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Tourism boom threatens Vietnam's 'Tonkinese Alps' By [/home/search.html?s=&authornamef=Afp Afp] <br>  Published:  07:31 BST, 6 November 2016   |  Updated:  07:31 BST, 6 November 2016   <br>       [ ]   [ ]   [ ]  </a>    29 shares    <br>At the top of Vietnam's Fansipan Mountain, throngs of giddy tourists wielding selfie sticks jostle for a photo op on the once-remote peak in the Sapa region, famed for its breathtaking views across undulating rice terraces.<br><br>Getting to the top traditionally takes a two-day trek but these days most visitors opt for a 20-minute ride by cable car instead -- the latest flashy tourist attraction to heighten concerns over rapid development destroying Sapa's natural beauty.<br><br>Known by some as the Tonkinese Alps, the former French outpost has seen a tourism boom in recent years with a new highway from the capital and hotels popping up at breakneck pace.<br>        [https://knoji.com/search/?query=Tourists Tourists] pose for photos on the top of Fansipan Mountain in the northern Sapa tourist town in northern Vietnam ©Hoang Dinh Nam (AFP)<br> <br>"If more and more building (happens), then one day we will lose [https://www.kynghidongduong.vn/tours/combo-du-lich-sapa-sa-pa-tu-ha-noi-tu-hcm-gia-re-dich-vu-chat-luong.html combo du lịch sapa], we won't have any more mountain," said guide Giang Thi Lang, from the Black Hmong ethnic group.<br><br>Vietnam's tourism industry has taken off in recent years, especially among domestic visitors with growing appetites and budgets for travel.<br><br>The country has also become a draw for foreign visitors turning their backs on better-known Southeast Asian destinations such as Thailand's Chiang Mai, seeking instead a road less [http://blogs.realtown.com/search/?q=travelled travelled].<br><br>But some lament the commercialisation of Vietnamese treasures, with reports of locals complaining about multi-course meals served in Ha Long Bay's famous caves, or trash-strewn beaches in the resort town of Phu Quoc.<br><br>- 'They didn't listen' -<br><br>In Sapa town, where heaps of rubble mark hotel sites under construction, the number of rooms has surged from 2,500 in 2010 to 4,000 last year, according to official figures.<br><br>Visitor numbers have snowballed too, reaching around 700,000 last year, and revenues have more than tripled since 2010 to $50 million.<br><br>Part of that growth is thanks to the cable car -- the longest of its kind in the world according to operators -- which opened in February with the capacity to ferry 2,000 people to the top of the mountain daily.<br><br>"It's good for Sapa when they can attract more tourists... and we have a big number of the local people that can find jobs," said Nguyen Van Manh, deputy director of Sapa's Tourist Information Center, adding that the sector provided employment to thousands.<br><br>But some locals tell a different story.<br><br>"Before the cable car, there were more porters from the village with regular work," said Hmong trekking guide Ma A Tro from Fansipan's summit, where he had just led a two-day trip.<br><br>"Now with the cable car there, village residents no longer have jobs, mostly becoming freelance construction workers."<br><br>The government ignored opposition to the cable car, he said, lamenting that business has dwindled since its construction with fewer people climbing the mountain.<br><br>"We talked to them, but they didn't listen. The central government came and said they had to do it, so they did it," he added.<br><br>- 'Disappointed' -<br><br>Some tourists also say Sapa is losing its appeal, with Fansipan's picturesque summit replaced by concrete steps, souvenir shops and still-under-construction temples.<br><br>"I imagined I would come to the top and it would be really natural, but it's developed here, so for me it's a bit disappointing," said trekker Duong Hoang Minh, who hiked to the top of the 3,143-metre (10,311-foot) peak.<br><br>But still, he decided to take the cable car down and agreed that more people can enjoy the mountain because of it.<br><br>"For other people I think it's better because it's safer for them," said the 23-year-old teacher, his white sweatpants slicked with fresh mud.<br><br>Most tourism operators agree the boom has brought much-needed development -- roads, schools and clinics, for example -- to a region where the majority of the population belong to one of Vietnam's 53 ethnic minorities, who have traditionally lagged behind the rest of the country.<br><br>But without sustainable growth Sapa risks "shooting itself in the foot", said Hubert de Murard, manager of the Topas Ecolodge about 18 kilometres (11 miles) from Sapa town.<br><br>The lodge, with its 25 white granite bungalows overlooking a rice terraced valley, employs mostly locals, was built using materials found nearby and was designed to blend in with the surrounding environment -- a business model de Murard said he'd like to see newcomers adopt.<br><br>He worries that some investments have been short-sighted, aimed at maximising the number of visitors.<br><br>"For a natural destination like here, with a preserved environment, this would not really be good," he told AFP as the sun set over the yawning valley behind him.<br><br>"We need to be a bit more careful to avoid the mistake of mass tourism in Sapa."<br>        A Topas Ecolodge building sits on a hill-side outside northern Vietnam's Sapa tourist town ©Hoang Dinh Nam (AFP)<br>         A new hotel is being built on a hillside in northern Vietnam's Sapa tourist town ©Hoang Dinh Nam (AFP)<br>         Tourists disembark from a cable car near the top of Fansipan Mountain, outside northern Vietnam's [https://www.kynghidongduong.vn/tours/combo-du-lich-sapa-sa-pa-tu-ha-noi-tu-hcm-gia-re-dich-vu-chat-luong.html combo du lịch sapa] tourist town ©Hoang Dinh Nam (AFP)<br>         Hubert de Murard, manager of Topas Ecolodge, speaks during an interview with AFP at his resort on the outskirts of northern Vietnam's Sapa tourist town ©Hoang Dinh Nam (AFP)<br>