Mount Fansipan Cable Car: Top 3 Opportunities for Sustainable Tourism?

The view from Mount Fansipan (Photo: Jessica Hancock) 

The 3,413 meter Mount Fansipan, known as the Roof of Indochina, can now be summited in a mere 600 steps - a journey that previously demanded two arduous days of trekking. The record-breaking cable car was opened to the public in February 2016 and has the capacity to transport up to 2,000 people per hour up the mountain. To put this in perspective, that’s the same number of people that summited Fansipan in 2013. 

The 6,282-meter cable car holds the Guinness World Record for the world’s longest and a second Guinness World Record for highest ascent (1,410 meters). Quite an accomplishment for a fifteen-minute ride. The cable car isn’t the first display of modernity to land on Fansipan. Nearly a year before the cable car opened, the third-largest mobile operator in Vietnam installed transceiver stations on the mountain to establish 3G connection. 

Cable car guests on Mount Fansipan (Photo credit unknown)

Opinions about the cable car have been polarized. Proponents point to successful projects elsewhere in the world; they claim the cable car will provide economic opportunities, modernize tourism in Sapa and draw more tourists. Opponents, primarily biologists, conservationists and birders, are troubled about the impacts of mass tourism in the ecologically sensitive area.  Others lament the loss of meaning and value. One Hanoi local explains:

"I personally climbed the mountain last week. It was a very long and hard journey. It took my friends and me three full days to reach the top. What we got out of the experience was not just the scenery, but more importantly the feeling that we had achieved something worthwhile". 

Cable car ascent (Photo: Voice of Vietnam)

Fansipan is located nine kilometers southwest of Sapa Town and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Vietnam, and it's just on the doorstep of CBT Vietnam villages Lao Chai, Taphin, Tavan and Ban Ho. The engine of change has been set in motion and now we must look forward. We present three tangible opportunities for Sapa. 

1. Leadership in Accessible Tourism

Advocates of accessible tourism aspire to design tourism products that are available to all people, regardless of their physical limitations, disabilities or age. The Mount Fansipan cable car offers access to those previously unable to summit. 

The UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) endorses "universal design", which is a holistic approach aimed at accommodating the needs of all people. According to UNWTO Secretary-General Tale Rifai, “accessibility is a central element of any responsible and sustainable tourism policy". 

Will Sapa's decision-maker's integrate accessibility into subsequent development phases of tourism infrastructure? 

2. Leadership in Ecological Research 

In 2014 a new species of frog was discovered on Mount Fansipan by a team of Vietnamese and Australian scientists. What's more, research conducted globally indicates that monitoring impacts of cable car access is vital to successful management. For example, Polish scientists have assessed the impact of cable car expansion on the Tatra Mountain's high-altitude ecosystem. They uncovered evidence that tourist pressure reduced herd size of the chamois species. 

According to researchers in Sapa, relatively little is known about Fansipan's flora and fauna. The cable car increases foot traffic on the mountain but it also reduces travel time exponentially and facilitates access for scientists unable to climb by foot. Will funding be available for research and monitoring? How can we protect species that have yet to be discovered?

Botsford's Leaf-Litter Frog (Photo: Jodi Rowley)

3. Leadership in Sustainable Tourism Development

The cable car inaugurates a new development phase in Sapa. Plans are already underway to construct hotels and recreational facilities in the region, including luxury properties and restaurants. 

Of the 18 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the UN highlights several for tourism industry focus:

Goal 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all; 

Goal 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.  

How are SDGs related to Sapa? A few questions come to mind. First, will the Fansipan-Sapa cable car project generate quality employment for the local community? Second, will the new influx of tourists motivated by the cable car be accessible to homestay owners, local trekking guides and others in the Sapa community offering responsible tourism products? Third, what is the vision for the next stage of development? 

UN Global Goals for Sustainable Development (Photo: UN Development Programme)