This time last year, I was backpacking my way through northern Vietnam. The highlight of this region was, without a doubt, the highlands around the mountain village of Sapa.
By Sapa, I speak of the entire mountain region where lives several minority tribes. Many of these people have never left the mountains – never had electricity or education; no idea what the internet is. They truly live the simple life.
You have to go the distance to find these tribes though. Over the last decade, tourism has pretty much ruined the traditional ways of living, as Sapa has grown into one of Vietnam’s most popular tourist destinations. It’s hard to find any sense of local life in Sapa, as it seems everybody is either a tourist or trying to make money off a tourist. The villagers know just enough English to badger you into buying cheap handmade crafts that you don’t want. And if the badgering isn’t enough, they know just how to garner the pity it takes for you to eventually part with your money anyway.
If you can get past this, it’s easy to fall in love with Sapa. And again, when I say Sapa, I mean the general region and not the town itself. Once you wander off the beaten path and go the distance to far out villages, it can be quite interesting.
The women of the various local hill tribes are quite a sight. They’re dressed in robes of various patterns, and adorned with silver jewelry. Some wear fabric wraps around their shins, tied with ribbons. Others have some type of straw hanging over their shoulders and wrapped around their hands as they spend all day weaving. Some wear scarves around their heads and some wear headdresses. Some carry their babies strategically strapped to their backs with scarves and blankets, and others simply carry them in baskets. Each tribe has its own distinct style – and every single one of them is unique and interesting.
The best thing about Sapa though is the scenery. No matter where you go in this region, you’re surrounded by what look like designer staircases for the Jolly Green Giant. The photo at the top of this page is a perfect example. They look like gigantic stairs, right? What they are, in fact, are rice paddies. I can’t imagine how long it takes to carve these out and to cultivate them all over these mountains. It’s amazing.
Amazing, that is, if you can see them – Sapa is notoriously foggy, and it drizzled most of the time I was there. It’s also one of the only places in Vietnam that gets snow. The cool weather is quite refreshing though, especially when you’ve just come from any other part of Asia, where it’s generally hot and humid (in fact, I had arrived in Sapa from a harrowing three weeks in India – you may recall I was a total wreck and in desperate need of some physical healing). The air is fresh and crisp, the mountains are lush and green – and once you escape the aggressive crafts sellers, Sapa can be a peaceful retreat.
Sapa is an overnight train ride and a one-hour bus ride from Hanoi, Vietnam’s capital city. It’s pretty far out there (close to the China border), but it’s worth a visit.
If you wanna see REALLY good photos, check out this Sapa Image Gallery. I was captivated by this photo gallery when I was in Sapa – it belongs to an American man named David Martin who lived among the tribal people for a couple years. His photos capture something really special.