Sapa – the Vietnamese’s home away from home in Prague
About an hour drive from Czech´s pulsing city center Prague, one will find itself in Sapa. Sapa, also called Little Hanoi, marks the biggest Vietnamese community in Europe. What started off as a small settlement of Vietnamese in the 1960s, Sapa became a busy market-place not only for the Vietnamese.
The entrance to Sapa, Prague’s little Hanoi. The cultural center of the Vietnamese community in Prague.
Anything a Vietnamese person needs to feel at home can be found here in Sapa, even vintage CDs.
Vietnamese is widely spoken in Sapa and throughout the community, Czech comes second.
You will struggle to find Czech cuisine; Czech bread dumplings are replaced by the Vietnamese style.
Colour adorns Sapa, with the vibrant colours of Vietnam making their way to Prague.
Imported goods stacked high, all the way from Vietnam, making the locals feel right at home.
Little food stalls dot the street, this is the main business for a lot of the locals in Sapa.
Vietnamese desserts attract tourists, Czechs, Russians and Germans alike. Visitors from all over the world come to see this enclave of Vietnam in the heart of Europe.
Clothes, toys, anything you desire can be found in the dense markets of Sapa, with vastly cheaper prices bringing in revenue for the community.
Within the market you could easily forget that you are in Prague and not in bustling Hanoi. The narrow paths and scintillating smells replicate Vietnam.
Ana from Beep Beep juice bar. The friendliest local in Sapa told us about the area and its specific custums. Photos are frowed upon in Sapa, locals are private and reserved, but Ana was not!
Just behind the juice bar, Ana’s dad proudly displayed his wares. He was very happy to be photographed, but was one of the few who warmed to us.
