Foreign tourists do not believe it snows in Vietnam

After 6 hours on a sleeper bus from Hanoi, Jojo Diotay (27 years old, Philippines, currently living and working in Hai Phong) and his group of friends stopped in Sa Pa at 6:30 a.m. on a day at the end of January.

The group had breakfast at a local restaurant and bought tickets to take the cable car straight to Fansipan Peak as soon as they arrived in Lao Cai. The group's original goal was to "hunt" for snow on Fansipan Peak, so they did not spend much time exploring Sa Pa.

Before the trip on January 27, his friends checked the local weather forecast. Despite constantly checking the photos taken at Fansipan, Jojo and his friends were skeptical that a tropical country like Vietnam would have snow.

“To be honest, I’m not sure if those photos are real or edited. Snow in Vietnam? I find it a bit hard to believe,” the male tourist said.

Reaching the top of Fansipan at 8:45 am, the group of young Filipino tourists were immediately greeted by a white scene on the high mountain. All over the tree branches, railings, and on the ground, snow was covered in white.

“It was freezing cold, probably around -3 degrees Celsius or even colder, but the snow made the landscape around me look incredibly magical. At that time, I didn’t even notice the cold because I was so immersed in the beauty of the white snow. For me, it was a surreal experience,” Jojo shared.

A foreign male tourist is excited when touching snow for the first time during a trip to Lao Cai, Vietnam. Photo: Jojo Diotay

Snow-covered scene on Fansipan peak. Photo: Michael John Escosio

Jojo confessed that he felt like a 5-year-old kid again, filled with excitement as he stood on snow for the first time in his life. He tried to stay outside as long as possible, making snowballs, taking pictures and soaking in the rare moment on the “roof of Indochina”.

Michael John Escosio (26 years old), a friend of Jojo Diotay, revealed that the group spent the whole morning on the top of Fansipan to see the snow. Because it was their first time touching snow, they wanted to make the most of their time in Sa Pa.

Before this trip, not only him, but everyone in the group had seen pictures and videos of snow. Indeed, there is nothing like experiencing it firsthand on the top of Fansipan - an unforgettable memory for tourists from tropical countries in Southeast Asia.

The 9X male tourist still could not hide his happiness: “Seeing snow directly was amazing! Our whole group was excited. We spent a lot of time taking pictures, touching the snow, playing with the snow, even bringing the Philippine flag to capture those moments.”

Young tourists spend a lot of time admiring the snow on Fansipan peak. Photo: Michael John Escosio

A group of Filipino tourists take a souvenir photo at Fansipan peak. Photo: Jojo Diotay

The trees and grass on the top of Fansipan Mountain from an altitude of 2,800 m and above were covered with a layer of white snow in the last days of January 2025. The space here is as beautiful as Europe after a night of snowfall, the temperature dropped to -6 degrees Celsius. The phenomenon of ice lasting for many days and the rare snowfall of winter attract tourists to Sa Pa.

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