Renamed from the original Tam Duong, the new Lai Chau town is a good place to break up the trip between Sapa and Muong Lay, but few would choose to overnight here otherwise. It's a functional hub for both the local Montagnards, who come to buy and sell, and for those involved in all the various construction projects going on in the area.
The surrounding vistas are characterised as much by brown dirt as they are green hills, as mountain slopes are scooped away to create flat land for future development.