Scattered along the Muong Hoa Valley, covering approximately 8 square kilometers within Tả Van commune, the ancient rock field in Sa Pa features around 200 stones of various shapes and sizes. Each stone bears different carvings, but the most beautiful inscriptions are mainly concentrated in Pho village. Let’s join Thổ địa Sa Pa – Original Sa Pa to learn more about this enigmatic ancient rock field in Sa Pa.

Unique-Shaped Stones

In 1925, the French-Russian archaeologist Victor Goloubev discovered this ancient rock field. The surface of the stones is engraved with writing, lines, human figures, staircases, and other symbols evidence of the presence of early humans in this area.

When visiting the Muong Hoa Valley and the Sa Pa ancient rock field, visitors can observe from small stones about 0.5 meters wide, nestled deep in the fields, to enormous boulders up to 4 meters tall, standing majestically on the ground.

Ancient-character-shaped stones

The Sa Pa ancient rock field has been ranked as a national relic and is a valuable cultural heritage of Vietnam since 1994, due to its high cultural and historical significance. Nearly 100 years since its initial discovery, scientists and researchers have yet to find conclusive answers regarding the content and meaning of the carvings. Although many hypotheses have been proposed, none are truly convincing. This mystery continues to attract numerous scientists and tourists from around the world to explore and admire it. Visitors and locals are advised not to carve, write names, or litter during their visit to help preserve this precious heritage.