Love is all around you in Vietnam

The people of the mountainous area of Sapa in Vietnam are gearing up for love.

The Festival in the Mist arrives on April 28th, bringing with it a number of exhibitions showing Sapa and its neighbouring towns at their most mistily dramatic.

Dances and songs are performed at one of the area's most festive spots, the Ham Rong Mountain, where artists of the H’mong, Dao, Giay, Tay and Xa Pho tribes will take turns to perform dances and songs.

There are also games, such as a tug 'o' war and the gruelling relay race up 1,750 metres of Ham Rong Mountain. The various ethnic groups from around the area also exhibit tools, jewellery, musical instruments, paintings, costumes and specialist food, giving an insight into the Vietnamese way of life.

However, perhaps the most significant and exciting event for Sapa locals and tourists is the Love Market, which takes place on April 29th.

Young men and women from villages and towns from all around descend on Sapa's Flower Garden for the courting ritual, where they attempt to win over members of the opposite sex by singing love songs.

Local tradition states men and women would blow through leaf-horns to one another and, if they blew in harmony, they would fall in love.

However, modern times dictate that rather than using this antiquated instrument, they instead sing love songs to one another – which is useful for holidaymakers who do not know how to use a leaf horn.

And if you strike it lucky at the Love Market, there are few more romantic settings than the orchid strewn valleys of Sapa to take your date.