On the weekend of 18/19 April, my sister and I travelled to the mountainous township of Sapa. in Northwest Vietnam. Juliette had been in Vietnam for one week and she would be leaving in a couple of days. So far she had visited Halong Bay but apart from that had mainly stayed in Hanoi to hang around with me and experience all that beautiful Hanoi had to offer!
Sapa is located very close to the Chinese border and the easiest way to get there from Hanoi is
by overnight sleeper train. Both Juliette and I had a good nights' sleep and we were awoken by the train attendants at 5am as we pulled into Lao Cai. From there it's a 40 min mini-bus ride to Sapa and and we arrived for breakfast at our hotel overlooking the town lake.
The Sapa township itself is small and very cute. You can walk through it in less than half an hour but we spent the entire first morning strolling the streets and its markets. It's very touristy obviously, but still very chilled out and the tourism industry here obviously benefits the local community.
Sapa became somewhat of a retreat for the French in the late 19th century and the general layout of the town as well as the architecture of many of the buildings is reminiscent of villages in the French Alps - there is even a catholic church in the centre square of the town. But that's where the similarities end, especially as there are so many local people in their tradional dress walking around and going about their daily activities.
Most of the local people are Black H'mong ethnic minority - the 'black' referring to their traditional clothing. However, there are also a few other ethnic minorities, including the Red Dzao people 
with their distinctive red headwear and a small percentage of Kinh (Vietnamese majority), Tay and Giay people. Although most of the local people here are obviously quite poor, they seemed quite happy and it is pleasing to see these groups retaining their culture so successfully.
In the afternoon of our first day there, we went on an organised walk to a nearby village. The scenery was beautiful and the dominant features of the area are rice terraces built along the hillsides. The hords of uninvited H'mong ladies accompanying us the entire way were slightly annoying though and their mission becomes clear at the end of the day. "Mister, I walk all the day with you, now you buy something off me". Refusal is not well received....
On the second morning, we used our free time to walk into the nearby forest. The walk includes strangely named points of interest like Heaven's Gate, Ostrich's Garden, and Cloud Yard (no idea what's behind these names!). But if the walk itself was a little confusing, the viewing platform at the top of the mountain was definitely worth it - fantastic 180 degree views of Sapa town!
In the afternoon, we went on another organised walk down into the valley and to the nearby village of Cat Cat where we watched a tradional dance performance - another pleasing initiative of the local people in the area. I really hope that the local culture in this part of the world is retained for many years to come!
Sapa is located very close to the Chinese border and the easiest way to get there from Hanoi is
by overnight sleeper train. Both Juliette and I had a good nights' sleep and we were awoken by the train attendants at 5am as we pulled into Lao Cai. From there it's a 40 min mini-bus ride to Sapa and and we arrived for breakfast at our hotel overlooking the town lake.
The Sapa township itself is small and very cute. You can walk through it in less than half an hour but we spent the entire first morning strolling the streets and its markets. It's very touristy obviously, but still very chilled out and the tourism industry here obviously benefits the local community.
Sapa became somewhat of a retreat for the French in the late 19th century and the general layout of the town as well as the architecture of many of the buildings is reminiscent of villages in the French Alps - there is even a catholic church in the centre square of the town. But that's where the similarities end, especially as there are so many local people in their tradional dress walking around and going about their daily activities.
Most of the local people are Black H'mong ethnic minority - the 'black' referring to their traditional clothing. However, there are also a few other ethnic minorities, including the Red Dzao people with their distinctive red headwear and a small percentage of Kinh (Vietnamese majority), Tay and Giay people. Although most of the local people here are obviously quite poor, they seemed quite happy and it is pleasing to see these groups retaining their culture so successfully.In the afternoon of our first day there, we went on an organised walk to a nearby village. The scenery was beautiful and the dominant features of the area are rice terraces built along the hillsides. The hords of uninvited H'mong ladies accompanying us the entire way were slightly annoying though and their mission becomes clear at the end of the day. "Mister, I walk all the day with you, now you buy something off me". Refusal is not well received....
On the second morning, we used our free time to walk into the nearby forest. The walk includes strangely named points of interest like Heaven's Gate, Ostrich's Garden, and Cloud Yard (no idea what's behind these names!). But if the walk itself was a little confusing, the viewing platform at the top of the mountain was definitely worth it - fantastic 180 degree views of Sapa town!
In the afternoon, we went on another organised walk down into the valley and to the nearby village of Cat Cat where we watched a tradional dance performance - another pleasing initiative of the local people in the area. I really hope that the local culture in this part of the world is retained for many years to come!
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