DESTINATION

Sapa

Vietnam · Lao Cai

Sapa, or Tày Sa Pa, is a Southwestern Tai language of Sa Pa, Lào Cai Province, northern Vietnam. According to Pittayaporn (2009) and Glottolog, it is the closest relative of the Southwestern Tai languages, but does not share the phonological innovations that define that group. There are about 300 speakers. Tày Sa Pa speakers are classified by the Vietnamese as ethnic Tay people, most of whom speak Central Tai languages rather than Southwestern Tai languages. According to Jerold Edmondson, the phonology, tones, and lexicon of Tày Sa Pa is similar to that of Standard Thai.