Mount Fansipan is found in the Muong Hoa Valley of North West Vietnam and is Indo-China’s highest Mountain.

The mountain  is 3,143 metres high and, depending on your fitness levels, it can be climbed in either 2 or 3 days.

I climbed Fansipan with a group of friends, organising the climb with local guides through the guesthouse we were staying at in Sa Pa, the main tourist hub of the region which is located about 9km from the base of Mt Fansipan.

Our guide, Sam, was a cheery local who cracked jokes the for the whole journey and explained all sorts of things about the mountain and the culture of the people who live in the region. He had also climbed the mountain over 130 times!

We broke the climb up Mt Fansipan into 3 parts, sleeping over-night in a communal tent on the second stop before making the final push to the summit first thing the next morning.

Reaching the summit was a great relief and a worthwhile achievement. There are some absolutely incredible views from the different parts of the mountain, but as this photo suggests, most are short lived as the cloud movements at that height are quite fast. Being able to sit next to the stainless steel marker that sits at the mountains top spot and take in this place will always be one of my fondest memories of my time of Backpacking through Vietnam.

The top of Mount Fansipan, Vietnam’s highest mountain.