Mount Fansipan: The Ultimate Muse for Photographers

It is incredibly difficult to capture the panoramic beauty of a mountainous setting in a single photograph. Even experienced photographers might spend hundreds of hours on one peak, trying to nail that perfect shot. Indeed, many discover that capturing a great photograph of a mountain peak can be just as challenging as conquering it! But photographers will always be drawn to the world's most photogenic peaks. We have all seen images of Mount Fuji in Japan or Matterhorn in Switzerland, which are undoubtedly two of the most easily recognised "mountainous muses". Mountain loving photographers also flock to Batur in Indonesia, Hallasan in South Korea and, in recent years, Mount Fansipan in Vietnam.

Unlike some other famous peaks around the world that make an immediate visual impact, Fansipan is perhaps a more mysterious and enchanting entity. Standing at a height of 3,147 metres, the mountain is often nestled amidst a sea of clouds, which only heightens the otherworldly beauty of the mountain.

Fansipan - the mountainous muse of Asia. Credit: Le Viet Khanh

For the Vietnamese people, Fansipan – dubbed "The rooftop of Indochina", as it's the highest peak in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos – is more than just a mountain. It is a national symbol and also a convergence point for pilgrims who come to visit the spiritual complex that is located near the summit. Locals will tell you that when you ascend Fansipan and behold the sacred structures, you will feel a fresh surge of strength and a sense of serenity washing over you.

A sleeping beauty awakens

Nowadays you will see a multitude of images with Fansipan on the internet. But that hasn't always been the case. Prior to 2016, Fansipan was still a "hidden paradise" that photographers seldom conquered. Reaching the peak could only be achieved on a days-long expedition. It was an arduous journey, first taking trekkers through dense forest and then up a precipitous slope, and not for the fainthearted.

Fansipan has a magical beauty that changes with the seasons. Credit: Hoang Trung Hieu

However, in 2016, a game-changing development unfolded as the Sun Group, in collaboration with the world's leading manufacturer of ropeways, Doppelmayr Garaventa, unveiled the Fansipan Cable Car. This innovation meant travelers of all ages and all fitness levels could conquer the highest peak in Indochina. No longer a days-long trek, the trip to the top now takes just 15 to 20 minutes.

The cable car ride itself is exhilarating, as you literally glide through the clouds towards the heavens. For photographers, this development made capturing the beauty of this natural wonder more accessible than ever before. Indeed, a quick search across some of the world's largest image archives such as Getty Images, Shutterstock and Alamy reveals astonishing figures for Fansipan. There are over 17,000 images of Fansipan on Getty Images, surpassing even Hallasan, the highest peak of South Korea, which has just over 15,000 results. By comparison, Kirkjufell, one of the filming locations for the TV series Game of Thrones in Iceland, has around 2,000 images. These numbers demonstrate that Fansipan has rapidly become one of the world's most photographed peaks.

Incredible cable car rides to the top of Fansipan

A gateway to heaven

At an elevation of 3,143 meters, Fansipan is often shrouded by mist and clouds, which has only made the mountain even more mysterious in the eyes of photographers. According to the local hill tribes, who dwell all around the mountain, Fansipan is considered to be a pathway and portal that guides spirits to a heavenly realm in the hereafter.

When the cabin door of the Fansipan cable car swings open, just below the summit, travelers will be treated to a breathtaking panorama with rolling clouds and a horizon that seems to merge seamlessly with the sky. On a cloudy or misty day, a visit to Fansipan will feel like a journey to another time when you first get a glimpse of the spiritual structures that embody the essence of ancient Vietnamese temples from the 15th and 16th centuries.

A sunrise at Fansipan. Credit: Nguyen Minh Tu

You can never be sure what to expect, which again only adds to the allure of Fanispan in the eyes of the international and local photography communities. A Vietnamese photographer Nguyen Minh Tu had the good fortune to witness a moment of almost surreal beauty as the sun rose over the sacred summit of Fansipan. His image seems to capture an otherworldly scene. The rising sun is shining through the lingering mist, illuminating the steel pyramid with the words "Fansipan 3,143 meters" marked on it, and creating a mesmerizing tableau.

"We were left utterly speechless by this priceless vista we witnessed," said Tu of the moment he took the photograph. "It was unlike any sunrise we'd ever seen before, nothing like what you would see in the highlands, along the coastline, or certainly in any city. We can capture these moments in photographs, but the true emotions you feel when you witness something this special will be etched deep within our soul and heart forever."

Another photographer Nguyen Manh Cuong managed to capture the majestic outline of Mount Fansipan adorned with a colossal blanket of snow in wintertime, when mountaintop temperatures can drop as low as minus 9 degrees celsius. "When I saw the ancient rhododendron trees reaching out gracefully in the snowy breeze as if to embrace and protect the mountaintop temples of Fansipan, I was captivated by the beauty of a cold winter day in the borderlands," he said.

A snow blanket in Fansipan is like stepping out of a fairy tale. Credit: Nguyen Manh Cuong

Inspired by the singular beauty of the spiritual complex set amidst a sea of clouds, photographer Le Viet Khanh won third prize in the architecture category at the annual International Monochrome Photography Awards in 2021 for his shot "Buddha on the Top of Indochina". In Khanh's photo, the Great Buddha statue exudes a sense of majesty and mystique against a backdrop of ethereal clouds.

Indeed, the Great Amitabha Buddha shrouded in white clouds has been an inspiration for many photographers. Recognized as the highest copper statue in all of Vietnam, it stands at a height of 21.5 meters tall and weighs 62 tons.

The surreal beauty of the spiritual complex at Fansipan. Credit: Le Viet Khanh

Viewing photographs of Fanispan at different times of the year will always reveal the transformational beauty of the seasons. But what is constant in all of the very best of these images is the harmonious marriage between the breathtaking natural wonders of the Northwest and the spiritual structures that showcase the boundless capabilities of mankind. Consequently, Fansipan stands as a testament both to the glorious handiwork of Mother Nature and the creative minds of the Vietnamese people.

Now that these images are being eagerly shared around the world, many more foreign travelers will surely wish to travel to Vietnam and see this mountainous realm with their own eyes, for no static image can ever truly capture the picturesque beauty of Fansipan.