Tram Ton pass

If you travel along the Sapa - Laichau road, you will cross this pass, on the north side of Fansipan, 15km from Sapa. At 1900m, this is the highest mountain pass in Vietnam. Aside from magnificent views, the bizarre thing is how dramatically the climate changes. On the Sapa of the mountain you can often expect cold, foggy and generally nasty weather. Drop down a few hundred meters below the pass on the Laichau side and it will often be sunny and warm. Ferocious winds come ripping over the pass, which is not surprising given the temperature differences - Sapa is the coldest place in Vietnam and Laichau is the hotest. Tram Ton Pass is the dividing line between two great weather fronts - who says you can't see air?

Just along side the road about 5 km back towards Sapa is the Silver Waterfall (Thac Bac). Having a high of 100m, it's a big one, but climbing up alongside it can be dangerous. In the winter dry season it may be reduced to a trickle, but can be magnificent in the rainy season.

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