CHANGES IN SAPA (RURAL) DUE TO HUMAN ACTIVITIES:
SOCIAL:
- Sapa was discovered by the French due to it's "poetic scenery" in the early 20th century.
- After WWII Sapa started to become a tourist attraction, it was known for it's relaxing environment.
- Population levels increase.
- Education levels increase. The older citizens have no formal education, whilst the younger people have had access to education. They have developed a basic level of English. This allows them to interact and speak to the tourist.
- High tourism levels
- Local's are Ethnic Minority people and Hill tribal people.
- Local woman sell clothing, handicraft and souvenirs to the tourist.
- When Sapa was poverty struck, tourism brought income for the locals.
HISTORICAL:
- The French arrived in Sapa in 1909.
- French Colonisers described the location as the "Summer Capital of Northern Vietnam".
- By 1920 there were hundreds of villas built and a railway station was constructed.
- The French Colonist were attracted to the region due to its mild climate and poetic scenery.
- The land was intruded by the Americans for a short period of time.
- The resistant War against the French during 1945 - 1955 caused a lot of damages, leaving Sapa isolated and forgotten. Until the 1990's when tourism started again in Vietnam.
- Sapa welcomed the first tourists in 1990 and started to develop into a large town to serve tourism.
- A market square and a church were constructed.
ENVIRONMENTAL:
- Surrounded by vertical rice terraces, mountain peaks and waterfalls.
- Transportation: Trains, Cars, Buses and Motorbikes.
- Rice fields can only be yielded annually, this can lead to food shortages at specific times of the year. This can contribute to other health related problems, such as: coughs, colds, bronchial and respiratory problems.
- This region has not faced a mass amount of deforestation of trees or fields for the construction of buildings, hotels or houses. People visit this area because of the untouched natural beauty.
ECONOMICAL:
- 1986 'Doi Moi' Renovation allowed a rapid growth in trade and investment.
- H'mong and Dzao people from the local hill tribes head into the town's market everyday to trade their produce. The main market is held on a Saturday and it is usually packed with locals and tourist.
- Old Women sell clothing and handicrafts which is extremely popular with the tourists.
- Limited capital resources, this makes farming the rice a tiring and time consuming obstacle.
- Sapa uses labour as it's main resource.
- Tourism leads to an increase in competition among street sellers and make people more vulnerable to the strong influence of money.
- Change from villas to hotels.
- Tourism attracts money for the locals.
- "If we decide to be farmers, we only have food for a few months, so we need to sell clothes to tourists. In a very good month, we can get $100, but tax the tourism grows in Sapa, prices for us also are higher. We need to spend 50% of our income to buy new textiles to keep sewing", said Khu, A young Hmong woman.
POLITICAL:
- Forced immigration to make the region populated
- Due to the low levels of locals in Sapa the Government strongly encouraged people to live in the region.
- A strong pull factor to Sapa is the job opportunities.
- The improvement of public infrastructure that was ordered by the Government, this encouraged people movement into the region. The infrastructure that was constructed: Schools, health centres, sanitation systems, electrification, telecommunicators and irrigation.
TECHNOLOGICAL:
- Sapa is a very natural environment, it has not yet been fully exposed to the technological world.
- Locals hand pick the rice. This demonstrates their lack of capital resources and proves they have a basic economy.
- There is internet available at Cafes and some Hotels. This demonstrates the region's efforts to become a broader and more communal region.
- Due to the increasing education levels, individuals will have the knowledge to create more. This will encourage a larger and more diverse industry.
- The future of Sapa is changing, the Government is trying to stray from just being a farming region.
SOCIAL:
- Sapa was discovered by the French due to it's "poetic scenery" in the early 20th century.
- After WWII Sapa started to become a tourist attraction, it was known for it's relaxing environment.
- Population levels increase.
- Education levels increase. The older citizens have no formal education, whilst the younger people have had access to education. They have developed a basic level of English. This allows them to interact and speak to the tourist.
- High tourism levels
- Local's are Ethnic Minority people and Hill tribal people.
- Local woman sell clothing, handicraft and souvenirs to the tourist.
- When Sapa was poverty struck, tourism brought income for the locals.
HISTORICAL:
- The French arrived in Sapa in 1909.
- French Colonisers described the location as the "Summer Capital of Northern Vietnam".
- By 1920 there were hundreds of villas built and a railway station was constructed.
- The French Colonist were attracted to the region due to its mild climate and poetic scenery.
- The land was intruded by the Americans for a short period of time.
- The resistant War against the French during 1945 - 1955 caused a lot of damages, leaving Sapa isolated and forgotten. Until the 1990's when tourism started again in Vietnam.
- Sapa welcomed the first tourists in 1990 and started to develop into a large town to serve tourism.
- A market square and a church were constructed.
ENVIRONMENTAL:
- Surrounded by vertical rice terraces, mountain peaks and waterfalls.
- Transportation: Trains, Cars, Buses and Motorbikes.
- Rice fields can only be yielded annually, this can lead to food shortages at specific times of the year. This can contribute to other health related problems, such as: coughs, colds, bronchial and respiratory problems.
- This region has not faced a mass amount of deforestation of trees or fields for the construction of buildings, hotels or houses. People visit this area because of the untouched natural beauty.
ECONOMICAL:
- 1986 'Doi Moi' Renovation allowed a rapid growth in trade and investment.
- H'mong and Dzao people from the local hill tribes head into the town's market everyday to trade their produce. The main market is held on a Saturday and it is usually packed with locals and tourist.
- Old Women sell clothing and handicrafts which is extremely popular with the tourists.
- Limited capital resources, this makes farming the rice a tiring and time consuming obstacle.
- Sapa uses labour as it's main resource.
- Tourism leads to an increase in competition among street sellers and make people more vulnerable to the strong influence of money.
- Change from villas to hotels.
- Tourism attracts money for the locals.
- "If we decide to be farmers, we only have food for a few months, so we need to sell clothes to tourists. In a very good month, we can get $100, but tax the tourism grows in Sapa, prices for us also are higher. We need to spend 50% of our income to buy new textiles to keep sewing", said Khu, A young Hmong woman.
POLITICAL:
- Forced immigration to make the region populated
- Due to the low levels of locals in Sapa the Government strongly encouraged people to live in the region.
- A strong pull factor to Sapa is the job opportunities.
- The improvement of public infrastructure that was ordered by the Government, this encouraged people movement into the region. The infrastructure that was constructed: Schools, health centres, sanitation systems, electrification, telecommunicators and irrigation.
TECHNOLOGICAL:
- Sapa is a very natural environment, it has not yet been fully exposed to the technological world.
- Locals hand pick the rice. This demonstrates their lack of capital resources and proves they have a basic economy.
- There is internet available at Cafes and some Hotels. This demonstrates the region's efforts to become a broader and more communal region.
- Due to the increasing education levels, individuals will have the knowledge to create more. This will encourage a larger and more diverse industry.
- The future of Sapa is changing, the Government is trying to stray from just being a farming region.