Hundreds of travel and tourism representatives from across the globe attended a special gala ceremony in Oman where they witnessed Sun World Fansipan Legend take the top spot ahead of four heavyweight rivals, including Guggenheim Museum in Seville, Sagrada Família in Barcelona, Vatican City in Rome and the city of Venice.

Known as the “Oscars of the Travel Industry”, the WTA is one of the most prestigious awards nights in the global travel industry. Recently, Sun World Fansipan Legend had also been named “Vietnam's Leading Tourist Attraction 2019" at the World Travel Awards (WTA) Asia & Oceania, marking the first time a tourism product in Sapa had been honored by the world tourism award.

“Since opening in 2016, everyone at Sun World Fansipan Legend has been continually making great efforts to introduce Vietnam’s cultural beauty to the world by celebrating and preserving the country’s traditional heritage and showcasing various indigenous cultures as a unique tourism product,” said Nguyen Xuan Chien, Director of Sun World Fansipan Legend.

“To be named the “World's Leading Cultural Tourist Attraction” by such a prestigious body as the World Travel Awards will only further motivate us to keep going above and beyond so all of our visitors have a truly memorable experience when discovering the mountainous beauty of Sapa and Lao Cai Province,” he said.

Invested and built by Sun Group — Vietnam’s premier developer of luxury resorts, world class entertainment complexes and tourism real estate — Sun World Fansipan Legend is located amidst the majestic natural scenery of the Hoang Lien mountain range and connects Sapa to the peak of Mount Fansipan (the so-called “rooftop of Indochina”) with a world record holding cable car system. Sun World Fansipan Legend also introduces visitors to some of the fascinating customs and traditions of the many Hill Tribes, which have lived in this mountainous realm for many hundreds of years.

Officially opening its doors in 2016, Sun World Fansipan Legend quickly transformed tourism in Sapa, which had hitherto been a rather remote destination that lacked family-friendly tourism products. Now hundreds of thousands of visitors can easily travel to the “rooftop of Indochina” and drink in the awe-inspiring views.  No matter what time of year they arrive in the ‘City of Clouds’, there will always be a colorful festival underway at Sun World Fansipan Legend making Sapa a much more entertaining destination.

Besides the cable car system – a truly remarkable feat of engineering – there is also a 2km-long funicular connects Sun World Fansipan Legend to the town of Sapa and brings visitors through the picturesque Muong Hoa valley where they will see charming hamlets composed of stilt houses and the stunningly beautiful terraced rice fields in the distance.

At the top of the majestic Mount Fansipan, there is also a complex of spiritual buildings, shrines and monuments which further celebrate the ancient beliefs of Vietnamese people.

In springtime, after the Lunar New Year begins, many Vietnamese will make a special pilgrimage to complex. When the autumn comes, Sun World Fansipan Legend has also become a popular destination for Buddhists during the Vu Lan (Hungry Ghost) Festival. But through the seasons you will find people of all religions and from countries all around the world paying their respects at the sacred sites in this spectacular setting.  

Furthermore, through the year, Sun World Fansipan Legend hosts colorful art displays, carnivals and cultural shows such as “Dance in the Clouds”. Inspired by many of the Hill Tribes’, and taking place in a meditative space within the spiritual complex on Mount Fansipan, Dance in the Clouds relates many old stories and legends to visitors. Using dramatic transitions, the director of the show Pham Hoang Nam takes the audience on a wonderful journey through the ages.

The dedicated and relentless efforts of Sun Group to make Sun World Fansipan Legend a magnet that would attract many more tourists to Sapa have not only been recognized but rewarded with this prestigious honor at the WTA 2019.

The award itself will create new opportunities for cultural tourism in the northwest of Vietnam and help to raise the profile of Lao Cai province which is now officially on the world map.

This achievement of Sun World Fansipan Legend further validates the strategic direction that Sun Group to transform the ‘City in the Clouds’. Developing and promoting world-class and sustainable tourism products has not only enhanced the attractiveness of Sapa but improved the quality of life in local communities and made a huge contribution to the local economy.

Q. Khuyen