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Rich & Elaine's Overseas AdventuresSaPa North VietnamThe colourful hill tribes of North Vietnam can be found in and around Sapa, a delightful former French Hill Station 1,600m above sea level in the northwest mountains very close to the Chinese border. Sapa is a 380km overnight train and mini bus journey from Hanoi, tickets can be bought at hotels and all travel agents through out the country. The train winds its way up through the heavily cultivated countryside to the thriving city of Lao Cai at the junction of the Red River which runs from China to Hanoi City and is the largest river in North Vietnam. Lao Cai is one of the poorer areas of Vietnam, a bustling market town located on the Railway to Yunnan Province in China. Agriculture and timber cut from the well forested hillsides is the main industry and now tourism is becoming attractive with trekking adventures operating to Mt Fanispan 3143m, Vietnam’s highest mountain.  From Lao Cai a mini bus will whisk you high into the hills covered with vertical rice terraces, to the colourful town of Sapa and the surrounding areas that are home to the ethnic minority hill tribes of Vietnam. There are many hotels and guest houses in Sapa, all with excellent views over the terraced mountain sides and cater to the many adventure tourists that come to the area to trek, sightsee and explore on motor bikes. Wandering through the wonderful cobbled streets is an adventure on its own; the local H’mong and Dzac hill tribe people who originally ventured down from South China into Vietnam are dressed in traditional colourful attire. They spend their day pursuing travellers to barter their handcrafts, silver wear, weaving and hand dyed hand made clothing. These very colourful hill tribe people have had no formal education but are well aware of the value of money, the small friendly women with brown eyed babies strapped to their backs gather in bunches socialising and targeting  travellers.By joining an organised trekking tour you are able to experience the unique culture and tradition of these very delightful people, the countryside is stunning with a new vista and experience at every bend. There is plenty of time to chat and gape at the hive of activity, the fields being ploughed by buffalo, waterfalls tumbling through the terraced paddy fields and steep steps dropping down off the track to local villages and the homes of the hill tribe people of Vietnam in the valley below. There are many excellent restaurants and bars in Sapa offering delicious food and wonderful coffee and chilled beer. The hill tribe people of Vietnam have wonderfully colourful street markets where bargaining is definitely the culture.  The weekend markets are large attracting hoards of visitors but during the week the markets are much quieter.Sapa will definitely be a highlight of your Vietnamese holiday, the stunning contrast in the landscape, culture and the people is a very humbling experience and you do feel reluctant to leave these very unique people living their collectively busy lives in an environment that they have embraced for centuries. Rich & Elaine's Home Page ---> <--- Vietnam |
