded with sweeping views of the beautiful countryside.

Alternatively, you can take the cable car up and enjoy the scenic view from its window if hiking in Sapa isn’t on your bucket list! 
 

4. Visit the lively Sapa Market

Stop by Sapa Market to experience the less-touristy side to the town and meander along the stalls looking at all the fresh, colorful produce that is brought in from the surrounding area. Buy some local handicrafts which have been so expertly made by the local hill tribes as gifts or souvenirs.

5. Marvel at the stunning view from Heaven’s Gate

Although you’ll find beautiful scenery almost everywhere you go in Sapa Vietnam, the delightfully named Heaven’s Gate is well worth a visit; the views on offer are just breathtaking. The valley falls away before you and mountains stretch away into the distance, seemingly going forever.

While it does look incredible, visitors sometimes find that fog covers everything but the highest peaks! Not far from Heaven’s Gate is the Thac Bac Waterfall; due to their proximity to one another, it is worth combining the two when making a trip.

​Sapa is like no other city in Vietnam. Gorgeous green ride paddies in the Vietnamese mountain town are the highlight of Sapa. Take a tour through the rice paddies and visit the local Hmong & Dao villages. 

Da Lat is a gorgeous little mountainous town known as “The City of Eternal Spring” with year-round cooler temperatures. It’s the perfect place to relax for a few days while visiting Vietnam. Da Lat has amazing lakes and waterfalls that are easily explored by motorbike.

Hue is known as “Vietnam’s Imperial City” and was the national capital from 1802-1945. There are several things to do in Hue but the biggest attraction in Hue is the Citadel. The citadel is surrounded by a moat and thick stone walls. Other Hue sights to see Forbidden Purple City, Thien Mu Pagoda, Hue Market, and imperial tombs.

DA NANG

Is a desert oasis in the southern capital Lima, Peru. This "sand pit" was once a popular resting place for the upper class, but now it has become a tourist destination with great entertainment activities.

Blagaj

Things became more serious, but a couple of weeks ago we were still able to go out into Essex to see the daffodils at Warley Place in Essex. I blogged about this unusual nature reserve ten months ago, and when I got home, I put a note in the diary to go in March 2020. And so we did, and it was all but deserted. What an incredible sight it was, with acres of daffodils. It was all so beautiful that we stayed for many hours, stopping to have a picnic and coffee.   

And here are the cottages, next to the church.

The very next day, though, the government locked down. We were told to stay at home, and of course we have obeyed - there hasn't been any temptation for me to risk contagion, because I know how easily this virus spreads. There's a chart at the end of this post that shows how just one contact can make a whole lot of difference.   But we are allowed to walk or cycle near home, for purposes of exercise, and that's what we're doing. I just hope nobody closes the  open spaces near us.   The blackthorn is now fully out but there are still only a few leaves on the trees.  Thank goodness for wildness. 

It is tragic listening to the news and my thoughts are with those who will be affected, which include me and my own close family.   I don't think anyone can feel complacent.

But what can we do, except the things that are in our power? We cannot possibly alter a global problem, and so, just as with the climate emergency, we can only do - and keep doing - absolutely everything possible not to make things worse and buy time for healing to happen.   If we take care not to spread the virus, we are helping to save lives by postponing infections and spreading them thinner so the medical services can deal with the numbers better.  And, of course, so that scientists can develop vaccines and treatments and manufacturers can produce enough ventilators for those who may need them.

 Thankfully from the back of our house we have a close up view of a large cherry tree which is right now in full bloom. 

So that's me. I'll be checking my favourite blogs and leaving some comments after so long away. Please stay safe everyone and try to help others to stay safe too.  Stay in your home, or your garden, don't go closer than two metres (six feet) to anyone who isn't in your own household. (Even the drainholes around here are warning us of that) 

 I haven't been in Blogland much over the last months and so I'm now going to visit my favourite blogs.  I hope very much that I will find all of you well, and that you'll remain so. 

How are you coping with the strange times we are in?