Cherry blossoms have been in full bloom in the tourist town of Sapa, attracting lots of visitors.

The cherry trees planted on the green tea hills some 10 km from Sapa Town have become a special tourist attraction every winter.

The Japanese cherry trees were presented to Sapa by the Vietnam-Japanese Association on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Sapa Town in 2003.

While the cherry trees usually bloom in March or April in Japan, they often start to bloom from early December in Sapa.

This year the flowers bloom early, from late November, creating a picturesque scenery for tourists to check-in and take photos.

Tourists can enjoy the scenery from the road leading to O Quy Ho Pass.

Visitors to Sapa at this time can also see the beautiful pink blossoms near the headquarters of the Sapa Town People's Committee, around the lake at the town's centre, or at Ham Rong Tourist Site.

A local photographer, Duong Quoc Hieu, said that cherry flowers have bloomed early this year due to the warm weather. The best time to enjoy the scenery and take photos is between 3-4 pm when the sunlight is most suitable. Hieu has more customers during the cherry blossom season.