People always say that one of the best ways to make a tour to Vietnam unforgettable is taking a memorable Sapa tour, because this place has such incredibly stunning sceneries that can make you overwhelmed right at the first time you see it, and because you won’t be able to find a second place like this in anywhere else.
That’s why I decided to take a trip to the breath-taking Sapa.
Well, the train to Sapa itself is also an interesting journey full of beautiful sceneries and wonderful experiences. But right after I got to my destination, Sapa, I took a room in a local hotel and dropped myself for a sleep right away, so that I can be in my best for the real adventure the next day.
Sapa’s breath-taking landscapes
The next day morning, I headed directly out with my guide for some tribal exploration. I did a half-day walk through a variety of tribal villages, through stunning scenery of mountains and rice terraces. During the first part of my walk, I passed through Black Hmong villages, encountering villagers on the road and working in their fields. I visited a school, and the kids went crazy to see a foreigner there.
Further down the path, we met a few Black Hmong women working in their rice fields. They invited us into their home, where I met their 102-year old mother who was still very much full of life and happy to host me. We were offered tea and spent a few minutes talking about their lifestyle (I noticed that she had some sort of animist altar).
We continued on through even more stunning scenery, and eventually came into Ta Phin village, which is Red Dao (also spelled Dzao) country.
The traditional custom of H’mong women
I had heard that the road between Sapa and Dien Bien Phu (where the French colonialists and militarists fell in the 1950’s during a valiant last stand) had the largest variety of remote tribes in all of Vietnam, as well as a stunning landscapes. So given my limited time, I was set to get as far in that direction as possible. My guide hesitated, but I insisted. And I’m glad I did because it resulted in an amazing day…
We drove a couple hours west past “Heaven’s Gate”, the highest point in Vietnam, to a Flower Hmong village named Tam Duong. Luckily for me, there was a market taking place, and there were dozens and dozens of Flower Hmong in attendance.
Then I met one group of four Flower Hmong women and they were happy to talk with me, but wouldn’t let me take any photos. I spoke to them for about 20 minutes and purchased some of their fruit, and they let their guards down, smiled and let me take as many photos as I wished. I met a teenage girl cutting sugarcane, and spoke to many others carrying out their duties for the day. It was exactly the sort of travel experience I crave. I learned about their way of life and had the chance to see things not many get to see.
A market in Sapa
Since we were quite far away, we started heading back in the direction of my hotel. We passed and young Flower Hmong couple coming back from another market and exchanged a few words with them. A bit farther down the road, we passed a Black Yao village, with three generations of women in the field harvesting rice. I asked if they would show me how to harvest rice, and they were thrilled that I was interested to try. I discovered that harvesting rice is extremely labor intensive.
Further down the road, we saw a charismatic Black Hmong woman selling various wares to a Flower Hmong women — cross-tribal trade at its best. We visited a Black Tai village, had a cup of tea inside one of the homes and talked in detail about their lifestyle. This was one of my most elaborate conversations I’d had in the area.
So, what do you think about this?
So interesting and exotic, right! I guess there’s no way you can get the wonderful imagination of Sapa out of your mind.
Then what are you still waiting for? Let’s make a trip to this wonderful land to find out how great it can be.
