Former Son La Prison:
A prison built by the colonial regime to detain Vietnamese revolutionaries and other patriots.  Tham Ke is a beautiful and attractive grotto. There is a piece of writing by King Le Thai Tong carved on a stone cliff outside the grotto from 1440.  Tham Ta Toong is a complex of marvelous grottoes only 1,5km from the Son La Hotel in Son La town.

Excursions to the mountains of the Tay Bac (North-West) region and bathing at the Ban Mong hot spring, whose water ranges from 35^oC to 40^oC are both worthwhile.

Visits to ethnic minorities' hamlets: Ban Hin (Hin hamlet) is characterized by the typical traditions and culture of the Thai ethnic hamlet. It is about 3km from Son La town and tourists can enjoy drinking ruou can (homebrewed rice whisky contained in common vases and taken in group by sucking it through reed stems) or watching xoe Thai (Thai young women's dancing).

Son La Provincial Museum :
The Son La Provincial Museum was originally a penitentiary built by the French in 1908. At first, it was only a small provincial prison. But between 1930 and 1945, thousands of Vietnamese patriots were imprisoned here. Key individuals who later became main leaders of the Revolution for National Liberation were incarcerated in the Son La Prison. In 1962, it was classified by the Ministry of Culture as one of the numerous revolutionary heritage sites in the country.

The penitentiary was partially rebuilt after 1952 bombings and visitors can visit the subterraneous tiny cells with food-serving hatches and leg irons. The museum also exhibits precious objects introducing the historical and cultural traditions of 12 ethnic groups living in Son La province. Son La Provincial Museum welcomes tens of thousands of visitors every year.