First mountain-climbing railway route to open in Vietnam

March 29, 2018 | 17:07

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A train line connecting Sa Pa town and the Mount Fansipan cable car station will be put into operation on March 31.

The “mountain-climbing railway route” is invested by Sun Group in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai and runs to Sun World’s Fansipan Legend tourism area.

The 2-km-long route with two tunnels and four viaducts allows trains to run at a maximum speed of 10m/s. It can serve 2,000 passengers per hour.

It will help tourists reduce travel time to only 4 minutes instead of 20 minutes by cars on a rugged mountain road.

The route contributes to diversifying tourism products in Lao Cai, bringing unique travel experiences to visitors during their trips to Sa Pa.

Located 350km northwest of Hanoi, Sa Pa is 1,600m above sea level. The town is dominated by the Hoang Lien Son mountain range which features Indochina’s highest mountain of Fansipan at 3,142 m above sea level.

Sa Pa has many natural scenic sites such as Ham Rong Mountain, Thac Bac (Silver Waterfall), Cau May (Rattan Bridge), Bamboo Forest and Ta Phin Cave. The hill town is home to six main ethnic minority groups, including Kinh, Hmong, Dao, Tay, Day and Xa Pho with various traditional festivals and unique cultural practices, especially the Bac Ha market and Sa Pa love market.

The resort town of Sa Pa was recognised as a national tourism site in December 2017.

VNA

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