From January 1, 2025, the People's Committee of Sa Pa town (Lao Cai) officially started collecting fees for visiting scenic spots at Fansipan peak and Cat Cat waterfall. Accordingly, the fee is 10,000 VND/trip for people aged 16 and over and 5,000 VND/trip for children aged 6 to under 16.
This regulation applies to both domestic and foreign visitors, with some cases exempted or reduced. Children under 6 years old, people with severe disabilities, Party and State leaders, or special guests with instructions from the Town People's Committee are exempted from the fee. Meanwhile, the elderly, people with severe disabilities and culturally privileged subjects will receive a 50% discount on the entrance fee.
Tourists visiting Fansipan peak and Cat Cat waterfall in Sa Pa (Lao Cai) will have to pay entrance fees from 2025.
The People's Committee of Sa Pa town said that collecting fees is necessary to create a source of funding for environmental sanitation, preservation, restoration and promotion of the value of scenic spots, and at the same time develop cultural tourism in the locality. This fee also contributes to reducing the budget burden, limiting the need for superiors to supplement funding for cultural and artistic activities.
To implement this, three toll stations with surveillance cameras and four barriers will be installed at key locations: the first station on the sidewalk in front of the Sun Plaza building; the second station on Nguyen Chi Thanh street, in front of the ticket gate of the Fansipan cable car station; the third station at the stairs to the top of Fansipan. Security fences will also be set up in these areas to ensure ticket control.
Fansipan peak - "the roof of Indochina" and Cat Cat waterfall - "the green pearl" of Sa Pa have long been the dream destinations of many tourists. However, the decision to apply entrance fees to these two locations has sparked much controversy in the tourism community.
According to the People's Committee of Sa Pa town, collecting entrance fees to the Fansipan peak area will contribute to increasing budget revenue for Sa Pa town.
One of the biggest concerns of tourists is having to pay too many fees. In addition to the entrance fee, visitors also have to pay for accompanying services such as cable cars, trams, or other entertainment activities. This makes many people feel burdened by the cost and worry that traveling to Sa Pa will become too expensive. Collecting entrance fees is necessary to preserve and develop tourist attractions. However, management agencies need to have reasonable solutions to minimize the burden on tourists, while ensuring the best quality of service and travel experience.
The People's Committee of Sa Pa town affirmed that the application of entrance fees to Fansipan peak and Cat Cat waterfall is a necessary step to protect and sustainably develop these precious natural heritages. The collected money will be directly invested in upgrading infrastructure, preserving ecosystems, as well as developing new, high-quality tourism products. Thanks to that, visitors will have better experiences and Sa Pa will increasingly affirm its position as a leading attractive tourist destination in Vietnam.
In the last three months of 2024, Lao Cai tourism welcomed 1,691,097 visitors, an increase of 42% over the same period in 2023, and welcomed more than eight million visitors in 2024. Sa Pa alone welcomed 4.4 million visitors, accounting for about 55% of visitors to Lao Cai province.
