Discovery of Vietnam Northwest Villages and Ethnic Minorities

Northwest of Vietnam is well-known for huge mountains, magic caves, streams and rough rivers. In addition, the unique features of ethnic minorities' culture have brought Northwest an attraction which can not be found anywhere.

Trekking through Northwest ethnic villages has become one of foreign travelers' favorite itineraries. This kind of tour is good for anyone who wants to explore, experience and study about customs and habits of various cultures of local people.

For travelers to explore the Northwest, they should arrange their suitable trekking plan so that they can enjoy their best time in this mountainous area. Most famous places to visit are Mai Chau (Hoa Binh), Sapa (Lao Cai), Dien Bien, Son La, Lai Chau that should not be missed really.

Mai Chau

Mai Chau village is 60 kilometer far from Hoa Binh city having become a famous destination, attracting many domestic and foreign travelers. Mai Chau's stilt houses are prettily large with palm-roof, shining bamboo flooring. Windows are large and spacious enough to get wind and hang orchid baskets. Camp-fire, Gong show, dancing with local people are attractive activities in the evening and should not be missed.

Mong village is known as an ecological, cultural and relaxing destination. Visiting this village, travelers will have chance to experience hot water stream, explore normal life of 106 households of Thai ethnic with their handicraft profession. Almost people here are very poor but the environment they are living entitles them a peaceful time which many citizens long for.

Northwest dishes have also contributed to attracting travelers, if you have time to visit Northwest, you should spend time enjoying Lam rice (rice is put into a young bamboo pipe and fire on wooden coal), baked fish, dried meat, vegetables, bitter bamboo shoot, Sang vegetable etc...

Northwest has something changed recently but traditional features of culture have been still preserved.

Sapa – Lao Cai

Located in Vietnam's remote north west mountains, Sapa is famous for both its fine, rugged scenery and also its rich cultural diversity. Sapa is an incredibly picturesque village that lies on the Hoang Lien Son mountain range near the Chinese border in northwestern Vietnam, known as "the Tonkinese Alps". Sapa and its surrounding region is host to many hill tribes, as well as rice terraces, lush vegetation, and Fansipan, the highest peak in Vietnam. However, as a result of a recent surge in popularity Sapa has rapidly become a tourist hot-spot where money is the drug of choice. Don't be put off by the rush, your explorations of the surrounding countryside will be worth the trouble.

Ethnic Minorities

Many ethnic minorities, such as the Hmong and the Dao, live in and around Sapa. Many older women in particular make ethnic-style clothes, blankets, etc. to sell to tourists. Striking up a conversation with them can be very rewarding. Sadly, however, doing this in Sapa town itself will sometimes lead to a scrum as a multitude of vendors taste a potential sale.

Children from these ethnic minorities begin to earn a living as soon as they are five years old. They often peddle small metal or silver trinkets, embroidered pillow cases and friendship bands in the main town, which like their older villagers, walk for about 3 hours from their village to reach. Some of the "richer" ethnic women sometimes take a one-hour motorbike ride back to their villages at the end of the day.

Within the ethnic minorities, girls as young as ten years old can get married and often have two children by the time they are 20 years old. This is especially the case for the beautiful girls. Poverty has led to majority of girls who leave their villages each day to go to Sapa town to have only one meal per day.

Weather

In winter, the weather in Sapa often gets cold, wet and foggy (temperatures can drop to nearly freezing). Travellers have rolled into town on a glorious clear day and proceeded to spend a week trapped in impenetrable fog. In winter, bring along warm clothes or prepare to be cold and miserable, as many hotels do not have especially efficient heating in their rooms. It rains very often during the month of August, especially in the mornings.

Travel Tips

Almost all local belong to minorities, so they are so friendly, kind and wholehearted. Travellers feel free to contact them, offering them some food, sweet or small gifts. Once you reveal that you are friendly with them as well, you will have a good chance to take extremely beautiful photos reflecting the life of minorities. However, keep in mind that some of the minorities do not wish to have photos taken of them. Ask permission beforehand.

Bring along a poncho. Otherwise, it can be bought cheaply at the many shops around.

Rubber boots and trekking shoes can be rented from some shops or perhaps at the hotel you are staying in. However, do bear in mind that there are limited sizes. Therefore, you should prepare for yourself rubber boots (Easy to find in Old quarter in Hanoi if you pass by Hanoi)

Do buy some items from the ethnic minorities, especially if you have enjoyed a good conversation or received help from them. Though they do charge slightly more than the shops, bear in mind that majority of them are very poor and depend on such tourist dollars to survive.

By train

From Hanoi it is a 9-hour train journey to Sapa.

Vietnam Rail operates some of the cars, but other cars in the train are operated by private companies (Tulico, Ratraco, Victoria Hotels, and others). Some of these cars are significantly nicer than the standard cars. You may need to arrange with a travel agency to get tickets on these tourist cars, but any traveller can purchase tickets for the VNR cars at the Hanoi train station.

Cheaper tickets, especially in hard sleeper class, can be hard to come by at times, as tour companies and travel agents will snap up these to foist on their own customers (too frequently a promised soft sleeper berth will turn into a hard sleeper when it comes time to board). Although one cannot be assured of finding a place, it's often possible to arrive at the station a short while before boarding time, as there are usually young men hanging around trying to hawk unfilled berths at the last minute. Commissions on these tickets will fall dramatically as departure time draws near.

Prices vary according to both the type of seat purchased and the season during which you are travelling. The times around Vietnamese holidays are particularly expensive and tickets cannot be assumed available for same day travel, so book ahead if possible. Travellers are highly recommended to purchase a berth in a soft or hard sleeper car, though the trip in soft seat class is not intolerable. it's always wise to bring your own snacks and drinks as well.

By motorcycle(motorbike tours) Sapa can also be reached by motorcycle from Hanoi by a variety of routes. The most direct route takes at least ten hours for first time riders, though local ex-pats often brag about making it in less. Bikes can be rented in Hanoi for unguided passage, or local guides can lead the way. Along the way be sure to top up with fuel regularly, as fill stations sometimes prove few and far between. It's also useful to note that fuel vendors in small towns often mix the petrol with other liquids such as alcohol or bio-fuels, and such fuel should be bought and used only when no alternatives are to be had.

Get around

Anywhere in the main village of Sapa, Mai Chau, Son La can be reached on foot, and the town is small enough that you're not likely to get lost. A basic map will be good enough for most travellers.

Tourists intending to trek to the various villages through the paddy fields should be prepared with good trekking shoes or rubber boots, a walking stick and extra clothing kept in a waterproof bag. Depending on the season, the rice fields, which are build in terraces, can be very muddy and slippery. If one does not wear shoes which enables a good grip in mud, one is likely to keep slipping and falling on one's butt and perhaps slide down the slopes. As the paths are also taken by water buffalos, its excrement can be found everywhere. Walking sticks can be bought from children from the ethnic minority groups at about 5000 dong. These enterprising children cut sturdy bamboo and sharpen one end to turn them into sturdy sticks.

For the less adventurous, some of the villages, such as Lao Cai Village, is accessible via jeep, motorcycle and van.

See

Sapa is a charming mountain town, surrounded by picturesque mountains and rice terraces. Great views of the area can be had (weather permitting) from the nearby hills. One of these has been built up into a tourist attraction ("Ham Rong Resort") with various gardens (orchid, European), ethnic minority dance performance areas, viewpoints, and restaurants. It's a short walk south from the central square and then up some stairs. Coming here, you will have chance to attend markets of minorities with various colors of their dress. It is a good chance for you to buy manmade products of tribes and to get to know their life. Many beautiful villages and markets can be found in Mai Chau and Sapa.

While walking in the mountains you will see many hill tribes such as the Red Zao tribe. Black Thai, White Thai working on rice terrace fields or fruit gardens.

Do

Sit on the balcony of a hotel

overlooking the valleys drinking a beer at sunset - sublime!

The ethnic village of Cat Cat is a few kilometers' walk from Sapa. You're not likely to get lost - just walk down the road out of Sapa, which should be marked on maps, and after a while you'll find a path which descends the hill to your left. This path runs through the village before climbing another hill back to the road. This walk provides a good chance to observe Vietnamese farming and farm animals, and there are excellent views. The walk back up can be difficult (it is steep in parts). Sign-up for a trekking trip that enables you to stay overnight at one of the villages. The homestay experience will make you feel like yourself as locals in peaceful atmosphere not the same as stuffy atmosphere in cities. For one thing you will have chance to have exchange talk with local minorities via your guides or your English.

Further, it is advised that you should bring both Dollars and Vietnam Dong with you. It is easy for you to spend VN Dong in Mai Chau than $US.

Buy

It is possible to change money, traveler cheques and get cash advance on credit cards at the bigger Hotels in Sapa. Furthermore, there are ATMs on the main street but they only accept VISA and not Mastercard or Maestro. So you might be better off with stocking up on cash before heading to Sapa. The nearest ATM accepting all major cards is in Lao Cai.

The usual endless supply of tourist trinkets is available at every turn.

The various markets sell clothes, blankets, etc. with colorful designs traditional to the various ethnic minorities in the town. Take note that the dye used to give a blue color stains the fingers - which is why many of the women who make them have darkened fingertips. Be careful when washing these clothes.

Marijuana and opium are sold commonly, yet discreetly, by minority men and women on the streets of Sapa. If you decide to indulge, understand that the Vietnamese legal system has little respect for the rights of the accused. For the sake of the local community, neverconsume drugs in the sight of children.

Eat & Drink

It is interesting that when you are attending markets in Northwest, you have chance to enjoy people local's simple but unique kinds of food with special wines made from rice, cassavas, corn and different sorts of fruits such as plumps, apples, peaches. You also have chance to enjoy specialties from forests such as bamboo shoot, wild vegetables....

Sleep

Hotels are interesting here. Rooms can provide nice views over the valley and many open onto small balconies. Also you have chance to experience homestay in minorities’ villages. Good time should not be missed!